Dr. Elissa Epel: Control Stress for Healthy Eating, Metabolism & Aging| Episode 124
Main Takeaways
Stress can be both beneficial and problematic, and it depends on the type and context.
To manage stress, it is important to control how we respond to it, as our thoughts are the most common forms of stress.
We need to be aware of how our mind works to manage stress better, and it is essential to recognize how we hold stress in our body.
Changing our beliefs and mindsets can help us release stress positively.
Stress can be acute, moderate, or chronic, and we need different strategies to cope with them.
Toxic, chronically, unmitigated stress will accelerate aging, but a life with no stress will induce rapid aging and reduced cognitive health.
Exercise and psychological stressors can promote aerobic fitness and stress resilience and build a challenge-response mentality.
Our opioid system helps us feel less pain, and repeated stress can lead to overeating or undereating, causing weight gain or loss.
Stress reduction training during pregnancy can improve insulin sensitivity and result in healthier babies and moms.
Long-term stress interventions, such as meditation, nature exposure, and psychedelic journeys, can slow biological aging, boost telomerase activity, and improve gene expression pathways.
