By Damariz Arevalo, April 15, 2025
Stress has been an enemy in my life, but I’m trying to make it a friend.
Stress has a negative connotation. There is the belief it can only occur when bad things happen. It can be triggered by social anxiety, the feeling of not reaching academic goals or any other experiences.
However, the more accurate term is for this is called It can cause a physical and emotional toll on your mind and body.
Now that I’m reaching a point in my life where I have a better understanding of how to manage my stress, I’ve come to realize that good stress exists. This is called eustress, and your body creates it naturally. Eustress can also be created as a result of different situations, such as academic achievements or setting ambitious goals.
These two different stressors can be beneficial or harmful to the body, and every person has a different experience.
Eustress is a powerful motivator that can help students perform better in school or in other aspects of life. A good example of this is working out.
According to Alexandra Auslander, a kinesiology and health promotion professor at Cal Poly Pomona, physical activity is a good stressor, and it causes your body to respond and react.
“Exercise helps create this emotional resilience to stress,” Auslander said. “It helps to handle stressful situations better. When you’re challenged, you have the ability to perform high using that extra stress.”
As a CPP student, it can be difficult not to get stressed out, especially with finals just around the corner, but it can also be used as an advantage.
For instance, eustress can also be achieved by creating an achievable goal with a positive reward. As students, it’s common to procrastinate on certain assignments or lack time management skills. But we have the power to turn that distress into eustress.
Creating mini goals can help you to avoid procrastinating. Set a 10-minute timer for research or studying with your phone off to minimize distractions. It’s not easy at first, but over time, you can feel a difference. Then, give yourself a positive reward when you finish the time. Consistency is key.
Stress lives among many students, especially toward graduation season. When it’s your final semester, you must push yourself to get those good grades, to not fall behind and to be proud that you’re almost at the end. Use stress as a positive is a powerful motivator.
Stress doesn’t go away quickly but using stress as an advantage can help mentally and physically. We shouldn’t let stress define or overcome us. It should empower us to become the best version of ourselves.
Feature image by Connor Lālea Hampton
