I recently watched a Ted Talk video about stress and human connection. The speaker, Kelly McGonigal, discusses how stress can be beneficial if done correctly. You may be thinking, “how can stress be a good thing?” First off, you are thinking about it wrongly because your mindset does effective your overall health and mentality.   

How stress can be good  

Suppose I threw a dodgeball at you with all my force. In the first scenario, your heart was racing, sweat poured down your face, and you let the ball hit you directly in the face. You did not react to the stress hormone and instead got hit.  

Scenario two you were active in your stress. You saw how by reacting to a stressful situation, you could dodge the ball and keep it from harming you.   

McGonigal (2013) tells the audience that how you think and act affects your overall health. These have an effect because you can act upon it with meaning by positively looking at stress. Knowing that stress is just a reaction, you can act quickly to stop it from being a negative thing.   

Stress is helpful  

I enjoyed the Ted Talk video below, which is why I chose to discuss it. I am putting the video into my own words, and hopefully, you will be inspired too.   

Now, stress can be helpful because if you trust how you will react and not in a wrong way, you can handle anything life throws at you. Like scenario two on your reaction to the dodgeball, you too can dodge the curveballs of life.  

I talk about having a positive mindset and outlook on life a lot. I want to inspire people to change how they see things because it is crucial. If I could reach just a few people and change their lives, I would reach one of my life goals.   

The one-sentence McGonigal said stuck with me; it is as follows: “Chasing meaning is better for your health than avoiding it (McGonigal, 2013, 13:54).” The context of the quote was about a stressful job versus a non-stressful job. If you always have the mindset to avoid stressful situations, you lose meaning, and believing that preventing stress is vital is not the answer. If you can take handle that stressful job, take it! All things have meaning, and you never know what stuff waits in store for you. Taking on that stressful job creates a resilient spirit that can take on all of those hardships that come with life.   

If you are a multi-tasking, resilient, formidable person, kudos to you!  

Human connection and stress  

Next, people crave that human connection that sparks emotions and memories. People are not meant to be anti-social creatures because we need others.   

To help remain resilient against stress, you can care for others by showing compassion, care and seeking their companionship. The three “C’s” are something we all need to establish and act upon in life because it helps with stress and, in my opinion, is the right action. Please make sure the relationship is safe, and that person wants a solid relationship with you. When I say relationship, it can be romantic or platonic.   

Also, please do not hesitate to ask for help when needed because the world is full of people willing to listen and help. By building solid, meaningful relationships and connecting with other like-minded people, you have made a life for yourself built upon strength.   

Now go out there and seek that human connection, help a stranger, show compassion, and remain positive!   

Attached below is the Ted Talk video by Kelly McGonigal. 

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend | TED Talk 

Reference: 

McGonigal, K. (2013, June). Kelly McGonigal at TED Global 2013: How to make stress your friend [Video file].  https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend 

The sunshine picture is from Bing images under, “sunshine clip art.”