We all face challenges in work and life every day. But thanks to that, we can achieve meaningful things for ourself and continue on your own development journey, right?

The media and most social networks always give the general message about how bad stress is, that it must be prevented and freed by all means.

But when stress is an unavoidable part of life, does having this attitude helpful?

Accessing a beneficial narrative view about stress can not only help you manage better with distress, but also make the most of it.

I. What is the relationship between mindset and placebo and how does it affect treatment ?

What factor contributes to the existence and survival of the “self-proclaimed” medical experts who seem to flourish on social networks? Often use big jargon, exaggerate treatment benefits, they’re  directly targeting oldest trick in human mind, the patient’s fears.

Many of “god-know-what” advertisements lack scientific basis, but are still trusted and used by many people who believe that they can cure-it-all diseases . What  is sold is mainly functional food or inert substances with absolutely no pharmacological properties.

What gives the “Placebo”  its effect up to nearly 15-72% compared to the scientific treatment (Drug Effect) is thanks to the mindset of belief. It’s all due to a “self-reaction” of the body itself, not due to what you use or drink.

We often forget that the total effect/result of a treatment (Treatment effect) of a drug or any behavior, is the combination of the chemical and pharmacological properties of that drug (Drug effect)  plus the effect belief mindset.

That is exactly what Harvard psychology professor Alia Scrum mentioned in her research on allergy desensitization drugs. In the study, both groups were treated with medication. One group in particular was constantly reminded that the treatment was working and that their bodies were getting healthier. What the study found was that, this group that adopt trust-in-treatment mindset showed less anxiety, fewer allergy symptoms, and better treatment outcomes than the other group.

When you take medication, its effects on the body are already established. The degree of effectiveness, whether strong or weak, depends on the patient’s attitude toward the medication. The belief in the therapy directs the physiological mechanisms of the brain and creates optimal conditions to adapt to this belief.

Changing Patient Mindsets about Non–Life-Threatening Symptoms During Oral Immunotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial – ScienceDirect: A BENEFICIAL NARRATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF STRESS

II. What are the downsides of the “stress is bad” mindset?

When one believes that stress is detrimental and has a negative impact, they naturally try to avoid it and create additional pressure when faced with it. For some individuals, they become more anxious when they perceive stress and unintentionally worsen their situation.

They may try various means to escape or evade it through coping behaviors. This can range from isolating themselves in a safe zone to seeking avoidance through procrastination. For instance, they might spend hours watching videos on YouTube, scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, or engaging in numerous other activities before sitting down to write an email or prepare a presentation for their boss the next day. Alternatively, they might turn to alcohol, stimulants, and use excuses to relieve stress rather than making direct progress toward their goals.

Running away from stress is only a temporary solution, and the underlying issue remains unresolved. However, running away from stress is also running away from what we truly care about, our own core values.

 Think about it, if what you are doing holds no significance for you personally, why should you stress about it? If it’s not your child, why stress when it faces difficulties at school?  imaging it ! how can we value more autonomy and able to pursue work you find meaningful if we distract ourselves the moment we face unpleasant setbacks and difficulties ? How can you be able put yourself in a better position financially if avoidance is the coping mechanism we choose ?

Stress helps us better understand what is genuinely important in life, so why try to escape or find ways to avoid it? If stress is a natural part of growth, then instead of coping with it, how can we transform it into an advantage for ourselves? How can we make it beneficial rather than letting it affect our mental and physical well-being?

II. Receiving Appropriate Mindset: How Important Is It?

In another study, this time involving female hotel cleaning staff, their daily job involved pushing cleaning carts to each room, changing bed linens, towels, and cleaning, and they worked physically strenuous shifts all day.

What was surprising is that in the initial survey, these women reported having very little exercise habits. One-third of them even admitted to not engaging in any physical activity at all. The female cleaning staff had a mindset that their daily work, despite being highly active and calorie-consuming, was just work and held no health benefits.

The study continued, randomly dividing them into two groups. One group was given guidance and informed that their current work provided similar benefits to exercise and met health guidelines. This group continued with their work, physical activities, and eating habits without any changes. After 4 weeks, the group reminded of the health benefits of their work showed a reduction in BMI, improvement in blood lipid levels, and a more significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure compared to the group not provided with similar information. The only difference was that one group received an empowering mindset about the health benefits of their daily work.

Once one realizes the positive aspect and has a useful mindset about an activity, it can yield extremely positive results.

The mindset determines the subsequent outcomes. If we view stress as a challenge to overcome rather than something negative, the brain and the body’s physiological responses will adapt better. Stress helps us focus on what truly matters and enhances concentration and information processing. Those who see stress as an opportunity for physical and overall psychological development work more efficiently. Here, we are not discussing whether stress is right or wrong, and i certainly don’t want you to create or participate in any unnecessary stress. Prolonged stress without knowing how to switch off after a while can affect sleep negatively.

However, the core point is not to celebrate stress but to separate it from negative stereotypes that the media tried to impose on it over the years.

and from there, understanding that stress can actually lead us to better outcomes.

1. How to Embrace and Change Your Mindset about Stress

Now that you understand that the overall outcome includes direct benefits from your actions (it could be cold showers, exercise, dealing with professional challenges, etc.) and your mindset towards those behaviors. That’s why adopting a suitable mindset helps you become interested in what you pursue and care about. Instead of avoiding stress by all means, next time, we can try:

1. Allow & observe your body’s responses and emotions to stress without becoming entangled in them. Using descriptive non-first person pronouns can help provide a layer of buffering without denying the emotion. Ex : Instead of saying, “I am stressed” say, ..”your Name”.. is experiencing stress”

2. It’s ok to feel this way (my go-to mantra nowsaday.) Embrace it, use it as an advantage to drive yourself towards achieving the results you desire and care about.

Reflect on whether your previous mindset that viewed stress as very bad and exhausting yourself was helpful or hindering your personal development. Is this mindset helping you accept stress as an essential part of daily life and leverage it for your own benefit?

Similarly, ask yourself, “Is my current mindset about exercising genuinely helping me at this moment?” Is your mindset about healthy eating and going to bed on time currently useful? When I eat healthier foods, do i adopt more indulgent mindset like i do with other catergories ?

See it as neutral as it should be. See it as helpful as it can be to us.