The Real Reason Stress Is Hurting You | Kelly McGonigal

2026-07-24

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Your body can't tell the difference between anxiety and excitement. The only difference is the story you tell yourself. Kelly McGonigal has spent her career at Stanford studying that story, and how the way you think about stress can quite literally change your biology, your relationships, and how long you live. She will show you why the fear of stress may be more dangerous than stress itself, and why one built in instinct can stop you from burning out completely once you know how to trigger it. You will learn why depression lies to you, why...

Your body can't tell the difference between anxiety and excitement. The only difference is the story you tell yourself.

Kelly McGonigal has spent her career at Stanford studying that story, and how the way you think about stress can quite literally change your biology, your relationships, and how long you live.

She will show you why the fear of stress may be more dangerous than stress itself, and why one built in instinct can stop you from burning out completely once you know how to trigger it.

You will learn why depression lies to you, why receiving support feels harder than giving it, why your body has a built in brake pedal for temptation, and what a rescue animal can teach you about earning real connection.

There is a reason movement changes your brain chemistry more than almost anything else you could choose, and this conversation will make you rethink every hard moment you have ever tried to avoid.

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In this episode you will:

Discover why believing stress is harmful may be more dangerous than the stress itself
Learn the pause and plan response, a built in instinct that can rebuild your willpower in the moment
Uncover the real reason depression takes hold and four ways to work through it
Overcome the discomfort of receiving gratitude and support from others
Recognize the brain chemistry behind the runner's high and why it makes you more social, not less

For more information go to https://lewishowes.com/1958

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