Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Could the stress you barely notice be more harmful than you think? Most of us know chronic stress is bad for us, but few of us realise how deep that damage can go – or how much power we have to reverse it. In this enlightening episode, I speak with one of the world's leading stress researchers Dr Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, to explore the latest science of stress, ageing – and why deep rest may be the remedy we’re overlooking.

Elissa's research as a health psychologist reveals that chronic stress can age our immune systems by as much as 10 years. But with the right habits we can activate the repair mechanisms that slow and even reverse that process. We talk about her framework of four mind states – red, yellow, green and blue – outlined in her book, The Seven-Day Stress Prescription. I find it one of the most useful tools for understanding our place on the stress spectrum at any given moment. We explore why so many of us have lost the ability to relax, the importance of deep rest for cellular repair, and the evening habits that transform the quality of your sleep.

We also discuss the very latest in wearable technology and the metrics Elissa believes are worth tracking. She makes the distinction between monitoring daily stress levels and the tech that can now track longer-term trends. And she shares her experience with continuous glucose monitoring and what it revealed to her about the relationship between stress, sleep and metabolic health.

I loved hearing about the Big Joy Project, Elissa’s ongoing study of around 20,000 people, finding that small, simple acts of kindness and connection can shift our emotions over the course of a week and make us more altruistic and prosocial. At a time when the world can feel divided, I think that matters enormously.

Finally, we explore how changing the story you tell yourself about a stressful situation, current or past, can transform your physiological response. This reframing is something I’ve learned to do and find endlessly empowering. Our perception is not just a mental experience. It shapes our biology.

Elissa is an open-hearted communicator, whose generosity comes across in everything she shares with us here. Whether you struggle with overwhelm, or you suspect you’re more stressed than you realise, I know this conversation has advice you’ll want to take on board.

The Thrive Tour: Transform Your Health and Happiness, a live show: Book Your Tickets https://drchatterjee.com/live

 

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https://thewayapp.com/livemore

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Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/668

 

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

A lot of people are struggling with anxiety at the moment, especially in a world that often feels out of control.
Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body,
and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.
Today’s clip is from episode 370 of the podcast with physician and neuroscientist, Dr Russell Kennedy, who previously suffered with crippling anxiety for over 30 years.

Russell insists anxiety isn’t a disorder of the mind. Our worries are merely a symptom - and one that keeps us in our heads and away from the real problem.

His core message is that it’s often more effective to use the body to calm the mind, than the mind to calm the body. In this clip, he explains why anxiety may have less to do with our thoughts than we realise, and shares practical strategies that could help us begin breaking the anxiety cycle.

 

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Join my 21-day energy reset: https://drchatterjee.com/reset

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/370

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

You might assume that how you’ll age is down to your genes. That your disease risk is out of your hands, sealed by midlife, and something to manage rather than change. But Dr Florence Comite has spent 30 years proving that assumption wrong. And for this conversation, she’s brought the evidence.

Florence is a clinician-scientist, Yale and National Institutes of Health-trained endocrinologist, and some might call her a disruptor. Her life’s work has been built on the radical idea that decline is not inevitable, it is detectable. And because it’s detectable, it’s reversible. Her new book, Invincible: Defy Your Genetic Destiny to Live Better Longer, has the core message that our health trajectory is far from fixed. By tuning into our body’s signals, and understanding our physiology, we can make targeted changes to improve how we feel, function and age.  

In this episode, Florence and I explore why the Western medical model – built around treating disease not creating health – leaves people in the dark when it comes to disease risk. We discuss why the type and frequency of blood tests your doctor currently offers is lacking, as well as what you should ask for (or seek privately) if you want to truly understand your health.

Florence talks us through the five blood biomarkers she believes every adult should know about, including one – fasting insulin – that your doctor is highly unlikely to check but that I agree with her is absolutely critical. And she explains why free testosterone is vital for both men and women, how it connects to muscle, memory, bone density, blood sugar and heart health, and why optimising it has transformed some of her patients’ lives.

We also sing the praises of continuous glucose monitors. We discuss what they reveal about your individual response to food, why two people can eat the same meal with different results, and how the order in which you eat your meal can change your health.

This is a conversation about taking control. It’s about owning your data, your trends – and your future. Florence and I share the belief that our healthcare systems need to move from reactive to proactive. In time, I’m hopeful that will happen. But in the meantime her clinic – and my own Do
Health app – are paving an exciting way for you to get ahead of the curve.

 

The Thrive Tour: Transform Your Health and Happiness, a live show: Book Your Tickets https://drchatterjee.com/live

 

Thanks to our sponsors:

https://heights.com/livemore

https://dohealth.co/livemore

https://hellolingo.com/livemore

https://airbnb.co.uk/host

 

Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/666

 

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Many of us spend time agonising over decisions, regretting past choices or wondering what might have happened if we'd chosen differently. But today’s guest believes this way of thinking is based on a fundamental misconception.

Today’s clip is from episode 537 of the podcast with Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Dr Ellen Langer.

Ellen has spent over 50 years conducting ground-breaking research into the power of the mind and how our thoughts can shape every aspect of our lives. 

In this clip, she shares a refreshing approach to decision making that could help us stop overthinking, let go of regret and feel more confident in the choices we make.

Ellen is a wonderful human, full of knowledge, expertise and passion. She is the recipient of three Distinguished Scientists awards and the author of twelve books, including The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health.

Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠https://thewayapp.com/livemore 

Join my 21-day energy reset: https://drchatterjee.com/reset

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/537

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts ⁠⁠https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore⁠⁠

For other podcast platforms go to ⁠⁠https://fblm.supercast.com.

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Why do we sometimes react in ways we don’t mean to? Why does criticism land so heavily when others can brush it off? And why, even when life looks good from the outside, do we feel stuck on the inside? This week’s guest offers a new perspective on all this – and an optimistic way forward.

With nearly 10 million followers on Instagram as The Holistic Psychologist, Dr Nicole LePera has helped countless people see their lifelong patterns through a helpful new lens. She joins me to discuss her fantastic book, Reparenting the Inner Child: The New Science of Our Oldest Wounds and
How to Heal Them.

At the heart of our conversation is an important idea: we don’t see the world as it is, we see it through the state of our nervous system. Nicole highlights the signs that yours may be calling the shots, such as restlessness, numbness, disproportionate reactions and the constant need to be busy. And she explains how those patterns trace back to a part of us shaped long before we had the language for it: our inner child.

We explore how childhood adaptations follow us into adulthood, often without us realising, shaping our relationships, our careers, our sensitivity to criticism, and our self-worth. Nicole walks us through some of the parent archetypes from her book. And we discuss the universal choice every child makes between authenticity and attachment (and what this costs us later). Importantly, this is never about blaming, parent or child – acceptance of the past (rather than approval or forgiveness) is how we begin to change.

You’ll be fascinated to hear Nicole explain how trauma from generations before us may still be wired into our bodies, but we can break the cycle. We also discuss why conflict in relationships can be healthy, and why healing is a two-step process: becoming aware, and then making different choices.

The best part? You’ll come away from this conversation with the tools for change. Nicole talks us through her practical strategies, including the conscious check-in, the three body anchors, bilateral stimulation, and getting to know yourself through simple, mindful moments.

Whether you've spent years exploring attachment and inner-child work, or this is your first therapy session, I know you’ll find something here that stays with you. As Nicole says, healing isn’t about reaching an end point. It’s an ongoing process, available to all of us at any moment that we choose to join in.

 

The Thrive Tour: Transform Your Health and Happiness, a live show: Book Your Tickets https://drchatterjee.com/live

 

Thanks to our sponsors:

https://dohealth.co/livemore

https://thesleepreset.com/podcast

https://hellolingo.com/livemore

https://airbnb.co.uk/host

 

Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/664

 

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.