Thriving On Stress

Stress gets a bad rap and yet it can be healthy and enable us to thrive. The question is how do we know what is a beneficial amount of stress?

The truth is, it varies from person to person. The stress response, also known as ‘fight or flight’ can be affected by early life events, genetics and challenges faced during the course of our lives. 

Inherently stress is a protective mechanism, it enables us to respond to stressors as they arise in a productive and focused way. This is important given the number of stressors we encounter on a day to day basis in this modern fast-paced and digital age. These stressors are no longer being chased by a sabre-toothed tiger, they may may be deadlines, interviews, relationships, financial etc. but the response is still the same.

The negative effects of stress start when ‘fight or flight’ is consistently  switched on and so it is important that we recognise this and take action to dial back our response to the stressors. 

My question to you - how do you know when you are spending too much time in ‘fight or flight’ instead of ‘rest and digest?’

Examples can be avoidance behaviours, poor sleep quality, change in appetite, lack of patience and poor focus.

So how do we make stress & anxiety work for us?

We choose to challenge ourselves by stepping out of our comfort zone, building resilience for the future. How might this look?

For some people this could be throwing themselves out of an aeroplane for charity. Whilst it may be extreme and not for everyone, there is no doubting the sense of accomplishment that follows the fear.; this feeds back to the brain and stores the experience as a positive memory.

Some people may choose to speak at a public event rather than allowing anxiety to rule and avoid it. Anxiety keeps us stuck and whilst it can motivate us to perform well, we often avoid situations such as this for fear of failure. The truth is that it is rarely as bad as we expect and exposes us to difficult situations in order to succeed.

Other ways of building resilience would be to go wild swimming or get up earlier than usual twice a week and go for a gym workout. Both are uncomfortable and we may prefer an extra hour in bed, but there is no denying the benefits of these activities on our brain health, especially when completed.

So using stress to thrive means choosing the challenge, leading to a sense of control and grit, building a more resilient mindset in the face of unexpected stressors.

What steps will you take out of your comfort zone? Let me know 👇

I am Dr Evans, a neuroscientist helping people understand their brain to improve their mental health.