Stress
Management and
Positive
Psychology
Using Positive Psychology to
Manage Stress
Positive psychology is the study of optimism and positive emotions to
improve individual and collective functioning, psychological wellbeing, and physical health.
Practicing positive psychology strategies results in the creation of
positive pathways to diminish excessive negative emotions/thoughts.
Positive emotions are a universal part of human nature that need to
be practiced to achieve the benefits.
Goodness matters! Be kind to yourself and to others.
How to make stress your friend
by Kelly McGonigal
Take notes – what is new information?
What needs more explanation?
Video – 14:28 minutes
https://youtu.be/RcGyVTAoXEU
NEUROPLASTICITY
• Neuroplasticity is how we build pathways in the brain. Use it or lose it!
• It is neither good or bad. The simple fact is that pathways in our brains – like
muscles – get stronger the more we use them. Practice thinking happy
thoughts.
• Engaging the RED mode stress response regularly (chronic stress), our brains
and bodies become more sensitive to the experience. It makes it easier to
learn fear associations and code them into long-term memory. If there is daily
chronic stress – we may overreact to situations.
• Neuroplasticity can help us to strengthen the pathways used during POSITIVE
experiences. Savoring is a way to practice and strengthen pathways: Close
your eyes and recall a good experience.
• Meditation and biofeedback are strategies that help us use neuroplasticity to
our benefit. We can practice with specific goals in mind (learn what it is like to
quiet the part of the brain that is responsible for rumination).
Stress is a natural response
Homeostasis = GREEN MODE
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All of your basic needs are being met
Can be quiet or active – but emotions are generally positive
Good for health (release of endorphins, kills bacteria, reduce inflammation, and relieve
pain (Esch & Stefano, 2005).
Of the brain/body is compared to a house, the GREEN mode is like a home improvement
project (replacing carpet or painting), improvements are going on while life is happening
in the home.
Stress Response = RED MODE (Body wants to respond naturally – learned pathway). We
want to have a RED response for emergency situations!
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A stressor is anything that pushes us out of our homeostatic balance. The stress
response assumes there are urgent demands and doesn’t care about long-term needs.
Example: The roof is on fire (home improvements stop – living in the house stops to
respond to the emergency).
STRESS MANAGEMENT
(BERN)
Each of these activities can help initiate the body’s natural
response to stress while moving from the red mode to the green
mode.
When we experience chronic stress, we become more sensitive
to the stress response and what was helpful becomes harmful.
We must be intentional about how we engage these strategies
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Behavior
Exercise
Relaxation
Nutrition
BEHAVIOR
Pleasurable activities, including social interaction and support,
friendship, healthy communication, arts and creativity.
Be careful that pleasurable activities are not detrimental or
things that we can get used to.
Social interactions should include healthy communication, not
just complaining and co-rumination!
EXERCISE
Engaging in both aerobic and anaerobic physical activity is a great way to give
the body a chance to act in the way it is programmed to act following a stress
response (fight or flight).
Many of the chemicals released in our brains during stress are designed to
help the body maintain a level of physical activity beyond what is normal.
Exercise is a productive and healthy way to let those chemicals do their thing.
Daily excessive exercise is not a healthy response!
RELAXATION
Part of our natural response is to move into recovery mode whether that is
basking in success (say, after running a marathon) or soothing wounds (e.g.
after a fight). However, if we have not used up some of the chemicals with
exercise, our body might NOT trigger the relaxation response and we might
have to trigger it ourselves.
Slow breathing, meditation, prayer, etc. are activities that can help to trigger
this stage.
Regular practice of these activities strengthens pathways and makes it easier to
engage them when necessary.
NUTRITION
Eating is a natural response to stress. Historically it was a way to get necessary
calories for the sustained activity of flight or fight. And certain foods (high fat, high
sugar), trigger a pleasure response that is part of the stress cycle.
But, if we only use one part of the cycle (e.g. eat for pleasure without prolonged
physical activity), it can become its own problem. We know daily excessive exercise
is not healthy: Overeating (unneeded calories) + excessive exercise = ABNORMAL
STRESS that throws off the release of chemicals that naturally combat stress.
One way to use eating to manage stress without overeating is to eat mindfully –
engaging every sense in the process to trigger the pleasure response.
MINDFUL MEDITATION
• Research has shown that when we are doing nothing that demands mental effort, our
minds wander (and too often wander into negative territory). Mindfulness meditation
has been shown to quiet circuits in the brain involved in this negative self-narrative
(Goleman & Davidson, 2017).
• Take at least 5 minutes each day this week to practice a mindful meditation.
• Try to meditate the same time each day to establish a habit and build a positive
pathway.
• The meditation can focus on any topic (i.e. calmness, mindful eating, focus,
overcoming obstacles).
Let’s try one! Deepak Chopra’s 3-minute meditation to stay focused!
https://youtu.be/4Bs0qUB3BHQ