Decrease Stress With Baby Animals

Looking at pictures of baby animals is one of my

favorite things to do in my spare time.

However, research has shown us that what we need to do with stress is rethink it. Dr. Alia Crum, from Stanford University, teaches that assumptions that the effects of stress are only negative, and that the goal should be to avoid, manage, and counteract the effects of stress, are fundamentally wrong. Crum also teaches that mindsets play a dramatic role in determining our health and well-being. Beilock teaches in “Choke,” (2011), that:

“if you can manage to interpret your body’s response to the situation as positive, as a call to action, you are likely to thrive. But if you interpret your body’s response as a sign that you are in a bad place with no way out, the worries and ruminations that result may send you into a ‘choke.’”

Further, “if you are able to take some of the pressure off yourself during an important test by reinterpreting the situation as something less stressful, less diagnostic of your ability, or less ‘do-or-die,’ you may be able to turn a potentially poor performance into a good one” (Beilock, 2011, pg. 139). Stress actually enhances performance, because it increases brain processing, memory, and focused attention. Stress increases health with quicker recovery, enhanced immunity, and physiological toughening. Stress also enhances well-being because it increases mental toughness, deepens relationships, and encourages greater appreciation for life.

Crum clarifies that rethinking stress is about honoring the paradox of stress, recognizing the power of mindset, and learning to stress better. It is not about denying the potentially deteriorating aspects of stress, thinking that the stressor is necessarily a good thing, or seeking out unnecessary stress.

How do you rethink stress?

Crum teaches that the steps to enhancing mindset are:

[1] acknowledge stress,
[2] mindfulness and awareness,
[3] welcome stress,
[4] link stress with values and goals, and
[5] utilize stress.

Learn more at a stress management workshop, or one-on-one learning mentoring session at the Academic Success Center! View the schedule here: casc.byu.edu/workshopcalendar
Check out the book “Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal about Getting it Right When You Have To,” by Sian Beilock,
Or this video, “Rethinking Stress: The Role of Mindsets in Determining the Stress Response,” by Dr. Alia Crum: