Challenge Response vs. Threat Response - Part 2

As a brief review from last week, I discussed the differences between the typical fight or flight “threat response” and more ideal “challenge response.” Threat responses signal to your body that you might be physically harmed, leading to a swarm of more unpleasant sensations and feelings plus negative thinking. Challenge responses yield a more helpful response, stimulating your mind and body like you when you exercise: increased energy, focus, motivation, and willingness to learn from the experience (McGonigal, 2015).

The cliffhanger from my last blog post asked the following question: “How can I activate the challenge response more than the threat response?”

Dr McGonigal (2015) comes flat out and reveals the answer: “The most important factor in determining your response to pressure is how you think about your ability to handle it” (p. 113). In other words, do you have the resources to meet the demand? 

Some common questions you might be asking yourself when faced w/ adversity could be “Can I handle this? Do I have the resources to rise to this challenge? How hard is this going to be? Is there anyone that can help me out? Do I have the skills, courage, and strength to do this?”

Important to further note is that you quickly evaluate the situation and your resources on a conscious or unconscious level.

Once you’ve completed this rapid assessment of the situation and your resources, there are 2 paths. Dr McGonigal (2015) again says it best: “If you believe that the demands of the situation exceed your resources, you will have a threat response. But if you believe you have the resources to succeed, you will have a challenge response” (p. 113).

Some tips and tricks to push for the challenge response include identifying personal strengths, past situations when you succeeded and overcame adversity, imagining the support of loved ones and/or knowing your supports are rooting for you. These strategies are all ways to shift your mindset from threat and fear to a challenge w/ motivation.

For a final takeaway, please remember that your body is likely going to have some sort of stress response. So if it’s going to happen, why not prepare as best you can to better manage, tolerate, or get through a stressful situation by trying to ignite the challenge response? Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Source:

McGonigal, Kelly. (2015). The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It. United Kingdom: Vermilion.