Changing the way you think about Stress | Dr Libby Weaver | TEDxCurrumbin

Summary

This talk delves into the nature of stress, challenging the conventional approach of managing it and advocating for a reduction in stress hormone production. It explores the impact of stress on health, including digestion, sleep, and immunity, and emphasizes the role of our thoughts and perceptions in creating stress. The speaker encourages understanding the evolutionary context of stress response and offers strategies to reduce stress by questioning our thoughts and seeking truth, ultimately aiming for a state of trust over constant stress.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker proposes a shift from managing stress to understanding and reducing the production of stress hormones.
• 🔍 Stress is viewed through the lenses of nutrition, biochemistry, and emotions, impacting various aspects of health and well-being.
• 🌱 Acknowledgement of real stress in the world is essential, but the focus is on the self-created stress that stems from our thoughts and perceptions.
• 🧠 The speaker emphasizes that stress is not caused by external factors alone, but our responses to them, highlighting the need to change our reactions.
• 🌐 The rapid changes in the 'commercial era' have led to an evolution in how we produce stress hormones, affecting our bodies and minds differently.
• 🏃‍♀️ The speaker suggests that our bodies have not yet adapted to the constant production of stress hormones due to modern triggers like caffeine and perceived disapproval.
• 📝 The concept of 'foreign words' is introduced as a tool to identify personal traits we desire others to see in us, which often lead to stress when perceived as threatened.
• 📈 The speaker discusses how social media and other modern stressors can amplify stress, especially when they become channels for perceived judgment.
• 💬 The importance of questioning our thoughts and the dialogue we have with ourselves is highlighted as a way to reduce stress and live more authentically.
• 🌱 The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to trust the unfolding of life, to embrace the lessons and growth opportunities that come with stress.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the speaker's approach to stress?

The speaker focuses on understanding why individuals produce stress hormones and helping them produce fewer of them, rather than just managing stress.

How does the speaker suggest we perceive stress?

The speaker suggests that stress is not just from external factors but also from our internal thoughts and reactions to those factors.

What are the three lenses through which the speaker views health?

The speaker views health through the lenses of nutrition, biochemistry, and emotions.

How does the speaker relate stress to human evolution?

The speaker relates stress to human evolution by discussing how our world has rapidly changed in the last 75 years, which is a very short time in human history, and how our stress hormone production has adapted to these changes.

What is the term the speaker uses to describe the traits we want others to see in us?

The speaker uses the term 'foreign words' to describe the traits we want others to see in us.

Why does the speaker believe that social media can be a source of stress for some individuals?

The speaker believes social media can be a source of stress because it is one of the modalities through which some individuals allow others to judge them.

What is the speaker's view on the relationship between stress and our perception of others' opinions of us?

The speaker views stress as often stemming from our perception of how others see us and the need for their approval, which can be a significant source of stress if not managed.

What does the speaker suggest is the opposite of stress?

The speaker suggests that the opposite of stress is trust, particularly trust in the unfolding of our lives and the lessons we are meant to learn.

How does the speaker propose we reduce the production of stress hormones?

The speaker proposes that we reduce stress hormone production by training our 'new brain' to catch ourselves in the space between our initial reactions ('old brain') and our conscious evaluations.

What is the significance of the 'space' mentioned by Dr. Viktor Frankl according to the speaker?

The 'space' mentioned by Dr. Viktor Frankl is significant because it represents the opportunity we have to choose our response to stimuli, which is where our growth and freedom lie.

How does the speaker connect our thoughts and self-perception to stress?

The speaker connects our thoughts and self-perception to stress by explaining that our judgments and negative self-talk can lead to a cycle of stress and poor self-care, which can be broken by questioning and changing our thought patterns.