Stress

How to look much younger

About a year ago I met someone in his mid-thirties who looked like 25.

When I asked him for his secret, he told me that the one thing he always does is to avoid stress. He claimed that his stress-free life was the reason he still looked so young and felt so healthy.

I’m not exactly sure what science has to say about this approach, but it seemed reasonable to me. [*]

Right now, I'm in a phase where I'm definitely feeling stressed – I just moved to a new apartment, and there are still so many things to do around here. Finding the time for this and juggling other responsibilities feels hard.

So, to help me think a bit more about my response to this situation, I made a list of questions, of which I'm sending you a few below. Whether you are currently feeling stressed or not, I think it might be valuable to take a bird's-eye view on this topic. Have fun 🦜

💡 Reflecting on Stress

(Like always, you can download the Notion template to take structured notes.)

How do you typically cope with stress?

Do you believe your coping mechanisms are effective in the long term?

Have you ever experienced moments of growth or self-discovery as a result of navigating stressful situations?

If so, how have those experiences shaped you? How could you transform stressful situations to be more insightful? Do you think there's a difference between "productive" stress and "destructive" stress? How do you distinguish between the two?

Looking ahead, what changes or adjustments could you make to create a healthier relationship with stress in your life?

What would be the potential impact on your well-being?

🙏 Thanks!

Thank you for reading and for being part of Mental Garden. Like always, I sincerely hope you found this email useful.

I've already found out that one thing contributing to my feeling of stress was stopping my habit of meditating. The moment I started sitting on the cushion again, my well-being skyrocketed once more.

I wish you all the best, have a great weekend!

With gratitude,
Marc

PS: Stressed Out 🥁

[*] I have one hypothesis as to why stress and physical aging could be related. I’m aware of a relationship between “normal” stress and oxidative stress, which is when your body can’t handle free radicals anymore. Oxidative stress is definitely bad for your health and plays a big role in aging.