Making Stress Your Friend
Being in a planner community full of ambitious, organized individuals, we are no strangers to the stress that accompanies goal setting, high achievement, hard work and dream chasing! It’s pretty safe to say that nobody is eager to add more stress to their plate, but we all experience this universal feeling. At times, to a great degree! So if stress is inevitable, what is the most beneficial way to approach challenging experiences and come out on top?
In her recent TedTalk, How to Make Stress Your Friend, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, offers a refreshing take on stress and healthy ways to reframe the body’s stress response!
A commonly held belief is that high levels of stress make you sick - that they can contribute to everything from the common cold to long-term heart disease! McGonigal herself confesses that she used to turn stress into the “enemy” in her academic work. However, in a recent study of 30,000 adults in the U.S. over the course of 8 years, she discovered that stress only contributed negatively to a person’s health when that individual held the belief that stress negatively impacts their health. What an ironic finding!
Instead of seeing a foe in stress when it comes along, McGonigal suggests creating stress resilience in the following ways:
Take physical stress symptoms as a sign that your body is energized, preparing you to meet the demands of the task at hand.
A pounding heart is preparing you for action!
Breathing harder is supplying more oxygen to the brain and the body!
Sweat regulates your body temperature to help you power through fear and pain.
Say to yourself, “this is my body helping me rise to the challenge”
Connect socially and share your experience with those close to you.
Did you know that when your body creates a stress response, your brain releases oxytocin? This hormone motivates you to be around people who care about you!
Following that cue to connect socially will physiologically strengthen the heart, relax the blood vessels, and increase stress resilience!
In another long-term study, McGonigal discovered that those who regularly reach out to care for and serve others experienced no increased risk of death despite experiencing high, sustained levels of stress.
Chase meaning instead of avoiding discomfort!
By taking on a life that you believe is meaningful (even if it is difficult!) you can achieve the greatest possible success and happiness.
By training your brain to reframe stress, you are sending yourself a powerful message: I can trust myself to handle life’s challenges, and I don’t have to face them by myself!
Next time the pressure builds and your pulse starts to race, remember, stress is your friend! It is preparing you to come out on top, deepen human connection, and achieve your fullest potential!