Reframe your stress mindset to a growth mindset

- Stress is often seen as the enemy, but what if we viewed it as a catalyst for growth? Psychologist Kelly McGonial urges us to think of stress as a positive, indicating that we are extending our capabilities and engaging meaningfully with life. Imagine stress not as a wall blocking your path, but as a bridge to new strengths and experiences. Each stressful situation stretches you like a physical exercise stretches your muscles to strengthen them. This strategy to turn stressful experiences into growth moments is simple, yet profound. Acknowledge, appraise, adapt. Acknowledge the stress without judgment. Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barratt shares in her book, "Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain", that we are hardwired to find uncertainty, unpredictability and lack of control, hard to manage. Our brains evolved to appreciate being able to predict what comes next. When we either can't predict events or feel that we don't have the resources to deal with what comes next, we can feel overwhelmed and stressed. Recognizing this is a natural response to a challenge can be a valuable step in reducing stress intensity. Next, appraise the situation. Is this stress harmful or can it be helpful? Studies show that viewing stress as a valuable part of life can lead to less anxiety and improved wellbeing. As Kelly McGonial points out in her book, "The Upside of Stress", it's often not the experience of stress that damages our performance and wellbeing, but how we think about the stress we are experiencing. If we think we're impacting our health, wellness, or performance, the chances are that will become a reality. Then adapt. Ask yourself, how can this stress help me to grow? It could be by building resilience, enhancing focus, or pushing you to learn new strategies. Embracing challenges and persisting in the face of setbacks can fundamentally change how we handle stress. However, it's essential that you know when stress may be helpful for your growth and development, and when it may eventually become a vehicle that damages your health and performance. Stress can be good for us in small doses. Consider a tight deadline and you are pushed towards your goals or when you feel alert before a presentation when adrenaline kicks in. Stress is not so helpful if the experience isn't proportionate to the event. So if your body is responding to events as a threat, the fight, flight, or freeze responses are lifesaving when you're in danger, but they're not so helpful in an exam situation. At these times, remind yourself you can change how you think about stress and the event's outcome to reduce the intensity of your feelings physiologically and emotionally. You can also name what you're feeling to process the emotions involved. You could also try breathing, mindfulness or exercise as techniques to regulate cortisol and adrenaline levels in your bloodstream. Acceptance is also an effective strategy. Accepting that your body and brain are responding in a way that they've been programmed to, understanding you have the choice to wait for the emotions and hormones to pass, or you can intervene and challenge your thinking about the situation to reduce stress. I have a note of caution when using stress to your advantage for growth. Stress can be positive in small doses, providing motivation and energy to tackle problems, but chronic stress or burnout can harm your health, overall wellbeing and performance. If you are experiencing burnout, seeking help and advice from a qualified professional or reputable evidence-based research is essential. So to wrap up, remember, stress is not always the enemy. It can signal that you are on the cusp of learning and growth. With each stretch, you're expanding your capacity to handle life's demands.