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A review by simmoril
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It by Kelly McGonigal
5.0
I first came across Kelly McGonigal's work when I saw her Google Tech Talk on her book The Willpower Instinct. I haven't had a chance to read that book yet, but I was able to finish her second book, The Upside of Stress over Christmas break. In hindsight, I'm glad I was able to read The Upside of Stress when I did, because the subject matter meshed very well with some other books I recently finished.
McGonigal's book explores the somewhat radical idea that stress in and of itself is not harmful to us, but rather it is how we think about stress that shapes its impact on us. Focusing on its negative aspects and seeing it as something to avoid, to eliminate in our lives is where the damaging aspects of stress come from. Instead of having this classical mindset around stress, McGonigal's book instead encourages people to see stress as an opportunity for growth and to allow themselves to be transformed by stress, instead of seeing it as an inevitability that can only hurt us. She provides a number of methods for developing this mindset, such as practicing mindfulness to be aware of our reactions to stress, keeping our strengths in mind during times of stress, and connecting with others who are experiencing stress. McGonigal provides a number of stories to showcase the benefits that can come from these types of mindset changes.
As I mentioned above, The Upside of Stress came at a good time for me because it dovetails well with ideas I've encountered from authors. For example, Anders Ericsson's book Peak talks about how improvement can only come when you are pushed to just beyond your abilities and are forced to experience mild discomfort (i.e. - stress). Bryan Cantrill has spoken at length about how the 'why', the bigger-than-self purpose of a company can help carry employees through tough times, which is also something that McGonigal touches on. I really enjoyed McGonigal's writing, as she definitely works hard to ensure that her conclusions have strong scientific backing, while at the same time providing anecdotes that the reader can empathize with more than just a list of citations. I took quite a few notes for myself while reading her book, as there were so many good ideas that I would like to incorporate into my own life. I highly encourage everyone to read McGonigal's book and be more open-minded to the possibility of not trying to eliminate stress from your life, but rather embracing it as an opportunity to change who you are for the better.
McGonigal's book explores the somewhat radical idea that stress in and of itself is not harmful to us, but rather it is how we think about stress that shapes its impact on us. Focusing on its negative aspects and seeing it as something to avoid, to eliminate in our lives is where the damaging aspects of stress come from. Instead of having this classical mindset around stress, McGonigal's book instead encourages people to see stress as an opportunity for growth and to allow themselves to be transformed by stress, instead of seeing it as an inevitability that can only hurt us. She provides a number of methods for developing this mindset, such as practicing mindfulness to be aware of our reactions to stress, keeping our strengths in mind during times of stress, and connecting with others who are experiencing stress. McGonigal provides a number of stories to showcase the benefits that can come from these types of mindset changes.
As I mentioned above, The Upside of Stress came at a good time for me because it dovetails well with ideas I've encountered from authors. For example, Anders Ericsson's book Peak talks about how improvement can only come when you are pushed to just beyond your abilities and are forced to experience mild discomfort (i.e. - stress). Bryan Cantrill has spoken at length about how the 'why', the bigger-than-self purpose of a company can help carry employees through tough times, which is also something that McGonigal touches on. I really enjoyed McGonigal's writing, as she definitely works hard to ensure that her conclusions have strong scientific backing, while at the same time providing anecdotes that the reader can empathize with more than just a list of citations. I took quite a few notes for myself while reading her book, as there were so many good ideas that I would like to incorporate into my own life. I highly encourage everyone to read McGonigal's book and be more open-minded to the possibility of not trying to eliminate stress from your life, but rather embracing it as an opportunity to change who you are for the better.