Understanding the Difference Between Threat and Challenge Response to Stress

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Exploring the concept of stress and the difference between perceiving it as a threat or a challenge, using the analogy of a lion hunting a gazelle. The chapter highlights the significance of understanding one's stress response and proposes a mindset shift towards viewing stress as a challenge rather than a threat.

While we all want to live in a state of low stress, during certain moments, we need to learn to optimize our stress response—we need to learn to harness stress to our benefit rather than allowing it to derail us.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law says that stress and performance are positively correlated, but only up to a certain point, after which more stress reduces performance.

3 strategies for mastering stress: (1) Reframe threat into challenge; (2) Use science-backed breathing techniques to pull back from the edge; and (3) Place yourself in controlled stressful environments to train your stress response.