10 Specifically, a mindful person maintains heightened awareness of the present reality and gives close attention to living in the moment. One positive psychological resource that has received little attention in leadership research is the concept of mindfulness, which promotes a direct consciousness of bodily movement, sensations, and surroundings. 8 However, when demands exceed a person’s capabilities, stress can threaten quality of life and lead to bodily harm. Positive adaptation, an often-overlooked side of stress, can lead to motivation and challenge instead of anxiety, creating a feeling of eustress or euphoria. Alternately, distress is a negative, or “bad,” stress, such as a fight with a spouse or a death in the family. 7 Eustress occurs when a person perceives a stressor as positive-for example, a pregnancy or job promotion. Small amounts of stress may prove desirable, beneficial, and even healthy. 5 Thus, the way different police officers interpret, for example, a stressful situation will determine the severity of their reactions. People experience highly personalized reactions to stressors, and responses depend on the meaning individuals attribute to them. While some positive stressors exist, more often people see them as threatening, frustrating, or conflicting, which leads to anxiety. They might be long-term states, like those during illnesses or financial problems, or short-term states resulting from individual incidents, such as upsetting conversations or specific traumatic events.

One researcher calls stress an “organism’s response to any demand placed on it.” 3 Stressors are physical or psychological stimuli that impact one’s state of arousal.

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