Old Notion; New Word

Stress is in the news ... and partly created by it. The prospects of more litigation and financial settlements in this area will make 'compensation culture' even more securely fixed in people's minds. Yet human beings need stress to help motivation and to create extraordinary achievements out of ordinary existence. The problem centres around the word itself. 'Stress' has a bad press, for its usual meaning is 'distress'. The alternative form - 'eustress' - is barely known, but the need to acknowledge the purposeful (and often painful) ways of overcoming reluctance and sloth is vital for human progress.