Reframing Stress for Greater Mental Flexibility

In an Infographic from Business.com, they reported that:

• 1 in 5 people quit because of job stress
• 1 in 4 view their job as their number one source of stress
• 30% of U.S. employees have high levels of workplace stress

According to the Miriam-Webster’s dictionary, stress is defined as a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. However, research by Stanford researcher, Kelly McGonigal, shows that stress may impact us negatively or positively depending on how we view stress. Her June 2013 TED Talk has been viewed 20 million times.

This course will challenge you to think about stress differently. I’ll ask you to try and change the meaning of what stress signals.
When we experience anxiety, frustration- we think there’s something wrong with us or our lives- when actually stress is a signal that you care and that something you care about is at stake.

Just as important, you wouldn’t have a stress response if your brain didn’t believe there was something you could do to respond – to get closer to what you care about.
In addition to reframing our thinking about stress, I’ll also give you a corresponding action for the body to accompany your new way of thinking.

Course Key Concepts: Positive Psychology, Stress reduction, Positive effects of stress