• Please watch this TED Talk, “Kelly McGonigal: How To Make Stress Your Friend”  and then respond to the following questions:
  • What factors contribute the most to stress in your life right now?
  • Describe one stressful situation where you will be able to use the first intervention mentioned in the video (understanding that your body’s stress response is helpful).
  • Describe one stressful situation where you will be able to use the second intervention mentioned in the video (sharing your struggles with others who care about you).
  • Who are you currently supporting as they reach out to you under stress? If you can’t identify someone you fill this role for now, who could use your support in dealing with their stress?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

How You Think About Stress Matters

Introduction

Stress is a normal part of life. It’s when stress becomes unhealthy that it becomes a problem. But what makes stress unhealthy? And how can you reduce your stress levels? Learn more in this article about thinking about stress in a certain way can help reduce your perceived and actual stress levels

Stress may be more harmful than you think.

Stress is a normal part of life—and it can be good for you. In fact, stress plays an important role in helping us cope with daily tasks and challenges.

But stress doesn’t always have to be bad for you! You may be surprised to learn that positive feelings about stressful situations are actually better for your health than negative ones. For example:

• When you get stressed out about something, it’s easier for you to push those feelings aside and focus on the task at hand (like working on your report). This makes sense because when we’re focused on something else instead of worrying about what might happen or how afraid we are of failure/failure itself (which leads us into depression), our bodies tend not only feel less tense but also remain calm throughout their functions as well—like breathing correctly while sleeping peacefully every night without waking up too often during the night time hours before getting ready for school each morning again tomorrow morning after another beautiful day filled with fun activities has pasted by quickly enough so that none has been missed!

Treat stress like a wave.

Stress is a natural part of life. It can be helpful and good, but sometimes it’s not. When you feel stressed, acknowledge the feeling and accept that it is there—then take action to relieve your stress before it gets out of control.

You’ll probably notice that stress comes and goes throughout the day; some days are more stressful than others. If you’re having trouble relieving stress, try taking a few minutes each day for mindful meditation or guided imagery (both of which are simple ways to relax). You can also try these other tips:

• Get 10-15 minutes of exercise every day (even if it’s just walking around the block) – this will help improve your cardiovascular health which in turn improves your mental health!

• Meditate as much as possible throughout each day – whether sitting down with eyes closed during traffic jams or lying down under trees during sunsets (or both).

Make a habit of asking, “How can I help?”

• Ask how you can help.

• This is an easy way to make yourself feel better, focus on the positive and help others.

• It also helps you get out of your own head by asking questions like: What can I do? How can I help? What do I want to change in this situation?

Remember that stress is contagious.

Remember that stress is contagious.

Don’t be a negative influence on others, and try to keep your own stress level down. When it comes to stress, there’s no such thing as “too much.” If you have trouble dealing with it yourself, don’t worry: lots of people do! But there are ways to help reduce the amount of stress in your life—and they’re not all bad habits or bad attitudes either!

Use the power of your mind to ease stress.

It’s important to know that the mind is a powerful tool. The brain can be used to change your mood, improve your health and even reduce stress. It’s important to use the power of your mind in order for it to work properly!

Here are some techniques you can try:

• Use meditation or mindfulness exercises throughout the day (for example watching TV without focusing on what’s happening). This will help lower stress levels by increasing relaxation levels as well as helping you focus on something else rather than worrying about things going wrong at home or work.

• Take regular walks outside where there are no people around; this helps release endorphins which makes us feel happier but also reduces tension because we’re moving around instead of sitting still all day long!

Thinking about stress in a certain way can help reduce your perceived and actual stress levels.

Stress is an understandable reaction to a situation, but it can be harmful in the long term.

• The mind-body connection is real: stress affects your health by interfering with sleep and metabolism, which means that you might not feel well enough to work effectively or perform at your best.

• Stress also affects relationships: if you’re stressed about money, for example—or anything else—you may find yourself having less sex or being more likely to argue with your partner over trivial things such as what channel they want on TV. In other words: stress makes us unhappy!

Stress can also affect performance on the job; studies show that employees who are under great duress tend not only to make fewer mistakes during project completion but also have higher levels of productivity overall (which means better quality work).

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, stress is an inevitable part of life. And it doesn’t have to be a negative experience! By thinking about stress in the right way, you can make it manageable and even enjoyable. You might be surprised at how easy this can be—and how much better your life will be as a result.