“Good” stress that is! Many people are unaware that there are two types of stress: Distress and Eustress. Distress is bad stress and occurs when an individual, team, or organization cannot effectively adapt to their surroundings. It can result in maladaptive behaviors such as anger, aggression, passivity, withdrawal, and poor decision-making. Distress has a direct correlation to increased mental or physical sickness and is a major cause of depression, low productivity, increased work absence, and ultimate burnout.
Understanding Distress and Its Causes
An individual, or team, can experience distress for many reasons:
Common Causes of Distress
Lack of leadership in defining vision, outcomes, or expected results
Overemphasis on changing organizational behaviors without addressing the underlying structure
Lack of trust due to consistently broken commitments from leaders or peers
When an individual or team feels they have no control over their destiny
A culture of perfectionism that makes it “unsafe” to explore, stumble, or evaluate alternative solutions
Misalignment of talent and overemphasis on making an individual’s weakness a strength
Systemic lack of appropriate resources (talent, tools, funds) to reach a goal/target
Recognizing the Impact of Distress on Teams
People, or teams, that operate in distress often behave as “human doings,” reacting or responding to their circumstances. Complacency sets in as they form a tightly defined comfort zone. As the rate of change, innovation, and competition accelerates, that comfort zone gradually shrinks relative to the wider world around them. While we’ve all experienced levels of distress in our daily lives, the key lies in not languishing there.
What is Eustress?
Eustress is the positive stress that motivates you to achieve something uncommon. Coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, eustress describes the type of stress that provides us with a sense of hope, fulfillment, and purpose. The right stress, and process for managing it, can be inspirational and generate motivation, drive, productivity, and greater self-esteem.
How Eustress Differs from Distress
Eustress is about creating. Our outdated success principles don't function as well in these rapidly changing times. Success on our own terms requires a paradigm shift. Creating a vision, while grounded in reality, is the single biggest thing an individual or team can do to foster eustress.
Creating Eustress for Growth
Spencer W. Kimball once said, “Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir one's soul.” It is more important than ever for individuals and organizations to develop a capacity to create the future they most want. There has never been another time where knowledge, technology, and connectivity have been so accessible to so many.
Steps to Generate Eustress
To create anything, you must begin with a clear picture of what you want, regardless of the resources currently at your disposal. Don’t be dissuaded by your current lack of knowledge, resources, finances, etc. The process of creating is more about experimentation and learning, not about where you went to school or how much money you have in the bank.
Bridging the Gap Between Vision and Reality
Though successful action is driven by vision, you must confront the objective reality of your current situation. Be intellectually honest about your current state so you don’t distort reality. Try to suspend judgment of your current reality, even if it appears bleak. The gap between your vision and current reality shouldn’t be viewed as an indictment but instead as a clearer opportunity to explore the life you were meant to live.
The Power of Structural Tension
Staying connected to your vision and reality simultaneously produces excitement, anticipation, and a desire to act. The structural tension created by establishing a clear vision and an objective reality produces eustress. This discrepancy is a powerful force in awakening your potential as an individual, team, or organization.
Embracing Eustress to Achieve Your Goals
Go for what matters regardless of what you have. You will find an amazing array of knowledge, options, and resources once you create this tension. Have faith in your resourcefulness and assume you don't have what it takes. The key to success is in uncovering whatever it takes to make your vision a reality.
Human doing or human being? We live in exponential times, and there’s never been a better time to live to your fullest expression. Tapping into our highest aspirations creates eustress and is the ultimate source of strength.
Contact us at info@flvcp.com to explore how strategic planning and individualized coaching can provide the framework and leverage to turn finite resources into infinite possibilities.
