Stress makes you sick. It increases the risk from common cold to cardiovascular disease. Stress is the enemy. But how to create this stress relief? That is what many have thought up until recent study has shown a little different results. 43% of people are more likely to die if they are under a lot of stress… but only if they believe that stress is harmful for them. So people are dying not from stress but from the believe that stress is bad for you. So the real question is: Can your thinking about the stress make you more healthy? … YES. If you change your mind about stress, you can change your body response about it.
The changes in your body that you interpret as anxiety or fear of public speaking – sweating, elevated heart beat… If you viewed these signals instead as singes that your body is energized and preparing you to meet this challenge. If you do that then your body response will change and will be more similar to response that you have when you experience joy and courage. How you think about stress matters.
Next time when you feel this strong stress, think: my body is greatly preparing me for this challenge. Your body will believe you and the response will become healthier.
There is also one more healthy aspect about stress. It releases oxytocin. You may have known that it is a bonding hormone released for example when you hug somebody. But it is a part of a stress response making you to seek help.
How you think and how you act with stress matters and affects the outcomes. If you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you can create the biology of courage and resilience. If you choose to view your heart in this way you are making pretty profound statement: I can trust myself to handle life’s challenges. That may be the ultimat stress relief.
