Turning Stress Into Growth
Why the emergence of a new science of stress should change how we approach it
Resilient women running | Image used under license from Shutterstock
“In 1998, thirty thousand adults in the United States were asked how much stress they had experienced in the past year. They were also asked, Do you believe stress is harmful to your health?
Eight years later, the researchers scoured public records to find out who among the thirty thousand participants had died. High levels of stress increased the risk of dying by 43 percent. But that increased risk applied only to people who also believed that stress was harming their health. People who reported high levels of stress but who did not view their stress as harmful were not more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study.” -Kelly McGonigal, “The Upside of Stress"
Turning Stress into Growth
One of the most powerful types of alchemy any of us can master is how to turn stress into growth. While some types of stress are optional - taking on too much work or making too many social commitments - others are not. If we want to reach our goals and build deep relationships, we eventually learn that facing stress is inevitable: accepting honest criticism, taking risks, and feeling the grief that comes when relationships dissolve or change all come with being human.
As I was reading “The Upside of Stress” by Kelly McGonigal, I learned something powerful: though stress is inevitable, we can shape our physiological response to it. In addition to the well-known “fight-or-flight” response, we are also capable of “tend-and-befriend” responses or “challenge” responses to stress, which help us grow and connect with others. What’s important about these other responses is that in addition to cortisol, they release oxytocin and DHEA, which respectively help us connect deeply with others and grow more resilient from experiences.
The type of stress response we have depends on a few factors:
Stress Mindset
Whether we believe stress is harmful or enhancing to our health makes a major difference in how we respond to it physiologically:
As shared in the 1998 study referenced by McGonigal, in a population study of 30,000 adults, high levels of stress increased the risk of death by 43% in those who believed that stress was harmful to their health; however, those who had high levels of stress but did not view stress as harmful, had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study
In a study conducted by Dr. Alia Crum and referenced by McGonigal, a number of research subjects participated in mock interviews meant to induce stress. Before the interviews, subjects were divided into groups to watch one of two videos on the subject of stress. One group watched a video stating that stress is enhancing and can support growth, while others watched a video stating that stress is debilitating and toxic to health. The cortisol levels went up in both groups during the mock interviews, as expected; however, participants who had watched the stress-is-enhancing video before the interview released more DHEA and had a higher growth index than participants who had watched the stress-is-debilitating video, meaning their bodies adapted and learned from the stressful experience.
Response Strategy
Whether we believe we have to fight or flee, or are willing to reach out to others for support (“tend-and-befriend”) or stay and overcome the stress (“challenge response”).
When we reach out to others to help or support each other in times of stress, our bodies release oxytocin, which supports a sense of bonding and promotes cardiovascular resilience. Similarly, when we see stress as a growth opportunity and one that we are capable of handling, we release more DHEA, a neurosteroid that helps our brains grow and learn from stress.
The human heart has special receptors for oxytocin, which helps heart cells regenerate and repair from any micro-damage. When a stress response includes oxytocin, stress can literally strengthen your heart.
The ratio of DHEA to cortisol is called the growth index of a stress response. A higher growth index—meaning more DHEA—helps people thrive under stress. DHEA and nerve growth factor increase neuroplasticity so that the brain can learn from stressful experiences.
Capability
Whether we believe and truly are capable of handling the stressor determines whether we experience a threat response or a challenge response. In the words of McGonigal:
“This evaluation is the key to determining your stress response. If you believe that the demands of the situation exceed your resources, you will have a threat response. But if you believe you have the resources to succeed, you will have a challenge response…Some of the most effective strategies for this are acknowledging your personal strengths; thinking about how you have prepared for a particular challenge; remembering times in the past when you overcame similar challenges.
Alignment with goals and values
If we believe a stressor is aligned with our goals and values (e.g. that the daily stress of going to the gym aligns with our value of long-term health), we tend to experience greater well-being and success in managing it.
In Stanford research studies conducted by Geoffrey Cohen and colleagues in suburban middle schools, “value-affirmation” assignments were given to African-American and Latino American students. Seventh graders were asked to reflect and write about things most important to them — their relationships with friends or family, or their personal interests. The task was given at critical moments: the beginning of the school year, prior to tests, and near the holiday season, and during periods of high stress. The results were dramatic: The interventions reduced the racial achievement gap by nearly 30%. African American students who were randomly selected for the creative writing exercise had significantly higher grade-point averages over two years than those who were not. Those who benefited most were the worst-performing students, and their rate of remediation or grade repetition dropped from 18% to 5%.
The good news is that all of these factors are ones we can influence. We can choose our response strategy, influence our capabilities by either improving our skills or building up our self-image, and we can remind ourselves of the goals and values motivating us to handle stress. In doing so, we can shift our physiology towards growth and development.
Want to dive deeper on turning stress into growth?
Join us for the virtual workshop “Dancing with your Hormones” on Sunday August 25 to learn how to optimize your hormones for more vitality, confidence, and beauty 💃
