December 2, 2013 - Written by: Yazmin Joy

Hello Stress, My Old Friend

Okay I am going to confess two things to you. DON’T TELL ANYONE. Number one I love Ted. No, not the philandering teddy in the hit 2012 movie (although I do love him) or Hot Ted who lives down my street (okay okay I kinda do love him too a little bit). I am talking about TED talks.

‘O gawwd! Not one of those!’ I hear you mutter.

But I’ll be honest. I love gettin’ in my jim-jams with a cuppa tea, few hob-nobs and spend my night off watching TED talks. Call me anal and positivity whore but it’s just how I roll okay!

So confession number two: I, like many of you, am prone to stress.

(Image via)

Most of the time I thrive under stress – I work better, think faster and get the job done quicker.

But when I am under very severe stress, I can be both emotionally and physically affected. And I regret to tell you I have the over whelming urge to punch someone. Especially if I’m on the London Underground at rush hour. (Does that make me a bad person?)

For instance, often I lose my appetite under stress (not healthy) and it has taken me many years to discipline myself to eat foods that will sustain, nourish and support me through long periods of high stress levels.

Stress has also, in the past, prevented me from thinking clearly and led me to make real dumb ass decisions.

‘Yes, you can have the last bloody chocolate eclair – I can’t eat anything right now I’m too stressed!’

A few hours later….

‘Why? OH WHYYY did I give it awaaaaay!!!!????’ *tears*

So you can imagine my glee when I found a TED talk about Stress. *Fist pump*

Kelly McGonigal’s lecture really helped me with my stress tolerance by one very simple message:

It’s not stress that is bad for you, but the way you THINK about stress that is the problem.

Here’s her talk (check it out if you have time).

It never occurred to me to think about stress as an ally rather than an enemy because quite frankly society is constantly reminding you that if you don’t chill out you are going to DIE. But we commonly forget that stress is our body’s way of helping us ‘rise to the challange’ and basically kick some arse (pow pow!).

So do you suffer from stress? Maybe you’re not sure?

Symptoms can very and range from cardiovascular disease to lack of sex drive. So if you are unsure this article at helpguide.org might be helpful!

So if you are anything like me, next time you feel a surge of the adrenaline/oxytocin/cortisol hormone cocktail surge though your veins you could run a hot bath and listen to whale music (if this works for you great) or we can additionally start to see stress as this mis-understood long lost friend.

I have often wondered whether my decision to work in the city and pursue a career of high pressure will be detrimental to my health. I guess many of us are faced with the question: should we pursue stress-free lifestyles in order to bypass future health problems?

Kelly put my mind at ease.

‘Chasing meaning is better for your health then avoiding discomfort.’

Well there you go. Hello stress my old friend!

Have a great week peeps!