1: In 1998, thirty thousand adults in the United States were asked a series of questions about stress.
How much stress had they experienced in the past year? Do you believe stress is harmful to your health?
“Eight years later, the researchers scoured public records to find out who among the thirty thousand participants had died,” Kelly McGonigal writes in her terrific book The Upside of Stress.
As predicted, high levels of stress increased the risk of dying by 43 percent.
But not all the results were as expected.
The biggest surprise?
“The increased risk applied only to people who also believed that stress was harming their health.
“People who reported high levels of stress but who did not view their stress as harmful were not more likely to die,” Kelly writes.
“In fact, they had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study, even lower than those who reported experiencing very little stress.”
Stress by itself wasn’t killing people. It was the belief that stress was harmful that was killing people.
“The researchers estimated that over the eight years they conducted their study, 182,000 Americans may have died prematurely because they believed that stress was harming their health,” Kelly shares. “According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that would make ‘believing stress is bad for you’ the fifteenth-leading cause of death in the United States, killing more people than skin cancer, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.”
2: Kelly is a health psychologist. At the time of the study, she was one of many psychologists, doctors, and scientists warning about the dangers of stress.
“I believed that it was a dangerous epidemic that had to be stopped,” she recalls. “I told people that stress makes you sick; that it increases your risk of everything from the common cold to heart disease, depression, and addiction; and that it kills brain cells, damages your DNA, and makes you age faster.”
Today, Kelly has completely changed her view of stress, and she believes you should change your mind, too.
“The latest science reveals that stress can make you smarter, stronger, and more successful,” Kelly writes. “It helps you learn and grow. It can even inspire courage and compassion.”
How you think about stress affects everything from your cardiovascular health to your ability to find meaning in life.
The research is clear. “The best way to manage stress isn’t to reduce or avoid it, but rather to rethink and even embrace it. So, my goal as a health psychologist has changed. I no longer want to help you get rid of your stress—I want to make you better at stress,” she writes.
3: The stakes are high.
“People who endorse a stress-is-harmful mindset,” Kelly shares, “are more likely to say that they cope with stress by trying to avoid it. For example, they are more likely to:
- “Try to distract themselves from the cause of the stress instead of dealing with it.
- “Focus on getting rid of their feelings of stress instead of taking steps to address its source.
- “Turn to alcohol or other substances or addictions to escape the stress.
- “Withdraw their energy or attention from whatever relationship, role, or goal is causing the stress.”
People who believe stress can be helpful are more proactive in responding to it. Kelly shares that rhey are more likely to:
- “Accept the fact that the stressful event has occurred and is real.
- “Plan a strategy for dealing with the source of stress.
- “Seek information, help, or advice.
- “Take steps to overcome, remove, or change the source of stress.
- “Try to make the best of the situation by viewing it in a more positive way or by using it as an opportunity to grow.”
Her message? When you deal with challenges head-on rather than avoiding or denying them, problems are addressed before they spiral out of control.
This builds confidence to handle life’s challenges. Mistakes become opportunities to grow. You are also more likely to create a network of social support.
“In this way,” Kelly writes, “the belief that stress is helpful becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
More tomorrow.
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Reflection: What story are you telling yourself about the stress in your life?
Action:The next time you feel stressed, pause and ask: How might this challenge help me grow stronger?
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