‍

^{“High CQ teaches us to regulate our knee-jerk reactions: to pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully.”}

^{Arnsten, 2009
‍}

‍

^{“High CQ teaches us to regulate our knee-jerk reactions: to pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully.”}

^{Arnsten, 2009
‍}

‍

^{“High CQ teaches us to regulate our knee-jerk reactions: to pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully.”}

^{Arnsten, 2009
‍}

Good stress, bad stress
Stress is usually thought of in the negative. But in fact there are two different types. First, Eustress: the good kind of stress.
Think of the excitement you feel when you take on a new challenge or achieve a key goal - whether that’s training for a marathon or starting a new job. It’s tough, but manageable. And ultimately feels really rewarding. That’s eustress. Research shows that while acute stress triggers life-saving reactions, humans also have the ability to channel a lighter stress into growth, leveraging it to thrive (Sapolsky, 2004). When seen positively and experienced in short bursts, stress can boost cognitive performance (Shields et al., 2019). Eustress helps us stretch our limits in a healthy way. ‍Distress is the other type of stress we’re more familiar with. Distress occurs when we’re overwhelmed by pressures we feel unequipped to handle them. This type of stress can lead to a whole host of mental and physical health issues, if left unchecked. Research from the Journal of American Medical Association highlights that prolonged stress can even eventually impair cognitive functions; hence the importance of stress management.

‍

^{“High CQ teaches us to regulate our knee-jerk reactions: to pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully.”}

^{Arnsten, 2009
‍}

Good stress, bad stress
Stress is usually thought of in the negative. But in fact there are two different types. First, Eustress: the good kind of stress.
Think of the excitement you feel when you take on a new challenge or achieve a key goal - whether that’s training for a marathon or starting a new job. It’s tough, but manageable. And ultimately feels really rewarding. That’s eustress. Research shows that while acute stress triggers life-saving reactions, humans also have the ability to channel a lighter stress into growth, leveraging it to thrive (Sapolsky, 2004). When seen positively and experienced in short bursts, stress can boost cognitive performance (Shields et al., 2019). Eustress helps us stretch our limits in a healthy way. ‍Distress is the other type of stress we’re more familiar with. Distress occurs when we’re overwhelmed by pressures we feel unequipped to handle them. This type of stress can lead to a whole host of mental and physical health issues, if left unchecked. Research from the Journal of American Medical Association highlights that prolonged stress can even eventually impair cognitive functions; hence the importance of stress management.