{"id":3762,"date":"2026-05-21T17:20:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/?post_type=press&#038;p=3762"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:20:56","slug":"the-difference-between-good-and-bad-stress-and-how-to-beat-the-harmful-kind","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/press\/the-difference-between-good-and-bad-stress-and-how-to-beat-the-harmful-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"The difference between \u2018good\u2019 and \u2018bad\u2019 stress and how to beat the harmful kind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Stress is almost always cast in a negative light. But in the world of psychology, stress can also be positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That \u201cgood\u201d type is eustress, the productive spark that sharpens our focus. The \u201cbad\u201d type is distress, the stress that leaves us drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While they feel worlds apart, they have the same immediate impact on our biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom an autonomic nervous system perspective, the initial physiological response is similar,\u201d Hong Kong-based clinical psychologist Dr Julia Andre says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you are fuelled by the adrenaline of a new challenge or paralysed by dread, the internal machinery is the same: the body floods with cortisol, the heart rate climbs and the sympathetic nervous system kicks into high gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/05\/15\/ab6af3e0-02e3-4ddc-92e6-20839e611f78_ac817e39.jpg\" alt=\"Stress is almost always cast in a negative light, but there is a good type of stress, eustress, that sharpens our focus. Photo: Shutterstock\" title=\"Stress is almost always cast in a negative light, but there is a good type of stress, eustress, that sharpens our focus. Photo: Shutterstock\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stress is almost always cast in a negative light, but there is a good type of stress, eustress, that sharpens our focus. Photo: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The important difference lies in what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/health-wellness\/article\/3353627\/difference-between-good-and-bad-stress-and-how-beat-harmful-kind?share=Ng6aT5vV1eczuGmq3cvqCI2c6bpmf64vQsb4L4CENd1njyDPFS9eeSvsQL6WJx5nWI14LpiCXgg3GnElD4QFQPNX5DSrCOVONJw5n%2Fd0JO2JC4sLJCjW5bClW9fK1xCxqbaie%2FrUSbQz4cz6VWi%2BeQ%3D%3D&amp;utm_campaign=social_share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/health-wellness\/article\/3353627\/difference-between-good-and-bad-stress-and-how-beat-harmful-kind?share=Ng6aT5vV1eczuGmq3cvqCI2c6bpmf64vQsb4L4CENd1njyDPFS9eeSvsQL6WJx5nWI14LpiCXgg3GnElD4QFQPNX5DSrCOVONJw5n%2Fd0JO2JC4sLJCjW5bClW9fK1xCxqbaie%2FrUSbQz4cz6VWi%2BeQ%3D%3D&amp;utm_campaign=social_share<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2161,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":[],"press-category":[],"class_list":["post-3762","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/3762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"press-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centralminds.hk\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-category?post=3762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}