Description

Psychologist Kelly McGonigal discusses the differences between a threat response to stress (often known as fight or flight) and a challenge response.  While a threat response has negative effects, there are actually a lot of benefits to engaging stress with a challenge response instead.  McGonigal further provides one way that we can shift our responses to stress in order to take advantage of these benefits.

Discussion Questions

• What is a threat response too stress?  How is it different from the challenge response?
• What are the short term benefits of the challenge response?
• How can you shift from being in a threat response to a challenge response?

Keywords: stress, well being, psychology, health, anxiety, challenges, life skills