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How to make stress your friend - Kelly McGonigal

Lesson created by Lauren McAlpine using TED-Ed's lesson creatorVideo from TED YouTube channel

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Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive.

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Do you think that stress can make you more resilient or do you think that stress can be damaging?

Avatar for Lauren McAlpine
Lauren McAlpineLesson Creator

I think both! Based on the talk, it seems that the mindset one has towards stress matters more than one's lived experience with stress itself. Stress could make you more resilient if you see your heart racing as a coping mechanism "to prepare for battle." This assumes that one does not live in a chronic stressed state, but that the stress response is utilized infrequently.

Avatar for justin s

Posted on 06/27/2023

Posted by justin s LESSON IN PROGRESS

I think stress can make me more resilient. Because a stress can improve me and help me to solve a problem and settle the situation so i think stress can make me resilient

Avatar for 선우 고

Posted on 08/22/2021

Posted by 선우 고 COMPLETED LESSON

I think a proper stress can be resilient when I face the same problem but the stress that make me painful, it can't be resilient on the contrary It make me hurt.

Avatar for Lee Yugyeong

Posted on 08/22/2021

Posted by Lee Yugyeong LESSON IN PROGRESS

Stress can definitely build more resilience by changing the attitude towards it. One must start thinking of it as a way for our body to prepare us for the challenge. It helps in connecting to people around us or people whom we're close to by sharing how we're feeling instead of botting it up, it helps in relieving anxiety and provides us with emotional strength. Our body always tries its best to help us protect from any harm (physical, mental or emotional). And stress is a way for our body to cope with mental challenges, by increasing the heart rate which eventually increases the blood flow to our brain causing a sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients, to function properly.
PS: I came across this platform from Linguamarina. I'm thankful to her that I could learn something new about stress!

Avatar for Komali Medam

Posted on 04/04/2021

Posted by Komali Medam COMPLETED LESSON