Changing our views on stress



What if stress was not the enemy we make it out to be?  That would change a lot of things wouldn't it?  We wouldn't keep trying to protect ourselves from it, we wouldn't be complaining about our stress levels to others, and we wouldn't feel so badly about stress!

Stress is not the problem, but how we think about stress is;  and how we act when we feel stressed is the problem.  

 When there is so much to do and we think we do not have enough time, remember that we perform better when we are challenged versus under-challenged.  When we have too much time on our hands, we tend to waste it with passive activities (internet surfing or TV watching), but when we have limited time to accomplish things, we tend to keep moving to get things done.

So seeing stress as challenges that help us perform our best is one way to reduce stresses effects on our bodies.  If we tell our bodies that the stress our body is feeling (increased heart rate, feeling "amped" up) is our bodies way of getting ready to deal with the challenge, our bodies will not respond poorly to the stress!!  This is amazing- how we think about stress determines if the stress will be harmful on our bodies or not!  We determine if the stress hurts us, the stress does not determine it.

I did not know this, but when we are stressed, the hormone oxytocin increases!  And I thought it was just adrenaline and cortisol that increased when we are stressed!  So why does oxytocin increase?  Oxytocin is our attachment hormone, it increases with hugs and also social support.  So our bodies increase our oxytocin when stressed so that we reach out to others for help!  It's signaling to us to go talk to someone, share our problems!  What an amazing body we have.

The following Ted talk discusses stress in a new light.  I recommend watching it.  It could save your life.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

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