9 Strategies to Change Your Stress Mindset for the Better

#stress #stressmanagement #wellbeing

© 2023 Zoryna O’Donnell

This article was first published by Brainz Magazine on 27/01/2023

More often than not, we think about stress as something bad; something to avoid at all costs, because, by now, we know very well the negative impact of stress on our health and well-being. We may even dream about a stress-free life for ourselves. Yet, it is probably impossible to be completely stress-free and to be alive at the same time. This is because both stress and our response to it are essential for our survival and flourishing as species.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines stress as “any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain” and points out that stress is our body's response to anything that requires attention or action.

We would not be around now if our prehistoric ancestors did not “stress out” about sabretooth tigers and other beasts and situations threatening their existence, and did not take action to respond to those threats by fight or flight.

We all experience stress but the way we respond to it can make a big difference to our well-being and life overall. This is because stress response includes both physiological (driven by hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol) and psychological (thought) responses to our perception of various situations. This means that a threat (aka stressor) does not have to be real to evoke a stress response in our bodies.

A dog sitting quietly in the corner of the room could be seen as a cute and cuddly puppy or as a dangerous animal by different people – depending on their previous experience of dealing with dogs. What they think about this dog will determine whether or not their stress response will be triggered by the mere presence of the dog in the room.

Even our thoughts about stress will impact on how it will affect us. A study published online in 2011 discovered that having a high level of stress increased people’s risk of premature death only when it was combined with their belief that stress was bad for health.

In fact, not all stress is bad for us. A few years ago, Dr. Daniela Kaufer, an associate professor at UC Berkeley and her colleagues conducted a study which established that moderate, short-lived stress can improve alertness, boost behavioural and cognitive performance and memory.

Here are nine strategies which can make stress work for you. …

Please read the entire article here. [ https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/9-strategies-to-change-your-stress-mindset-for-the-better ]

Image credit: F McDaniel via Pixabay.