I recently watched a Ted talk that explored how changing how you think about and respond to stress can make you healthier. Thinking about stress as a positive reaction from your body, such as your beating heart preparing you for action can encourage a positive physical response from your body. When you view stress in this way your body believes you, and the actual structure of your arteries into your heart change, replicating the physical respnces associated with courage.
Stress also makes you more social as it releases the hormone oxytocin which fine tunes your brain's social instincts. Oxytocin makes you crave physical contact with friends and family, increases empathy and makes you more compassionate and caring. Oxytocin is a stress hormone. It helps you notice when someone else is struggling and encourages you to support each-other. Combining stress with empathy is a built in mechanism for human resilience.
When you choose to view stress as helpful it creates a positive response from your body and can actually make you healthier. Through level 5 of this course I have felt a lot of stress when it has come to juggling tight deadlines, often having multiple deadlines in one week. However viewing stress as a positive influence on my body and embracing it will hopefully have a positive effect on my work and social relationships with my friends, family and peers.
Full Ted Talk here:
https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend
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