When we think about stress, it’s usually related to how to avoid it or cope with it. There’s a lot of information out there about the bad things stress does to the body, and it can, but experts say we can actually make it work to our advantage. And it all starts with changing the way you think about stress.
Researchers with the American Psychological Association recommend “optimizing stress” by shifting our mindset to stop thinking stress is all bad for us. The idea is that we’re going to encounter challenging situations and that can be a good thing. According to Dr. Michael Leiter, author of The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships With Their Jobs, the positive parts of stress “are simply manageable pressures.”
High-pressure situations can be difficult, but they can also inspire peak performance, or even greatness, up to a point. The trick is figuring out how stress can work to motivate you. Stress consultant Louise Sanders says that in her practice, she encourages a “perception shift,” so we think of stress as a springboard to push us forward, rather than an anchor that weighs us down.
- She compares this to being able to lift heavier and heavier weights over time with practice and consistency. With practice and consistency, Sanders says you can increase the amount of stress you can tolerate, without letting it weigh you down.
- And even though there are benefits to reframing your idea of stress and finding the positive side of it, it’s still important to find healthy ways to manage stress levels.
Source: Lifehacker
Scott's Thoughts:
- I so believe this! I think my at work style fits this description exactly! I believe that I have always performed well under pressure.
- Let me qualify the previous statement with the statement... "most of the time." We all have breaking points.
- I like Dory the fish's saying... "Just keep swimming just keep swimming what do we do we swim!"