Kelly McGonigal: How to Turn Stress Into an Advantage

About Presentation In her book, The Upside of Stress, McGonigal asks, “If you could choose how stressful tomorrow will be, would you hope for a great deal of stress?” Our natural response is likely a resounding “No.” Yet, as McGonigal shows, a subtle shift in perspective around stress can be incredibly empowering. By reframing stress as a good thing and a sign of personal progress, we can avoid some of the baggage that comes with becoming stressed and actually turn our anxious feelings into a source of strength. Watch more videos here: http://www.99u.com/videos 1:40 The stress paradox 2:22 Does a country’s stress index correlate with other indices of well-being? 4:05 Breakdown of the stress paradox 4:38 Think of meaning 5:12 People who experience stress experience more meaning in their lives 5:43 People who have meaningful lives worry more 6:12 Stress signals 6:49 Stress plays a profound role on well-being 7:12 2 ways of thinking about stress 7:45 Negative outcomes of stress 8:15 Accepting views of stress protection in life 9:04 Think positively about stress 9:53 Mini mindset intervention (intro) 10:12 3 favorite scientific studies 10:26 Study 1 – Colombia 13:10 Positive stress outcomes 13:38 DHEA 14:55 Study 2 – Job interview stress 15:57 Personal meaning 16:55 Personal meaning vs proving oneself 17:27 Burnout 18:19 Final stress study 19:33 Painful thinking (good mindset) 20:40 Change in thinking can transform emotions 21:04 Heart rate variability 22:17 Empower – think of stress differently 23:10 A meaningful life is a stress-full life About Kelly McGonigal Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University and a leading expert on the mind-body relationship. She is the author of several books, including The Upside of Stress, the international bestseller The Willpower Instinct, and The Neuroscience of Change. She has worked with the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education since 2009, co-authoring the Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) program and collaborating on scientific studies examining how compassion can promote health and happiness. She has consulted for a wide range of organizations and industries ranging from healthcare and higher education to technology and finance, helping to bring evidence-based strategies for resilience and well-being into the workplace. About 99U The 99U delivers the action-oriented education that you didn’t get in school, highlighting real-world best practices for making ideas happen.