The Livelong Newsletter: Feature Edition

Good morning,

Join me as I talk with acclaimed psychologist Dr. Stephen Sideroff, PhD, author of the book, The 9 Pillars of Resilience: The Proven Path to Master Stress, Slow Aging, and Increase Vitality.

Sideroff is a resiliency expert and treasure trove of knowledge about stress. He will leave you with exercises, tools, and a newfound confidence in combating stress.

We discuss:

• The impact of stress on physical health and lifespan

• Hands-on exercises and affirmations to stimulate relaxation

• Resiliency and developing a growth mindset

• And much more…

Please enjoy this discussion.

The interview 🗨️

Erin (Livelong): What is your approach to stress?

Dr. Sideroff: It isn't all bad (within a certain range). It supports our greatest performance. It helps motivate us, focus us, helps us be persistent in what we're trying to achieve.

If you think about all the successes you've had in your life, I guarantee that almost all (if not all) have been associated with stress.

The new goal is to find that sweet spot [because] if we go beyond that level, that's when all the negatives occur.

Erin (Livelong): You consider stress the primary driver of aging and disease. How does stress affect physiology and aging?

Dr. Sideroff: The nervous system has 2 branches: sympathetic, [which] activates with stress, [and] parasympathetic, which helps us recover and restore all the resources used up during our stress response. We want them to be in balance.

But think about our day. We're encountering one stressful experience after another. Before we get to recover, we activate again [and] we activate again.

Think about a rubber band, where you stretch it and then stretch it without releasing it. It's going to create wear and tear and break.

That’s what happens to our body.

When that happens, all kinds of problems occur physiologically, as well as cognitively.

[Think about] the cortisol and other biochemical processes that take place during stress…we believe that between 70% and 90% of all doctor's office visits have this as a primary cause.

Erin (Livelong):  I’d love if you could touch on the idea of resilience in relation to stress.

Dr. Sideroff: Most people think about resilience as the ability to bounce back. I say that that's a myth. Resilience implies a growth mindset.

You want to learn from that experience so that the next time you encounter stress, you're even more prepared. 

Resilience is the ability to bounce forward [and] handle stresses, but also to learn the lessons of a stressful experience so that you grow from that experience and increase your capacity to better handle the next stressful encounter.

Erin (Livelong): How can a person realize when they are stuck in a stress loop and get out?

Dr. Sideroff: I suggest to everybody to begin noticing the messages that you are giving yourself.

Most of us have an internal voice that's too critical, too judgmental, [and] it can be hard on us. A healthy internal voice comes from a place of love, compassion, acceptance, self care, support, and joy.

So notice that voice may be too negative, too critical or judgmental [and] say ‘no’ to that voice. Shift it over and start speaking to yourself with the qualities that I just described.

Erin (Livelong): You say “mastering stress is a hallmark of adaptability.” Why is adaptability critical to emotional health and long-term healthspan?

Dr. Sideroff:  We want our bodies to be functioning at their best, [but] we're continually being bombarded by challenges in life. We don't want to keep responding to them in the same old patterns and get the same results, so to respond most optimally means being most adaptive.

What goes into being most adaptive?

1. Have a growth mindset. This means that when you notice a shortcoming in yourself, the growth mindset is “Okay, what do I need to do to learn to get better at this?” Everything can be accessible to growth, change and transformation.

2. Belief: Very important [because] that is how change occurs. “I want to change this behavior [and] I'm going to hold that intention.” I'm literally shining my brain and thinking in that direction and encouraging change to happen.

Erin (Livelong): Having huge goals and the belief that you can achieve them can feel so overwhelming for so many of us…

Dr. Sideroff: Yes. So in my book, I create the notion of the path. The path is alongside us every moment of every day. All we have to do is get onto the path (rather than try to reach some far away goal). If you take a few of the steps suggested in my book (based on one of the nine pillars) that puts you on the path.

This way, every day, you can be successful, achieve success [and] feel okay [that you] can do what [you] need to do to actually get to your goal, rather than feel overwhelmed by all that needs to be done.

Erin (Livelong): What do you think people may not understand about stress and longevity?

Dr. Sideroff: As we get older, we are more vulnerable to any kind of illness. If resilience can slow down aging, then you're basically protecting yourself from any kind of illness. It's helping you to become healthier and gives you greater longevity.

Erin (Livelong): How can people continue to optimize their health in the face of stress?

1. 🗣️ Develop a healthy internal voice. It comes from a place of love, compassion, and acceptance.

Example: If you make a mistake, instead of beating yourself up, have compassion towards yourself. Say, “I know you tried your best. I'm not going to be hard on you now when you're already suffering from the mistake. I want to support you, and I want to be loving to you.”

2. 🏝️ Look for islands of safety in your day. [This is a time] where you can break the stress pattern and go into recovery, like lunch.

Example: You can say to yourself, “I'm on an island of safety. That means nothing can happen to me for the next [x amount of time]. It means I don't have any demands on myself, I want to enjoy my meal.” 

3. 🧘 Do a practice of relaxation. you are training your nervous system to go down that continuum from activation to recovery much more readily. It is an investment.

4. 🎁 Become more present in your life. It helps to find an external cue that tells you to stop and be in the present moment.

5. ‍💨 Breathe. Be aware of where you're at in the moment and breathe.

Discover The 9 Pillars of Resilience

You can discover the 9 Pillars of Resilience in Dr. Sideroff’s new book, available for sale on Amazon.

*We do not receive commission for your purchase.

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We can’t wait to cover more trending topics in longevity in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.

Erin Hunter, Editor in Chief, Livelong

Longevity Media LLC

Be your own expert. Optimize your health. Look beyond conventional.

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