Andrew Bernstein on Stress: Parts 3-4

In this multipart series, Andrew Bernstein, author of The Myth of Stress, presents to CrossFit athletes and coaches his process of dealing with stress.

In Part 3, Bernstein addresses stress over traffic jams. The participants apply his worksheet to the issue.

“The behaviors don’t come out of nowhere. They come from how you’re feeling,” Bernstein says. “And the feelings don’t come from nowhere. The feelings come from what you think. So the worksheet just maps out: here’s a thought. Here’s how strongly I believe it. Here’s what it results in and my emotions and my behaviors.”

In Part 4, Bernstein continues to get to the roots of stress. The participants reverse the statement, “There shouldn’t be any traffic,” to understand why there actually should be traffic. According to Bernstein, instead of justifying or rationalizing the problem, the point is to get honest and see the truth.

“The shape of stress is always this contraction away from reality, and what we want to do is uncurl that and restore our mind so that we can be back in the real world,” Bernstein says.

Part 3
11min 33sec

Part 4
9min 19sec

Additional reading: The Mental Marksman by Tes Salb, published Dec. 1, 2007.

Kate Hudson Adriana Lima Brittany Daniel Kate Moss