thrive at work/Eustress vs distress
Stress · Basics
Eustress vs distress.
Not all stress is harmful. Here is how to tell the stress that helps people grow from the stress that wears them down, with examples from work.
By Jerry Fiser, Founder & CEO · Reviewed by Marcin Bulik, Research Director · Updated November 8, 2026
What is the difference between eustress and distress?
Eustress is positive stress: a challenge that feels manageable and meaningful, such as a new project or a deadline you can meet. It raises energy and focus. Distress is negative stress: pressure that feels unmanageable, unfair or endless, such as constant overload or conflict. It drains energy and, if it lasts, can lead to burnout.
- Eustress feels challenging but manageable; distress feels threatening or unmanageable.
- The same event can be eustress for one person and distress for another.
- Workplace research separates challenge stressors from hindrance stressors.
- Even eustress needs recovery; without it, good stress turns into strain.
- Managers shape which kind of stress their team feels.
Two kinds of stress.
The physiologist Hans Selye, who did pioneering work on stress, distinguished eustress, from the Greek for good, from distress. The body’s stress response is similar in both cases: heart rate rises, attention narrows and energy is mobilized. What differs is how the situation is appraised and how long it lasts.
| Eustress | Distress | |
|---|---|---|
| How it feels | Exciting, challenging, motivating | Anxious, overwhelming, unfair |
| Perceived control | High: “I can do this” | Low: “This is out of my hands” |
| Duration | Short-term, with an end in sight | Ongoing or repeated |
| Effect on performance | Raises focus and effort | Lowers focus, raises mistakes |
| Effect over time | Growth, confidence, skill | Exhaustion, cynicism, burnout |
Eustress and distress at work: examples.
| Situation | When it is eustress | When it becomes distress |
|---|---|---|
| A new project | Interesting, with time and support to learn | Added on top of a full workload with no help |
| A deadline | Tight but achievable, with a clear goal | Impossible, moved without notice, or constant |
| A promotion | A stretch with coaching and a clear role | A bigger job with no training or authority |
| A presentation | A chance to show work you are proud of | In front of a hostile audience with no preparation |
| Organizational change | Explained, paced, with a say in how | Unexplained, rushed, one change after another |
What workplace research shows.
Organizational researchers make a similar distinction between challenge stressors and hindrance stressors. Challenge stressors, such as workload, time pressure and responsibility, can be demanding but are often seen as opportunities to achieve and grow. Hindrance stressors, such as role ambiguity, red tape, politics and job insecurity, are seen as obstacles. Meta-analytic research by LePine and colleagues (2005) found that both kinds are linked to strain, but challenge stressors tend to come with higher motivation and performance, while hindrance stressors come with lower motivation and performance.
The practical message: remove hindrances wherever possible, and keep challenges at a level people can manage, with enough recovery between them.
The performance curve.
A classic idea in psychology, the Yerkes–Dodson law from 1908, suggests that performance rises with arousal up to a point and then falls. Too little pressure and people are bored; a moderate level and they are focused; too much and they make mistakes and tire quickly. The peak is different for each person and task, and it moves: someone who is tired or unwell tips into distress sooner.
When eustress turns into distress.
Good stress turns bad in three common ways. It lasts too long: a sprint becomes a marathon with no finish line. Recovery disappears: evenings and weekends are used to catch up, so there is no time to recharge. Control is lost: goals or deadlines change without discussion. All three are within a manager’s influence. Capacity is the energy, recovery, focus and resilience a person has available to sustain performance. When capacity runs low, the same challenge that once felt energizing starts to feel threatening.
How managers keep stress healthy.
Practical steps for teams.
- 1Set clear, achievable goals. Challenge is motivating when people can see how to succeed.
- 2Give control over how. Let people choose methods and sequence where possible.
- 3Remove hindrances. Cut red tape, clarify roles and explain decisions.
- 4Build in recovery. Plan quieter periods after peaks and protect breaks.
- 5Watch the duration. A short push is fine; a permanent one is not.
- 6Ask how it feels. The same pressure is eustress for one person and distress for another.
How to turn distress into a challenge.
Individuals cannot fix an unreasonable workload alone, but some habits help. Break a large task into steps you can control. Ask for clarity when goals are vague. Focus on what you can influence and raise the rest. Protect sleep, because tired people experience the same pressure as more threatening. And notice the difference between “this is hard” and “this is impossible”: the first is often eustress, the second is a signal to talk to your manager. See coping with stress at work.
thrive at work measures engagement (purpose, leadership, connection, growth) and capacity (energy, recovery, focus, resilience) in one anonymous assessment: see how the assessment works.
Most engagement problems show up first as falling energy, recovery and focus. thrive at work is a workforce performance platform: an employee engagement platform that also measures capacity to perform, so you can see strain by team before it turns into absence or resignations. Read more about employee capacity.
Common questions
What is eustress?
What is an example of eustress at work?
Can eustress become distress?
Is eustress good for performance?
See which teams are running low.
A 30-minute call shows what a first engagement and capacity assessment would reveal.