GOOD STRESS, BAD STRESS CURVE

There are two kinds of stress: good stress and bad stress. Good stress is any stress which is positive and motivating, but not a threat to your existence. Bad stress, or distress, is negative and anger or fear motivated. Sometimes too much good stress can turn into distress if it goes beyond the optimal level of what we can handle and then becomes a threat. For example, a job promotion can be considered good stress, but if the work-related responsibilities associated with it are too taxing, then it can become distress.

A concept called the Yerkes-Dodson principle, which is applied to athletic performance, lends itself quite nicely to the relationship between good stress, distress, and health. As can be seen in Figure 1, when stress increases, moving from good stress to distress, performance or health decreases; consequently, regarding your health status, there is a greater risk of disease and illness. The optimal stress level is the midpoint prior to where good stress turns to distress. Studies indicate that stress related hormones in optimal doses actually improve physical performance and mental processing skills, like concentration, making you more alert. Beyond that optimal level though, all aspects of performance begin to decrease in efficiency. Physiologically speaking, your health is at serious risk. It would be simple if this optimal level was the same for all people, but it’s not. Hence, the focus of an effective stress management program is two-fold: first, to teach you where this optimal level of stress is personally, so that it can be used to your advantage and not become a detriment to your health status, and second, to reduce physical arousal levels using both coping skills and relaxation techniques so you can stay out of the danger zone created by too much stress.

Figure 1. Yerkes-Dodson Curve

The Yerkes-Dodson Curve illustrates that to a point, stress (motivation) or arousal can actually increase performance such as athletic competition. Stress to the left of the mid point is considered to be eustress. Stress beyond the midpoint, however, it is believed to detract from performance and/or one's health status and therefore labeled as distress.

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