The Stress Prescription
From world-renowned psychologist and New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Elissa Epel, a simple yet powerful plan to turn your stress into your strength in just seven days.
“Just what the doctor ordered” — Publisher’s Weekly
“A powerhouse of science and practical, clear and feasible wisdom that applies to us all” — Psychology Today
Where most self-help books are fluffy, “The Stress Prescription” is refreshingly substantive, and all the recommendations are cheap or free."— San Francisco Chronicle
Best Book of 2022 — AARP
Healthy Living Bestseller — Indie Booksellers
We can’t avoid stress. But we can embrace it and transform it.
We are living in hard times. In this era of prolonged personal, pandemic, global, and existential stress, we need a more robust mindset and stronger tools to survive and thrive. We need to incorporate new practices into the fabric of our lifestyle. Despite the challenges we all face, through them, life can be even richer, more joyful, and filled with purpose.
I have lived years of my life in a chronic stress state. If I didn’t know so much about the mind and body practices that buffer us from stress, I don’t know where I would be now. The threat mindset can shape our days -- it changes what we perceive, and it pushes us to live in the uncertain future. It masks the beauty, love, and everyday miracles in front of us. Even over-scheduling our days and constantly rushing without breaks is a subtle form of chronic stress. Chronic stress gets into our cells, affects our sleep, and can accelerate biological aging. It is energetically taxing to our mitochondria, it is exhausting. The majority of people feel they are under high levels of stress and surveys show this is increasing over time. No wonder we have an epidemic of burnout. Life is too short to live this way, and we don’t have to. That’s why I wrote this book.
After decades of studying stress and trauma, and how they get under the skin, I felt inspired and driven to share the science and strategies that can help people shift more easily out of red and yellow mind states and into restorative green and blue states. It’s a “Prescription” because we need to view stress management as seriously as we do medical disease. Chronic stress is a precursor to so many of the mental and physical health conditions we want to avoid.
The book offers foundational tips, backed by new science and ancient wisdom, that are accessible and effective if used regularly. We can use top-down strategies that use the power of beliefs to shift to a resilient mindset. We can use body-up “stress fitness” practices to metabolize stress in our body and promote healthier stress responses. We can trigger safety signals and sensory immersion, and downshift to “blue mind” states and deep rest. We can allow ourselves true restoration, a state even better than relaxation.
My hope is that this book helps people live well with stress, and creates more room for ease, purpose, love, and access to the inherent joy in life. We are all in this together. We need each other.
You might consider going through the 7 days of the Prescription with a friend or family member, which can help both of you in more fully exploring it.
I would love to hear what you think about it, so feel free to message me on social media (see links to handles below).
With love,


Find books and web-based resources that inspired the creation of the Stress Prescription here.