October 8, 2026

Essentials: Manage Stress & Build Resilience | Dr. Elissa Epel

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Elissa Epel, PhD, a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). We discuss how acute and chronic stress affect the body and brain, including their links to cellular aging and mitochondrial health. We also explain tools to reduce rumination, reframe stress as a challenge and build resilience, as well as how radical acceptance and a sense of purpose can help us navigate stressors we cannot change. Read the full episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman ROKA: https://roka.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Elissa Epel (00:00:22) Good & Bad Stress, Stress Responses (00:01:55) Rumination, Body Awareness (00:03:23) Tools: Mindset, Body & Environment (00:04:51) Acute & Chronic Stress, Energy & Recovery (00:07:44) Sponsor: Eight Sleep (00:09:27) Healthy Aging, Purpose & Brain Health (00:10:54) Stress Resilience, Threat vs. Challenge (00:14:40) Tool: Reframe Stress, “Stress Shields” (00:16:54) Sponsor: AG1 (00:18:30) Mitochondrial Health, Caregiving & Daily Mood (00:21:24) Chronic Stress, Tool: Radical Acceptance (00:25:19) Tool: “Drop the Rope”, Uncontrollable Stressors (00:26:48) Uncertainty, Tool: Posture & Slow Breathing (00:29:10) Sponsor: ROKA (00:30:34) Taking Action vs. Letting Go (00:32:55) Journaling, Narrative & Purpose (00:34:15) Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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About this Show

Huberman Lab

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.