Eustress : A Unique Dimension To Stress Management

Stress, like conflict, has a positive as well as a negative side. But that positive side tends to be overshadowed by concern with the negative. A life without stress is a life without challenges, simulation or change. Many positive and exciting events like- promotion, decision making, learning, leadership- have been found to create stress. Does that mean these events should be avoided? The answer is obviously “No”. Unfortunately, when most researchers talk about stress and the need to reduce it, they tend to overlook its positive side. This research paper is based on analytical research work which tries to focus on the positive side of stress which is termed as Eustress. Eustress is the positive psychological response to a stressor, indicated by the presence of positive psychological states. This paper’s purpose is fourfold. First, it introduces the idea of eustress vs. distress. Second, it presents the models to show that how eustress can be helpful to employees. Thirdly, it assess that how self efficacy influence the level of eustress. The fourth section covers the factors that may increase or decrease the chances of experiencing eustress. At the end it is concluded that stress is not always a bad thing. Stress is simply the response to changes that create taxing demands. This paper highlights that there is a difference between eustress, which is a term for positive stress, and distress, which refers to negative stress. In daily life, we often use the term “stress” to describe negative situations. This leads many people to believe that all stress is bad, which is not true. Eustress, or positive stress, helps in motivating employees to improve their job performance. Key words: Eustress, stress, distress, job performance and self-efficacy