It is inevitable to associate stress, which is behind so many evils these days, with something negative. However, there is a “positive” type of stress that contributes to health. It is what women experience during pregnancy, as long as it is to a moderate degree. According to various research, this type of tension activates the immune system of pregnant women and even improves the intelligence of babies.
Stress, being alert to possible dangers, is what has made human beings survive. Hence, some scientists have wondered how it is considered so harmful if it has previously saved our lives. And as in many other things, the key is that it be moderate and temporary: that it does not nullify us, but rather encourages us to face challenges.
“Stress is not always negative, it can be a stimulus that pushes us to act in a way that improves our situation and our performance. Of course, if it exceeds a threshold and we do not feel equipped and capable of handling it, it can seriously affect our physical and mental health,” Julia Pascual, a psychologist specializing in Brief Strategic Therapy, explains to La Vanguardia.
Not all types of stress are beneficial, obviously. The majority, those that cause anxiety, fear, those that paralyze and prevent us from leading a normal life, are harmful, as a large part of the population has been able to verify on occasion. However, the so-called eustress, which is used in scientific literature to refer to the type of beneficial and essential stress, enhances very important skills for the development of every human being such as creativity, learning capacity, decision making. and the positive sense, among many others.
Psychiatrist Firdaus S. Dhabhar wondered in the 90s how a mechanism that nature provides us for survival, such as stress, can be so harmful. He investigated the effects that this response, which in English has been called “fight of flight,” causes on the immune system. Thus, in his study Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad and the beautiful published in 2014, Dhabhar states that “while long-term stress is generally harmful, short-term stress can be protective, given that prepares the body to face challenges.”
The researcher concludes that non-prolonged stress, which is limited to a few minutes or a few hours, contributes to immune activation and improves innate/primary and adaptive/secondary immune responses." He also corroborates, on the other hand, that long-term stress is harmful to the immune system.
According to Dhabhar, “studies have shown that stress can improve immune function under certain conditions.” “Immunocanceration mechanisms include changes in dendritic cells, neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocyte trafficking, maturation and function, as well as local and systemic cytokine production. In contrast, long-term stress suppresses or deregulates innate and adaptive immune responses by altering the cytokine balance,” she explains in his post.
To the relief of many women who cannot afford to have a relaxed pregnancy and who experience normal anxieties and tensions of everyday life during these times, a study by John Hopkins University (USA) has shown that “against the According to popular belief, mild to moderate levels of maternal psychological stress during pregnancy can promote the maturation of the fetus.
This research entitled Mild Maternal Stress Can Really Help Children in Nature and published in the journal Child Development, analyzed and followed 137 women from mid-pregnancy to their children's second birthday and assessed their mental development. and motor skills of 94 children, as well as their ability to control their behavior and regulate their emotions up to 24 months.
"We found that modest anxiety and daily stress during pregnancy are associated with more advanced early childhood development. These results held even after taking into account the levels of stress and anxiety that women experienced at six weeks and two weeks." years after childbirth," says Janet A. DiPietro, lead author of this study, who adds that "prenatal maternal stress also did not interfere with children's temperament, attention span, or ability to control behavior, nor did it cause hyperactivity." ".
Obviously it is not about looking for stress during pregnancy, a delicate period in which health is crucial. The study refers to mild stress, which helps to face work or daily challenges and keep the body and mind active. In fact, the publication warns that “the participants in the study were mostly well-educated and financially stable women who did not have clinically diagnosed psychological problems” so that “the results may not extend to more disadvantaged women or those with mental disorders.” of mental health.”
How do you know if the stress you endure daily is the kind that improves immunity, helps you face challenges, or could cause your child to have more advanced cognitive development? According to the psychologist specializing in Brief Strategic Therapy consulted by La Vanguardia, one of the main differences is the duration. “Those of us who have positive stress have the perception that the stress is short, that it is about this task and then we can rest (…) which makes us feel the lowest level of stress, while people with distress (negative stress) "The duration they perceive is that it will always be like this, they have a long-term feeling, that there will be no changes... it is like a sentence."
“Another difference is that eustress is perceived as something motivating and something that can be managed. The person feels capable of facing this challenge and therefore will experience it as a stimulating experience, while those who suffer from distress see it as something overwhelming and unmanageable because they feel that they do not have tools, which makes them flee and they feel anxiety, anguish and hopelessness. .
This psychologist also points out differences in the physical effects when it comes to differentiating the two types of stress: “positive stress helps you improve performance, concentration, motivation, increases your immune system, and makes you feel even stronger.” and even more beautiful” (she explains smiling), “however, with negative stress you feel exhausted, tired, chronically fatigued, mental health problems such as depression or anxiety, your immune system lowers and you catch everything, grumpy, etc.” .
