In our daily life, we all feel stressed. Simply put, stress can be defined as our body’s reaction to pressure and intimidating situations. The term stress was coined by Hungarian scientists over fifty years ago (Rosch,1998). The book by Hans Selye, “The stress of life”, published in 1956, defined stress as a non-specific response of the body to a demand.
Many causes lead us to become stressed, for instance, fear of losing a job, performing poorly in exams, upcoming weddings, or travelling. However, not all stress is bad. As per Selye, there are two types of stress: pleasant and unpleasant. Eustress was the name for pleasant stress, and distress was named unpleasant stress by Selye. There are countless examples of eustress or enjoyable stress, for instance, travelling, starting a new career, welcoming a new baby, promotions, and many more. While distressing comes from not meeting deadlines, losing a job, or failure in a career, and suffering from many illnesses. Many illnesses, like Guillain Barr syndrome, severe irritable bowel syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc., can cause distress. Even though there is a clear association between some illnesses and distress, the definitive explanation for the association’s cause is yet unknown. For instance, a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in 2012 by Verhulst and colleagues could not provide a definitive explanation for the associations between polycystic ovary syndrome and distress.
Also, the word stress is quite popular, especially among workers. “I am so stressed” is a famous phrase amongst many of us. Over seventy per cent of people have faced worked related stress in the year 2020 in the UK (Stewart,2020). However, we should be clear that work can be connected to both eustress and distress. It is hard to know which types of stress the survey is referring to. If it is referring to work-related distress, the given figure is alarming; otherwise, if it is referring to work-related eustress, there is nothing much to worry about. The information might be misleading if we frequently associate the word stress with work without clarifying whether it is positive or negative. And we might unknowingly demotivate our future generations to go to work. As they might associate work only with distress or unpleasant stress, which is not the case, work can also give us pleasant stress or eustress.
The symptoms of distress (unpleasant stress) can be seen in either physical form, mental form, or changing behaviour patterns. Tiredness, headache, dizziness, and muscle pain are common signs of physical distress, whereas failure to concentrate and inability to make decisions are signs of mental types of distress. Similarly, binge eating or less eating, irritableness, and insomnia are common amongst people whose behaviour is changed due to distress. By contrast, eustress (pleasant stress) gives us motivation, excitement, and concentration (Selye, 1956).
Therefore, while we use the word stress, we should clearly understand which type of stress we are referring to. If it is eustress, there is not much to worry about, but if we think it is distress, we should seek professional help. Moreover, the word eustress or pleasant stress should also be promoted especially linking it with work.
References :
CONOR STEWART, 2020. Most common types of stress experienced in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020*. [viewed 23/09/22]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1134359/common-types-of-stress-in-the-uk/.
ROSCH, P.J., 1998. Reminiscences of Hans Selye and the birth of ‘stress’. Stress Medicine. 14(1), pp.1-6. Available from: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1700(199801)14:1<1::AID-SMI777>3.0.CO;2-Whttps://api.istex.fr/ark:/67375/WNG-DVDGKSWQ-L/fulltext.pdf.
SELYE, H., 1976. The stress of life. Rev. ed. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
VELTMAN-VERHULST, S.M., BOIVIN, J., EIJKEMANS, M.J.C. & FAUSER, BART J C M, 2012. Emotional distress is a common risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies. Human Reproduction Update. 18(6), pp.638-651. Available from: 10.1093/humupd/dms029https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22824735.
© 2022 Dr Mukta Bhattarai Pandey (MD, PGDip Public Health, MRCP(UK), MRes)