We all get stressed, because life is stressful.
"Let’s face it: we all get stressed, because life is stressful. We cannot avoid stress, BUT (great news!) we can learn how to build our resilience to stress. Stress can actually be good for us, depending on our perceptions! We actually cannot function without stress—it is a natural part of being human, and can help get our brains and bodies ready for action in tough situations.
I cannot “stress” this enough: how we perceive stress affects how we react, physically and mentally, to stress. Good reactions to stress positively affect us and help us cope when life is challenging, while toxic reactions to stress negatively impact our overall wellbeing by decreasing our resilience to stressful situations.
So, how can you develop a healthy resilience to stress?
Embrace stress:
Whenever you feel strained, see stress as something that enhances, rather than diminishes, your performance. Worrying about stress can put your body into toxic stress, constricting the blood vessels around your heat and throwing all your neuropsychological reactions into chaos, which can severely impact your mental and physical health. Seeing stress in a positive light, on the other hand, can dramatically change the way your brain and body reacts to a challenging situation. It dilates the blood vessels around your heart, pumping blood and oxygen into your brain and releasing neurotransmitters, which work together to help you focus and think with clarity to react in the best way.
A good reaction to stress is actually like a vaccine or flu shot: you are building resilience to the stress response because your brain and body builds a biological memory of your response (it actually remembers how you react to stress!). The more you do this, the more you are training your body to work for you when times get tough. This is why it is so important to embrace challenges and build up your immunity to stressful, toxic situations. Don’t run away from stress! The more you practice reacting to stressful situations in a good way, the more you are strengthening those healthy, biological memories and building up your mental immunity."
Dr Caroline Leaf "Switch on your brain"