Why is it that some people are energised and flourish in the midst of stressful situations while others are depleted and fall ill as a result of these experiences?
Research conducted by Suzanne Kobasa and her colleagues found no evidence of a connection between stressful life events and physical illness but found a strong correlation between physical health and certain attitudes and beliefs held by people experiencing stress. In other words, the beliefs and thoughts that people held in relation to their experience was what made the difference between health and illness.
Kobassa came up with the term stress hardiness to describe the qualities of individuals who manage stress without any adverse health effects. She identifies three important elements that are crucial to stress hardiness: Commitment, control, and challenge.
1) Commitment
This refers to our resolution to commit to a course of action and follow it through to conclusion regardless of what obstacles may arise. It is through constructing important and meaningful goals and breaking the process down into small chunks – taking action – until we reach that goal, that we master the first component of stress hardiness.
2) Control
Two of the main elements that work together to create the perception of stress are feelings of uncertainty and lack of control. Life is uncertain and large parts of life are beyond our control but by cultivating the inner locus of control we can ease a lot of our anxiety around uncertainty and stressful situations.
This begins with focusing on what we can control in our situation and directing our energy and focus towards what lies within our control rather than those forces that are beyond our control. This might begin with the question ‘What can I do right now to improve this situation in some way?’
3) Challenge
When we re-frame a stressor as a challenge and an opportunity to grow instead of something to be dreaded or simply endured, we open up the possibility of transforming our perception of a situation.
Generally, when we face a difficult or stressful situation we feel threatened which activates the ‘avoiding harms’ machinery within the brain. However, if we can change the way we look at the situation and re-interpret the challenge as an opportunity, we switch on the ‘approaching rewards’ part of the brain which will help energise and motivate us by associating the situation with pleasure. As a result, we feel less threatened, therefore less stressed.
Luckily, the three elements of stress hardiness outlined above can be cultivated and developed through practice. This process involves changing our perceptions and creating new habits of mind around a situation. This can be difficult and can take time to establish as our new natural way of responding but these new ways of approaching adversity hold the power to transform our experience of stressful situations.