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Eustress and flow[edit]

When an individual appraises a situation as stressful, they add the label for distress or eustress to the issue at hand. If a situation induces
eustress, the person may feel motivated and can experience flow. Positive psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, created this concept which
is described as the moments when one is completely absorbed into an enjoyable activity with no awareness of surroundings. [23] Flow is an
extremely productive state in which an individual experiences their prime performance. The core elements are absorption, enjoyment and
intrinsic motivation.[24]
Flow is the ultimate eustress experience the epitome of eustress. [9] Hargrove, Nelson and Cooper described eustress as being focused on a
challenge, fully present and exhilarated, which almost exactly mirrors the definition of flow. [9] Flow is considered a peak experience or the
single most joyous, happiest, most blissful moment of your life. [23]

Factors that enhance eustress[edit]


There are several factors that may increase or decrease ones chances of experiencing eustress and, through eustress, experiencing flow.

Stress is also influenced by hereditary predispositions and expectations of society. Thus, a person could already be at a certain
advantage or disadvantage toward experiencing eustress. [25]

If a person enjoys experiencing new things and believes they have importance in the world, they are more likely to experience flow.
[26]

Flow is negatively related to self-directedness, or an extreme sense of autonomy.[26]

Persistence is positively related to flow and closely related to intrinsic motivation. [26]

People with an internal locus of control, or high levels of self-control, have an increased chance of flow because they believe they
can increase their skill level to match the challenge. [27]

Perfectionism, however, is negatively related to flow. A person downplays their skill levels therefore making the gap too big, and
they perceive the challenge to be too large to experience flow.[23] On the opposite end of perfectionism, however, there are increased
chances of flow.

Active procrastination is positively related to flow. By actively delaying work, the person increases the challenge. Then once the
challenge is matched with the persons high skill levels, the person can experience flow. Those who passively procrastinate or do not
procrastinate do not have these same experiences. It is only with the purposeful procrastination that a person is able to increase the
challenge.[28]

Mindset is a significant factor in determining distress versus eustress. Optimistic people and those with high self-esteem contribute
to eustress experiences.[29] The positive mindset increases the chances of eustress and a positive response to stressors. Currently, the
predominant mindset toward stress is that stress is debilitating. However, mindsets toward stress can be changed

Examples[edit]
Eustress is common in the examples below. However, the examples depend on how an individual perceives the stress. The examples below
are most often perceived as eustress

Meeting or engaging in a challenge

Desired physical exercise (e. g. weight training, running, biking)

Playing sports

Watching a suspenseful or scary movie

Riding a roller coaster

Competing in a tournament

Gambling

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