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Stress & connection

How do I handle stress?

Long-term stress affects sleep, blood pressure and how we age. Relationships turn out to be one of the strongest health factors of all.

What the experts agree on

  • Short daily practices help: slow breathing, a walk outside, a few minutes of quiet.
  • Exercise is one of the most reliable ways to lower stress.
  • Make regular time for the people who matter to you; good relationships are linked with better health.
  • Protect some screen-free time each day or week.

Where they disagree

  • Cold and breathwork: Huberman and Brecka promote them; the evidence for stress benefits is mixed and they are not safe for everyone.

General education, not medical advice. Our plans adapt this to your age, time and health screen.

The specialists

What the core experts do

Peter Attia

  • Journaling as a regular practicePersonal habit
  • Keeps social media off his evening phone to protect wind-down timePersonal habit

Andrew Huberman

  • Cyclic sighing, a breathing practice with long exhales, for about 5 minutes a daySome evidence
  • Deliberate cold: about 11 minutes a week in total, split into 2–4 sessions of 1–5 minutes, early in the daySome evidence

Stacy Sims

  • Keep hard intervals short; she says longer efforts and very long sessions raise cortisol, already a concern in menopauseSome evidence
  • In perimenopause, have caffeine with food before training if it makes you shaky or light-headedPersonal habit

Mary Claire Haver

  • Journal for a few minutes every dayPersonal habit
  • Add meditation, using an app or free guided sessionsSome evidence

Rangan Chatterjee

  • A daily stillness practice, starting with two minutes of meditationSome evidence
  • 3-4-5 breathing: in for 3, hold for 4, out for 5, for about five minutesSome evidence

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • Breath-hold test as a rough benchmark for tolerance of carbon dioxidePersonal habit
  • Breathe through the nose during the day and in workoutsPersonal habit

Bryan Johnson

  • Uses a fixed routine so daily health choices do not depend on willpowerPersonal habit
  • Breathwork or reading as part of the evening wind-downSome evidence

Gary Brecka

  • Wim Hof-style breathing: 3 rounds of 5–30 breaths, then a breath hold, always seatedSome evidence
  • Same routine at the same time each dayPersonal habit

Mark Hyman

  • Meditation once or twice a day plus breathworkSome evidence
  • As much time in nature as possibleSome evidence

Build this into your plan

Choose “Build my mix” and pick the expert you trust most for stress & connection. Your plan fits it into your week, alongside training, eating and sleep.