Sometimes the emotional stress resulting from fear of minor dangers is more harmful than the danger itself. Do you agree?

The difference between experiences which result in eustress or distress is determined by the disparity between an experience (real or imagined), personal expectations and resources to cope with the stress.

Stress activates the sympathetic branch of the autonomous nervous system and produces the fight-or-flight response, causing the body to divert bloodflow to large muscles as the body prepares to run away from or fight something. Less blood flows to the digestive system and other organs that do not assist in fleeing or fighting, producing dry mouth, motor agitation, sweating, pallor, enlarged pupils and over the long term, insomnia. Modern stressors can cause continual sympathetic nervous system activation with very little opportunity for the parasympathetic nervous system to activate.

To me a good example is the pre-appointment stress when you visit the dentist for a root canal. Seems far worse compared to the procedure itself.

Do you have other examples?

Some point out that people tend to underestimate the long term abilities to overcome negative events in our lives. Combine that with people’s tendencies to underestimate the negative long term affects of stressing over events that have a low probability of occurring.