In this episode 17 protocols
▶ 3:07 Check in on bodily tension Behaviors “And so we're going through the day with kind of like clenched hands and just, you know, for listeners, just even just taking a check in now and noticing how you might be holding stress in your body. That's a huge clue.” ▷ 4:05 Use body-based stress reduction strategies Behaviors “The second bucket is not that the mind changes the body, but the body changes the mind. And those are the set of strategies that you tend to use the most, right? Where we're working stress out of the body, we metabolizing it we burning it up and we get relief” ▷ 4:35 Create a calming environment with safety signals Behaviors “It might even be just be a corner the house, but implanting what I call safety signals, having things like comforting pets, pictures, smells, music.” ▷ 6:18 Do daily restoration Behaviors “Then there's kind of moderate stressful events that maybe take days or months to cope with. And what important there is that noticing like right now am I really coping acutely with something or can I restore So that kind of daily restoration is very important” ▷ 9:38 Exercise Behaviors “you know, so many people, I think now everybody hopefully understands that exercise is going to lower blood pressure, reduce resting heart rate and improve musculoskeletal function and bone density, all that stuff.” ▷ 10:02 Manage short bouts of stress without prolonged rumination Behaviors “Is there any evidence that short bouts of stress provided that they're managed well, meaning that we don't spend the next 24 or 48 hours ruminating on the stressor, but that we're able to move through the stressor and resolve it in some way, that that's actually beneficial for us” ▷ 10:24 High Intensity Interval Training Behaviors “We know, as you said, that physical stressors, when they're short and repeated, like high intensity interval training, they are promoting not just aerobic fitness, but stress fitness. People feel less rumination, less depression, less anxiety.” ▷ 13:07 Build stress resilience with manageable repeated stress Behaviors “And so when you asked about like, is it good to have a repeated stress response? Yes, if it's manageable, right? Then we're kind of building the muscle of stress resilience.” ▷ 14:32 Use strength statements Behaviors “Telling yourself, I got this, I can do it. I can get through it. I have what it takes. Those are all good shields.” ▷ 14:46 Reframe the stress response as empowering Behaviors “And so rather than getting stressed by stress, we actually want to remind ourselves that this stress response is empowering. This is going to help me cope.” ▷ 15:11 View stress as positive Behaviors “So that reframing in studies by Wendy Mendez and others, my colleagues who do this reappraisal research, they have basically trained people to view stress as positive. During the stressful situations in the lab, people do better.” ▷ 18:00 Cultivate positive feelings at night Behaviors “So especially on a stressful day. So at the end of a stressful day, can you muster some feelings of content, ease, confidence, joy? Do you have any of that?” ▷ 20:19 Take perspective on unchangeable stressors Behaviors “And so just even taking that first kind of step back to get perspective on what are the situations in my life that stress me out? And which of these, can I circle those that I can't change?” ▷ 20:56 Practice radical acceptance for chronic stress Behaviors “And this is not a one-time thing. It's a practice. Radical acceptance is something we practice over and over to help us loosen our grip on in unwanted situations on letting them control our well and taking up this mental real estate that so precious our attention” ▷ 24:54 Practice mindful check-ins for uncertainty stress Behaviors “And I think there are practices we can do that help us feel ease with the uncertain future. Some of these mindful check-ins, noticing that we are carrying around uncertainty stress is one way.” ▷ 25:30 Lean back and take slow breaths when dealing with uncertainty Behaviors “So even just our posture well here an exercise for dealing with uncertainty instead of like kind of that alert posture when we like trying to take it all in and predict the next second and like just lean back and take some slow breaths” ▷ 29:17 Journal to create a coherent narrative Behaviors “Creating a coherent narrative is critical to our ability to make sense, find meaning, find resolution, have a social identity around our lived experience, what happens to us.”