Make stress my friend? Sounds weird doesn’t it…

Great pre-reading for this is the blogs on the nervous and endocrine system.
For the next few minutes though, we will be looking at the skill of befriending. Befriending in this context means to work with, communicate with, be at ease with and to welcome the concept of stress in our lives. When we do the opposite of this, with something painful or uncomfortable such as stress, the result is actually worse as the situation doesn’t change and the suffering is increased through fighting what already exists. Avoiding or fighting stress only makes it worse! The stress or the thing that is causing the stress doesn’t just go away.

So, we can change the way we think about stress.

Remember that your body has states of stress (fight, flight, freeze or withdraw) for a reason.
Your body is trying to send you a message to ultimately keep you safe.
If we didn’t have stress it would be really challenging to be alert or reach a goal.
Remember that stress is temporary.
Remember a time you were really stressed. Are you still feeling stressed about that now? If yes, are you still experiencing the same intensity of stress?
Stress is vital for a healthy life. It is the ability to move between states of stress and relaxation that brings balance to a human.
Understand there is likely a valid reason for this stress.
Remember that not everyone who experiences the same stressful event responds in the same way. You have control over how you respond. You don’t need to react.

So, what can you do?

Find ways to helpfully deal with stress like reaching out to others or supporting others.
So now can take a different perspective and use our newfound awareness to be curious. Is stress a physical feeling? Is it an emotional feeling? Is it a story in your mind? Is it a combination of all three and if so, which one starts it all off? If you take the time to get to know stress (through the application of mindfulness), it can start to look like a different beast altogether.
Discharge the physical sensations of stress safely – go for a brisk walk.
Chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort. And so, go after what it is that creates meaning in your life and then trust yourself to handle the stress that follows.
Use affirmations “I release this energy of stress and replace it with self-compassion and trust”.

In fact, strange as it may sound, stress might even turn out to be your friend. You may welcome stress with open arms. After all, stress has gotten you to this moment today.

Interestingly, people that believe stress can kill die at a much higher rate; yet people who are under more stress, but don't believe or know about its "negative" effects are actually healthier and more likely to live long happy lives.

References:
https://medium.com/@moniquemalcolmhay/4-ways-to-make-stress-your-friend-7e58fcd7058e
https://www.headspace.com/articles/how-to-befriend-your-stress
https://blog.deliveringhappiness.com/blog/making-stress-friend-3-things-know