Kelly McGonigal: How to Turn Stress Into an Advantage

About Presentation
In her book, The Upside of Stress, McGonigal asks, “If you could choose how stressful tomorrow will be, would you hope for a great deal of stress?” Our natural response is likely a resounding “No.” Yet, as McGonigal shows, a subtle shift in perspective around stress can be incredibly empowering. By reframing stress as a good thing and a sign of personal progress, we can avoid some of the baggage that comes with becoming stressed and actually turn our anxious feelings into a source of strength.
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1:40 The stress paradox
2:22 Does a country's stress index correlate with other indices of well-being?
4:05 Breakdown of the stress paradox
4:38 Think of meaning
5:12 People who experience stress experience more meaning in their lives
5:43 People who have meaningful lives worry more
6:12 Stress signals
6:49 Stress plays a profound role on well-being
7:12 2 ways of thinking about stress
7:45 Negative outcomes of stress
8:15 Accepting views of stress protection in life
9:04 Think positively about stress
9:53 Mini mindset intervention (intro)
10:12 3 favorite scientific studies
10:26 Study 1 - Colombia
13:10 Positive stress outcomes
13:38 DHEA
14:55 Study 2 - Job interview stress
15:57 Personal meaning
16:55 Personal meaning vs proving oneself
17:27 Burnout
18:19 Final stress study
19:33 Painful thinking (good mindset)
20:40 Change in thinking can transform emotions
21:04 Heart rate variability
22:17 Empower - think of stress differently
23:10 A meaningful life is a stress-full life
About Kelly McGonigal
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University and a leading expert on the mind-body relationship. She is the author of several books, including The Upside of Stress, the international bestseller The Willpower Instinct, and The Neuroscience of Change. She has worked with the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education since 2009, co-authoring the Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program and collaborating on scientific studies examining how compassion can promote health and happiness. She has consulted for a wide range of organizations and industries ranging from healthcare and higher education to technology and finance, helping to bring evidence-based strategies for resilience and well-being into the workplace.
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[@riosmoodie5763]

Weedborn is full of amazing CBD products. These have helped me tremendously.

[@ellisedmunds825]

Yes! Stress is not the problem. It is our RELATIONSHIP TO stress that matters.

[@osiir5789]

Using the energy potential to our benefit and seeing the situation not as a hindrance or crisis, but an opportunity to take advantage of and take on with all the courage and determination one can muster. It's how we overcome our fears and self-doubt. As easy as taking responsibility for yourself and giving it all your sincerest try. Remember to remind those you come across struggling.

[@Nenuec]

Every emotion has its value. We are not made to be continuously euphoric and never be angry, sad or stressed out. Unpleasant emotions are not negative things: they are learning experiences and opportunities for growth.

[@carolmcbrideonline]

stress is not an emotion.

[@carolmcbrideonline]

@La Verdad read Kelly's work, and others on what 'stress' is re. the nervous system.

[@if-not-now]

My favorite psychologist

[@kristinalaubscheruluncer4308]

Thank you for this interesting and valuable talk.

[@jureeze]

Amazing, perspective about Stress. Stress paradox is really positive approach. Never thought about stress in this manner.

[@googleone9209]

Many thank for featuring Dr. McGonigal! A positive view of stress is ultimately better than less actual stress and creates the physiology of joy and courage! Invauable work shes doing.

[@elvillivle]

True!!!!!

[@sawsanbellaj]

One of my favourite TedX talks. I can't believe there are only 377 likes. What do they want ?

[@saikalemil2157]

Cool! Thank you!

[@heldertthelot7219]

So awesome GOD bless you n thank YOU for your insightful wisdom #ugogirl😇

[@04michael3110]

thanks for sharing this important and useful knowledge . I am looking for the talk about stress with the experiment about hotel maids that were explained that their stressful tiering work is similar to gym workout and that mindset transformed them to gain better shape and feeling ...

[@Ffsdevgj]

great advice, gonna try it and see what it does for me. thank you!

[@BeOutstanding]

Great Content Thank You Tedx Enhancing Challenge Good Meaning Accepting Smile

[@smartcatcollarproject5699]

The problem is that you should have something to do about the problem that causes it, to turn stress into action. If you have a job, a family or enough wealth to live your adventures, go for it, stress can be an advantage ! If you can't find any positive issue, it becomes a black hole, and fighting stress by yoga, hobbies, mindfulness or (prescribed) drugs, becomes a better option.

[@beldonhuang]

Stress, although for many of us is horrible and terrifying, there are measures that we can take to ease the unpleasant feeling of ‘stress’, and turn it from something that may potentially kill us, into something that strengthens us and binds us together.

[@notsquirrel8141]

Shes awesome!

[@jureeze]

Absolutely!! Amazingly smooth and confident!!

[@nikadugec5052]

Awesome

[@meuniernaxhie3480]

Cool thanks

[@thaislinhares5591]

What about stress due to urban/political violence? I lost 4 friends, one of then murdered by politicians. Is there a way to see that in a positive way?

[@EddoDrums1990]

Yes - 1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sings (Suriving Racism in US as a black woman) 2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning (Halocaust Survival) 3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Walk_to_Freedom (Apartheid Survival) 4. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Malcolm_X (Surviving Racism in US as a black man) 5. Science Studies backing up these arguements - www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Psychology-Posttraumatic/dp/0465032338/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=what+doesn%27t+kill+us&qid=1583962055&s=books&sr=1-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=entsblo-20&linkId=22f37bbfd7a1a5d6ce13521bcbf765fb&language=en_US This doesn't mean the pain you've suffered is at all "good" - it just means that you can't change what happened to you, or your friends, but you can control what you do in response to those. The pain you've suffered can fuel productive choices, or destructive choices. Only you decide that. (Astronomically easier said than done, but it's true nonetheless.) Best of luck.

[@vbspiker4411]

Kaway-Kaway sa mga ka HUMANISTA diyan!

[@amer4572]

Think about this talk, and try to forget stress.

[@georgekarahalis2720]

It's not a lot different than the teaching of stress that military academies undertake. The key difference is that the academies also provide structure to the follow on experience of both stressing others and learning how to lead others when under stress, such as combat. The graduates are more effective and willing to lead when both they and their subordinates and colleagues are under intense pressure.

[@meuniernaxhie3480]

Meaningful full life it’s stressful life!😅🤣🤣🤣👌🎈

[@smartcatcollarproject5699]

0:09 "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" Edison... when you know that he stole most of his work from Nicola Tesla, and that he didn't even pay him for what he asked him to do, that's maybe not the best line... even though he made some less revolutionary discoveries of his own.

[@daniellelocke92]

The 'perspiration' came from sweating about stealing the work (;

[@Entheogenical]

I agree... fuck Edison...

[@barkeater7867]

but were those people under real stress, stress when they came home from this session, was still there.

[@ohnoohgod290]

The "stress paradox" study that Ms. McGonigal cites is not at all valid proof that stress is the causing factor of a higher average success or life expectancy for an individual, only a correlation that can be easily explained by the fact that modernized first-world nations (such as North American, European, or North-Asian countries) are obviously more economically and scientifically advanced than others, leading to a higher GDP and life expectancy. Another result of these developed and urbanized societies is that stress is a very common condition because of individuals’ self-recognition and the effects of modernized workplace (and a thousand other reasons that cannot be listed here). This sort of tactic and correlation-picking of studies is done EXTREMELY often in TED talks, especially by speakers who really want to push a “change your mind about ______” speech, because they are easily captivating and evidence can be construed however they please so long as they present it to the audience in a way that extrapolates the study’s results way too far. I still can't believe that my education system is resorting to using half-assed, lengthy, and misconstrued youtube videos to teach us about every "life skill" under the sun except for how to do taxes (which is exactly what our career-life courses were intended to do from the start).

[@khalcomodo1433]

I think bodybuilding has some parallelism to it.

[@johnepyttesr8947]

for sure. same idea. stress = growth, strength. And it reminds me, physical training by some mechanism makes the brain/ body resilient when there's life stress. Thanks for the comment, I'm going to lift this morning.

[@Abreviatur]

Why is this presented as new research? Knowledge of positive aspects of stress has been around forever. There are even specialized words for good and bad stresses: eu-stress and di-stress!

[@notsquirrel8141]

Shes saying that stress in general is a good thing rather than there being different kinds of stress

[@adammichael2912]

I have a crush on you, ma'am 🤩