The Upside of Stress Summary

Summary of The Upside of Stress Book by Kelly McGonigal

Name: The Upside of Stress
Rating: 4.6 (1014 reviews)
Author: Kelly McGonigal

4.6 . 1014 reviews

Short summary

Over the years, we've been made to believe that stress is the harmful factor responsible for countless health problems, relationship troubles, unhappiness, and anxiety. We've seen it as something that must be avoided at all costs. But what if seeing stress in a new light could actually make you healthier, happier, and better able to reach your goals? In “The Upside of Stress,” health psychologist Dr Kelly McGonigal reveals the new science of stress, showing that by embracing stress and changing your thinking, your stress response could become your most powerful ally. In this summary, you will learn how to handle stress better, focus your energy, and improve your health and resilience.

13 min

7 key points

5 insights

Try Headway app

Table of content

Summary of The Upside of Stress
About the author
What is The Upside of Stress about?
Who should read The Upside of Stress
Topics in The Upside of Stress

first key point

How you view stress will determine its impact on your health

Listen the first key point

00:00

The majority believe that stress is toxic and should be avoided, reduced, and managed. We're told by psychologists, doctors, and scientists that stress makes us sick. That it increases our risk of everything from the common cold to heart disease, depression, and addiction; and that it kills brain cells, damages DNA, and promotes aging.

With all the bad rep it gets, however, it turns out that stress is harmful only when you believe it is. In 1998, researchers asked 30,000 Americans how much stress they had experienced in the past year. They were also asked if they believed stress is harmful to their health.

8 years later, the researchers scoured public records to find out who among the 30,000 participants had died. They discovered that high levels of stress increased the risk of dying by 43%. However, that increased risk applied only to people who also believed that stress was harming their health.

Conversely, people who reported high levels of stress but didn't deem their stress as harmful were not more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study, even lower than those who reported experiencing very little stress. This led the researchers to conclude that the main thing killing people wasn't stress. It was the combination of stress and the belief that stress is harmful.

How you think about stress has a great influence on your health, happiness, and success.

Your stress mindset shapes everything from the emotions you feel during a stressful situation to the way you cope with stressful events. In effect, that can determine whether you thrive under stress or end up burned out and depressed.

Fortunately, even if you are firmly convinced that stress is harmful, you can still cultivate a mindset that helps you thrive. You will learn how in the following chapters of this summary.

second key point

The stress paradox: happy lives do not mean stress-free, nor does a stress-free life guarantee happiness

From 2005 to 2006, in a bid to estimate how stress influences public health, national happiness, and the economy, researchers asked over 125,000 people from 121 countries one question: “Did you feel a great deal of stress yesterday?”

Continue reading with Headway app

Full summary is waiting for you in the app

third key point

Stressful circumstances awaken our innate instinct to make sense out of suffering

fourth key point

People who spend their lives avoiding stress end up in a downward spiral

fifth key point

Instead of trying to calm yourself in stressful situations, embrace the anxiety and turn it into excitement

sixth key point

Turn adversity into a resource by seeing the upside of every stressful situation

seventh key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on Amazon Continue the summary

What is The Upside of Stress about?

In this insightful book, the author challenges the conventional belief that stress is always harmful. Kelly McGonigal explores the positive aspects of stress and provides evidence-backed strategies to harness its power. Through engaging stories and scientific research, she reveals how stress can enhance resilience, motivation, and personal growth. With practical advice and empowering techniques, this book offers a fresh perspective on stress, encouraging readers to embrace it and transform their relationship with it.

Who should read The Upside of Stress

Individuals seeking to understand the positive aspects of stress.
Professionals looking to improve their stress management skills.
Anyone interested in exploring the relationship between stress and well-being.

Topics in The Upside of Stress

Stress Management Psychology Self-Help Health Personal Development Mindfulness Resilience Positive Thinking Mental Health Self-Care Wellness Overcoming Adversity

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day

5 min/day

10 min/day

15 min/day

20 min/day

30 min/day

45 min/day

4 titles/month

10 titles/month

20 titles/month

30 titles/month

40 titles/month

60 titles/month

90 titles/month

4 titles/month

10 titles/month

20 titles/month

30 titles/month

40 titles/month

60 titles/month

90 titles/month

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

sandypantalones

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

Carol Slinker

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

Fuse Henry

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

sleepy sprite

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

JuicyBaby328

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

Jillian Emmert

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

Fiamma

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

Epic waters

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

kathytaveras

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

anita yadav

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

Feninda Amalia

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923

Have questions?

Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals

Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment

Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment

What are the benefits of books summary?

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.