Generation Stress: From Surviving to Thriving | Kristen Race | TEDxMileHigh

Summary

The speaker humorously admits to keeping her parenting book a secret in her small town, fearing judgment despite her own struggles with parenting and stress. She identifies 'Generation Stress' as over-achieving, over-stimulated parents raising stressed children. Despite facing big and little stressors, she emphasizes that simple mindfulness practices can shift from survival to thriving mode, citing research and personal anecdotes to illustrate the positive impacts on emotional and physical health.

Takeaways

• 😅 The speaker humorously admits to keeping her authorship of a parenting book a secret, fearing judgment from other parents.
• 🧘‍♀️ Despite being an author on parenting and a proponent of mindfulness, the speaker struggles with daily parenting challenges and the pressure to be a perfect, stress-free parent.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 'Generation Stress' is a term coined to describe the current generation of parents who are stressed and raising stressed children, facing both significant and minor stressors.
• 📈 The speaker highlights the serious impact of stress on children, comparing it to the effects seen in Vietnam veterans, emphasizing the need for stress management.
• 🌟 Small, consistent practices can lead to significant changes in well-being, contrary to the belief that only drastic life changes can make a difference.
• 📈 Research from Duke University is cited to support the positive effects of recognizing positive experiences on mental health and overall happiness.
• 🌱 The speaker encourages reframing mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth, which can alter the brain's response to stress.
• 💖 Engaging in acts of kindness, even small ones, can increase happiness and create a positive impact on both the giver and the receiver.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The 'Rose, Bud, Thorn' game is introduced as a family practice to cultivate positivity, learning from mistakes, and kindness.
• 🌅 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the power of simple practices to shift from a state of survival to thriving, despite the chaos of life.

Q & A

Why does the speaker try to keep her authorship of a parenting book a secret?

The speaker tries to keep her authorship of a parenting book a secret because she lives in a small town and fears that people might feel judged by her, especially when they are dealing with common parenting challenges like a power struggle over buying Fruit Loops.

What is the term the speaker uses to describe the generation of stressed-out parents and kids?

The speaker uses the term 'Generation Stress' to describe the generation of stressed-out parents raising stressed-out kids.

What are some of the big stressors mentioned by the speaker that Generation Stress parents face?

The big stressors mentioned include financial difficulties, demanding careers, divorce, health problems, school violence, teen suicides, and record-high rates of anxiety and depression in elementary school students.

How does the speaker suggest that the little stressors in life can be detrimental?

The speaker suggests that the compound effects of life's little annoyances can add up and be as detrimental as true PTSD, by comparing the brain scans of Vietnam vets with those of chronically stressed individuals.

What is the practice that the speaker's friend Erin and her colleagues adopted to improve their well-being?

Erin and her colleagues adopted the practice of texting each other three good things about their day at the end of each school day, which helped them feel happier and less exhausted.

According to Duke University's research, what are the benefits of recognizing positive experiences for two weeks?

Recognizing positive experiences for two weeks can significantly lower depression and burn-out, increase happiness, improve sleep, and help create a better work-life balance.

How does the speaker's father define perfectionism in the context of success and failure?

The speaker's father defines perfectionism as attempting perfection with the understanding that success is remote, and failure should not be viewed negatively but as a basis for future challenges, which are stimuli for a productive, happy, and meaningful life.

What is the game 'Rose, Bud, Thorn' and how does it relate to the practices discussed by the speaker?

The game 'Rose, Bud, Thorn' is a family activity where each person describes their 'rose' (a good experience), 'thorn' (a mistake learned from), and 'bud' (an act of kindness). It reinforces the practices of recognizing positive experiences, learning from mistakes, and engaging in acts of kindness.

What is the speaker's main message about dealing with stress and achieving a better quality of life?

The speaker's main message is that simple practices, rather than drastic life transformations, can lead to significant and sustainable changes, helping to shift from surviving to thriving.

How does the speaker describe the impact of practicing mindfulness over the last 10 years on her life?

The speaker describes that practicing mindfulness has allowed her to savor small moments, look for growth in difficult times, and take advantage of opportunities for kindness, which has shifted her from a survival mindset to a thriving one.