267 — The Surprising Truth About Stress and Why Trying to Relax Is Making You Feel Worse with Dr. Rebecca Heiss episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 24, 2025 · 41 MIN

267 — The Surprising Truth About Stress and Why Trying to Relax Is Making You Feel Worse with Dr. Rebecca Heiss

from Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin · host Amy Morin

Do you feel like you’re constantly battling stress or that you're stressed out all the time? Do attempts to relax backfire and cause you to feel even worse? If so, today's episode is for you. My guest today is Dr. Rebecca Heiss, a stress physiologist who says we can change the way stress affects us. In fact, she says we can turn our biological responses to stress into an advantage once we know how. Some of the things we discuss are: Why you should stop trying to get rid of your stress Why believing stress is bad for you might actually kill you Why animals don't get stressed out How to trick your brain into making stress an advantage Why avoiding stressful situations often causes more anxiety than facing them The role of oxytocin as a "courage hormone" and the importance of connection How to use a "catastrophe diary" to manage negative thinking Why service to others is the only thing that truly mitigates stress Practical ways to reframe your routine instead of just adding stress-reduction tasks Why curiosity and fear cannot coexist Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mentally Stronger Premium⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for exclusive content like weekly bonus episodes, mental strength challenges, and office hours with me. Links & Resources RebeccaHeiss.com Springboard Connect with the Show Buy a copy of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Amy on Instagram —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AmyMorinAuthor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit my website —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmyMorinLCSW.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors OneSkin — Get 15% off OneSkin with the code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.oneskin.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Quince — Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns! Shopify — Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shopify.com/mentallystronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ L-Nutra — Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ProlonLife.com/MS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to claim your 15% discount and your bonus gift. Jones Road Beauty — Use code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jonesroadbeauty.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad Lola Blankets — Get 35% off your entire order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lolablankets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by using code STRONGER at checkout. Experience the world’s #1 blanket with Lola Blankets. AirDoctor — Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AirDoctorPro.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use promo code STRONGER to get UP TO $300 off today! Uncommon Goods — Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UncommonGoods.com/Stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 15% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 24, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

267 — The Surprising Truth About Stress and Why Trying to Relax Is Making You Feel Worse with Dr. Rebecca Heiss

0:00 41:52

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin?

This episode is 41 minutes long.

When was this Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin episode published?

This episode was published on November 24, 2025.

Can I download this Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!