Episode #28: How to Use Short Term Stress To Your Advantage

I am here today to tell you that you are wrong. Well sort of. 

Most of us know what a stressful day is like. Many of my clients mention feeling busy, overwhelmed with inputs and ultimately stressed through many if not most of their days.

And statistics will back them up. Surveys are showing that since the pandemic, more Canadians are more stressed, more often. 

Most people think of stress from this regard as deeply, and only, negative with negative health consequences. 

But this kind of thinking misses the whole picture.

This podcast focuses on how we can leverage short term stress to our advantage. Yes, you can use stress in a very positive, supportive way.

Today I am going to briefly dive into stress:

• What it is
• What your body goes through
• Show you how you can use it to your benefit
• Along the way, I will dispel some myths

By the end of this podcast, you will walk away understanding stress, what happens when you are stressed, and how you can use it to combat viruses, lift heavy objects like never before, and be more productive. 

Summary of Key Points:

Your brain is constantly scanning for stimuli to assess whether it is good or bad for us. If your brain senses something that is risky, the sympathetic nervous system will go into the “fight or flight mode”

When this happens, certain neurochemicals are released – acetylcholine and epinephrine in particular – to engage parts of your body to deal with the stressor, but also to turn down or turn off certain body systems, so the body can re-engage those resources for the parts that are needed for fight or flight.

When those neurochemicals are released, they attach to receptors in certain parts of your brain to help activate certain functions that result in:

• The quickening of the heart rate
• The changes in the optics of the eye (like our pupils dilating)
• The extra energy in your system (glucose is released into your system)
• The sharpening of your cognition
• Your focus is intensified and narrowed

 All of this happens to prime your brain and body for:

• Combatting infection
• Making focused decision to “move forward”
• Take action

7 Principles to understand about the stress response:

1. Your brain and body do not differentiate on the type of stressor – you will react the same way every time
2. It is a natural response
3. It is a response you cannot, nor do you want to, shut down or stop
4. There can be 3 kinds of stress – short term, medium term, long term
5. Stress activates some systems, and de-activates others
6.  If it is only interpretated after the fact as positive or negative – the brain doesn’t differentiate that when it happens
7.  Related to #5 above, we know from recent experiments that you can change your mindset on things, and this can have physiological changes

Based on the above, 5 science-backed ways you can leverage short term stress to your advantage:

1. Immediately provide a short term boost to your immune system
2. Improve your focus, concentration and cognitive abilities immediately to be more productive
3.  I

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