Why You Must Understand the 2 Types of Stress

Stress causes so many problems with people: headaches, lowered morale, homonal imbalances, cramped posture, shorter attention span, emotional reactions, the list goes on and on.

When I talk with people about managing or minimizing their stress levels, I often hear the same thing over and over again: "I need stress! It helps me perform better in less time. I won't get anything done if I'm not stressed out."

And they're right! To a certain extent, anyway.

In one of my favorite books, The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss makes a distinction between 2 types of stress (on page 37):

“There are two separate types of stress… Distress refers to harmful stimuli that make you weaker, less confident, and less able. Destructive criticism, abusive bosses, and smashing your face on a curb are examples of this. These are things we want to avoid. Eustress, on the other hand, is a word most of you have probably never heard. Eu-, a Greek prefix for “healthy,” is used in the same sense as euphoria. Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress – stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth.”

Exactly!! Certain types of stress decrease our ability, confidence and strength; certain types of stress increase our ability to perform.

The problem is, ambitious professionals often confuse the two, lumping them into one package. They think their work-related stress is making them step up to a higher level of performance when really it's tearing down their ability to perform.

How can you tell the difference between these two types of stress? Here are a few hints:

Distress triggers tension in the body. The breath gets shorter, muscles tighten up, headaches develop, and there's a sense of being threatened. Time seems scarce. At the end of the day, you feel drained.

Eustress triggers a sense of excitement, eagerness to take on a challenge, even a little adrenaline. Time flies by. At the end of the day, you feel energized and excited.

There are many more indicators of distress and eustress, and many strategies to manage them both. If you'd like to talk about them, please feel free to give me a call.

Remember, here's the main idea:
Less stress, More success !

Understanding the Stimulation

For 42 years, I have been a regular coffee drinker. Like most professionals, I really enjoyed the taste, and the shot of adrenaline it gave me: the intensity, the sense of clarity and power and strength.

But in the back of my mind, I always knew these were temporary feelings. I also knew I didn’t like being dependent on a substance for these experiences. Over time I switched to half-caf; then I went to ¾ decaf. But I still submitted to the habit, trance and temporary fix.

One day, about a month ago, I went out for a run and tripped over a rock – and limped home with two cracked ribs. For some reason, in the slowed pace of my recovery, I decided to finally conquer my caffeine habit, once and for all. “I’m done with this,” I said.

Although I did go through three days of headaches – typical for caffeine withdrawal – I was surprised to see that my shift to a caffeine-free life had no effect on my ability to work. In fact, I found that I could focus for a longer period of time now that the hyper-intense feeling was gone. The anxious tightness was replaced with a sense of steady progress, and I wasn’t wasting attention on getting a refill for my coffee cup.

After a month without caffeine, I finally ventured back into the ever-present Starbucks line for an afternoon treat. And you know what? It just wasn’t as good as I remembered… “Why did I drink this all day?”

If you’re considering what life would be like without caffeine or other stimulants like sugar, simple carbs, nicotine or narcotics, here are a few insights for you to consider.

1. Why is it so hard to kick the stimulant/caffeine habit ?....Because it is there for a reason, probably a very good reason. You created quite a while ago and until you find out its purpose, it will be almost impossible to let go.

2. Stimulants are an artificial way to keep running at top speed. When you take them away, you have to be willing to honor your natural rhythm, the ebb and flow of energy that we all experience. One way to ease into this is to 'stop your racing and focus on “efficient pacing” '– the workday pace that keeps you moving and energized, not drained and grasping....... (My upcoming book includes a whole chapter on efficient pacing, but until it comes out, please feel free to call and discuss this with me.)

3. Long-term stimulation habits typically disrupt people’s sleep patterns. Many professionals who run “full tilt” all day have a hard time settling down to sleep at night. That’s partly because they don’t realize that it takes hours for the body to process caffeine. It stays with you longer than you think.

4. Many, many people use caffeine and other stimulants because they’re afraid of being lazy. Have you ever heard yourself saying, “If I’m not under pressure, it won’t get done”? Or, “I work better under stress and duress.” We create stress in our lives and fuel ourselves with caffeine and run around like panting puppies – all because we believe we can’t accomplish as much any other way. (Psst… here’s a hint: it ain’t true!)

I encourage you to start paying attention to your caffeine intake (or your use of other stimulants). Just notice the pattern – how and when you reach for it. After you observe it for a while, start asking yourself how much stimulation is really necessary and how much you consume out of habit.

Whether you decide to kick a habit or not ....is up to you… but make it a conscious decision to methodically understand its purpose first,not a trance-like operation.