Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

This talk inspired me because I believe I suffer from stress. Stress is a person's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition or a stimulus. Stress is a body's method of reacting to a challenge. According to the stressful event, the body's way to respond to stress is by sympathetic nervous system activation which results in the fight-or-flight response. Stress describes a negative condition or a positive condition that can have an impact on a person's mental and physical well-being.

I often worry too much with regards to university work and I have a fear of failing so I become stressful, which sometimes causes me nosebleeds and also lack of sleep. However this video has opened my eyes to the fact that I can view stress as a positive contributor to my work. As my heart rate increases I can say that it is trying to meet the demands of my action and my heavier breathing is improving oxygen transportation to my brain. This talk has taught me that how I view stress matters, because if we can change our perception of stress we can change our response to it and view it as a positive influence that can be controlled. In this video Kelly talks about  a stress hormone in the brain known as OXYTOCIN. It is a hormone that strengthens relationships, which makes us crave physical contact and enhances empathy all of which improves sociability. So, by talking to others about our stresses we can protect our cardiovascular system and vasodilation of our blood vessels which will improve blood flow. Now that I have heard a different approach to stress I can try to relax more and worry less about coursework because I trust myself to handle life's challenges because I don't have to face them alone!