Here’s how to start thinking of stress as beneficial to your wellbeing.
When you think about stress, you typically ponder how to control it or prevent it, or you read about all the negative effects it has on your body. What if, though, you changed your perspective and started employing regulatory reactions to really make stress work for you?
Presenting stress in a positive light
A request for “optimizing stress” was issued by researchers in the American Psychological Association’s Emotion journal in 2021. To assist people stop thinking that stress is “bad” for them, they suggested merging theory and existing research on stress mindset and stress reappraisal.
Stress is characterized by the World Health Organization as a “state of worry or mental tension” brought on by a challenging circumstance and “a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.” It’s not always bad to face obstacles and unpleasant situations; in fact, they can be beneficial.
The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs author Dr. Michael Leiter tells Lifehacker that the benefits of stress “are simply manageable pressures.” Up to a point, high-stress circumstances can motivate brilliance or at the very least peak performance, and demanding settings can concentrate the mind and maintain that performance. Determining whether and how stress might serve as a motivator for you is the secret.
Ways to reduce stress
The researchers advise making adjustments to your value system so that you may more freely determine if stress is simply “good” or “bad” for you. Reframing what you perceive as a “bad” stressor into a “good” one is the objective because good stressors can be motivating.
In her profession, Louise Sanders, a stress consultant with The Stress Experts, counsels clients to work on emotional regulation and stress evaluation, which she refers to as a “perception shift.” According to her, stress can be like an anchor that drags you down and prevents you from moving forward, but with a change in perspective, it can really turn into a springboard that drives you forward into progress. She compares this reframing to embarking on a physical effort. You can lift heavier and heavier weights with time and effort. Your ability to control your emotions is no different. You may increase the amount of stress you can handle with practice and regularity, and then direct your emotional energy toward whatever demands it most without letting it drag you down.
This concurs with Leiter’s observation, which reads as follows: “functioning on the positive side of stress…requires insight into one’s manner of functioning, and arranging the time and energy to sustain physical and mental welfare. A two-step evaluation results in stress: People first decide whether a scenario involves a possible threat, and then they assess their ability to handle that threat. Possessing a strong, reality-based confidence in one’s ability to manage possible risks makes facing them more manageable.
Just remember to give yourself a break in between studying, getting ready, or doing anything else that will help you get the most out of your stress-turned-stimulus.
Try some stress-reduction techniques.
Even while it can be helpful to reframe your perception of stress and identify the positive aspects of it, stressful situations are still difficult. We’re all about discovering ways to control that while you work on optimization, whether it be by using tools or independently experimenting with cognitive behavioral therapy strategies. Consider attempting this:
1-A multicolored meditation light that changes color when you inhale, pause, and exhale.
2-A highly rated essential oil rollerball that you may use to de-stress while on the road.
3-Good, traditional lavender tea is cherished for its relaxing qualities.
4-A massager for when you really need to take care of yourself.
