Why Stress Should Be Your Friend

We all agree these are stressful times. But are you using that stress to your advantage? Kelly McGonigal is a Health Psychologist and author of ‘Willpower Instinct’ and ‘The Upside of Stress’. She also did a Ted Talk: “How to Make Stress Your Friend.” She discusses a study’s findings that people who believed they had a lot of stress AND also believed that stress was harmful to their health had a 43% higher risk of dying. On the other hand, people in the study who indicated they don’t believe stress is harmful had the lowest risk of dying of anyone in the study. According to McGonigal, stress is the 15th leading cause of death (more than HIV AIDS, Skin Cancer, Homicide). Stress symptoms are the body’s way to energize you to take action.  For example, breathing faster creates more oxygen to the brain and your heeart rate increases.  But if stress is viewed as bad, blood vessels constrict.  If stress is viewed as good, blood vessels don’t constrict.  Thus you have a moment of joy or a courageous physiological response: faster heart rate with open blood vessels. When stressed, your pituitary gland pumps out oxytocin: ie your body is motivating you to seek support. So it appears the big key is when you are feeling stressed, think of it as as a positive motivator and also seek support.  Transform your thinking so that stress is your ally. Your friend. It could save your life.