"Eu", meaning "good," as in
euphoria, + "
stress."There are at least two definitions for
eustress. The most common is that it's the stress caused by positive events in life, such as
graduation, a
wedding, a
promotion, etc. Although these are
good things, they generate similar changes in your body as thosed caused by "regular stress" (
distress). Your body still has to return to
homeostasis. Stress questionnaires, which have a high rate of predicting chances of a major
illness, include things like
marriage and
graduation right up there with
a death in the family.
Another definition that I've seen is that eustress is that form of distress that actually helps you cope or perform, such as the panicky rush of
adrenaline from arriving late for an
exam enabling you to blaze through it in half the usual time.