Stress is bad, right?
According to new research, the answer is: not always.
Stanford University researcher Alia Crum and others have discovered a three-step process to maneuver stress from being a painful experience to one that is actually helpful for you.
In our current age of coronavirus, this process can help you to reduce your anxiety, become more resilient, and yes, get stress to work for you.
Here are the three steps. Please refer to the Rethinking Stress website for important details and activities.
1. Acknowledge your stress
This may sound like a simple idea—and it is—but underneath this process, something very important is happening in your brain.
The part of our brain that automatically processes stressful stimuli is the amygdala. This primitive part of our brain is responsible for our fight-or-flight response.
Stimuli that are perceived as threatening cause our bodies to get ready to either run away as fast as possible or physically fight the threat.
This is why the feeling of stress may also be accompanied by anxiety, increased heart rate, faster respiratory rate, and a whole host of other physical reactions that aren’t particularly pleasant.
But when we consciously name the causes and feelings of stress, the neural activity in our brains moves from our amygdala to our prefrontal cortex which is responsible for planning and decision-making.
In other words, when we take a moment to acknowledge our stress, it moves us from operating from a fearful, reactive place to a position where we can be thoughtful and deliberate.[1]
The other advantage to naming our stress is that it helps us avoid “ironic processing” or the-more-you-try-not-to-think-about-it-the-more-you’ll-think-about-it syndrome. You can see more about why this process doesn’t work here.
2. Own your stress
On the Rethinking Stress site, they call this step “Welcome your stress.” I thought that might be a little too optimistic to start with, so let’s own our stress instead.
Either way, why would we want to do that?
Because we tend to only stress about things we care about. When we pay attention to our stress, we can connect to the things that we really care about.
For example, I find writing blog posts to be stressful. Why? Because I value helping people and I get concerned that I might not write well enough to be helpful to others.
If I tried to avoid my stress, I might not do something I really value. And if I tried to deny my stress, I could get out of touch with what is really important to me in life.
Dr. Crum advises us to connect to our values by saying to ourselves, “I’m stressed about (whatever you noted in #1) because I care deeply about . . .”
3. Use your stress
Now that you know what you care deeply about, you can actually use your stress to help you behave in ways that are in line with your values which, in turn, may help you to feel better overall.
Dr. Crum suggests:
Ask yourself: Are your typical responses in alignment with the values behind your stress? If you’re worried about your family getting sick because you care about their health, is snapping at them for not washing their hands long enough the best way to protect your family?
If you’re worried about the impact of coronavirus on society, is seeking out constant news coverage the best way to help support your community during this time?
Think about how you might change your response to this stress to better facilitate your goals and your purpose.
As discussed previously on Bounce, our values are what make our lives rich and meaningful. They are our anchors in the storm of emotions that can be created by stressful events like pandemics.
So take good care of yourself and give stress a chance. I highly recommend taking 45 minutes or so and completing the Rethinking Stress module from Stanford SPARQ.
Important caveat: This article in no way advocates for producing more stress for yourself or that stress is always a good thing. However, it is a part of life and, when it happens, we can use this three-step process to rethink stress.
Let me know what you think about this process in the comments below!
[1] In Stressful Times, Make Stress Work for You, NY Times, April 6, 2020, Leibowitz, K. & Crum, A.
Susie says
Nice article. I like that it was short and to the point. Easily digestible.
Bobbi says
Thanks, Susie!
Kale W. says
Some really good points here. I think I’ll forward this to my colleagues. Thanks!
Brenda says
The initial step to making pressure work for you is to just see and recognize your pressure. Naming your pressure intentionally and purposely moves neural action from the amygdala the focal point of feeling and dread to the prefrontal cortex, which is liable for leader control and arranging.
Brenda recently posted…Vitamin and Mineral Spotlight: Iron
Diabetes Hospital says
It is actually true that after 9years study, Dr. Irwin Goldstein from Boston University School of Medicine reveals that a brisk paced two mile walk (30-45) minutes of walking can prevent Erectile dysfunction because this exercise improves blood flow through the blood vessels and helps keeps things clear.
Diabetes Hospital recently posted…Tamil Nadu: Why governments must think about what we eat
stress management says
Very well post and you explain well all the topic and thanks for give us this knowledge
stress management recently posted…How to manage stress by stress management techniques?
Autumn M Lubin says
Hi Bobbi!
I just read your blog post about financial grief. I am a writer, curriculum developer and trainer for non-profit housing counselors who are working with families to clear up credit so they can purchase a home or families facing or experiencing foreclosure. I have been doing this work for over 30 years and, like you, not afraid of my disclosing my 61 years of being on this planet! I would like to use your blog post as points of reference in a workshop I am doing for foreclosure counselors on the topic of foreclosure and the grief experience in families. The goal is to help counselors understand the real grief of financial setbacks and your blog post is clearing written and easy to digest. I will give you complete credit and urge participants to follow your blog because your topics will be very useful to them in a variety of ways. Please check my website yellowwoodpathways.com for confirmation of my information. It has some bumps and bruises right now as I’m currently revising it. I also have a very neglected blog at https://enterwithagentleheart.wordpress.com/.
I am also going to look for an email address for you to cover all my bases.
Thank you for reading and considering my request.
Autumn Lubin
stress management says
Great knowledge about the effects of stress management . Thanks for give us such kind of knowledge.
stress management recently posted…How to manage stress by stress management techniques?
Connie @ Ketaminescottsdale says
“Take a deep breath , feel your emotions, appreciate them but don’t let them run your life”
Says that after explaining that emotions actually run my life.
Connie @ Ketaminescottsdale recently posted…How Do Panic Attacks Occur and What You Can Do About It?