Stress Isn’t the Silent Killer; It’s Your Mindset

For decades, we’ve been told by medical professionals and the healthcare industry that stress is the silent killer, which destroys your health, shortens your lives, and wreaks havoc on y”our minds. And, as a result, doctors and the healthcare profession would prescribe meditation, yoga, and “stress management” techniques to alleviate and manage stress.

But what if they’re all wrong?

Standford University’s top stress expert and researcer, Dr. Kelly McGonigal, exposed healthcare’s biggest secret:

Stress is not what’s damaging your mental and physical health.

A groundbreaking study involving 30,000 Americans revealed something shocking:

People who believed stress was harmful had worse health outcomes than those who didn’t. .Even when experiencing the same levels of stress.

After studying stress for over a decade, Dr. McGonigal made a revolutionary discovery:

Stress isn’t your enemy, and in fact, it’s not hurting you. Stress is actually your body’s way of preparing you for a challenge.

When you’re stressed, your heart pounds and breathing quickens not to hurt you, but to energize you. It helps. you rise to the challenge.

Researchers found that your stress response is nearly identical to moments of joy and courage:

• Increased heart rate = more oxygen to your brain
• Faster breathing = enhanced alertness
• Hormonal surge = improved focus and energy

Dr. McGonigal’s key finding were that it’s all about your mindset regarding stress.

In her studies, she realized when people viewed stress as helpful, their blood vessels stayed relaxeds and their cardiovascular system mirrored the “joy response” instead of the “fear response.”

McGonigal’s research revealed a crucial truth:

Stress isn’t what hurts you. Instead, it’s your BELIEF about stress is what hurts you. When you see it as helpful, it becomes a powerful tool for:

• Enhanced performance
• Improved focus
• Better resilience

The implications are massive, which means you can literally transform your stress response. Dr. McGonigal’s work proves that your body’s stress reaction is trying to help you succeed.

Stress is not your enemy; it’s your ally in achieving peak performance.

McGonigal discovered something game-changing that your emotions aren’t just “feelings.” They’re the control center for how your body handles stress. When you’re in control of your emotions, that racing heart isn’t anxiety. It’s your body rising to meet a challenge.

The goal isn’t to eliminate stress or fight against it. It’s to harness your emotional state so stress becomes your ally.

https://x.com/drinkeub/status/1876339975043879306?s=61&t=8ACS6bcx2PFMgdLuBnL1JQ

Emotional Well-Being and Gratitude During COVID-19

“Your personal experiences make up maybe 0.00000001% of what’s happened in the world but maybe 80% of how you think the world works… We’re all biased to our own personal history.” Morgan Housel, Ideas That Changed My Life

COVID-19 Stressing You Out

According to the CDC, everyone reacts differently to stressful situations such as a pandemic and lock down. As Americans experience the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic such as worry about job loss, concern for your health or that of a loved one, the need to social distance, confining yourself to your home or apartment, changing your routine, spending more screen time than normal, it’s important to practice some degree of emotional self-care.

Finding ways to practice self-care can help reduce your stress and enhance your emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthy ways to cope with stress include:

  • Taking daily walks
  • Practicing meditation
  • Making time to pray and to express gratitude
  • Knowing where and how to get help
  • Taking breaks from watching, reading, or listening to the sensationalized news stories and coverage about COVID19, protests, and political rancor
  • Reading novels and writing in journals
  • Learning a new skill or hobby
  • Eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep
  • Avoiding or reducing eating processed foods, foods high in refined sugars and carbs, and fried foods
  • Exercising and prioritizing time to unwind by doing activities you enjoy
  • Connecting with others (while social physical distancing measures are in place, consider connecting online, through social media, or by phone or mail)

Gratitude

Gratitude is recognizing the “value for favorable things or positive life experiences for which we did not actively work towards or ask for”, according to Sadhguru. Gratitude is important because it helps us see a world that is much bigger than ourselves. When we have gratitude, we can help ourselves and each other grow personally or professionally.

Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among those already struggling with mental health problems. Ways you can foster gratitude by keeping a journal to write about the little joys of daily life or by writing down “three good things” that have gone well for you and identify the cause. Additionally, you can also foster gratitude by writing thank-you notes to others or going out of your way to be kind to others, according to Psychology Today Magazine.

Sources:

  1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/202004/overcoming-depression-and-desperation-in-the-time-covid-19
  2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/gratitude