Pete Alexander2x TEDx Speaker and best-selling author helping transform burned out workers into engaged colleagues.

Stress Relief Tool - Focus on Good Stress

20 Jan 2021 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

2:07

In this self‑help video, the speaker explains that stress comes in two forms: good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). Eustress is described as the motivating fire that helps you complete important projects efficiently, while distress stems from rumination about past mistakes or anxiety about future events. The speaker emphasizes that dwelling on the past or fearing the future creates a cycle of negative self‑criticism, which he labels FEAR—an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. To counteract distress, he proposes a mental reframing technique: ask yourself, “What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?” By focusing on eustress and letting go of distress, you can improve mental, emotional, and physical health.

Chapters

Did you know that there is good stress and bad stress? Knowing the difference and being mindful of how they affect you is critical to your long-term mental and physical well-being. Good stress, also known as eustress, helps you get things done. It's what motivates you to complete your projects on time, on budget, with good quality. When you're working on something that is important to you and you are motivated to do it, eustress helps light a positive fire underneath you. Conversely, bad or negative stress, also known as distress, usually revolves around worrying about the past or the future. When you're guilty about your past, and you ruminate about what you could have done differently, you beat yourself up emotionally, and your inner critic will have a field day with this. Unfortunately, living in the past, other than to take the positive learnings from it, does not serve you. It's best to forgive your past in order to move on. Being anxious about something in the future that hasn't happened yet is also a form of distress. When you worry about a future event, you are setting yourself up for failure because you will become fixated on why the future event will not turn out the way you want it to. It's all based on FEAR, which is simply an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. The best approach here is to reframe your fear and ask yourself the following question: What would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? So focus on the good stress and throw away the bad stress. You will be healthier mentally, emotionally, and physically when you do.