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Ask Bill has a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and has been a licensed professional counselor since 1987. He has 23 years of individual and relational counseling experience and serves as an adjunct instructor in counseling psychology at Mississippi College. He has been a reserve deputy for 10 years with the Madison County Sheriff's Office and is a ruling elder at Grace Chapel Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He adores his wife of 31 years and their two grown children. In The Upside of Stress, published this year, Kelly McGonigal, PhD, discusses in detail how these mind-sets can literally help you thrive through your stress, not just survive it. There are two stress responses that we need to know about: the threat response and the challenge response. Both are generated from the same biological system, but the physiological changes in your body are quite different. The threat response prepares us to ward off or escape from a perceived threat of physical harm. Heart rate increases significantly, blood pressure increases, blood vessels constrict to reduce bleeding if injured, and other systems prepare to accelerate inflammation and other needed healing properties. Mental performance during the threat response is focused on scanning the surroundings for threats and looking for things that are going wrong. Emotions experienced may be anger, fear, self-doubt, panic or shame. On a short-term basis, this response is helpful and appropriate. On a chronic basis, it can cause aging and disease. The challenge response, in contrast, is very similar to the body's response during exercise. Because there is no present threat of physical harm, our body allows blood to flow at a maximum level, increasing available energy. The heart pumps more strongly with less resistance from the vessels. Mentally, we may interpret this physical state as excitement, confidence or being energized. Our focus is more open and engaging. Rather than avoiding harm, we move toward what we want, prepared to use our resources. Stress is an inescapable part of our daily existence. It is up to us to decide how we are going to deal with stress— positively or negatively. Perceiving stress through a more positive frame of reference will help you embrace your stress as a necessary element in attaining something that is meaningful or valuable to you. Stop looking at stress as something to be avoided—it can't be done. If you try, you will soon find yourself feeling doubtful and inadequate. Work at focusing on your strengths that will carry you through the challenge. When you begin to feel stress in a situation, understand that your body and mind are preparing you to perform at your best by providing the sharpness of thought and the energy needed to accomplish your goal. That is a healthy mind-set! YOU CAN MANAGE STRESS—EVEN EMBRACE IT—BY USING MIND-SETS TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE YOUR STRESS RESPONSE. For more on this exciting approach to managing stress, read The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good For You and How To Get Good At It, by Kelly McGonigal. STRESS: MAKE IT POSITIVE! 14 s t d o m . c o m LOCAL