How to build a positive “stress mindset”, with Alyson Meister

Stress is something most of us dread. Even the word itself can conjure up negative emotions, and evoke memories of long sleepless nights.

But what if stress itself was something different? What if we could turn stress into a positive force? What if we could change our stress mindset?

That, says Professor Alyson Meister, is the key to unlocking a happier, healthier, and perhaps even longer, life. Meister says that a ‘stress mindset’ is a core belief we have about the way we handle pressure; and that our mental attitude dictates how our body responds. A positive stress mindset, she says, can influence everything from the levels of cortisol in our body, to how many sick days we take in a year.

Mental health and the effects of mental health have been important to Meister from a very young age, and she says workplace wellbeing has reached a critical turning point. In her first episode of ManagementCast, she discusses how to develop a positive attitude to stress, the ways we can use threats to our advantage, and how to turn pressure into constructive energy.

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Alyson Meister is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior. She helps organizations to develop inclusive and resilient leaders, teams, and workplaces. Her research specialty includes topics surrounding identity and diversity as well as workplace stress, mental health, and wellbeing. She was named on the Thinkers50 Radar list in 2021 and subsequently nominated for a Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award.