Can stress have any positive effects?

The answer to your question is yes, despite the fact that the greatest attention and research has been focused on the negative effects of stress. I will not go over the negative aspects, except to note that negative stress is implicated in many was in relation to physical and emotional health. Among its effects have been increased hypertension, negative effects on the immune system , anxiety and even an inability to function, because of possible psychological crystallization, Stress has been classified in two ways. The first is DIS-stress, which is negative, with nocive effects on the individual Positive stress has been defined by Dr Hans Selye, an endocrinologist as EU-stress. In essence this type of stress is ego syntonic and plays a positive role in the life of the individual. Examples are energizing to enhance performance be it athletic or intellectual It was noted that stress over a short duration such as sitting for an exam can mobilize the individual for the task but also has a positive effect on the immune system. Stress can also make a person aware of the environment, the need to bundle up when the weather is cold, enjoyment of many aspects of life, which without stress would be boring Enhancement of social interactions, are examples of how stress could contribute to an increased interest in life. The degree of stress and its effects are also determined by culture , personality, age physical and mental conditions, existence of anxiety and fear of the new.Selye observed that stress should be reframed to work for individuals and not against them. Cognitive behavioural training can help the individual to reframe stress from a negative experience to a positive one. Stress is also used in many other aspects of training For example when pilots are trained to fly airplanes, in practice situations, designed to evoke stress, as for example flying the plane in a heavy storm, when the plane is attacked by terrorists or when it runs out of fuel.. This type of training is designed to teach individuals how to most appropriately react in these stressfulsituation as well as to condition them in dealing with these stressors in the most positive way possible. So the question you pose is of great interest and points out the paucity of reaserch in the area of positive stress. Hope this helps

Source(s):
Ph.D in Clincal Psychology University Professor.
http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100726105112AAdpARf

Stress Management
Stress affects us through many avenueswork, home, community involvement, and the holidays, to name a few. The following information and resources will help you understand the effects of stress and learn better ways to manage it.

What is stress?
Stress is your bodys normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. These reactions can have positive and negative effects. Stress has positive effects when it makes us deal constructively with daily problems and challenges. It can help you stay focused, energetic, and alert. But if it becomes continuous, stress stops being helpful and starts causing negative effects on your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. If not managed, stress can lead to high blood pressures, heart disease, drug and alcohol abuse, or depression.

What causes stress?

Stress is often caused by some type of change. Even positive changes, like marriage or a job promotion, can be stressful. Stress can be shortterm or longterm. Common Causes of... ...short-term stress ...long-term stress

Too much to do and not much time Lots of little problems in the same day Getting lost Having an argument

Illness Divorce or problems in a marriage Death of a loved one Problems at work Money problems Caring for someone who is sick

What are the signs of stress?

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms

Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying

Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms

Behavioral Symptoms

Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds

Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

What are the health effects of stress?

The long-term activation of the stress-response systemand the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormonescan disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:

Heart disease Sleep problems Digestive problems Depression Obesity Memory impairment Worsening of skin conditions, such as eczema
That's why it's so important to find healthy ways to manage the stress in your life.

What are the benefits of managing stress?

Managing stress can help you:

Sleep better Control your weight Lessen neck and back pain Get along better with family and friends Concentrate
It's important to stay positive. Being prepared and in control of your situation will help you feel less stress.

Take action at work

Follow these tips for preventing and managing stress at work.

Plan your time. Think ahead about how you are going to use your time. Write a todo list and decide

which tasks are the most important. Be realistic about how long each task will take. Read more time management tips. quite stressful. Explore the many Professional and Organizational Development courses designed to help you prepare for such events. breaths. Try these 5-minute relaxation techniques.

Prepare yourself. Giving a presentation or having a difficult conversation with a co-worker can be

Relax with deep breathing. Excessive stress often causes us to hold our breath or take shallow Relax your muscles. Stress causes tension in your muscles. Stretching can help you relax. Exercise daily. Physical activity can reduce the effects of stress, relax your muscles, and improve your
overall mood. Read more about fitness.

Good nutrition. Stress and poor eating habits often go together. Give your body plenty of energy by
eating fruits, vegetables, and protein throughout the day. Read more about nutrition. Counseling and Support.

Get help if you need it. The UW has many resources available to help you through stress. See

Information & Resources

University of Washington Resources:

UW CareLink - Faculty and Staff assistance program Stress Management Tip Sheets - from WorkLife Coping with Job Loss at the UW

 Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Medical Plan Provider Resources: Group Health offers tips on how to relax your mind and body. Many of these techniques can be used both at work and at home.

Breathing exercises for relaxation Using guided imagery to relax Learning to meditate Progressive muscle relaxation Practicing yoga to relax
External Resources:

Managing Stress tutorial (Patient Education Institute)

This interactive tutorial provides an overview of stress and strategies to prevent and manage it. This site provides links to a variety of stress reduction and management related resources. Learn about stress management and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), its effects on the body, and how to manage stress.

Medline Plus (U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health) Stress Management Health Center (WebMD)

http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/wellness/stress.html

The Positive Effects of Stress

By Susan Knowlton | Stress | Rating: If you asked people what emotion they think they could do without, then it would be no surprise if a large number of individuals named stress as their least favorite. Stress is a highly unpleasant and even debilitating emotion that can make us feel like things are getting too much for us, like the world is stacking up against us, and like we can't cope. Stress is known to lower the immune system making us more likely to become ill, it has been known to negatively affect our decision making abilities so that we make bad judgment calls, and it is linked with many other unpleasant emotions such as depression and anxiety. When we are in a situation where we are placed under pressure and need to concentrate, then this is often when stress arises and i t is of course in these scenarios more destructive than it is helpful, leaving us unable to concentrate and causing us to stutter and choke. However every emotion exists for a reason and of course we adapted to feel stress through evolution, so of course it must offer some kind of benefit and indeed it is not without its positive points. In fact sometimes focusing on the positive aspects of stress can be enough to help us turn stress around and to make the most of it. Here we will look at what some of the positive effects of stress are so that we can maybe start to work with it on occasion instead of constantly working against it. It's Motivating First and foremost, stress is positive in that it can be a great motivating force at times and this is partly probably why we developed stress in the first place. In fact it's often easy to see how stress can be a useful motivating factor by looking at every day examples. You may remember for instance being at school and revising for exams. Here some people will have revised very hard and started very early and this was an important as a good way to prepare for any exam. Other people however will have waited until the last night and then crammed as quickly as possible to learn it all in a night or they may even have decided to skip this phase and to just hope that they remembered enough from classes. Of course the people who revised harder and longer were the ones who would have performed better in the exams and it was of course this group who were the more effected by stress. If you're stressed then you go about trying to rectify the problem, and you go about trying to prepare/plan/fix. Of course this is a very good example of how stress is good but only in small doses because you may also remember those students from school who were forced to work in separate rooms because they experienced too much stress. They may have been prone to panic attacks, or may have just broken down crying when they were expected to work in the main hall. This stress is crippling and that is enough to make us effectively useless in a range of circumstances. The trick then is to be able to control, monitor and ultimately harness stress so that you feel only positive amounts and are able to benefit from this rather than suffering for it. Psychologist Hans Seley is often called the 'Father of Stress' due to his extensive research into the topic. He called these smaller amounts of positive stress 'eustress'. It's a Cognitive Enhancer The people who felt that eustress may also have experienced more success in their exams for other reasons too because the stress might have actually improved some aspects of their intelligence. Incredible though it may sound, stress is actually a cognitive enhancer which can boost several aspects of our mental prowess and so help us in professional and academic capacities. First of all this is because stress helps our brain to focus. Stress developed to help us to react to potential dangerous situations in the wild and this might mean for instance trying to escape from a predator. That's not going to be any good if you are spending the whole time thinking about what you're having for dinner that night, and so stress can help you to narrow your attention and to focus on the task in hand. Meanwhile stress has also been shown in some studies to help increase memory and recall so a little stress while revising for an exam or a presentation can help you to remember what it is you've read on the big night. This is supposed to be a result of slightly higher levels of

cortisone though again moderation is key as levels of cortisone that are too high have been shown to cause damage to the hippocampus. It's Physically Enhancing As well as improving your brain function, stress can also increase your physical performance and endurance. This is because it causes the release of adrenaline which speeds up your heart rate and so your metabolism. This can then result in increased reactions and reflexes, while also acting as a painkiller meaning that you can have better endurance. This may have once helped us to run for longer when being chances, but today it might help us in a physical confrontation, or during a sporting event. A bit of stress for an athlete then is a great thing. Adrenaline can also help to fight tiredness and fatigue. This also shows another distinction between good stress and bad stress however and that is that 'good' stress should be acute and not something that exists over a prolonged period. This is because an increased heart rate and lack of tiredness or pain might increase your endurance over short amounts of time, but over a long period of time the stress to the body can be too great and damage your immune system/cause heart problems. How to Harness Stress This is all very good and well, but it doesn't distract from the fact that in an interview or before giving a speech stress can be enough to turn you into a nervous wreck and have you shaking and stuttering and unable to perform optimally. The trick then is in these situations to try and harness that nervous energy and to direct it into something a little more positive and effective. One way to do this is to try and 'gee' yourself up in order to make sure that when you have a 'fight or flight' response you are more suited to the former rather than the latter. Try listening to some up-beat and positive music, use positive affirmations, or try doing a bit of a workout. This will help to psych you up and rather than trying to suppress the stress you can instead embrace it and use it to motivate you to success. When Eustress Becomes Stress In some cases though you will want to control stress particularly when it starts to become unhealthy. As mentioned stress that lasts for very prolonged periods can begin to take a serious toll on your immune system and on your heart and this can cause you to get ill and put you at risk of high blood pressure and other problems. In these scenarios you need to address your stress and that means finding ways to bring it under control both as it arises and over time. If you are suffering chronic stress then seeing a therapist, or trying to address the causes of your stress is important. Meanwhile for short term stress, you may want to try meditation or other relaxation techniques to try and bring your pulse back under control. Stressful Events When we think of stressful events we tend to think of examples such as exams in our youth, and now perhaps things like interviews or speeches. This is partly why we think of stress as entirely a bad thing. However in the right circumstances stress can be perceived as the 'spice of life' and can be what creates challenge, suspense and excitement. For instance some of the most important and happiest moments of your life were probably also very stressful your first day at work, your marriage, your first child (and any subsequent children), going traveling, moving home... all of them were highly stressful but this was just because they represented exciting positive life changes. A complete lack of stress in your life might suggest that you haven't had any such major changes in your life and that might suggest likewise that you are not challenged in your life and not moving forward.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15537/1/The-Positive-Effects-of-Stress.html

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Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. Many events that happen to you and around you -- and many things that you do yourself -- put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. The Stress Management Diet How Does Stress Affect Health? The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress -- a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases. Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try and relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Consider the following: Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually. The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your-bodystress reactions. *****

Stress, Positive or Negative?

Both: positive and negative. Believe it or not, stress in a persons life can indeed be a positive aspect in which it adds flavor to our challenges. When you are stressed out, it is helpful to think of stress as a positive addition to your life in which it helps to motivate and drive you to meet your goals. Sometimes it helps to just think positive. On the other side, stress can also have negative effects on a person. It can be mentally and physically defeating. The amazing thing about the negative side of stress is that there are ways that can help a person deal with the demands of everyday life. So, when you are overwhelmed with juggling school, work, bills, relationships, or anything else just take a deep breath and realize that there is hope for feeling better. It is important to realize that all people are different and the ways in which they handle stress are also different. What may be stressful to you may not be to another; therefore, it is important to keep in mind that just because you are stressed does not mean that you are weak. It means that you have become alarmed to a task in which YOU find challenging. You are the only person that knows how you feel when you are stressed. Below is a list of several methods to help cope with stress. Because we are unique and handle life differently, pick the method or methods that best suit YOU.

Be Realisticyou can not possibly be in numerous places at one time. You can sometimes say no to others. It is important to prioritize your duties. Meditatetake a break from your busy world. Try listening to music while meditating. Shed the superwoman/superman desireperfection is almost an impossible quality. Dont expect perfection from yourself or of others. It is wise to have a goal; however, not unrealistic ones. Dont be scared to ask others for help. Exercisethis method pleases the body and mind. Remember that stress affects both the body and the mind. Share your feelings with family, friends, significant others, counselors. You do not have to go through this feeling alone. Source: -National Mental Health Association: www.nmha.org and Plain Talk About Handling Stress handout. By: Bridget Loland/Graduate Assistant University Counseling Center Room 224 Elkins Hall Nicholls State University (985) 448-4080 Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
http://www.nicholls.edu/counseling/newsletters/stress-positive-or-negative/

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Research Paper on Stress Stress(psychology)

I INTRODUCTION Stress (psychology), an unpleasant state of emotional and physiological arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as dangerous or threatening to their well-being. The word stress means different things to different people. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure, or negative emotions such as anxiety and anger. Others view stress as the response to these situations. This response includes physiological changes-such as increased heart rate and muscle tension-as well as emotional and behavioral changes. However, most psychologists regard stress as a process involving a person's interpretation and response to a threatening event. Stress is a common experience. We may feel stress when we are very busy, have important deadlines to meet, or have too little time to finish all of our tasks. Often people experience stress because of problems at work or in social relationships, such as a poor evaluation by a supervisor or an argument with a friend. Some people may be particularly vulnerable to stress in situations involving the threat of failure or personal humiliation. Others have extreme fears of objects or things associated with physical threats-such as snakes, illness, storms, or flying in an airplane-and become stressed when they encounter or think about these perceived threats. Major life events, such as the death of a loved one, can cause severe stress.

Stress can have both positive and negative effects. Stress is a normal, adaptive reaction to

threat. It signals danger and prepares us to take defensive action. Fear of things that pose realistic threats motivates us to deal with them or avoid them. Stress also motivates us to achieve and fuels creativity. Although stress may hinder performance on difficult tasks, moderate stress seems to improve motivation and performance on less complex tasks. In personal relationships, stress often leads to less cooperation and more aggression. If not managed appropriately, stress can lead to serious problems. Exposure to chronic stress can contribute to both physical illnesses, such as heart disease, and mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. The field of health psychology focuses in part on how stress affects bodily functioning and on how people can use stress management techniques to prevent or minimize disease.

http://www.echeat.com/free-essay/Research-Paper-on-Stress-26136.aspx

Eustress and the Positive Effects of Stress

We hear so much about negative effects of stress on health, but we seldom hear anything about positive effects of stress. Not all of the effects of stress are negative. Let's explore what are the positive effects of stress. First of all, let's look at what is stress. We all know what stress feels like - tension, pressure, butterflies in the stomach, nervous, or too much to do. The first person who defined stress was Hans Seley, the "father" of stress research. He defined stress as: The body's nonspecific response to a demand placed on it. What he means is that your body has a certain reaction to any demands that are placed on you (physically, psychologically, or mentally). Seley identified two types of stress: good stress and harmful stress.

Seley called the good stress "eustress".

Stress is like spice - in Too little produces a ~Donald Tubesing the right proportion it enhances the flavor of a bland, dull meal; too much may choke dish. you.

So, what are the positive effects of stress? Good stress - eustress - is the spark that drives us to achieve more, to improve the quality of our life, to ask for a raise, to fight for justice, or simply to go on a holiday.

Challenge and thrill are part of stress.

Stress pushes you to grow, to change, to fight, and to adapt. All life events, even positive ones, cause a certain degree of stress. For example getting a new job is a positive change, getting married, falling in love, getting a raise, winning a tennis match. The challenge of a new situation and the stimulation that it creates might be beneficial to someone's life. It may propel someone to take a risk and take a course at University, or to go out and meet new people, to take on a new hobby, or to learn new sport. Too little stress leads to boredom. Lack of motivation. Unfulfilled dreams and desires. Not reaching your potential. Low self esteem.

Stress and your brain

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Too much stress is harmful for your brain, but so is too little. British researchers found that while chronic exposure to high levels of cortisol damaged hippocampus, the right amount of this hormone could actually enhance learning and memory. That is, the right amount of stress - eustress - is good for your brain. So, how do we know when it is too much stress or just the right amount of stress? That varies from person to person. Stress becomes harmful when it exceeds our ability to cope. Seley called this harmful stress "distress".

http://www.stress-relief-tools.com/positive-effects-of-stress.html

Good and Bad Stress

Stress is a word we hear bandied about in nearly every human situation. But what does it mean? Is it harmful or helpful? That depends upon quite a number of factors. Take two hypothetical situations. An athlete wants to achieve a certain physical point in a certain amount of time. Perhaps a weight lifter wants to bench press 700 pounds by the end of the month. He already holds a national record at bench pressing 500 pounds so he sets the scale to achieve those last two hundred pounds in a period of weeks. Each day he is to work out a number of minutes increasing the amount of weight he lifts until in probably less than two weeks his body will adjust to the increased activity and he reaches his goal. A writer has a deadline of forty-eight hours to complete a five hundred page manuscript. He's on page three hundred so he works all night long, without sleep, without stopping to rest, continually hunched forward at the computer, rarely glancing beyond the computer screen until he has written those last two hundred pages. Both of these examples are forms of stress. It should be fairly obvious which is good stress and which is bad. Both people have a goal to achieve. Goals are actually good. It's how one approaches those goals that create the kinds of positive result from initiating stress. In example one, the weight lifter will most like achieve his goal with little or no stress involved at all. Because he uses practical common sense in setting up a pace he knows he can handle both physically and mentally. The writer in the second example may risk doing serious damage to his health. When he finally rises from the computer his back is likely to have become so stiff he has difficulty standing straight. His eyes will burn and possibly not focus from the continual glare of the computer monitor. Pushing ones brain to create without rest is likely to bring on the common term ' brain fried'. In other words the writer may not be able to function as a normal human at all until he obtains the rest a body requires to refuel itself. Is that bad stress? Definitely. Worse than 'bad stress' it is intentional, meaning that the write deliberately put himself in a situation that could create life threatening problems. Good stress can actually inspire a person to achieve a goal, become more confident or stronger physicallyif it is approached in a sensible manner. As in the weight lifter

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example. A reasonable goal in a reasonable period of time will bring on achievement with little or no stress involved. The difference in dealing with good and bad stress is often ones own attitude. When given a challenge do you approach it with the thought, "I can do this? I will do this?" Or do you cringe and think, "Oh, I'm not good enough,' without even trying. Low self-esteem can place a person in a very stressful situation. When one feels depleted or anxious or overly excited they may lean toward the bad stress practices of doing too much to fast or obsessing over possibilities that may never happen. As example; Learning to operate a new kind of machine at work. You can look at the machine and swear you will never be able to operate it. Or, you can read the manual, watch another person who already knows this job and you can learn how to operate this machine. Believe in yourself and you will achieve your goal. There are certain kinds of stressful situation in which we have no control. Accidents, sudden illnesses or death of a loved one are prime examples. However, we can slow the stress levels in these situations simply by remaining calm and enduring step by forward step. No two people are the same in how they react to or handle any situation. Some people actively seek out adrenalin inducing activities through various sports in their spare time. Other peoples' occupations involve such stressful situations they seek quiet and peaceful conditions to restore themselves. There are both good and bad stress in all walks of life. How one deals with the stress, how one achieves and moves forward without becoming physically or mentally impaired is determined by how one approaches each stressful situation. It is important that you don't create your own bad stress out of unreasonable goals (such as the example of the writer) or through low self esteem. Find positive ways to deal with the stress. Relax Play a game with your kids, watch a movie, go for a walk or spend time alone in private thought or meditation. Sleep 7 to 8 hours every night Give your body time to rejuvenate itself. Eat right A diet high in fruits and vegetables and proteins, whole grains spread through six small meals during the day. Become active Take up a hobby or get involved in a sport or community activity, visit friends. Do something that takes you away from the source of your stress Get professional help if you need it. See your physician or go to counseling, in private or with a group of people. Learn how others manage stress http://www.healthreviser.com/content/good-and-bad-stress

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Good stress, bad stress

November 22, 2010 There are two types of stress that each person faces: distress and eustress. Distress is the negative stress, such as grieving the loss of a family member, losing a job or realizing you are late in submitting a project. Experiencing distress for a lengthy period of time is called chronic stress and can result in serious physical ailments, such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Eustress is the positive stress that keeps us excited about life. Examples include graduation, promotions, getting married, having a child, etc. Riding a roller coaster or watching a suspenseful movie are also day-to-day examples of eustress. This positive stress gives us a feeling of fulfillment and vitality in our everyday lives. Without it, our lives would start to feel meaningless and we may start to feel depressed. The difference between eustress and distress is how we conceptualize the event in our life. For example, if you are preparing for a move, thinking about the situation as overwhelming, scary or too much to handle, will make you more likely to feel anxious. Thus the move becomes a source of negative stress. However, if you see the move as an exciting challenge, the same stressor is more likely to make you feel invigorated, excited and looking forward to the change. This thought process will protect you from the damaging effects of negative stress. Some stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one, understandably cannot be reinterpreted as positive stress and thus will be taxing on your body. However, with the presence of other positive stressors in your life, you can achieve a healthy balance that buffers against stress-related physical illnesses. On a similar note, it is important not to minimize the emotions that you do feel. Being mindful of your reaction to situations can help to manage the negative stress and aid in changing your appraisal and thought process of the situation. For example, if the impending move is making you anxious, trying to suppress (or ignore) the anxiety will only make the anxiety and stress worse. However, if you take a minute to accept, nonjudgmentally, that you are feeling anxious without focusing on what you should be feeling, you will be able to step back and identify positive aspects of the move that might make you more excited. Experiencing chronic negative stress is damaging as our bodies have not evolved to experience and handle the amount of stress that we put on it daily. However, our bodies are designed to use positive stress to counter the negative effects of chronic stress. If you find that more situations are causing you negative stress and anxiety rather than excitement and invigoration or if you are noticing symptoms of chronic stress, you may benefit from speaking with a professional to learn how to better manage your stress levels and symptoms.
http://www.mysahana.org/2010/11/good-stress-bad-stress/

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What is Positive Stress?

Positive Stress Brings Thrill to Life

Positive Stress is also called Eustress. This excitement is felt by people when they are confronted by a demanding situation, which they think they can handle. This fills them with thrill and excitement. Like runners on the track, taking a ride on the roller coaster, taking up a challenging project at workplace. Positive Stress gives you the energy to throw yourself into something where you want to make some contribution. Approaching exams enhance a student's concentration and learning capability. Positive Stress is essential for bringing zest to the life. Life without any kind of stress will be very distressing indeed - verging on boredom. When you are bored you crave for stress, you feel a kind of lifelessness. Not a very happy prospect for anybody. Positive stress makes life worthwhile. A very interesting question is - Will you do anything if you don't feel any kind of stress? It is very doubtful. Seeing man's proneness to inertia, in the absence of any stress, the man will be a dead body!
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Positive_Stress

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