How to Help Someone in Middle Age Identify and Deal with the Issue of Eustress and Distress?

Because of its affect on health, stress is a major concern for those going through middle age (Feldman, 2008). Not all stress is bad, and whether or not an external situation results in eustress (good stress) or distress (bad stress) depends entirely on how the situation is appraised by an individual. Therefore, it may not be as important to identify eustress versus distress as it is to change distress into eustress (Le Fevre, Kolt, & Matheny, 2006).

So how can an individual of middle age gain control over their distress levels by appraising a potential stressor in a positive manner? A proper perspective on who God is can help. In Christ, one can always know that "his or her coping strategies are adequate to overcome the challenge posed by the potential stressor" (Feldman, 2008, p. 450). How can one know this? Romans 8:35-39 (New American Standard Bible) is an intense list of terrible, stressful things that could happen in life, but also contains a reassurance that nothing, no matter how great, can separate a believer from the love of Christ. The expectation of this passage is not that the follower of Christ would just survive until the crisis passes, but rather that they would "overwhelmingly conquer" the situation. The Bible is replete with comfort and instruction for stressful times (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 23, 37:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4, etc.). Research supports the theory that strong religious commitment helps alleviate the stress associated with middle adulthood (King, Cummings, & Whetstone, 2005).

References

Feldman, R. S. (2008). Development across the lifespan, (5^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

King, D. E. Cummings, D., & Whetstone, L. (2005). Attendance at religious services and subsequent mental health in middle age women. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 35(3), 287-297.

Le Fevre, M., Kolt, G. S., & Matheny, J. (2006). Eustress, distress, and their interpretation in primary and secondary occupational stress management interventions: Which way first? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(6), 547.