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140 reviews for:
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You and How to Get Good at It
Kelly McGonigal
4.08 AVERAGE
140 reviews for:
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You and How to Get Good at It
Kelly McGonigal
4.08 AVERAGE
Key points:
• Bigger then self goals > self focused goals. People with the former are less likely to experience burnout, depression, and anxiety than the latter.
• There isn’t just one stress response; there’s a few. People most commonly know The Fight or Flight response but there’s also a Tend & Befriend, which secretes oxytocin that helps us feel more connected to others. Helping others elicits this response.
• Mindset is everything. If we view things as a ‘challenge’ rather than as a threat, we can feel energised rather than deflated. As such, it’s the value we put on the stressor rather than the stressor itself. The author is quick to state that this effect doesn’t mean that we do not feel physically distressed by a stressor (e.g. sweating, racing heart, shaky hands) but that we can feel mentally different about it. This is intrinsically linked to the concept of a growth mindset.
• Bigger then self goals > self focused goals. People with the former are less likely to experience burnout, depression, and anxiety than the latter.
• There isn’t just one stress response; there’s a few. People most commonly know The Fight or Flight response but there’s also a Tend & Befriend, which secretes oxytocin that helps us feel more connected to others. Helping others elicits this response.
• Mindset is everything. If we view things as a ‘challenge’ rather than as a threat, we can feel energised rather than deflated. As such, it’s the value we put on the stressor rather than the stressor itself. The author is quick to state that this effect doesn’t mean that we do not feel physically distressed by a stressor (e.g. sweating, racing heart, shaky hands) but that we can feel mentally different about it. This is intrinsically linked to the concept of a growth mindset.
I just really enjoy her writing. Not as impactful for me as The Willpower Instinct but still an insightful message and lots of good takeaways.
An absolute life changer. Everyone needs to read this! It's so helpful to know that stress can be our friend and that there are many good ways to cope with it.
In a talk given at TED Global 2013 that has more than 20 million online views on the TED website, McGonigal said she had re-evaluated her ideas about stress in the light of new research on how the beliefs held about stress, such as thinking of stress as bad, can affect health. Citing a study suggesting that those who believe stress is bad for them to suffer an adverse effect on their life expectancy, she now emphasizes that choosing to view one's stress response as helpful creates the "biology of courage" while connecting with others under stress can create resilience. According to McGonigal, "the old understanding of stress as an unhelpful relic of our animal instincts is being replaced by the understanding that stress actually makes us socially smart – it's what allows us to be fully human.". The thesis behind the TED talk and book have subsequently been found by some as possibly flawed.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I LOVED this book. Scientific data that supports the idea that how we think about stress impacts outcomes of stress on our mental and physical health. I now have a better sense of how my mindset has shaped the way I have dealt with trauma in my life. The book is easy to read, is filled with arguments supported by empirical evidence, and provides practical steps for growth in anyone's mindset toward stress. McGonigal's TEDtalk gives the gist of this book, so look that up before you buy to see if you're interested in the details.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The information in this book is quite important, namely that it's not stress but our reason to it that impacts our health and poses dangers to us. Short, easy read.
Way too long and rather poorly written, 3/4 of the book could have been cut out. Also not much new information for me.