“That pounding heart is preparing you for action. If you’re breathing faster, it’s no problem. It’s getting more oxygen to your brain.”
– Kelly McGonigal PhD

Welcome to O Week! This week may be marking the return to studies after the break or the very beginning of your time at Curtin. Either way, it’s exciting. But amongst the excitement, we also know that between finding classes, making friends, looming deadlines and balancing all things that are life… Stress is going to creep in.

The fortunate thing is that stress is often something that propels us into action. So rather than avoiding it (which is close to impossible), it’s worth embracing stress to make it work for you. You’ll form great habits for your course, your career and life in general.

Health psychologist, Kelly McGonigal (Stanford professor and bestselling author) has spent her career teaching stress avoidance techniques. But in her research-based book, The Upside of Stress, she explains her change of heart:

“The latest science reveals that stress can make you smarter, stronger and more successful. It helps you learn and develop. It can even inspire courage and compassion.”

We gathered some of the best online resources to help you befriend stress:

• Spend 15 minutes watching Kelly’s TED Talk and learn why stress is great for us
• Check out this Stanford University magazine article and see what other experts are saying about stress
• Discover some simple steps to help you change how you think about stress

The countdown’s on for Semester II, all the best!