2. Stress, whatever the sources, hampers the major functions of the body. Most of the
youngsters face multiple problems in their life. Each individual has to cope with
different kinds of pressure laid down by the society and family.
Eustress means good stress. The term was coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye,
consisting of the Greek prefix eu-meaning “good”, and stress, literally meaning “good
stress”. Eustress was originally explored in a stress model by Richard Lazarus. It is
the positive cognitive response to stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of
fulfilment or other positive feelings.
Eustress occurs when the gap between what one has what one wants is
slightly pushed, but not overwhelmed.
Distress is the most commonly referred to type of stress, having negative implications.
Bad stress occurs when our coping mechanisms are overwhelmed by the stress and
we do not function at our best.
3. Hans Selye argued that persistent stress that is not resolved through coping or
adaptation should be known as distress, and may lead to anxiety, withdrawal, and
depressive behaviour.
Self-efficacy is one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or
accomplish a task or one’s judgement of how they can carry out a required task, action
or role. Some contributing factors are a person’s beliefs about the effectiveness about
their options for courses of action and their ability to perform those actions.
Flow is an extremely productive state in which an individual experience their prime
performance. The core elements are absorption, enjoyment and intrinsic motivation.
Perfectionism, however is negatively related to flow. A person downplays their skill
levels therefore making gap too big, and they perceive the challenge to be too large to
experience flow.
Mindset is a significant factor in determining distress versus eustress.
Optimistic people and those with high self-esteem contribute to eustress experiences.
4. Methods of Coping with Stress
1. Keep things in Perspective – Most of us tend to worry about things ones which we
haven’t control. When we faced with worries and fears, try to look beyond the
specific event.
2. Seek help if you cannot cope – You do not need to handle all of your problems
alone.
Coping with Dying and Death – It is important to realize that death is quite different from
dying. Death is the end point, the event in which life ceases. But dying is an essential
part of the life process.
Death – is a legal event that calls for several formalities. A person is legally dead when there is
either irreversible cessation of circulation and respiration or irreversible cessation and function of
the entire brain including the brain stem.
Child and Death – Children are often overlooked in times of grief. But death is a crisis that should
be shared everyone in the family. Children may experience a silence and secrecy that isolate them
from the rest of the family.
