Practice the "see it, own it, use it" reappraisal

Crum’s framework: notice the stress (see it), acknowledge why it matters (own it), and channel it (use it).

Why it works

Suppression of stress arousal — trying to calm down — is often counterproductive: it consumes cognitive resources and signals threat. Reappraisal, by contrast, keeps the physiological arousal but changes its interpretation. Naming that the stress signals something important (owning it) and actively directing the mobilized energy (using it) converts a threat response toward a challenge response — a physiological profile associated with better performance outcomes.

How to do it

1. See it: at the first sign of stress, name it explicitly. "I am stressed right now."
2. Own it: identify why — "This matters to me because ___."
3. Use it: direct the energy. "What would ’using’ this arousal look like right now?"
4. Repeat this as a three-step inner protocol whenever significant stress arises.

Evidence

The see-it-own-it-use-it framework is Crum’s synthesized application of her stress mindset research. Arousal reappraisal research (Alison Wood Brooks) shows that reappraising anxiety as excitement improves performance under challenge conditions. Jamieson and colleagues further show that instructing people to interpret their arousal as helpful — rather than suppressing it — produces measurably better cardiovascular efficiency and cognitive performance, corroborating the "use it" step directly. (rct)

Brooks’s research specifically tests anxiety-to-excitement reappraisal; Crum’s framework is a practice synthesis from her mindset studies rather than a separately trialed protocol. Reappraisal requires genuine stakes — it does not work as well on stress that is trivial.

Sources

• Brooks (2014), get excited: reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
• Crum (2021), making stress work for you, American Psychological Association
• Brooks, A. W. (2014). Get excited: Reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3), 1144–1158.
• Jamieson, J. P., Nock, M. K., & Mendes, W. B. (2012). Mind over matter: Reappraising arousal improves cardiovascular and cognitive responses to stress. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(3), 417–422.

Common mistake

Performing "use it" without having genuinely done "see it" and "own it" — jumping to the instrumental frame before acknowledging the emotion, which feels like bypassing and does not produce the physiological shift.