WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR STRESS FEEL MANAGEABLE?
Stress becomes unhealthy when you don’t feel in control of it, so your mind-set is key. Think about the coworker who looks forward to challenging deadlines, for example. A series of three studies published in the Journal of Social and Psychological Sciences found that training people to view stress as positive makes them more likely to have a healthy response to it. Case in point: In one of the studies, 388 employees of a financial institution where layoffs were occurring were split into three groups. One group watched three 3-minute videos over the course of a week that showed how stress can be beneficial (think: people who make remarkable decisions in the face of stress, such as the pilot who made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in 2009). Another group watched videos highlighting how stress can cause people to crumble (for example, the high percentage of worker burnout). The third group, the control group, watched no videos. The group who watched the videos showing stress as a positive force had improved psychological symptoms and performed better at work in the face of potential layoffs. Meanwhile, the group that watched the videos about the negative effects of stress found stress worse than before.Don’t get us wrong—it’s better to minimize stress altogether so you can stay in tip-top shape. Studies have shown that stress has been associated with an increased risk of premature death and heart attacks, and chronic stress is linked to obesity. But let’s be real: Stress is inevitable. The next time you face something stressful, don’t let it get to your head. Instead, make sure to make some time to take care of yourself (like with a workout and an immune-supporting supplement like Emergen-C Immune+). Then think of how stress can be good for you, buckle down, and use it as an opportunity to grow and shine.