Reflect on personal values to beat stress

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Psychologists say that keeping in touch with your personal values is a good way of protecting against stress.
We all need to develop ways of coping with stress in our lives. That's not to say we should avoid it - that's impossible - but not coping can have a negative impact on physical and psychological health. Exercise, relaxation, good diet are all good ways of coping. Now a team of psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggest a further approach - being aware of your personal values.

They gave 80 volunteers standard stressful tasks - making a speech and counting back from 2,083 in steps of 13 at a rapid rate. One group was asked to identify personal values beforehand and reflect on these. These could be spiritual, political or social beliefs. The other group did not do this.

The psychologists measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and blood pressure and heart rate in all subjects after the tests. Cortisol went up in 82 per cent of controls, but in only 51 per cent of those reflecting on values. The researchers add that they now believe any kind of positive self-affirmation would work in the same way - such as thinking about an achievement or relationship that gives you pride. Reflecting in this way before going through a stressful experience could be very helpful for your long-term health.

Source
Psychological Science November 2005

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