TED Talk Tuesday #100: How to make stress your friend

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was recommended by Emi Adriano. Starting a new year is always stressful so here’s some advice on how to make stress your friend.

Stress! A word we hear very often, if not, too often. Starting a new year, new career, new chapter of your life or simply just being a stressful person can in itself, be stressful.

“Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.”

Finding myself using the term far too often, I found this TED Talk by Kelly McGonigal most intuitive so here’s a few tips on how to change stress from being your enemy to your new friend: