We love stress and that’s a good thing. If that comment sounds strange, it’s because most people fear and loathe stress despite such a large percentage of our global population suffering from overwork and lack of sleep. Getting a lack of sleep as a result of stress turns into a vicious cycle, as lack of sleep makes people feel more anxious and stressed. Sometime it seems there is no escape, so many sufferers turn to cannabis-based products such as candy kush to help ease their symptoms. Watch Kelly McGonigal’s Ted Talk, however, and you start to get a very different picture of stress. Although during stressful situations, many will turn to Dispensaries in MA or others close by, she talks about how to make stress your friend, and once you’ve heard her arguments you too will be convinced that you’ve been thinking of stress the wrong way around.

Go to any conference and you’ll be sure to find a couple of stress balls among the logo pens, and you’d be forgiven for thinking these are the solution to your aches and pains. You’re half way right. Studies have shown stress balls to be a healthy way to alleviate some of your body’s pressures, but this article along with Mrs. McGonigal’s talk aim to show you there is another entirely different way to think of the pressures brought on by stress.

Let’s start off with some background

Who is Kelly McGonigal, and why is she talking about stress? Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist who translates academic research into practical strategies for success and happiness. For years, she advised her patients, as so many other psychologists have done, to steer clear of stress and treat it as a foe. What she has discovered though, is quite the opposite; stress can be extremely healthy and in her talk she explains how.

The research

A study was conducted at Harvard University and this is how it worked. Participants were put through a stress test in which they had to tell a panel of critics their weaknesses. Bright lights were shone on them and cameras put them in the limelight. The critics were instructed to give them negative, nonverbal feedback, and next a maths test. The researchers observed increased heart rates and sweat. And now for the interesting part, participants who were told that stress was healthy remained calm and were able to perform better. This doesn’t come a surprise to many people who self-remedy their stress at home, as they believe it’s a part of everyday life. From cannabis products (like those you can get via https://www.smokersvice.com/collections/dab-rigs) to meditation, many people believe that stress is healthy and easily treated from home.

So for the big revelation: stress increases your heart rate because your body is pumping more oxygen to the brain in order to help you function faster in difficult situations. Those who accept stress and understand its benefits are healthier and are 40% more likely to live longer than those who see stress as the enemy.