I also feel like I’ve seen this play out in my life, including on the day I first was exposed to these ideas. I recently read this great article by Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal: Stress is only harmful to people who believe it to be harmful;

Kelly McGonigal has collected information on tons of research done on the subject, and explains it in a simple and understandable way. Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher -THANK YOU- via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. If people believed stress was a part of life and a challenge to meet, they were healthier and even had enhanced life spans when compared to those with low levels of stress.

Get health information and advice from the experts at Harvard Medical School. The book’s author makes the point that stress does not have to be detrimental; it can be positive if you think of a "stressful situation” as a “challenge”; if you do so, you will feel better and be more motivated. Kelly McGonigal says you can and I think I believe her. I always have certain doubts when I read so-called self-help books. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I do not need to read the whole book to conclude that the book provides no revelations --if you think it does-tell me one. This Upside of Stress review is the first in a new series of Develop Good Habits book reviews. Affiliate links are used on this site. Check out the 250+ best self help books page.

Just because someone makes a statement, doesn’t make it true! The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating, Improving Memory: Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss. The information would have been better served if titled the "Upside of Cognitive Appraisal."

But McGonigal truly did her research on the subject and it was so fascinating! The essence of her keynote was this: you can turn stress from a negative into a positive through a simple perspective shift. One of the major reasons people read books about stress is to learn how to decrease the stress in their lives.

Instead, ask yourself why you're experiencing this stress and look for any positive aspects to it.

In my opinion, Willpower Instinct is easily one of the best books ever written on the subject of willpower. It is not stress itself that is bad, but people’s reaction to stress that is bad. You can get a taste for it by watching her TED Talk below. Some men with an enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH for short) eventually start to experience urinary incontinence, the involuntary discharge of urine. This website is secured with a Comodo SSL certificate.

The release of endorphins, testosterone, and dopamine, along with adrenaline, actually provides a feeling of exhilaration that many find enjoyable. People who live lives avoiding stress are more likely to view challenges as “too tough” and just quit. All rights reserved. ( Log Out /  The word 'stress' as it is used when referencing something that might affect health or well-being originated with Hans Selye in 1936 in an article in Nature.Selye was born in Vienna, Austria, or Komarno, Slovakia in 1907. Some people over age 60 have few, if any, symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), while others experience the same symptoms younger people do. But also how the brain can be trained to higher levels of willpower afterwards. They are avoiding "stress.". Change ), You are commenting using your Google account.

Another major point McGonigal brings up in her book is resilience. The weight of stress will hurt and tire you out, but it will also slowly build the willpower muscle.
My own anecdote is not a scientific experiment but in my own study of one it seems to have a clear positive effect in my life. Does human growth hormone slow the aging process? The New Way to Reverse Even Your Worst Mood, How to Stop Your Anger from Hijacking Your Mouth. The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal Being positive allows you to use stress as a tool to reach better results. Every Saturday will bring a new self-help/positive psychology book review. This study documented that people who were exposed to stressors had different outcomes dependent upon their mindset about stress.

The book also provides evidence to suggest that embracing stress can actually have a positive impact on our mental and physical health. Enter search terms and tap the Search button. The classic description of the body’s response to stress is “fight or flight.” The body reacts to a stressor by stopping all non-essential processes, like digestion and fertility, and releases a flood of energy and oxygen needed to flee a dangerous situation or to fight for survival. Another modification to the stress response is called tend-and-befriend. Kelly McGonigal says you can and I think I believe her. It can even inspire courage and compassion.” Science shows that mindset is malleable; The Upside of Stress shares the tools to change one’s mindset to take advantage of the little-known benefits of healthy stress.
Like the typical stress response, the challenge response also affects the cardiovascular system, but instead of constricting blood vessels and ramping up inflammation in anticipation of wounds, it allows for maximum blood flow, much like exercise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Why do I smell certain odors that aren’t real? Please note: If you have a promotional code you'll be prompted to enter it prior to confirming your order. Identifying prediabetes may present opportunity to reduce heart disease risk, Leg stretching may improve blood flow and prevent strokes, The best way to measure your blood pressure at home, Gum disease linked to an increased risk for cancer, More daily movement may lower cancer deaths, Oral health problems may raise cancer risk, To prevent cancer, boost your exercise and don’t drink. It might not be the problem you think it is. The best time to get the shot is in the fall, before the flu season begins. This is a common position to find ourselves in, does the fact that we don’t know for sure keep us from using these ideas. What if you could prolong your life and improve your life just by changing your mind about what the stressful events in your life are doing to you? If people believed stress was bad and produced unhealthy effects, it was so. The key isn't to deny stress, but to recognize and acknowledge it—and then to find the upside, because a full-throttle fight-or-flight response is not the only possible reaction to stress (at least when the stress does not involve a potentially life-threatening situation). Almost all adults should a get flu shot each year. This shows that it may not be best to avoid stress and anxiety. More than forty-four percent of Americans admit to losing sleep over stress. The author, Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist at Stanford University.

WHAT? This does not affect my opinion in any way. In people with a more stress-hardy mindset, the stress response is often tempered by the challenge response, which accounts for the so-called excite-and-delight experience that some people have in stressful situations, such as skydiving. In that book she discusses how willpower can be used to improve productivity, health and happiness. However, Ted Talks are always quite short and I wanted to hear so much more on this topic. Just by thinking, and truly believing in something, we can make our body react to it.

Providing arousal for action is the upside of stress and ever since the Yerkes-Dodson law in 1908, it has been known that stress arousal can be beneficial and detrimental. It also talks about resilience, fear, (social) anxiety, happiness, caring for others and so on. I would say that each time we run into this question, we need to ask what are the potential risks and benefits.

Kelly McGonigal is back with her second book of accessible psychology The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It.Much like her previous book, The Willpower Instinct, McGonigal processes a mountain of psychological research and presents it all in a readily accessible, practical format full of reflective prompts and … © 2010 - 2020 Harvard University. Caring creates resilience. The best approach to stress may not be avoidance or mitigation, but using it a lesson today to help us grow our resilience for tomorrow. Dr. Weisinger, I've been thinking about your response to me and have reread your review. The Upside Of Stress Review. Dr. McGonigal describes three types of stress responses in addition to “fight or flight,” which all serve to handle stress in such a way that may have a positive effect on the body: The hormones cortisol (also called hydrocortisone) and DHEA produced by the adrenal glands are considered the primary responders to stress. What's the Best Mindset to Ward Off COVID-19 Stress?

Confronted with a Saber Tooth Tiger, nature demanded he either fight or flee successfully if he were to advance, and for sure, if you were not aroused, you would not have the energy to do either. Can certain foods or drinks affect your heart’s rhythm? This book guys. Stress is bad, right?

Challenge and stress are different psychological constructs and a literature review would demonstrate there are countless studies on each construct.

So I think that over time, in practicing this, this book will have such a positive influence on my life!