THE STRESS

PROOF BRAIN
Master Your Emotional Response to Stress
Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity

Melanie Greenberg
MEMORIZATION BOOKLET
 WHY YOU NEED TO FILL OUT THIS BOOKLET!

Theory is useless compared to action.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
This booklet is what will separate you from
1. Problems are inevitable. Stress is a part of your
everyone else.
daily life. But knowing how to quickly turn from ru-
mination to problem solving will give you a compet-
The science is unequivocal: Learning science itive edge at work.
has shown that retention increases dramat-
ically when new information is immediately 2. In business and in life, you must learn how to dif-
recalled (verbally or via writing), as well as ferentiate between actual danger and perceived dan-
ger; without this skill, you’ll be susceptible to outside
when it is practically applied to your life.
stimuli.

3. Your physical and cognitive health depends on it.

NOW WHAT? Studies show that stress leads to countless physical
ailments which will diminish your ability to perform
Watch the video online or on your USB Flash optimally.
Drive.

Pause the video as needed to fill out the

booklet.

Don’t worry about finishing all at once. Stop.

Start. Come back. It’s all up to you.

Apply the techniques discussed in the book-

let to your life.

Notice the results. Then double down on

what especially works for you. Improve your
career.

NOTE

You do NOT need to read The Stress-

Proof Brain to learn and apply its key
points. You should read it, but you don’t
have to.

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 BIG IDEA #1. CALM THE AMYGDALA

REACTION TO STRESS SO WHAT IF I’M STRESSED?

Your brain’s reaction to stress is ancient and there- Stress causes overeating, high blood pressure, cardi-
fore antiquated. ac arrest, and most importantly—interferes with our
ability to perform optimally when at work. If you’re
The amygdala, your alarm center, has a tendency ruminating about some small incident that happened
to overreact. It’s job was once to spot potential yesterday or fearful of a conversation that hasn’t
life-threatening dangers, and although this is import- even happened yet—you’re not focused on what you
ant if necessary—it is often unnecessary. need to be focused on—which is your next task at
hand.
The result is that we live in a near-never-ending state
of unnecessarily high arousal.

Difficult conversation at work?

Board meeting?
Sales call?
Breakup?

These are all difficult situations, but certainly not life

threatening.

Therefore we need to learn how to allow our Pre-

frontal Cortex (think CEO) to take over. This part
of our brain is ultimately in charge. It takes in the
information, organizes, and then judges it. The trick,
then, is to train our thinking brain to be in control of
our reactive brain.

“By observing your judging mind, you can avoid au-

tomatically buying into these negative judgments...
This transforms your experience of stress by taking
the terror and panic out of it.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

PRACTICE
MEASURING YOUR LEVEL OF STRESS

For each item, cross the number that best represents your answer, where:
0 : Never;
1: Ocasionally or almost never;
2: Sometimes;
3: Fairly often;
4:Very often.

IN THE PAST MONTH, HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU:

Been upset because of an unexpected event or frustration? 0 1 2 3 4

Believed that you couldn’t control important life outcomes? 0 1 2 3 4

Felt “on edge” and “stressed out”? 0 1 2 3 4

Belived that things weren’t going your way? 0 1 2 3 4

Belived that you had more to handle that you could deal with? 0 1 2 3 4

Felt irritable and impatient about small things? 0 1 2 3 4

Felt your heart racing or butterflies in your stomach? 0 1 2 3 4

Been unable to sleep because of your worries? 0 1 2 3 4

Felt anxious when you woke up in the morning? 0 1 2 3 4

Had difficulty concentrating because of your problems? 0 1 2 3 4

NOW LOOK AT YOUR RESULTS. DO YOU SEEM CURRENTLY STRESSED?

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 BIG IDEA #2: WHAT’S REALLY THE PROBLEM?

CRONIC STRESSORS AKNOWLEDGE

There are many different types of stressors, though Either way—the best way of dealing with these
they generally fall into two categories: chronic or stressors is to first acknowledge that they are hap-
acute. pening. Without a firm understanding of what is ac-
tually the problem, it is impossible to activate a rea-
Chronic stressors are: sonable solution.

Changes in a stage in your life.

Major life events like job loss, marriage, or death.
Unhappy marriage or relationship.
Abuse.
Loneliness
Daily Hassles include:
Traffic delays.
Equipment problems.
Household chores.
Demands with family.
Work.

“When outcomes are uncertain, most of us spend a

great deal of energy ruminating, worrying, and sec-
ond-guessing ourselves. Not only is this a waste of
time, but it makes us less likely to succeed”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION QUESTION

What chronically stresses you out? Now pick one of the above. Is there a solution to
List the biggest three: this chronic stressor? What can you do to either ac-
cept it, or change it?
EXAMPLE: I was brought up an incredibly poor
house, which has caused me to worry about losing EXAMPLE: It’s very possible that I already have
money. Nearly every day I worry about pinching my enough saved in case of an emergency. To deal with
pennies, constantly saving in case of a catastrophe. the problem, I could then automate a savings account
whereby every month I save enough to feel satisfied.
This always stresses me out because… Then all the extra money I can spend on whatever
I want…

QUESTION NOTE: This awareness is the

first step toward facing your
stress. When you feel stress,
What are you stressed out about right now? What
happened today that stressed you out?

EXAMPLE: I lost a client today. It wasn’t a big client

acknowledge it, decide which
but it feels terrible to… type of stress it is, name it, and
then face it.

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 BIG IDEA #3: GROUND YOURSELF

CRONIC STRESSORS KEYS TO MINDFULNESS

One of the most effective ways of getting over stress Here are the keys to being mindful:
is to practice mindfulness.
Take an observer’s stance.
Scientific studies show that a practice of 10 minutes Do not judge your situation.
of meditation every day will massively increase your Slow down. Do not be so rushed to do the next
ability to observe stress rather than react to it. thing. Breathe slowly. Eat slowly.
Focus on the present moment.
Try it out. Pick a safe space and a specific time that Look around you. See. Hear. Smell.
you can always come back to. Pay attention to your Replace fear with curiosity.
breath. Feel where a particular stress lives in your
body, and breathe into it. This will calm you down in What can you learn by facing this stressor?
no time. Be instead of do.
Exist in the world for a moment.
The key here is not to immediately and wildly react
to your surroundings.You should be in control. This will calm down your amygdala.

“The skill of mindfulness allows you to remain

grounded in the present moment even when you
face difficult stressors, so that your stressful feelings
feel more manageable..”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION QUESTION

How mindful are you on scale of 1 – 10? Are you When is a good time for you to take 10 minutes out
aware of your surroundings or do you act on im- of your day to train your mind with meditation?
pulse and auto-pilot?

HOW MINDFUL ARE YOU?

NOT AT ALL SUPREMELY

ACTIVITY

Try it now. Get comfortable. Close your eyes. Count

your breath for 10 minutes. How did that feel?

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 BIG IDEA #4: FACE THEN CONQUER

BE LOVE

Before we are able to build a stress-proof brain, we

first must become experts at viewing our emotions
rather than feeling them.

This does not mean that you should be a robot.

Emotions come in handy at times, especially ones
like love and empathy. But there’s a difference be-
tween letting your emotions overtake you and your
emotions forcefully overtaking you.

If you want to feel love and compassion and ex-

citement—then so be it. Let it flow. But you’re in
charge. Choose to choose.

“Work with “what is” rather than “what if” and

you will move towards “what can be.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION QUESTION

When you’re feeling stressed, which of the following What else can you do to calm yourself when in the
can you use to ground yourself? face of stressor?

EXAMPLE: I enjoy going on long runs. I could do this

Imagine yourself as a connection between the sun whenever I feel stressed out.
and the Earth.
Take off your shoes and walk slowly around the
room.
Imagine yourself as a tree. Stretch your arms up to
the sky.
Rock from one foot to the other. Feel your feet
against the ground. Feel gravity’s pull.
Describe three things in the room.
Breathe in for a count of four, hold your breath for NOTE: You must have a plan
of attack. When you feel a
four, and then pause for a count of four. Repeat.
Imagine yourself in nature. Observe the scene.
Drink a cup of coffee or tea very slowly. Notice the
stressor—observe it, acknowl-
texture and taste and smell of the drink. edge it, categorize it, name it,
Smell lavender or peppermint. and then consciously act in
Draw or paint or color or write in a journal. order to suppress it.
Pet an animal.
Do a small organizational task. Clean up a space.
Take a warm bath or shower.
Read poetry. Read fiction.
Listen to soothing music.
Go for a walk.
Do a jigsaw puzzle.

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 BIG IDEA #5: YOU ARE IN CONTROL

YOU CAN RELAX BELIEVE

In order to deal with stress effectively, you must Ultimately, you must first BELIEVE that you have
practice being in control. It is not necessarily going control over your stress before you’ll ever actually
to be easy at first. Your animal brain is powerful—it have control.
uses hormones to its advantage.

But with time, and practice, you can overcome your

stress response.

Beyond what we’ve already discussed, a great way of

tricking your brain into believing it is in control, is to
tell yourself mantras like:

“We’ve Got This.”

“You can relax.”
“This is exciting.”
“I’m going to grow from this experience.”

“By inspiring and healing others, you inspire and

heal yourself.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION

What’s a stressful situation you’re facing?

On a scale of 1 – 10, rate your level of confidence in your ability to manage the situation.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU?

NOT AT ALL VERY CONFIDENT

QUESTION

Why do you believe that you can or can’t manage Can you apply any of these qualities, efforts, or skills
this situation successfully? in your current situation?

Have you faced any major stress, trauma, or adver- Have you faced the same type of situation before? If
sity in your life? If so, what skills, efforts, or personal so, how did you get through it?
qualities helped you to get through it?

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 BIG IDEA #6: SELF-COMPASSION

FORGIVE YOURSELF

Much of our stress comes from a lack of self-com-

passion. It’s good to put pressure on yourself, you
want to perform to the best of your ability in all
facets of life, but you also must forgive yourself when
you make an error.

Ruminating on a past mistake does nothing beneficial

for your present state.

This often takes the form of guilt and perfectionism.

Instead of battering yourself with constant self-be-
rating thoughts and emotions, forgive yourself and
then ask—“How can I improve so this doesn’t hap-
pen again?”

“Replace fear of your own inner experience with a

curious, gentle, welcoming attitude—free of judg-
ment, self-blame, and aversion.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

ACTIVITY QUESTION

List 5 things you feel guilty for right now? Pick one. Is there something you could have done
differently to change what happened?
Example: I feel guilty for having failed in my last busi-
ness endeavor. EXAMPLE:The biggest issue is that I raised too much
money without knowing whether or not the market
would buy my product.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Does ruminating on this have any positive effect on

your present life?

YES NO

Now use this for the future. What can you do next
time to not let this happen?
EXAMPLE: Of course! In my current business, I’m
obsessed with testing to make sure we’re not spend-
ing money on useless theory.

NOTE: This is using your mis-

takes to your advantage rath-
er than letting them stress you
out.

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 BIG IDEA #7: BECOMING COGNITIVELY
FLEXIBLE

FORGIVE YOURSELF

The most important reason you must learn how to

deal with and ultimately eliminate stress, is for the
NOTE: 99% of what could po-
sake of your productivity. tentially stress you out is NOT
When you are on task, be it at work or in your per- a catastrophe. Your amygdala
sonal life, mindlessly ruminating on another stressor
leaves very little room for you to be present (and has a very difficult time dis-
productive) with the work you’re currently complet-
ing.
tinguishing between an insig-
nificant stressor (traffic, for
Ask yourself this question—does this stressor have
any positive effect on my life? Or is it simply distract- example) and a serious stress-
ing me?
or (earthquake). Which is
where your prefrontal cortex
comes in.

“Your experiences may have led you to faulty or un-

realistic assumptions about how the world works
or to stick rigidly to one way of reacting, without
realizing that you need a whole toolbox of coping
strategies for different situations.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

ACTIVITY

These are the common thinking traps that disallow OVERTHINKING AND SECOND-GUESSING: Do
us to focus on what really matters: you find yourself second-guessing yourself due to
past occurrences?
BLACK AND WHITE THINKING: Do you often put
events into two categories: great or terrible? YES NO
YES NO UNHELPFUL COMPARISONS: Do you compare
yourself to others?
EMOTIONAL REASONING: Do you assume some-
thing is true just because it FEELS true? YES NO
YES NO
TUNNEL VISION: Do your stressors create a tunnel Which of the above are you most susceptible to?
vision, where you are unable to focus on anything How can you combat this way of thinking? Brain-
else? storm three ways.
YES NO EXAMPLE: I compare myself to others on a near
constant basis. To combat this I can remind myself
WISHFUL THINKING: Do you organize your life that everyone is human, that everyone has their own
around what you HOPE will happen rather than re- problems. My perception of their life is different than
ality? its reality.
YES NO
PERSONALIZING: Do you take outside stressors 1.
too personally? Is everything about you?
2.
YES NO
3.
BLAMING YOURSELF: Do you blame yourself for
events that have nothing to do with you?
YES NO
GUILT AND REGRET: Do you often feel guilty or
regret occurrences from your faraway past?
YES NO
PESSIMISM: Do you allow a stressor to become a
larger problem? Thinking pessimistically about ev-
erything in your life?
YES NO

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION

Pick one. Is there something you could have done

differently to change what happened?
EXAMPLE:The biggest issue is that I raised too much
money without knowing whether or not the market
would buy my product.

Does ruminating on this have any positive effect on

your present life?

YES NO

Now use this for the future. What can you do next
time to not let this happen?
EXAMPLE: Of course! In my current business, I’m
obsessed with testing to make sure we’re not spend-
ing money on useless theory.

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 BIG IDEA #8: ABUNDANCE

YOUR ANIMAL BRAIN SOLUTION TRICKS

In the jungle, on the plains, under the trees—yes Easy ways to get over this include:
there was only a finite amount of food and shelter.
Though modern society (luckily) has dealt us an in- Focus on what you have, not on what you lack.
credible hand. Clarify your priorities and focus on them.
Avoid distractions.
No longer must we worry about whether or not Take reasonable risks.
we’re going to die of starvation. Do something a little out of the ordinary. This tricks
your brain into thinking that everything is safe again.
Though, once again, our animal brain is quick to as- Focus on your long-term goals.
sume the worst.
What’s the context of this stressor? In the long run,
We call this a catastrophe mindset. Or in laymen’s it probably doesn’t matter so much.
terms—“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”
Build supportive relationships.
Be honest when you’re thinking negatively.
Good friends will give you perspective.

And above all—keep a gratitude

journal. This is the easiest way to re-
mind your brain of the big picture—
namely, that you’re not going to die!

“Positive emotions and mental states may make

people more resilient to stress, like sturdy tree
branches that bend but don’t break when battered
by a storm”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION ACTIVITY

Feel your current biggest stressor. What is it? Write Buy a journal. Start a gratitude list. Every morning
it down in detail. and every night. List at least five.
EXAMPLE: Right now I’m really anxious about a job Start here until you do.
interview I have coming up. If I get the position, I’ll be
able to leverage the offer to get a higher salary at my
current job. If I can do that—it will forever change
my family’s life.

Now—write down the bigger picture. What are you

grateful for no matter how this stressor turns out?
EXAMPLE: No matter what happens with the job, I’ll
still have my family. And really—there will be other
opportunities in the future. This isn’t my ONLY op-
tion.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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 BIG IDEA #9: THE UPSIDE OF STRESS

PUSH PAST IT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

By now we know the problems associated with Which means—we must stretch our boundaries
stress. It leads to worsened productivity, health, rela- out past where we were previously comfortable.We
tionships, and decreased performance. must expand our comfort zones, daily, in order to
win.
Not dealing with stress can, ironically, have a cata-
strophic effect on your life. But how do we know if we’re improving? An incred-
ible indicator is stress. If you’re scared of something,
Though stress is not always a bad thing. or stressed out due to a theoretical difficult future—
then this means that you should probably attack this

REMEMBER: in order for us to

problem!

improve our stations in life, to

create greater wealth, or suc-
ceed in business—we must al-
ways be improving. It’s import-
ant to constantly push past our
fears in order to be better at
our skill or craft.

“You can believe that stress will sap your energy

and damage your health, or you can believe that
stress presents a growth and learning opportunity.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION

What’s an activity that you were once scared of do- How can you take this concept and apply it to your
ing (i.e. was once a stressor), that now you view as current fears?
normal or ordinary?
EXAMPLE: Presently I get stressed out about going
EXAMPLE: I used to be incredibly stressed out by on first dates. I’m happy with my career but my per-
public speaking, but now I’m a teacher and therefore sonal life is dragging. What I did with public speak-
have to speak in front of large groups all the time! ing is I just dove head first into it—and eventually
I got used to it. Applying this, it would make sense
if I went to a speed-dating meet up and just got it
out of the way.

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 BIG IDEA #10: THE MAGIC PILL

EXERCISE

Exercise is the magic pill of If there exists a formula for dealing with stress, it
would be:
stress, and even depression.
The research is unequivocal—working out to the
point of stress, 3 -5 days a week, simultaneously de-
creases stress and increases brain function.
Exercise
+
Mindfulness
+
Growth Mindset
=
Calm

“Regular exercise is an important part of any

stress-management routine. It can help protect you
from depression and lesson your health risk due to
chronic stress.”

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 APPLICATION TO LIFE

QUESTION

How often do you exercise? What’s your new plan for improving your exercise
routine?
EXAMPLE: Not at all…
EXAMPLE: I’m going to join a kickball league. It’ll
help me with exercise as well as allow me to join a
new community…

What’s your favorite exercise or sporting activity?

EXAMPLE: I enjoy baseball.

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APPLICATION TO LIFE

ACTIVITY CHART

HOW WILL THIS HELP ME RELEASE

ACTIVITY TIME
STRESS?

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

You’ve done it!

Now go and enjoy your new mindful life.

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MY OWN NOTES

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MY OWN NOTES

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MY OWN NOTES

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MY OWN NOTES

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MY OWN NOTES

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