Lección 1
How The Way You Think About Stress Changes Everything
Today’s objective is to help you identify your current mindset about stress and understand why your beliefs influence how you experience it.
The theory for this section states that how you think about stress shapes how your body and mind respond to it.
References:
Alia Crum. Rethinking Stress. The Role of Mindsets in Determining the Stress Response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard University. Public Perceptions of Stress. National Survey Report. American Psychological Association. Stress in America Survey. Annual Report.
Alia Crum. Stanford University Research on Stress Mindsets. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
David Snowden. Aging with Grace. What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives. University of Kentucky. Nun Study Research on Optimism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Carol Dweck. Mindset. The New Psychology of Success.
Lección 2
How Mindsets Are Changed
In our last session, we talked about how the way you perceive stress can influence your health, performance, and overall personal development.
Today, we’ll focus on exploring how mindsets can be shifted and how short, targeted strategies can transform the way you respond to stress.
The idea behind this section is that making small, deliberate adjustments in your thought patterns can create lasting improvements in your behavior, well-being, and ability to handle challenges.
References:
Greg Walton and Geoffrey Cohen, “A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students,” Science
Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Alia Crum and Peter Salovey, “Rethinking Stress: The Role of Mindsets in Determining the Stress Response,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Ted Kaptchuk et al., “Placebos Without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” PLoS ONE
Michael Poulin et al., “Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality,” American Journal of Public Health
Geoffrey Cohen and David Sherman, “The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention,” Annual Review of Psychology
Lección 3
How Did Stress Get Such A Bad Name
In our last session, we explored how small mindset adjustments can create meaningful improvements in outcomes and performance.
Today, we’ll dive into how stress developed its negative reputation and examine whether this perception is rooted in outdated or misinterpreted research.
The concept behind this section is that our societal fear of stress stems from early animal experiments, overgeneralized conclusions, and a lack of understanding about how stress functions in humans.
References:
Hans Selye, A Syndrome Produced by Diverse Nocuous Agents, Nature
Hans Selye, The Stress of Life
Janet DiPietro et al., “Prenatal Maternal Stress and the Neurodevelopment of the Child,” Child Development
Karen Parker, “Stress Inoculation-Induced Resilience in Monkeys,” Developmental Psychobiology
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Lección 4
Understand Your Stress Response
In the last session, we delved into why stress is often viewed negatively and how outdated scientific ideas have shaped these beliefs over time.
Today, we’ll focus on learning how your body reacts to stress and how this reaction can drive better performance, stronger connections, and personal growth.
The key idea for this section is that the stress response is more than just the "fight or flight" instinct. It involves multiple systems designed to help you overcome challenges, foster relationships, and develop resilience.
References:
Markus Heinrichs et al., “Social Support and Oxytocin Interact to Suppress Cortisol and Subjective Responses to Psychosocial Stress,” Biological Psychiatry
Richard Thaler et al., “Split or Steal? Cooperative Behavior in the British Game Show Golden Balls,” Management Science
Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
Bruce S. McEwen, “Protective and Damaging Effects of Stress Mediators,” New England Journal of Medicine
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Sabine Ditzen et al., “Oxytocin Improves Heart Rate Variability and Oxytocin Interacts with Stress,” Psychoneuroendocrinology
Donald Meichenbaum, Stress Inoculation Training: A Preventive and Treatment Approach
Robert M. Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Lección 5
Bring More Meaning Into Your Life
In the last session, we explored how your body reacts to stress and discovered that stress can equip you to perform better, build stronger connections, and foster personal growth.
Today, we’ll focus on how finding meaning shapes the way you experience stress and why living a meaningful life often involves embracing more stress instead of avoiding it.
The idea for this section is that stress and meaning are closely linked. When you deeply care about something, stress tends to follow, but it’s that very pressure that adds purpose and fulfillment to your life.
References:
Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs, “The Meaningful Life as a Balanced Life,” The Journal of Positive Psychology
Netmums, “The UK’s Most Stressful Life Events” Survey
Canadian Mental Health Association, “Work-Life Balance and Stress” National Survey
Gallup, “Gallup World Poll: Global Well-Being”
University College London, “Bored to Death? Associations Between Boredom and Mortality,” International Journal of Epidemiology
Andrew Steptoe et al., “Purpose in Life and Mortality in Older Adults,” The Lancet
David Sherman and Geoffrey Cohen, “The Psychology of Self-Affirmation: Sustaining the Integrity of the Self,” Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
Geoffrey Cohen and David Sherman, “Values Affirmation Intervention and Academic Achievement,” Psychological Science
David Creswell et al., “Self-Affirmation Improves Problem-Solving Under Stress,” PLoS ONE
Lección 6
How To Stop Seeing Stress As A Threat
In the last session, we discussed how stress is often tied to what we value most, highlighting that the most meaningful aspects of life can also bring the greatest stress.
Today, we’ll focus on how to reframe stress from feeling like a threat to seeing it as a challenge, allowing you to harness it to perform at your peak.
The main idea for this section is that your interpretation of a stressful situation has a direct impact on how your body responds to it.
References:
Jim Blascovich and Wendy Mendes, Challenge and Threat: The Neurobiology of the Stress Response, Handbook of Psychophysiology
Framingham Heart Study, “Cardiovascular Reactivity and Brain Volume in Older Adults,” Stroke
Journal of Behavioral Medicine, “Challenge and Threat Appraisals Predict Metabolic Syndrome”
Jim Blascovich et al., “The Influence of Challenge and Threat States on Performance,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Richard Lazarus, Emotion and Adaptation, Oxford University Press
Lección 7
Why You Handle Stress Better When You Don't Do It Alone
In the last session, we explored how shifting our mindset can transform a threat into a challenge by rethinking how we approach and prepare for difficult situations.
Today, we’ll focus on understanding how connecting with others during stressful moments can build strength, ease fear, and foster resilience.
The core idea of this section is that seeking support during stress triggers biological systems that enhance courage and optimism.
References:
Heinrichs et al., “Social Support and Oxytocin Interact to Suppress Cortisol and Subjective Responses to Psychosocial Stress,” Biological Psychiatry
Naomi Eisenberger et al., “Neural Pathways Supporting Social Buffering of the Stress Response,” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Shelley Taylor et al., “Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, Not Fight-or-Flight,” Psychological Review
Lección 8
What Doesn’t Break Us Can Make Us Stronger
In the last session, we discussed how building connections during stressful times can transform your response, keeping you resilient, focused, and optimistic by leaning on others rather than isolating yourself.
Today, we’ll focus on understanding how overcoming past challenges can make you stronger and how current struggles can serve as opportunities for growth.
The main idea for this section is that facing moderate adversity can enhance resilience and overall well-being when you take the time to reflect, reframe, and learn from the experience.
References:
Mark Seery, “Whatever Does Not Kill Us: Cumulative Lifetime Adversity, Vulnerability, and Resilience,” Psychological Science
The Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Survey on Stressful Experiences and Personal Growth
Janet DiPietro et al., “Prenatal Maternal Stress and Infant Development,” Child Development
Lección 9
The Hidden Costs Of Avoiding Stress
In the last session, we discussed how shifting your perspective on adversity can transform even difficult experiences into opportunities for growth and resilience.
Today, we’ll focus on understanding why avoiding stress can create greater challenges in the long run and how confronting it can lead to a more fulfilling and resilient life.
The key idea of this section is that while avoiding stress may provide temporary relief, it often leads to increased risks of depression, isolation, and lost opportunities over time.
References:
The Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Studies on Stress Avoidance and Well-Being
Yuki Shimizu et al., “Avoidance of Stress and Social Disconnection,” Stress and Health
University of Zurich, “Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Avoidance,” Motivation and Emotion
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Avoidance of Stress as a Predictor of Depression,” Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Lección 10
What You’ve Learned About Stress And What To Do Next
In the last session, we examined how the act of avoiding stress can often lead to greater hardship and distance us from our goals and desires.
Today, we’ll focus on consolidating what you’ve learned to help you develop a more confident and empowering outlook on stress.
The main idea for this section is that stress isn’t inherently harmful—your mindset and response to it are what determine whether it undermines you or strengthens you.
References:
Michael Poulin et al., “Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality,” American Journal of Public Health
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Stress Generation and Depression,” Journal of Abnormal Psychology
