- WeetLab
- Posts
- Make Stress Your Ally
Hello dear Human!
Welcome to this new upgrade for your brain!
Today’s upgrade will focus on developing its Stress Management functionality 🧠
All you need to do is open your mind, and enjoy the following enhancement of yourself!
⚡
Cognitive Pulse
Brain warming up
Get inspired by a quote
Stress is the trash of modern life — we all generate it, but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life."
Get doubtful about a question
In stress management, what does the acronym "SMART" stand for when setting goals?
A) Simple, Mindful, Attainable, Rational, Timely
B) Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
C) Structured, Meaningful, Adaptive, Resourceful, Thorough
Answer at the end
💡
Neuronal Activation
Ability explanation, and why you must develop it.
What are we talking about?
ℹ️ - Stress is the body's physiological and emotional response to external pressures or demands, often causing a sense of tension, anxiety, or unease. Stress management is the ability to recognize and address those stressors, control emotional responses, and apply coping strategies.
💪 - Stress management skills bring numerous advantages, including improved mental and physical health and enhanced emotional resilience, but also better decision-making, increased productivity, stronger relationships, and greater overall well-being. These skills empower individuals to navigate life's challenges, reduce stress-related health risks, and maintain a balanced, fulfilling life.
Not-so-random facts
Stress can be harmful (distress) but also motivating (eustress).
Chronic stress can lead to serious health issues.
Prolonged stress can accelerate aging at the cellular level by shortening telomeres, which protect chromosomes.
Stress is a highly individual experience.
It is believed small amounts of stress can enhance performance.
🧠
Skill Encoding
Deeper dive into the skill, with actionable learning materials.
In this talk, psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as positive and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others. It basically gives you a whole new vision of stress, in order to turn it into your ally. Here are the main outcomes, explained by Kelly McGonigal:
When you change your mind about stress, you can change your body's response to stress
“For years I've been telling people: stress makes you sick. It increases the risk of everything from the common cold to cardiovascular disease. Basically, I've turned stress into the enemy. But I have changed my mind about stress”.
“People (from a study) who experienced a lot of stress in the previous year had a 43% increased risk of dying. But that was only true for the people who also believed that stress is harmful to 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 in the study”.
Stress makes you social.
“Oxytocin is a neuro-hormone that fine-tunes your brain's social instincts, […]. It makes you crave physical contact with your friends and family, enhances your empathy, and makes you more willing to help and support. […] But it’s also a stress hormone, it's as much a part of your stress response as the adrenaline that makes your heart pound.”
“Your biological stress response is nudging you to tell someone how you feel, and make sure you notice when someone else in your life is struggling so that you can support each other […] It's also a natural anti-inflammatory, as it helps your blood vessels stay relaxed during stress […] I find this amazing, that your stress response has a built-in mechanism for stress resilience, and that mechanism is human connection.”
Stress gives us access to our hearts.
“To the compassionate heart that finds joy and meaning in connecting with others, and yes, your pounding physical heart, working so hard to give you strength and energy. And when you choose to view stress in this new way, you're not just getting better at stress, you're actually making a pretty profound statement. You're saying that you can trust yourself to handle life's challenges, and you're remembering that you don't have to face them alone.”
Converting stress into positive outcomes is a really interesting and powerful technique, but it’s not always easy. When having to deal with negative stress, here are 10 tips that will help you cope with it:
Simplify Your Actions (Action-Oriented Strategies)
Remove Distractions: When you have a lot of work to do, avoid things that can interrupt you, like phone notifications and noisy environments.
Set Limits: Create rules to protect yourself from things or people that stress you out.
Speak Up: Learn to express what you want or need clearly to avoid arguments and stress.
Manage Time: Plan your day so that you can finish tasks without feeling rushed.
Deal with Your Emotions (Emotion-Oriented Strategies)
ABC Technique: Focus on optimism by addressing Adversity, Beliefs, and Consequences when dealing with stressors.
Stay Positive: Challenge negative thoughts by telling yourself good things every day.
Change Your Thoughts (Cognitive Restructuring): Identify and fix harmful thinking patterns to manage stress better. For example with Cognitive behavioral therapy.
Take Care of Yourself (Acceptance-Oriented Strategies)
Get Healthier: Eat better, move more, and sleep enough to feel less stressed.
Become Stronger: Learn to bounce back from stressful events and learn from experiences, leading to greater happiness.
Talk About Feelings: Don't keep your emotions bottled up; share them with friends, write them down, or seek help from professionals when needed.
⏳
Skill Persistence
Additional insightful content, and knowledge test.
🔎
Additional Resources
Ted Talk - How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed
In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there's a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking becomes clouded -- the pre-mortem.
Article - Best ways to manage stress - Harvard Health
Stress affects older adults profoundly. It stems from various sources but can damage health. However, managing stress is possible. Identifying triggers, using relaxation techniques like meditation, embracing cognitive behavioral therapy, and setting personal goals can lead to a healthier, less stressful life. Stress doesn't have to dictate your health story.
Article - 10 Techniques to Manage Stress & 13 Quick Tips
This article delves into understanding stress levels, the difference between stress and burnout, and techniques to reduce psychological stress, such as recognizing stress indicators and altering responses. It also explores stress management techniques, skills, and self-care tips, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balanced life. Stress relief activities, worksheets, and tools are provided.
Books - 13 Stress-Relief Books About the Science of Managing Anxiety
This article provides a descriptive list of the best books that can help you develop your stress management skills.
❔
Quiz
Introduction question answer:
In stress management, what does the acronym "SMART" stand for when setting goals? 👉 B) Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
Explanation: Setting "SMART" goals involves making goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound to enhance goal achievement.
Thank you for reading!
Enjoyed this brain upgrade?
Feel free to share WeetLab with people you think would enjoy it as well!
👉 Subscribe Page
Have any feedback or request?
Feel free to DM me on Instagram or Twitter to discuss improvements for the updates.
👉 Instagram account
👉 Twitter account
And remember: In the journey of becoming a better version of yourself, do not focus on perfection, but on progress (One upgrade at a time 😄).
Take care,
Nicolas