Stress is your body’s alarm system, designed to alert you to a perceived threat. A clinical psychologist explains that the problem in modern life is that the alarm is always on, and we are stuck in a cycle of mindless reaction. The key to health is to learn how to consciously respond to the alarm, rather than just reacting to it.
A reaction is automatic and physiological. A deadline looms (the alarm), and you react with a surge of adrenaline, muscle tension, and shallow breathing. This is the “fight or flight” reaction. If you stay in this state, you end up with the chronic physical symptoms of stress.
A response, on the other hand, is conscious and intentional. When you feel the alarm go off, you acknowledge it and choose your next action. You might say to yourself, “I’m feeling stressed. I am going to take five deep breaths.” This is a response.
The five expert strategies are all tools for shifting from reaction to response. A micro-break is a chosen response to feeling overwhelmed. Sharing stress is a response to feeling isolated with your worries. Not personalizing criticism is a cognitive response that prevents the initial alarm from being so loud. By practicing these skills, you can become the calm operator of your body’s alarm system, not just a passenger in a panicked reaction.
