avatarSaarim Aslam

Summary

The article discusses the value of reframing one's perception of stress through a values affirmation strategy to improve stress response and overall health.

Abstract

The article, "How to Use a Values Affirmation Strategy to Improve Your Response to Stress," presents a psychological approach to managing stress by altering one's perception of it. Drawing from research, including a study published in the Health Psychology Journal, it emphasizes that the belief that stress is harmful can lead to a 43% increased risk of premature death and poor health. Conversely, viewing stress as beneficial can mitigate these risks. The piece introduces Stanford Psychologist Dr Kelly McGonigal's perspective on the importance of perception in stress response, suggesting that our beliefs about stress can influence our health outcomes. The article outlines a two-step value-based affirmation exercise to help individuals cope with stress by identifying and affirming their core values, thereby fostering resilience and a sense of control. This method is supported by evidence indicating that value affirmation can reduce cortisol levels and improve mental and physical health.

Opinions

  • William James is quoted to suggest that our ability to choose one thought over another is our greatest weapon against stress.
  • Dr Kelly McGonigal opines that it is our perception of stress, rather than stress itself, that can be more damaging to our health.
  • The article conveys that individuals who view stress as detrimental are more likely to have negative expectancies, less resilience, and a sense of helplessness regarding their health.
  • Dr McGonigal believes that by viewing the stress response as helpful, individuals can create "the biology of courage" and transform their experience of stress.
  • The author suggests that affirming one's

How to Use a Values Affirmation Strategy to Improve Your Response to Stress

A simple technique to change your perception of stress…

Photo by Keenan Constance from Pexels

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James

William James got it spot on.

Stress is always seen as a bad thing and something you must address immediately. However, stress doesn’t need to be perceived as the enemy. Choosing how we perceive stress could be the best thing for it.

Stanford Psychologist Dr Kelly McGonigal suggests it is our perception of stress that can do more harm to us than stress itself.

“People look at their relationship to stress a lot like they look at their relationship to their body,” she explains. “They think, it’s my fault that it’s this way, and there’s nothing I can really do about it.” However, it is this perception that is damaging. And, there is something we can do to change our response to stress.

Your Perception Of Stress Matters More

It may sound crazy that a simple change in perception of stress actually matters more to our health than the stress itself. But research shows this to be true.

In 2012, a research study published in the Health Psychology Journal gave us an amazing insight into how our perception is the key. The study looked at nearly 186 million people and found two main things:

  1. People had a 43% increased risk of premature death and greater ill health if they experienced a high amount of stress AND had the view that stress is bad for them.
  2. People did not have this increased risk of death and poorer health if they did not view stress as having a negative impact on their health.

A simple change in whether stress was seen as bad or not, drastically affected peoples’ health.

This still may sound hard to believe, but there are simple explanations for why we see this effect.

Research suggests those who perceive stress to be harmful are more likely to have:

  • Negative expectancies of the future. This means they are more pessimistic or feel hopeless.
  • They also have less resilience to cope with the stress, making it more harmful.
  • They also believe they have less control over their health meaning they are less likely to do something about it to make themselves better.

So, this perception that stress is bad can be explained by these three factors, making it more likely for ill health. On the flip side, a better perception of stress may mean these factors do not occur. As Dr McGonigal says:

“The harmful effects of stress on health are not inevitable. How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress. When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage.”

Essentially, learning how to adopt a more adaptive perception of stress can help build your confidence in your ability to deal with stressful life events.

And, the more confidence you have in this, the better chance you have at coping with stress and having fewer ill effects from it.

So, how can we change our perception of stress so that we improve our response to it?

The Value-Based Affirmation to Help Deal With Stress

There are two steps involved in the value affirmation exercise:

1. Identify three core values:

“Values are a reflection of what you care about. It doesn’t matter if you are “good” at that value, or if other people would understand why this is important to you,” explains Dr McGonigal.

As yourself these key questions to help identify your values:

  • What matters most to you?
  • What is important to you in how you live your life?

These questions can help narrow down your main values. Your values could be things such as your family, faith community, respect, courage, fairness, spreading kindness, adventure, equality etc. The list is endless.

2. Affirm one of your core values:

Start with one of your core values and begin to affirm it. Two ways to do this are:

  • Talk to your friend or family member about it. This will help you highlight why it’s important to you.
  • Write about the value for 10 minutes.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred method to affirm the value, Dr McGonigal advises to affirm it by:

  1. Describing why it’s important to you/your family/community.
  2. Stating how you express this value in everyday life.
  3. Mentioning how this value guides or supports you.

This strengthens the association between you, your value and your life.

This creates a different perception of stress because it connects your values to everyday life events. So, when you encounter a stressful event, you’ll be able to unravel the meaning behind it and it can help you enact your values when difficult moments arise. McGonigal explains:

“The hope is that as you go through life, you’ve contemplated your values and now you start to think, in a difficult moment, ‘How is this an opportunity to practice honesty?’ or ‘How is this an opportunity to put my family first?’”

Affirming your values can also change your response to stress because it has been shown to have physiological effects too.

Research has found individuals who engage in a value affirmation exercise have a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol in response to stressful encounters compared to those who do not affirm their values. If our stress hormone is reduced, we’re less likely to feel the negative, physical consequences of stress, changing our perception and response.

There is a lot of research to support the positive effects of affirming our values in multiple stressful situations. Kelly McGonigal sums up the research perfectly in her book, The Upside of Stress:

“In the long term, writing about values has been shown to boost GPAs, reduce doctor visits, improve mental health, and help with everything from weight loss to quitting smoking and reducing drinking.”

“It helps people persevere in the face of discrimination and reduces self-handicapping. In many cases, these benefits are a result of a one-time mindset intervention.”

Final Thoughts

We’re going to experience stress multiple times, so it’s important to change our relationship with it. We can do this by affirming our values.

It helps bring meaning to your stressful situations and shifts what would normally be perceived as harmful irritations to more meaningful events. It can help you put into practice the things that mean the most to you when stressed. The values affirmation has two steps:

  • Identify three core values.
  • Affirm one of your core values through writing.

At the end of the day, stress is inevitable. So, why not implement a simple technique that takes no more than 10–15 minutes, that can change your perception and response to stress in a positive way? As Lou Holtz said:

“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

If you like reading these stories, join my free newsletter, PsychGrowth. Also if you want to support me as a writer, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s $5 a month, giving you unlimited access to stories on Medium. If you sign up using my link, I’ll earn a small commission.

Personal Growth
Psychology
Mental Health
Self Improvement
Stress
Recommended from ReadMedium