How to channel your stress to help you succeed | Heidi Hanna | TEDxSDSU

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker shares their personal journey with stress, from childhood anxiety to seeking solutions in psychology and neuroscience. Despite understanding stress, they struggled to manage it until discovering that stress itself isn’t the problem, but our relationship with it is. By reframing stress as a tool for growth through curiosity, the speaker highlights how shifting from reactive to responsive thinking can transform stress from a burden to a blessing. The talk encourages embracing curiosity to adapt, learn, and use stress to fuel positive change, improving both personal well-being and our collective ability to solve problems.

Takeaways

• 😀 Stress is not inherently bad; it's simply a natural response to when demand exceeds our capacity.
• 😀 The human brain is wired to react instinctively to stress before we even label it consciously.
• 😀 Stress can be seen as a form of energy that can either be used positively or negatively.
• 😀 The speaker’s personal journey includes struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, and fainting episodes, which they ultimately linked to unmanaged stress.
• 😀 Our stress responses are primal (fear, fight, flight, freeze, faint), but we can shift from reaction to response through conscious effort.
• 😀 Curiosity can transform stress by helping us respond thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically.
• 😀 Stress can be transformed from a negative force into a tool for positive change if we learn to manage it effectively.
• 😀 When we stop and assess stress with curiosity, it helps us adapt and grow, instead of being overwhelmed.
• 😀 The brain of a stressed individual is different from that of someone who approaches stress with curiosity, showing greater openness and adaptability.
• 😀 Instead of minimizing or avoiding stress, we should embrace it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop resilience.
• 😀 By practicing curiosity, we can change our relationship with stress and use it to fuel personal growth and problem-solving.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's message about stress?

The main theme is that stress is not inherently bad, but rather a form of energy that can be used for positive change when approached with curiosity and conscious responses, rather than reacting automatically.

How did the speaker's personal experience with stress manifest during childhood?

The speaker experienced physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, panic attacks, and fainting episodes from a young age, making it challenging to understand and control stress.

What is the significance of the ocean example in the speaker's story?

The ocean example illustrates how stress is often triggered by non-conscious cues in the environment, leading to a physical stress reaction (sweaty fingers, racing heart) even when there's no immediate threat.

What does the speaker mean by stress being 'primal'?

Stress is described as 'primal' because it stems from automatic, unconscious reactions triggered by cues in the environment, which often occur before we consciously label them as stress.

What role does curiosity play in managing stress, according to the speaker?

Curiosity helps shift the brain from a stress response to a more thoughtful, adaptive response, calming primal reactions and enabling creative problem-solving and growth.

How does the speaker differentiate between stress reactions and stress responses?

Stress reactions are automatic, primal responses like fight, flight, freeze, or faint, while stress responses involve a conscious, thoughtful decision on how to proceed, based on assessing the situation.

What example does the speaker give to explain stress reactions?

The speaker mentions the example of reacting to email overload by constantly batting emails back and forth without thinking, which wastes time and energy, demonstrating how stress reactions often lead to more reactions.

How does the speaker suggest we should view stress in order to use it effectively?

The speaker suggests viewing stress as potential energy that can be used positively, by shifting our mindset to curiosity and considering how the stress might be helping us grow or adapt.

Why does the speaker argue that managing or minimizing stress is not the best approach?

The speaker believes that managing or minimizing stress by avoiding or ignoring it doesn't resolve the underlying issue. Instead, we should embrace and learn from stress to fuel positive change.

What scientific difference does the speaker highlight between a stressed brain and a curious brain?

A stressed brain shuts down and relies on survival-based reactions, while a curious brain is open, interested, and adaptable, allowing us to learn from challenges and explore new possibilities.