Stress is a barometer…

Stress is a good barometer for how engaged you are in your life.

If you recall my last blog post, I discussed how a stressful life could be a meaningful life, thank you to the brilliant Dr Kelly McGonigal (@kellymariemcgonigal). In her ground-breaking book The Upside of Stress, she normalizes the experience of having stress in our lives, especially when talking about commonly shared human choices and endeavors, like working, maintaining close friendships, perhaps being in a romantic relationship and/or raising children, and engaging in hobbies and passions. Again, Dr McGonigal said it best: “Higher levels of stress seem to go along with things we want: love, health, and satisfaction with our lives” (p. 64, 2015). Dr McGonigal takes this idea a step farther by proposing the following: “Rather than being a sign that something is wrong with your life, feeling stressed can be a barometer for how engaged you are in activities and relationships that are personally meaningful” (p. 66, 2015). This proposal encourages you to think different about stress and change your mindset about how stress could be a useful tool for you instead of that dreaded feeling in your stomach. Stress can be a marker, signal, or North Star indicating that you are on the right path in accordance with what matters most to you. By no means is this an easy concept to simply absorb and implement, yet my hope is that you think twice when feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Taking a moment to pause, breathe, and look at the situation more clearly, searching for another perspective or way to look at it. Could your feelings and thoughts be more meaningful than you thought?  

Source:

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