How You Can Use This Information to Help You

What you believe will happen can have surprisingly strong effects on what does happen. Our mindsets shape what we attend to, how we interpret events, and how we react, all of which can change how our bodies respond. This is precisely where you have the opportunity to insert intentional influence and help yourself.

In Huberman Lab Podcast #56: Dr. Alia Crum: Science of Mindsets for Health & Performance, Dr. Crum tells us that the difference between harmful and helpful stress is in our motivation and mindset. When you view stress as debilitating, you tend to spend a lot of energy doing everything you can to avoid the stressor and trying to eliminate it. Alternatively, if you view stress as an opportunity for growth, you can spend your energy supporting yourself and finding the positive in the negative.

She cites a study with Navy Seals where researchers followed 174 candidates through one of the most extreme stressful training experiences. They found that having a stress-is-enhancing mindset predicted greater persistence through training, faster obstacle course times, and fewer negative evaluations from peers and instructors.

Your Stress Mindset Is Up To You

Your stress mindset is how you view stress and what it means to you.

• Is it a threat that will negatively affect your emotional, physical, and mental health? A negative stress mindset views stress as harmful, a threat — something to be avoided at all costs. When you avoid stress, you also avoid challenges and opportunities that can help you grow and reach your goals.
• Or is it a challenge that has the potential to motivate you to grow and perform at a higher level? A positive stress mindset means that it is a challenge to be faced, asking you to perform at your best. When your body has a physical stress response, it is mobilizing energy to help you meet a challenge. You could interpret the feeling as excitement, instead of anxiety, and use it as fuel to perform better.