You can stop stress before it really starts by changing your perceptions so that you see stressors--even things that normally drive you nuts--as a challenge vs. a threat, or as a learning experience. If you 'look for the gift' in each situation instead of seeing stressors as scary or even inherently negative, you can stop your body's stress response before it starts the cascade of changes that can lead to feelings of overwhelm and chronic stress, with all of its negative effects.
It's true. This is because the body's stress response responds to perceived threats--threats to our physical or emotional safety--rather than actual threats. If we don't see something as stressful, it isn't. No stress response, no sweat. The trick is training your mind to see things with more optimism, more adventure, more trust in yourself. This strategy of changing your perspective can't eliminate every stressor in your life, but it can eliminate some, soften others, and be an invaluable tool for general stress management.
So how is it done? One way is through reframing, or seeing things from a different perspective. Another is through gratitude, or looking at what you can be thankful for. Seeing things from a positive explanatory style is helpful. And for specific examples of how to do this, see this article on cognitive reframing to get ideas from other readers and share your own. And practice, practice, practice.
How has this concept come up in your life? What are some things you can start looking at differently? Add your thoughts in the comments section. And if you found this post helpful, please consider sharing it.
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This has definitely come up for me in my life. Whenever I have a major change, I can get stressed out by all the new things that happen as a result (like having a baby, moving to a new house, even having my plans change for the night unexpectedly), and I have to consciously accept what’s happening and look for the bright side, or I end up being stressed and upset.
I remember once a friend of mine did a simple reframe that helped me immensely in my life. We’d both notice the same quirks in people, but I noticed that when I would inwardly groan about how annoying these things were, she would say, ‘Aw! How cuuute!’ It was amazing how she could find enjoyment in people who would seriously bother me–and we were looking at the exact same things! I’ll never forget that friend for what she taught me about perspective.
Great reframes, ladies! Elysse, there’s a lot of wisdom in that–simple acceptance can make it easier to move forward. And Ana, I’m sure I’ll go through the rest of my week noticing how ‘cute’ everyone is now, haha. Thanks for sharing.
For me it took discovering my knee jerk reaction to change. I realized how I disliked change regardless of what it was. Old age I guess has taught me to just take things one step at a time and to try not being afraid of making mistakes. I loved the movie Meet the Robinsons where they encouraged making mistakes because you learn and grow from them…so instead of worrying I practice being ok with possibility that I might make mistakes.
A very good article, this is one of the best articles I found on stress management, I found similar article at goinghappier as well.