Graphic by Penelope Taylor ’20
By MAEVE BRADY ’20
Even at the best of times, stress can be overwhelming, and stress management is often difficult. When confronted with a global pandemic and a complete upheaval of routine, it can be easy to let our self-care practices fall by the wayside as a whole new source of stress invades our daily lives. The coronavirus outbreak has put a significant strain on the mental health of many.
In February, a survey published by the Chinese Psychology Society found that of the 18,000 respondents, 42.6 percent experienced anxiety related to the outbreak. Around the same time, the hashtag #HowToDealWithFeelingVeryAnxiousAtHome was trending on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. In response to the health crisis, there is no shortage of advice circulating on how to lessen or redirect the increased stress that accompanies COVID-19, and according to Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University Alia Crum and Kari Leibowitz, a Health Psychologist also employed at Stanford, our mindset regarding stress matters more than we may think.
Research published by the American Psychological Association suggests that people who view stress as harmful to their health are more likely to feel the negative health effects of stress. An article that Crum co-authored called “Rethinking Stress: The Role of Mindsets in Determining the Stress Response,” stated that someone’s “mindset is a distinct and meaningful variable in determining the stress response.” In short, changing our mentalities about stress to be more positive could actually have a beneficial effect on our health.
Crum and Leibowitz have a three-step approach to what they call a “stress-is-enhancing” mindset: acknowledge your stress, own your stress and use your stress. Acknowledging your stress may seem like a redundant thing to do, but the act of putting feelings into words and consciously naming your stress shifts your brain activity from the amygdala, which is the center of emotion, to the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in planning and executive control.
“In other words,” Crum and Leibowitz explained to The New York Times, “when we take a moment to acknowledge our stress, it moves us from operating from a fearful, reactive place to a position where we can be thoughtful and deliberate.”
Their second step, owning your stress, is based on the fact that we tend to stress about things that we care deeply about. Stress is connected to care. Focusing on the things we care about and the goals that motivate our stress can help to shift our stress mindset to a more positive frame.
This idea is not unique to Crum and Leibowitz — a similar approach appears in the writings of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In his book, “You Are Here,” he says that we should embrace negative feelings such as despair and anger, rather than deny them. Stress and despair are a part of us, motivated by that which we care deeply about, and so we should own them rather than reject them.
Crum and Leibowitz recommend completing the sentence, “I’m stressed about [insert stressor here] because I care deeply about…”
Thich Nhat Hanh writes in a similar vein, “I know that you are there, my dear anger, my dear despair. I am there for you; I will take care of you.”
Finally, Crum and Leibowitz say to “use your stress” — connect it to that which you care about, and think about whether your stress responses line up with the values that motivate it. For example, if you’re stressed about the effect that the virus is having on the world, then you might focus on small ways that you can help your immediate community rather than seeking out constant news updates. It may seem unrealistic to utilize stress in an optimistic way in times like these, but ignoring it only creates more anxiety. Try to focus on what you care for, and let that drive your actions as you find your way through this uncertain time.