Key Takeaways of Dr. McGonigal’s How to Make Stress Your Friend TedX Talk
Dr. Kelly McGonigal confirmed that science had misled humankind’s perceptions of stress for a long time. It is the belief that stress is bad for our health, that stress becomes terrible for our health. If we embrace stressful situations and rise to the action, we become better at handling the problem, which leaves us in a better position. If a person falls victim to stress and believes that stress is wrong, they are left worse off.
Further research on the human body’s response to stress has proven that when a person changes their mind about stress, their body responds to stress changes. The body releases oxytocin, a stress hormone that motivates us to seek for support and be available to help others (McGonigal, 2013). For me, the most important takeaway was that we could change our bodies’ response to stress by embracing it. We can also achieve this by opening up to others and helping them cope with whatever is going on in their lives.
Read Also: 173 Interesting Psychology Reflection Essay Topics
How to Make Stress Your Friend: Application
I have been suffering from social phobia. Social situations have always made me uncomfortable. Sometimes I feel my heart beat faster, blush, and at times, my palms sweat. As a way of coping with this condition, I have always tied to minimize social interactions as much as possible. It has been my goal for a long time that I get professional help on this.
After watching Dr. Kelly McGonigal’s talk, I have decided to do more than that. I will increase my social interactions by volunteering at a clinic in my county. I have also changed my attitude toward stressful situations. I now prefer a stressful situation with a more favorable future outcome than a less stressful one with mediocre achievements. This is all part of improving my general attitude towards life.
How to Make Stress Your Friend: References
McGonigal, k. (2013). How to make stress your friend [Video]. Retrieved 3 October 2020, from
