Good vs Bad Stress and the Art of Healthy Coping

Stress is a part of everyday life, but it isn’t always the enemy we think it is. Some stress can actually be helpful.

Good stress, or eustress, is the kind that nudges us forward. It sharpens focus, boosts motivation, and helps us rise to challenges. Preparing for an exam, starting a new role, or taking on a demanding project may feel uncomfortable, but this type of stress is usually short-lived and linked to growth and achievement.

Bad stress, or distress, feels very different. It lingers, weighs us down, and slowly drains our energy. It appears when pressures feel constant or overwhelming when we feel stuck rather than stretched. Ongoing work pressure, financial worries, relationship difficulties, or long-term health concerns can all create this kind of stress. Over time, unmanaged distress can affect both mind and body, contributing to anxiety, low mood, sleep disturbances, high blood pressure, and reduced immunity.

What truly shapes our experience of stress is how we respond to it. Healthy coping skills act as emotional buffers. Simple habits like regular movement, mindful breathing, adequate rest, balanced meals, and realistic time management can make a noticeable difference. Talking things through with trusted people, seeking professional support, journaling, or practicing relaxation techniques helps process emotions rather than suppress them.

Unhealthy coping methods may seem comforting at first, but they often deepen the problem. Excessive alcohol use, smoking, overeating, emotional withdrawal, aggression, constant scrolling, or procrastination may numb stress briefly, yet they increase emotional strain over time.

The aim isn’t to remove stress from life but to understand it and handle it wisely. When we learn to recognise the difference between helpful and harmful stress, and choose healthier ways to cope, stress becomes a signal for growth rather than a path to burnout. Coping well is not a weakness, it is a vital skill for lasting mental and emotional well-being.