An interesting study just released this week showed that all other factors being equal, people who believed that stress was having an adverse effect on their health had double the risk of heart attack compared to people who did not believe that stress was having an adverse effect on their health.
The Self-fulfilling Prophecy
So if you think that the stress you’re under is going to kill you, you’re probably right. But if you think the stress you’re under is not going to kill you, you’re probably right. Better read that again.
Stress Is NOT The Problem
Psychologists have been telling you for decades that it is not stress that is the big problem for you… some stress is actually normal and healthy. It is your reaction to the stress that is or can become the problem. This is awesome if you think about it because although we have little control sometimes (okay, a lot of the time!) over the stressors in our lives, we have incredible amounts of control over how we choose to respond to the stressors…positive stress management!
Learn How to Manage Your Stress
The takeaway from this newest research findings continues to validate what we know: that spending time and resources learning how to better manage stress can positively contribute to health outcomes. If you know you need to learn how to manage stress more effectively, check out these links below, or consider working with a therapist who can personally evaluate how you are doing now and work with you to develop a toolbox of coping skills for dealing with stress.
There is no need to fear the stress!
Links for Stress Management:
Stress Information Sheet from The American Psychological Association
Ways to Deal with Stress from the American Heart Association
Proven Ways to Manage Stress from The Mayo Clinic
Dr. Anita Sanz, PhD, Psychologist
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