Stressed? Here’s A Surprising Way To Take Advantage Of It
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
William James
Stress is part of our daily lives.
It is necessary for our survival in life-threatening situations.
Thousands of articles have been written on the negative health impacts of stress.
Thousands more have been written on how to reduce stress.
In fact, I even wrote a recent article on 7 Science-Backed Ways To Crush Stress For Good.
But, is stress always the enemy?
Or, can we make stress our friend?
Stress is a good thing when we need it.
I recently read an article in Psychology Today by Paula Davis-Laack.
Paula’s article introduced me to the idea of the stress mindset.
What Is A Stress Mindset
Stress mindset is the overarching belief that stress is either enhancing or debilitating for cognitive, psychological, affective, and hormonal outcomes.”
Stanford University
Alia Crum, a Stanford University Professor, conducted the initial research on stress mindsets.
Crum’s research found is that individuals either have a “stress enhancing mindset”, or a “stress debilitating mindset.”
Your stress mindset is based on how YOU view YOUR stress.
The same “threat” can be viewed differently depending on YOUR mindset.
Negative Stress Mindset — Stress Is My Enemy
“Stress Is Harmful. Experiencing stress depletes my health and vitality. Experiencing stress debilitates my performance and productivity. Experiencing stress inhibits my learning and growth. The effects of stress are negative and should be avoided.
Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress: Why stress is good for you
You are interested in avoiding or escaping from the stressful situation.
You to avoid challenges and opportunities for growth because you find them stressful.
Unfortunately, avoiding situations can actually make things worse and make the stressful situation last even longer.
You get locked into a state of chronic stress, which results in negative health issues and an increased risk of early death.
Positive Stress Mindset — Stress Is My Friend
“Stress Is Enhancing. Experiencing stress enhances my performance and productivity. Experiencing stress improves my health and vitality. Experiencing stress facilitates my learning and growth. The effects of stress are positive and should be utilized.”
Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress: Why stress is good for you
On the flip side, if you have a positive stress mindset, you view stress as something that is good for you and you embrace it.
You use stress to your advantage.
You to see stress as a way to build your competence and be more productive.
You see it as an opportunity for growth and development.
Seeing stress as your friend is actually good for your health.
It causes your blood vessels to relax, reduces inflammation and can improve your cardiovascular health.
What is Your Stress Mindset?
Glyn Blackett, a stress management coach, recommends that you ask yourself these four questions to help you determine your stress mindset:
- Do you believe the effects of stress are on the whole negative or positive?
2. In your life, do you try to avoid stress or do you embrace it?
3. How do you believe stress affects your well-being, health, and vitality?
4. How do you believe stress affects your performance and productivity, in your work but also beyond?
How To Change Your Stress Mindset
“Studies have shown that the stress mindset can be changed by relatively simple interventions.”
Anne Casper, University of Mannheim
In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Alia and Thomas Crum outlined a three-step approach to harnessing the positive power of stress.
Their process is based on work done with executives, students, Navy SEAL’s and professional athletes, and can help you to harness the positive power of stress.
1. “See It”
The first step to transforming your response to stress is to “see” your stress. Rather than denying it, or dwelling upon it. They recommend that you actually put a name on your stress. For example, “I am stressed about my quarterly numbers.”
Acknowledging your stress allows you to pause before you react.
This gives you the chance to choose a positive response instead of a negative one.
2. “Own It”
“In Navy SEAL training, the leadership cadre designs situations that are exponentially more stressful, chaotic, and dynamic than any combat operation so that the teams learn to center [themselves] in the most arduous circumstances. When the stress of the training seems unbearable, we can own it, knowing that ultimately it is what we have chosen to do — to be a member of a team that can succeed in any mission.”
Curt Cronin, former SEAL Commander
We tend to stress more about the things that matter to us.
If something doesn’t matter, it doesn’t cause us stress.
By “owning” the fact that we care about the thing that is causing our stress, we can decide to respond in a positive way.
3. “Use It”
Once we have chosen to “see it,” and “Own it” we can use our body’s stress response in a positive way to improve our response to stress. Reframing our response helps us grow and meet the demands of the situation.
“Stress isn’t always harmful”
Kelly McGonigal Stanford University
We don’t live in a stress-free world, but how we respond to stress can have a huge impact on our health and our success.
If we view stress as our enemy, we are missing out on opportunities to grow and develop.
If we view stress as our friend, we can use it to improve our lives.
It is your choice.
So, what’s your stress mindset?
And, what are you going to do about it?