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Managing stress refers to a set of strategies and techniques used to cope with or reduce the negative effects of stress on the mind and body. Stress is a natural response to difficult circumstances, but chronic stress can lead to a range of health problems, including anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
In this podcast, Dr. Eva Selhub discusses on the topic of "managing stress" and its associated factors.
Key Takeaways
- Stress isn't the enemy — unmanaged stress is. Selhub reframes stress as a physiological signal of imbalance (hunger and cold qualify). The goal isn't elimination; it's adaptation, which she calls resilience.
- The pliable-branch test for resilience. Her nature metaphor: a young flexible branch bends under snow and grows stronger; a dry, stiff branch snaps. Bodies, minds, and careers follow the same rule — the unmaintained ones break under the same weight the trained ones adapt to.
- "Worry is a lion that isn't there." The brain can't distinguish imagined threat from real. Chronic worry keeps cortisol, blood pressure, muscle tension, and inflammation switched on — which is when short-term protection becomes long-term pathology.
- Nutritional psychiatry is real workplace leverage. Processed and fast food starve the gut microbiome, which connects directly to the brain. Mediterranean-style, fermented, plant-forward diets measurably improve mood and stress capacity — a cafeteria-policy lever most employers skip.
- Executives who get mindfulness coaching can become effectively stress-free. Selhub says it flatly of her top-level clients: teaching mindfulness plus organisational skills and self-awareness produces employees some describe as stress-free. The time-objection is "truly an illusion" — breath is always available.
- Micro-practices beat big wellness theatre. Ten deep breaths every hour on the hour; a five-minute meditation app break; a gratitude journal; parking further from the office to walk; a mindful shower. Stackable, no calendar required.
- Six pillars of resilience for stress management. Physical vitality (nutrition, sleep, exercise); mental toughness; emotional intelligence; relationships; spirituality; and leadership awareness of how you influence others. HR programmes that hit only one pillar under-deliver.
In Dr. Selhub's Words
On what stress actually is
Stress is just a way every living organism has to manage and find a way to adapt. The key is learning how to adapt — and we have the ability to look at a stress and say, "yes, I can handle it," or "no, I can't." Once that shifts, we can use stress to our advantage instead of letting it lead to physical, mental, and spiritual problems.
A branch that is stiff and old will break under the weight of the snow. A younger, pliable branch bends and gets stronger. It's the same with muscles — a certain amount of stress is how we get fitter.
On the physiology of chronic stress
These fight-or-flight changes are beneficial in the short term. It's when they don't get turned off that blood pressure stays up, sleep stays disturbed, muscles stay tense, digestion shuts down, and the body goes into catabolism — breaking down bones, liver, fat, muscle. That is ongoing stress manifesting as brittleness, fatigue, inflammation.
Worry, to your brain, is like being chased by a lion. It doesn't distinguish between real or imagined.
On workplace stress programs
When I teach executives to be mindful and improve their organisational skills, to become more self-aware and in touch with the beliefs driving their decisions — a thousand percent they are much less stressed, to a point where some would describe themselves as stress-free.
Corporations can run individualised coaching, group Zoom meditations, yoga classes, signage encouraging stair use, walking lunch groups, nutrient-rich options in cafeterias and vending machines, social gatherings. A big source of stress is disconnection — structured connection is the intervention.
The illusion that we don't have time is truly an illusion. Your breath is with you all the time. Mindfulness creates time in every moment rather than using it.
On food, mood, and the microbiome
There is a strong correlation with mood and food. Processed, high-sugar, fast-food diets starve the microbiome, which has a direct line to the brain. Mediterranean and Japanese-style diets — plant-forward, fermented, whole grains, lean protein — improve mental health and the ability to feel you can handle life.
On practical tools that stack
Count to three breathing in, six breathing out — ten breaths every hour on the hour. Keep a gratitude journal. Get ten to twenty minutes in nature a day. Find a spiritual practice that works for you, religious or not. And work on sleep hygiene — same bedtime, dark room, no work in the bedroom, no stimulants before bed.
About the Speaker
Find a spiritual practice that works for you. - Dr. Eva Selhub
Dr. Eva Selhub is a keynote speaker and executive coach, empowering individuals to manage stress and face adversity.
She also works as a resilience consultant for organizations, helping companies improve their business and achieve optimum corporate wellness through a culture of health and resilience.
Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Selhub served as an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and as a Clinical Associate of the world-renowned Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital for close to 20 years, serving as their Medical Director for six of those years.
Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Show Notes
(00:32) Can you tell us about your wellness journey?
(03:32) How much importance must one put on managing stress in life?
(04:46) How can we use stress to our advantage?
(06:59) What are the physical symptoms of stress? How can one identify the sources of stress in their lives?
(11:32) When do we know that it's time to visit a doctor?
(12:53) How to stop worrying and prevent stress?
(14:05) How much physical exercise can help with stress?
(15:09) Can certain food habits induce stress? How?
(17:52) Do paranoia and anxiety stem from stress? How to deal with these effectively?
(19:22) Do you think managing workload, meditation, time management and a good sleep can help in reducing stress? If yes, how?
(20:59) Mention some techniques for stress relief? Is meditation meant to be done only in the morning?
(23:28) Can employers implement some of the techniques in their wellness programs to relieve their employees off stress?
(26:53) Would you like to suggest some valuable tips on stress management to our listeners?
Suggested Article: Workplace Stress: A Huge Issue For Companies Worldwide
