Feel your happiest with good stress

Experts reveal easy ways to turn everyday tensions into triumphs and use challenges to spark more motivation, passion and bliss

- KRISTINA MASTROCOLA

As the spring sunlight streams through your windows on a warm Saturday morning, you look ahead to all the to-do's you have on tap for the weekend...and your hopeful mood quickly clouds over with a feeling of being overwhelmed. The downside of this feeling of stress is that it can give us tunnel vision, increasing self-doubt and thwarting problem-solving. But there's also a little-known upside of this stress, called eustress ("good" stress) that's proven to boost joy, foster self-confidence and spur us to succeed.

"Research shows anxiety or stress can increase our energy levels and motivate us," confirms psychologist Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D., author of Hack Your Anxiety. "The original definition of stress is 'a demand for an organism to change,' and eustress is a demand for positive change-just knowing this helps take the pressure off our shoulders and gives us more control over our stress." She adds that simply using more empowering language to describe stress-such as "exciting" instead of "scary," or "challenge" rather than "obstacle"-changes our brain's neural pathways, helping us feel more energized and confident.

Long story short: Although we tend to demonize stress, if harnessed correctly, it can inspire us to achieve more than we ever dreamed possible. Read on for simple, proven ways to transform common stressors into empowering opportunities for personal growth, greater happiness and far-reaching hope for the future.

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