Ever found yourself buried under the stress of daily life, feeling like it’s all just a bit too much?
Let’s check out a new way to look at stress, thanks to the illuminating science of mindsets and wisdom from Dr Alia Crum, a super smart researcher over at Stanford.
Here's the scoop: how we view stress seriously changes how it impacts us.
Dr. Crum and fellow researchers have shown that if people hear about how bad stress is, they tend to struggle more. But, flip the script, tell them about stress’s superpowers, and voila, they often rock their challenges! It all boils down to realising that the story you tell yourself about stress makes a big difference.
Imagine that moment when stress kicks in - heart pounding, sweaty palms, and you're buzzing with energy. Remember this: feeling stressed when stuff gets hard isn’t a bad thing. It’s like your body flexing its muscles, asking for a little backup to power through. And guess what? Your body is super skilled at bouncing back from stress! It’s designed to reset itself pretty quickly if we let it do its thing.
There's a big difference in our mind and body between seeing something as a 'challenge' and seeing it as a 'threat'. Imagine it’s like sailing on the ocean. Facing a challenge is like harnessing the wind, using it to propel your sailboat forward, guiding you smoothly across the waters. On the other hand, viewing something as a threat is like being stuck in a storm, with waves tossing your boat around aimlessly, leaving you feeling helpless and out of control. One scenario has you working with the elements, using them to navigate and move forward, while the other leaves you at their mercy, battered and stagnant.
Next time you feel that familiar wave of stress, keep these cool thoughts in mind:
Stress is My Sidekick:
Stress isn’t here to trip you up. It’s like a secret weapon, helping you rise up and nail those challenges.
I’ve Got This:
Your amazing body knows how to respond to stress and resolve the stress response to bounce back. It’s built to handle it!
It might seem a bit “out there”, but simply telling yourself that something is exciting rather than scary can flip your stress from a downer into a booster. This isn’t just happy thoughts - it’s backed up by loads of studies. Your beliefs about stress can seriously dial down the distress-o-meter and help you harness the stress response to navigate through and recover on the other side.
Visualise this: When stress comes knocking, your body is pumping more blood and oxygen everywhere, upping your energy by freeing up some extra glucose, and sparking a positive, creative mindset. It's like gearing you up to focus, crush it, and succeed with a kind of energy that builds you up rather than burns you out.
Just remind yourself with a mindful message - something like the following (but in your own words): "This stress is my power-up, gearing me up to do impactful things. My body’s not scared. It’s pumped!" I’m not the victim of stress; I’m turning into a stress-conquering lion, ready to strut through challenges with a deliberately positive vibe. Let's turn stress into our sneaky superpower, shall we?