Stress on the Mind

As a science journalist and host of the Hidden Brain podcast, Shankar Vedantam has spent more than three decades exploring how the brain works. His passion for his work stems from what he calls a mind-blowing concept: much of what happens in our minds is hidden from us. Many of the brain’s functions occur without conscious direction or awareness—and that includes how it processes stress.

The functional role of stress

Like everything else—pain signals, anger, sadness—stress has a functional purpose. “Almost all of our responses to the world have been sculpted and shaped by a long period of evolution, where, over our long evolutionary history, nature has tried to figure out how best to keep us healthy,” says Vedantam.

Looking at it from that perspective can help us understand why we experience the sensations we do. Fear tells us to be careful and avoid danger; pain tells us we’re experiencing bodily harm, and we need help. In the same way, “the fundamental reason that we have our experience of feeling like there’s too much going on, or ‘I can’t deal with this,’ is a natural, healthy emotional response to the fact that there’s a lot going on that we don’t know how to handle,” Vedantam explains.

In other words, from a purely functional, evolutionary standpoint, the purpose of stress is to help you get out of sticky situations. “If you’re in a battlefield situation, the correct brain response should be ‘how do I take you out of the battlefield condition so that the environment is not stressing you out?’” says Vedantam. So, before jumping to fixing how we manage or process stress, we should first ask whether the problem is in the environment—something that could be changed—versus a problem in our heads.

From functional to immobilizing

Sometimes, as a consequence of stress, we can lose sight of other things going on in our lives. This tunnel vision stems from the stress response being functional—it’s helping you focus on a perceived threat to keep you safe.

However, this narrow focus can have negative impacts. “People who are stressed out might forget to take care of themselves. They might forget to sleep, they might forget to eat, they might forget to nurture their relationships,’ says Vedantam.

At this point, stress can become a trap. “You’re not paying attention to all the other things that can help you thrive and flourish, and you’re even less equipped to deal with the stress,” says Vedantam.

How personal narratives can shape stress

Interestingly, researchers have found that the stories we tell ourselves can change how we experience things. But as mentioned earlier, it’s always best to assess the environment first—if you’re in an dangerous situation, for example, no amount of changing your personal narrative will help.

But for everyday stressful situations, a growing body of research indicates that revising your story can change the meaning of stress. Vedantam gives the example of a student taking a test: they have butterflies in their stomach, their hands are clammy, their feet are cold. They could say, “I’m really nervous because I’m not good at math.” Or, Vedantam says, they could tell themselves a different story: “Even though I’m feeling butterflies in my stomach and clammy hands and cold feet, this is just a sign that my body is getting ready for this important test, and that’s exactly what I want to see happen.”

Practical solutions for everyday stress

Aside from extreme situations that require you to leave the environment, there are some proven, practical ways to manage everyday stress. Vedantam suggests the following:

• Choose an exercise routine that interests you and stick to it.
• Spend time outdoors and in nature.
• Find things that are beautiful or awe-inspiring to gain perspective on your own problems.
• Deepen your relationships to strengthen your resilience.
• Eat right, sleep right.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends taking social media breaks, journaling, meditating, practicing gratitude, and engaging in relaxing activities you enjoy to cope with stress.

“None of these are rocket science—exercise, nature, relationships, eating well, and sleeping well. We know that all these things are good for our bodies,” says Vedantam. “They also turn out to be excellent for our minds.”

This article was originally published in the March-April 2026 issue of alive magazine (US edition).