Why Stress Is A Good Thing

What if everything you've ever believed about stress were wrong? What if stress wasn't bad for your health?  Or, to REALLY step out on a limb, what if stress could be good for you?

In the TED talk below, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal reframes everything I've believed about the subject.  In this fascinating talk she says what matters isn't the stress itself, but the mindset around the stress.

She goes to show how,  “feelings of stress act as a preparer for the challenge” and when we change our mind about stress, "we can change our body's response to stress."

I highly recommend you spend 14 minutes watching Ms. McGonigal make her case.

So what are we supposed to do with this insight?  How do we apply what we just learned?

If you listened to the very end, you heard her say, "chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort."  In other words, do things which make you uncomfortable, that blow by the status quo, and make mincemeat of the routine.

Do something you've always been afraid of doing.  In fact, put fear in your rear view mirror as you embrace the unfamiliar.

There is no safety in the comfort zone.