Right now across athletes, leaders, employees, parents - many folks are overwhelmed and struggling. Between a return to the office, school, financial uncertainty, global unrest, training, and more, you may find yourself in a state of anxiety, descent, or even apathy. You are STRESSED. Today, we explore this word, STRESS, and unpack the pros and cons. We want to ensure you have an empowering attitude and mindset with the word so that you can build a toolbox that will help you not just cope with times of strain and high stress, but to leverage the situation for your own development and growth. Matt discusses: The definition and origin of the word, "stress," including whether or not it is a BAD and harmful thing, as common perceptions dictate. A few case studies which will display how a practical approach to stressful times can build your capacity to grow and develop Stress through the lens of coaching and athletic development I place a training demand onto an athlete (discomfort and challenge) from which physiological adaptations should occur (muscle growth, fitness gains), facilitating performance improvements. Why our body isn't adept at discerning between work/life stress and athletic stress. Stress is stress is stress. If you have a demanding work and family schedule, and are adding systemic stress to your body through poor sleep, rest, and nutritional habits and THEN dump an unsustainable exercise and training regime on top of these accumulated stressors, the result will be so much amplified stress that you may be ill-equipped to adapt. The role of an athlete’s journey which can be utilized as the backbone to build you or your team's approach to enable development into a highly moldable and anti-fragile adaptation machine. How to shift your lens to see stress as a challenge and not as something to be avoided at all cost The stark truth is that stress is the common thread of improvement in anything you care about pursuing. These symptoms we associate with stressful situations can be helpful, if not critical, to your performance.  So where does that leave us? Stress is a complex phenomenon. Stressful situations are seldom pleasant to navigate, but they are also the key ingredients for you to grow, develop, and improve - no matter your quest. By leaning into the stress, you are equipping yourself with an opportunity to grow and thrive within a challenging environment. The positive relationship to stress does not make life easier, it doesn't make the adversity disappear or shrink, but it can provide a physiological robustness to help the participants emerge stronger.  Episode Timestamps 0:00-04:52 Episode Introduction 04:52-10:05 Matt’s Picks and What’s Going On Explore the Purple Patch Blog - Free Training Resources and Education Turn Stress into an Advantage Huberman Labs with Alia Crum - Episode and Resources Dr. Alia Crum Published Work Purple Patch Website and Newsletter 10:15 - 15:20 Word of the Week - Capacity 15:30- The Meat and Potatoes - Stress is NOT a Dirty Word Purple Patch and Episode Resources This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch- Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20 Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program Join Bike Squad - Don’t just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running Purple Patch Training Camps - Education, Skills, Community Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming Purple Patch Swim Analysis Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events