Stress is Not the Enemy

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting at Washington University, St. Louis as part of their speaker series for the Brown and Balance program. This program is aimed at supporting students, staff, and faculty through wellness initiatives. Given all that is going on at the local level (Ferguson) and with the holidays - a particularly stressful period for many - approaching, I proposed a workshop on healthy ways to navigate stress. As someone who perceives herself to thrive with a particular amount of stress, I thought I could present ways to organize, eat healthy, and be active to best navigate stress.

Until my plan changed.

I happened to come across a talk by Stanford health psychologist, Kelly McGonigal, PhD. I really encourage you to watch it.

Dr. McGonigal explains that she used to view stress as the enemy, but now - given the new science on stress - she views it as an asset. A friend - if you will.

Why?
As she articulates so well, stress brings on biological changes in our body that vary depending on how we view stress. If we view stress as helpful (e.g., it allows us to prepare for what is to come) we will exhibit biological effects such as someone who is courageous. Stress also causes increased levels of oxytocin - also known as the cuddle hormone. This encourages us to reach out for contact with others. It also helps us to be resilient.

So, in a nut shell - we have all been educated on stress as something that can be really harmful to us and even can cause premature death. And, this is true. But, the new science suggests this is only true when view stress as harmful. Stress can actually be helpful.

I totally get this.

The talk brought me back to my graduate studies in sport psychology.  

I am pretty sure I saw this graph in my undergraduate days, too. Some stress is great - it motivates us to be prepared. Yet, we’ve been told that too much can cause us to curl up in a ball and crumble.

While prepping, delivering, and reflecting on yesterday’s presentation, the same question kept popping up in my mind.

What if we educated all K-12 teachers and education professors and students about this new science?

How might the experiences and system change?

Heck, don’t you think it’s worth a try? If individuals are taught to view stress as their body’s way of preparing to be more courageous and more resilient, I suspect a different mindset (re: growth mindset) would kick in. The single thing I despised most about teaching K-12 and higher ed was when my colleagues verbalized how stressed out they were. What if frustrated, crazed, and stressed people were replaced with a bunch of empowered folks during grading period and report card time?

It could only help a learning community!

Let’s be honest. We’ve all taught kids on days when we were stressed. How did it go for you? It’s not fair for our students not to apply what we know in order to navigate stress in a healthy way. Now, we can also utilize self-talk to help empower us in addition to physical activity and healthy eating.

Stressful school communities are becoming far too much the norm. Let me be clear, I think a lot of people  have many reasons to be stressed. An ineffective administrator, and/or an unhealthy school climate which includes unrealistic expectations is begging for stress-filled people. While I can be very empathetic to those who have excellent reasons to feel anxious and stress, I think there are also others who could apply what we know through science to live happier and healthier lives - lives with less stress. We need Health Promoting Schools not only for our students, but for our faculty and staff as well.

I would love to go for a run with Dr. McGonigal. I love several things about her. Not only is Dr. McGonigal influenced by science, she demonstrates humility through sharing that what she taught patients about stress during her first decade as a health psychologist is no longer what she teaches now. She models professional growth and embracing change based on what new science suggests.

Our students are full of stress induced by who they live with, testing protocols, too little physical activity and fresh air, and a myriad of other stressors. Many teachers are stressed by some of these same stressors! While we can’t control many stressors in the lives of students and teachers we can help to educate them about the new science on stress so that they feel more courage and empowered during stressful times in their lives.

I was certain to share helpful and practical tips to navigate stress in healthy ways (proper sleep, healthy nutrition, physical activity). I was also certain to share the new science Dr. McGonigal presents in her Ted Talk. If the audience’s body language was any indication of what’s to come, I feel pretty good about their perceived ability to embrace stress as their friend moving forward. What a dream it would be to see faces like yesterday throughout the education system...

What do you think?
How might you share this information with your colleagues?

How might you share this information with your students?

How might you put this information to practice to benefit your own health?