How to make stress work for you (Stress Mindset Cultivation)

December 28, 2023

You don’t get to avoid stress. But you get to improve the physiology of your stress system – by changing how you think about stress.

What to do

Make stress work for you instead of against you by cultivating a good stress mindset – regarding both the stress response and stressful events.

Why it works

Stress mindsets can relate to one of two things. The first is about the stress response: deeper breathing, a racing heart, and even acute feelings of anxiety. There are, in turn, two stress response mindsets. If you believe the stress response harms your performance and well-being, it’s called a stress-is-debilitating mindset. Conversely, if you believe stress can help with these outcomes, that’s a stress-can-be-enhancing mindset. As groundbreaking research by Prof. Alia Crum (pictured above) and her colleagues shows, our stress mindset influences the physiology of our stress response. A stress-is-debilitating mindset leads to a strong and prolonged increase in levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol. Conversely, a stress-can-be-enhancing mindset yields a moderate cortisol increase — and a quicker return to baseline cortisol levels. 

The second stress mindset is about stressful events. Again, there are two mindsets. Both were popularized by Stanford professor Carol Dweck. If you believe your ability in any domain cannot change, you’ve got a fixed mindset. If you think your abilities can be developed with effort, effective strategies and support from others, that’s a growth mindset. Like the stress-can-be-enhancing mindset, adopting this mindset improves the physiology of your stress reaction. A fixed mindset yields a stronger and more prolonged increase in levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol. According to one study, their cortisol levels were still elevated even a full day after a stressful event. A growth mindset, conversely, produces a moderate increase in cortisol and quicker returns to baseline levels after the event.

Here’s why all this is so important: Instead of thinking of cortisol as a stress hormone, it’s better to consider it a waking-up hormone. We all get a significant surge in cortisol at least once over our 24-hour cycle, and getting light right helps us time that surge in the morning. Now, as part of the stress response, cortisol also helps us when we need a boost in alertness later in the day. This acute stress is the “good” stress that improves our performance and well-being. Yet, if cortisol levels are elevated continuously throughout the day and into the evening, acute stress turns into chronic stress, which is the “bad” sort.

How to do it

1) When the stress response hits, remind yourself that it helps your performance and well-being. Remember that the response energizes you to solve important problems, provides your brain and body with more oxygenated blood, and raises your levels of alertness. According to one study, this doubles (!) focus and cognitive performance.

2) When encountering stressful events, view them as helpful and controllable opportunities for valuable learning and skill development. Remember that every person who’s good at something has had to face and overcome struggles. In a way, our brain resembles a muscle that grows when subjected to rigorous “exercise”.

3) Let’s face it: keeping these notions top of mind is difficult when sh!t hits the fan. A brutally-effective method to make both mindsets stick is explaining them in a brief letter to yourself. To facilitate remembering and learning, pretend you’re writing that letter to someone else. Then, in your own words, describe both mindsets and how they can improve your performance and well-being. Here’s a blueprint for such a letter:

Whenever you face a challenge, you inevitably experience a stress response. It energizes you to solve important problems, provides your brain and body with more oxygenated blood, and raises your levels of alertness. This doubles focus and cognitive performance. The stress response thus indicates that your system is getting ready to overcome that challenge. It isn’t a problem, but energizes your ability to solve important problems. It is helpful for reaching your goals, not harmful. This even applies to feelings of anxiety, which signal that you’ve chosen meaningful and ambitious goals. 

Stressful events are helpful and controllable opportunities for valuable learning and skill development. Every person who’s good at something has had to face and overcome struggles. Don’t view your struggles as signs of deficient abilities, but as part of your path of valuable learning and skill development. In this way, your brain resembles a muscle that grows when subjected to rigorous exercise. It develops stronger connections when it faces and overcomes challenges. As a result, you get better at dealing with similar challenges the next time around.

Want to make 2024 your best year ever? 

Write out that letter and cultivate a good stress mindset today. You’ll change how you react to stress for good.

Lastly, there’s another great way to make both mindsets stick: setting stress goals. Next week, I’ll explain how to use stress goals in the long-term (e.g. yearly) and in the short-term (e.g. weekly). Until then, I have a favor to ask:

Please share this post with one person who could benefit from changing their stress mindset. Thank you!

Until next week,
Christian

PS: I recently was ranked #1 LinkedIn Creator in Productivity & Personal Growth Germany by Favikon. Follow me for daily posts about these and other topics.

1 more way I can help you

Do you struggle with focusing on the important work while jumping from one urgent task to the next? Do you feel tired in the morning and throughout the day despite sleeping for 7 or 8 hours at night? Do you have trouble dealing with high stress at work and “switching it off” at home?

If so, my new Becoming Ultraproductive 1-on-1 coaching program might help. In it, I help executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs build rock-solid habit systems for deep focus, deep sleep, and mastering stress — to increase their productivity by between 100% and 900% while making stress work for them instead of against them.

The 1-on-1 coaching program includes six sessions over 12 weeks. If you’re interested, learn more about the program and get in touch below – or simply reply to this email.