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Brooke Thompson

Mr. Freeland

English Composition 2

20 March 2022

Literature Review

This essay will be discussing the question of “How are you able to tell the difference

between positive and negative stress?” The essay will focus on the symptoms of negative stress

and ways to manage stress with healthy coping techniques. Decifering the difference between

positive and negative stress can be extremely beneficial to improving overall health. Stress has

played a huge role in people's lives and learning to potentially manage negative stress and

identify what types of stress are beneficial, can improve physical, emotional, and mental well

being.

The history of stress has a completely different meaning than what it is known as today.

Stress had more to do with adversity, hardship, or some form of affliction. It was not until the

18th and 19th century that a shift in meaning started to occur. The adoption of the term stress as

a psychological concept is frequently, if wrongly, attributed to Hans Selye in 1936. Today, the

term stress can be used in different ways and for different purposes. If someone says they are

under stress, we all know what they mean and in this sense, we have come to view stress as a

negative experience. Psychologists also distinguish between stress that is harmful (distress) and

stress that is positive (eustress). In research terms stress now embraces biochemical, behavioral,

physiological and psychological effects (Kennard).

The effects of stress on the body can be extremely detrimental to your physical health.

Chronic stress causes the muscles in the body to be in a more or less constant state of
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guardedness. When muscles are taut and tense for long periods of time, this may trigger other

reactions of the body and even promote stress-related disorders. Examples of these disorders

include both tension-type headaches and migraine headaches. Musculoskeletal pain in the low

back and upper extremities has also been linked to stress, especially job stress. Stress can also

affect your internal organs as well. Stress has prominent effects on respiratory system,

cardiovascular system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal system,

nervous system, and the male and female reproductive systems (APA).

Positive stress, also known as eustress, can have positive impacts on your body and well

being. During a more positive reaction to stress, the body makes a smaller amount of the stress

hormone cortisol, which can be harmful at chronic levels. At the same time, the brain ups

production of another steroid, dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, which is often called the "anti-

aging" hormone. Having a naturally higher ratio of DHEA to cortisol appears to be protective

against the negative effects of stress on the body. When oxytocin is released in a more positive

stress response, experts believe that it may lead people to seek out more and better social

contacts -- another upside of stress (LaMotte).

The difference between eustress and distress can be extremely beneficial to know.

Distress is stress that negatively affects you and eustress is stress that has a positive effect on

you. Eustress is what energizes us and motivates us to make a change. It gives us a postive

outlook and makes us capable of overcoming obstacles and sickness. Psychological stress and

distress have been associated with higher levels of oxidative damage. For example, pre-

menopausal women caring for a chronically ill child (considered a model of chronic stress

exposure) who endorsed greater perceived stress had higher oxidative stress and shorter telomere

length, a marker of cellular age (Aschbacher).

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There are a lot of different misconceptions around the concept of stress. The

misconceptions included in the source written by Premeier Health includes: stress is the same for

everyone, stress is always bad for you, stress is everywhere, the most popular stress reducing

techniques are the best, no symptoms=no stress, and only major symptoms of stress require

attention. These are all misconceptions that can take away from the actual meaning of stress.

This article is not a reliable source due to the date that it was published. Troughout reading the

article, the points made in the article are still very relevant to this topic and toward this subject

even due to the date that the article was published(Psych Central).

There are an abundance of techniques to try and reduce everyday stress. These techniques

include: keeping a positive attitude, accepting that some events are uncontrollable, time

management, and seeking out social support. Exercise can also be a huge stress reliever. Sleep

also goes hand and hand with exercise. It has been shown that people who exercise more tend to

get a better deep “slow wave” sleep that helps renew the brain and body. Being well rested will

help clear your mind and help you think more clearly when making stressful decisions. Overall

diet can help reduce stress. The benefits of eating healthy foods extend beyond your waistline to

your mental health. A healthy diet can lessen the effects of stress, build up your immune system,

level your mood, and lower your blood pressure (Ragland)

Works Cited
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APA. Stress Effects on the Body, American Psychological Association,

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.

Aschbacher, Kirstin, et al. “Good Stress, Bad Stress and Oxidative Stress: Insights from

Anticipatory Cortisol Reactivity.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, U.S. National Library of

Medicine, Sept. 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4028159/.

Health, Premier. “6 Stress Myths You Might Believe.” 6 Stress Myths You Might Believe, 5

Feb. 2017, https://www.premierhealth.com/your-health/articles/women-wisdom-

wellness-/6-Stress-Myths-You-Might-Believe/.

Jerry Kennard, Ph.D. “A Brief History of the Term Stress.” A Brief History of the Term Stress,

HealthCentral, 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.healthcentral.com/article/a-brief-history-of-the-

term-stress.

LaMotte, Sandee. “Stress Can Be Good for You, and Here's Why.” CNN, Cable News Network,

1 Apr. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/01/health/stress-good-for-you-wellness/

index.html.

Ragland, Lauren. “Stress Management: Ways to Prevent and Relieve Stress.” WebMD, WebMD,

14 Sept. 2021, https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management.