Prior research established that intentionally altering perceptions of stress from threatening to challenging can improve stress response.

In this study, researchers manipulated individuals’ stress mindset. Essentially they brought people’s attention to two sets of factual information: one highlighting the performance enhancing elements of stress and one highlighting the performance hindering elements of stress. Those influenced to have a stress-is-enhancing mindset showed improved stress response: increases in anabolic growth hormones, positive affect, and cognitive flexibility (which is sort of a measure of adaptability and creativity).

Expectations about stress are often a self-fulfilling prophecy.

REFERENCE — Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, stress, and coping, 30(4), 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585