The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy and Ease

In this levelheaded program, Epel (The Telomere Effect), director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotion Center at UCSF, shares tips for how to “face the uncertainty of life.” Stress is unavoidable and can “be a good thing,” Epel contends, but she notes that too much is detrimental to one’s health and lays out seven strategies to change “our response to stress.” She expounds on the benefits of building resilience through exposing oneself to small, manageable stressors, such as taking cold showers, and explains that doing so triggers a response from one’s nervous system that helps refresh one’s cells. Accepting what one can’t control is a crucial tenet of living with stress, Epel suggests, telling the story of a woman who agonized over how to help her mother recover from a stroke before accepting that she couldn’t control her mother’s medical outcome. The “seven day” framework feels somewhat arbitrary, given that the suggestions don’t build sequentially or need to be completed within a week, but the guidance is solid. Additionally, the scientific background and anecdotes from those who have gotten a handle on their stress enrich the advice. This is just what the doctor ordered. (Dec.)