The Biology of Courage and Resilience

Would you rather have bad news by text or phone call? I think text. It gives you a minute to collect your thoughts. Well maybe not a minute but at least a second or two. I got a text this morning that took my breath away. The irony of the whole situation was stunning. She had just gotten engaged, finally reaching a place of contentment she had been waiting for, for so long… and then the news that she had cancer. What do you say? What are the words? Well, there aren't any. Only tears.

My mind immediately flashed back to the day I got the news and all the conflicting emotions that flood your heart and mind. It's funny how people react to bad news so differently. It doesn't say a thing about their spirituality at all. Whether they break down hysterically, close down stoically or something inbetween, it's just a fascinating response, unpredictable until you are there yourself.

I absolutely love this video my daughter pointed out to me. Viewing my body's response to stress as a God-given way to find courage and resilience is very motivating. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html

Notes from the video:

It's been said that stress can kill you. An interesting study found that people who experienced a lot of stress but did not view stress as harmful weren't negatively affected by it. When you change your mind about stress you can change your body's response to stress, helping you cope more effectively.

If you think, “This is my body helping me rise to this challenge,” your body believes your mind and you feel better even though you are experiencing stress.

Stress makes you social. Oxytocin, called the cuddle hormone because you experience it when you cuddle with someone, is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps keep your blood vessels relaxed. It helps heart cells regenerate and return to a healthy state. The pituitary gland pumps it out as part of the stress response. This hormone causes us to become more compassionate and caring. It is motivating you to seek support from others, nudging you to tell someone how you feel. Your stress response is designed to get yourself surrounded by people who support you.

Service to others decreases your stress. Caring creates resilience. When you reach out to others when you are under stress you release more of this hormone and you actually recover faster.

When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. When you choose to connect with others under stress you can create resilience. You're saying you can trust yourself to handle life's challenges and you can remember that you don't have to face them alone.

When making a decision about what profession to choose think of this: Chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort. Go after what creates meaning in your life and then trust yourself to handle the stress that follows.