SPECIAL EPISODE: What Happens during Prolonged Stress

“The reality is challenging, and then, of course, our fears about what might happen magnify immensely the actual situation,” says psychiatrist James Gordon, MD, author of The Transformation. Gordon returns to The goop Podcast to offer strategies that can help us during periods of prolonged stress: We learn how the amygdala and vagus nerve react to anxiety and how to ease it. Because stress can impact our digestive system, Gordon outlines mindful eating habits. He recommends certain supplements (like daily probiotics, vitamin D3, and omega-3 fatty acids) to help us maintain balance. He takes us through soft-belly breathing and a short meditation, and he explains other ways to release deep emotional tension through movement (shaking, dancing, chanting). Also helpful: laughter. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)