Stress & Perception

How will you frame your next stressful situation?

Perception. Perspective. Awareness.
 
What if we shift ours, just a little, so that we can live with ease.

We all have some degree of stress in our daily lives, so the more we learn about it the better we can learn ways to adapt. Each of us handles stress differently; some ways are healthy and, well, some not so healthy.

Whether it is daily life or major stress events, the cumulative impact of stress affects our health. Our perception of stress can ultimately be our greatest ally. Understanding stress and maybe adopting tools like meditation and mindfulness could help us.
The Greater Good Science Center at Berkley explains, "Psychologists have identified key variables that determine whether stress ultimately affects us positively or negatively are:

• Our Perception of stress
• The meaning we attach to it
• Our ability to cope with uncertainty and ambiguity
• The degree of control we have over the circumstances that produce the stress” [1]

The good news is that we are naturally wired to adapt. While I am not a therapist or an expert on stress, I have found some great resources and practices that have helped me. I watched the TED Talk, How to Make Stress Your Friend, in my positive psychology course. In it, Kelly McGonigal explains how we can use our body’s response and reactions to stress to our advantage. She has examined the relationship between stress and its harmfulness, but not in the way you might think:

“Some bad news first. People who experienced a lot of stress in the previous year had a 43% increased risk of dying. But that was only try for the people who also believed that stress is harmful for your health… People who experienced a lot of stress, but did not view stress as harmful were no more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of dying of anyone is the study…”

WHAT?  She goes on to explain the relationship between perception and stress. Click on the link to watch this short video. It is eye opening.

If we can find tools, like meditation and living mindfully, to help us maneuver a little more easily through life, then maybe it is worth trying. Mindfulness addresses things such as becoming more resilient, developing empathy, and treating ourselves and others with compassion. Treating our self with proper nutrition, exercise, sleep and having self compassion nourish our whole being. 

 

Dr. Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University.

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[1] “How to Fight Stress with Empathy,” Ciaramicoli, A., Greater Good.Berkely.edu, January 11, 2017.