💪 Stress is your ally. No, really

Part 1

don't freeze or fret

Heart pounding. Breathing fast. Brain on high alert. These are telltale signs that your fight-or-flight response is responding to a stressor.

These manifestations of stress are natural and even uncomfortable. But that doesn't mean they are necessarily bad.

In short bursts, the stress response can boost your performance. In the local softball playoffs, the sales pitch with a key client or a big job interview, "good" stress helps you thrive.

And the main factor between stress that improves performance and stress that harms your health is actually how you feel about it. According to a 2012 study, those who viewed their stress as negative were 43% more likely to die than those who didn't think it impacted their health.

"Participants who were equally pressured but didn't view stress as harmful had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study," said psychologist Kelly McGonigal, a lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, in "The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It."

"The researchers concluded that it wasn't stress that was killing people," McGonigal wrote. "It was the combination of stress and the belief that stress is harmful." Whoa.

It's time to retrain your brain's reaction to stress.

For starters, adjust your thinking. Stuck in traffic with an aggressive driver? If you listen to tunes in the car, keep the music upbeat but calming and on low volume. Take a deep breath, recognize the physical signs of stress and say to yourself, "My heart rate is up, my palms are moist, this is just stress. How can I use it to my advantage?" First, don't react. Avoid escalation and protect yourself. Then remain focused and take measures to address the situation, such as figuring out an alternate route. Your solution will likely be better in that headspace, too.

With a positive reaction to stress, the body releases beneficial hormones that can make all the difference in whether stress turns toxic. Even framing these moments by saying, "I feel stressed" -- instead of "I am stressed" -- can have an impact.

Remember, our biological relationship with stress evolved from a need to stay safe and alert when danger loomed. Stress is here to help you rise up to life's challenges, building your resilience. By thinking of stress' role that way, you reduce the negative impact it can have on your physical and mental well-being.

what the experts do

A daily mindfulness routine quiets your thoughts and effectively reduces stress, studies revealed. This activity helps lower cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate.

Take five minutes a day to focus on deep breathing. In meditation, this breathing pattern activates the parasympathetic "rest-and restore" aspect of your nervous system, explained CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas, a breathing, mobility and mind-body coach in pro sports.

A regular practice helps you access "a silence and a stillness that is actually always here even in very turbulent times," said mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Join Kabat-Zinn in a guided meditation he did with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

try this, not that

A good cup of joe hits the spot, but too much leads to nervousness, irritability or changes in heart rate.

Instead: To stay alert and relieve feelings of stress, build in three minutes of activity every hour in an eight-hour workday, recommends Santas.

Too much sitting can lead to depression, studies have shown, and affect your ability to cope. Move that body to stay upbeat!

Santas shares five exercises to offset too much sitting in this video.

self-care pick of the week

Ease the strain on a tense neck and shoulders by alternately standing and sitting during the workday. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, like the ApexDesk Elite Series ergonomic standing desk to help keep aches at bay.

your weekly goal

Activate self-awareness by writing down five things you are worried will happen in the next week. You can share your list with us at stressless@newsletters.cnn.com. We'll remind you to look at that list in the next newsletter to better gauge where you might be wasting energy on things that never happen, are out of your control or need time to play out.

Quick recap:

Harness your stress response to fuel mental performance.
Reframe what stress is in order to change your body's reaction to it more positively.
Start a daily five-minute mindfulness routine.
Avoid caffeine overload. Instead, energize with regular activity.
Begin your stress tracker.

moment of zen

Listen in on some of the quietest, most peaceful places on Earth.

important note

If you have concerns about physical symptoms or feel overwhelmed or stuck in a way that interferes with daily life, seek help from a physician or a mental health professional or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 800-950-6264.

If you are in a crisis requiring immediate help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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