Ah, stress... When you're subject to it, it's hard to get rid of it. What if, rather than trying to be Zen by all means, we chose to use this stress in a positive way? In any case, this is the bias of Dr. Kelly McGonigal in her book “The Upside of Stress” (the hidden face of stress in VF). During a TED conference filmed in June 2013, this psychologist explains that everything is a question of perception (stress or excitement?) and that positive stress management leads to better health. Here are 5 exercises to do to see stress differently.
An event is stressful because it is important to us. Thus, we can worry because we hope to succeed (an oral presentation, a competition, an interview, etc.), but it is rarely (if ever) productive. On the contrary, we can force ourselves to transform this stress into excitement:“Come on! This is the interview I've been waiting for so long, I'm going to tear everything up! Not easy at first, but with a little practice it gets easier.
Even if it means stressing, you might as well do it for things that are worth it and for things over which you have power. It is very important to redefine the priorities of life, according to an order that belongs to us. Thus, if we place family or health at the top of our pyramid of priorities, we put a problem at work into perspective much more easily. And above all, we keep in mind that this is what is important and that it is better to use your energy to achieve your goals rather than wasting it on stress.
Let it be said:stress affects everyone (yes, yes, even our Boss). It's a good thing to keep in mind when you're in the middle of an anxiety attack (baby, work, couple...) and you feel like no one can understand you. So we don't hesitate to talk about it, if only to decompress, and above all, we keep in mind that it's completely normal.
We tend to think that when we are stressed, we are good for nothing. Which is wrong, of course. We must therefore force ourselves to see things in a (more) positive way, for example by listing our strengths. Do we have to go for an interview? What if, rather than anticipating the questions that we will not be able to answer, we focus on our professional experience which makes this job for us? We will be better prepared, and above all, better able to prove that we have plenty of qualities.
For Dr. McGonigal, you must always try to see the positive and therefore, in a stressful situation, ask yourself what can be learned from it. Even if we made a mistake? Yes. The idea:to see what we can learn from our mistakes so as not to repeat them, which relieves stress when the situation arises again. She explains that taking the time to reflect on a mistake can generate emotions such as hope, joy and even self-indulgence.
