Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
00:00
00:00
Duration
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, welcome back to
your Daily Mindfulness.
In today's session, I'm going to
share two different kinds of stress.
So a common narrative is that stress
is bad, but this is simplistic.
Chances are, you've probably seen when
stress has served you in a positive way.
Maybe helping you to meet a deadline,
maybe telling you when you need
to change something in your life,
maybe providing a little extra
motivation to accomplish something.
So we all have stories of
when stress has served us.
We all also have stories of when
stress has not served us, when it's
been too overwhelming, maybe to
the point of being debilitating.
So this is where we can start to
see two different kinds of stress.
There's use stress and
then there's distress.
Use stress can be helpful.
It can be enough stress that
we have some motivation for our
growth or to accomplish something.
And use stress is within our tolerance.
It's something that we can
hold internally without feeling
like it's too overwhelming.
It can also be a form of
a cognitive enhancement.
It can make us a little sharper.
Distress is stress that
is too overwhelming.
It's holding us back.
There's too much activation
in our nervous system.
This is when the stress
that you're feeling is not
allowing you to think straight.
It's causing you to maybe feel irrational
in relationship to what's coming up.
Too much fear, and you're
not able to do something that
is a, a daily task of yours.
So use stress versus distress.
Usestress is essentially when the energy
provided is proportionate to what is.
So stress is a form of energy in the body.
And so when that energy is proportionate
to what is needed in the moment.
So if you think of needing to,
let's say, work on a paper, you have
a deadline, you need some energy
to get sitting down, typing at
your computer, thinking about it.
A little bit of stress and
activation can serve us there.
But if we're feeling too
stressed, I don't know what to do.
I don't know what to say.
I don't know where to start.
All of that activation can actually
prevent us from being able to do anything.
And then instead we, we
distract ourselves, or we take
a nap, something to avoid it.
That's when we go into the category
of distress, when the energy
feels excessive and unusable.
So the main takeaway for today
is just to recognize that there
are these two different kinds of
stress: use stress and distress.
And being aware of that throughout
the day can be helpful for you.
One, to just have the self-awareness of
like, oh, this is a, I am feeling some
stress, but it's a healthy form of stress
that's serving me, or I'm feeling some
stress and I think it's an indication
of I need to take a break, put up some
boundaries, practice some self-care.
Just that awareness can help you
be more intentional in relationship
to what's arising in your life.
Thank you for your practice.
Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.