Steve's Safety Minute
#4
Stress and Distress: What's the Difference?
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If you've got a job, you know what stress is. Stress is a necessary part of life in general and a key to your success at work. It motivates us to work hard and moves us towards success. As long as we believe we're in control of our environment and are able to meet the expectations of others, we experience a positive form of stress.
However when, for some reason, we don't believe we're in control of the environment or situation. Likewise, we may not believe we're able to meet the expectations of others. We don't know how to do the task, or we don't have enough time to do the job. In these situations, we more likely feel negative distress. The fear-driven thoughts of distress eat away at us. Over-worry, whether valid or not, may cause undesirable short-term behavioral reactions and even long-term physical illness.
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If distress is not effectively dealt with, it can result in symptoms such as chronic headaches, back pain, and high blood pressure and other illnesses. It can also result in a "fight or flight response." The acute affects of distress are often a desire to fight (argue, take work home, passive/physical violence, etc.) or flee (quit, be sick, etc.) from the situation that's causing the distress.
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