I’ve long been telling my patients that stress is dangerous for their health and that it can lead to a plethora of dangerous health hazards. However, some recent studies, in addition to a fantastic talk by Kelly McGonigal, a fellow compassion researcher and my mentor, made me rethink my stance on stress.
In this viral video, McGonigal presents recent research findings, which suggest that it is not the stress per se that is problematic, but rather our perception of stress. More specifically, those people who believe that stress is dangerous and struggle with their experience of stress, are then more likely to suffer from its dangerous side effects, making them more vulnerable to mental or physical illness, or even death. On the other hand, people who accept the physical effects of stress show resilience and similar health outcomes as those who experience little stress. This suggests that our willingness to experience difficult experiences makes us resilient, whereas our struggle against such experiences ultimately makes us more vulnerable.
Think about it, most of us are willing to experience the physiological arousal that comes with joy, whether it is from playing video games, going on roller-coasters, seeing a scary movie, engaging in sexual activity, or spending time with our friends. However, most of us are absolutely unwilling to experience these very same physiological sensations when they are presented in a different context, such as when we have to make a presentation, complete an intimidating project, or do anything that elevates our anxiety levels. The physiological arousal in both of these scenarios is the same: there’s an elevated heart rate, accelerated breathing, dilated pupils, etc. What changes though, are our emotions, the interpretation of which according to recent studies, appears to also affect our blood vessel constriction and health. More specifically, if we are accepting of these experiences, then the blood vessels remain dilated and the body does not experience the full blast of the negative effects of stress. However, the mental struggle against stress (i.e., the unwillingess to experience stress) can actually perpetuate its negative effects on the body.
Notice that it is not the emotions themselves that are dangerous, but how we choose to experience them. I am saying “choose” here because we do have a choice. We can interpret these emotions as dangerous, or we can interpret them as our superhero strength.
So next time you are faced with something you’re stressed about or presented with something you’re afraid of, just remember that you have a superpower that prepares your body to do its absolute best: it will dilate your pupils to make you see better, it will give you more oxygen to breathe, and it will move your blood around to protect your organs and give you the boost that you need. Trust your body and it will trust you back.
Enjoy your superpowers and use them responsibly 🙂
Warmly,
Shadow Quill