Do you ever feel like you’re running on empty, pushing through stress without a break? Many of us have been conditioned to believe that resilience means powering through—no matter what. But according to Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, author of The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience, true resilience isn’t about toxic resilience—forcing yourself to endure stress at all costs. Instead, it’s about developing a habit of resetting the brain and body to recover from adversity in a healthy, sustainable way.

Dr. Nerurkar explains that resilience is biological—our bodies are designed to recover from stress, but we must create intentional reset moments throughout the day to support this natural process. One of the most effective, time-efficient, and evidence-based ways to do this is through the “Stop, Breathe, Be” practice.

• Stop – Pause for a moment before transitioning to your next task.
• Breathe – Take a few slow, deep belly breaths.
• Be – Stay fully present for a few seconds, noticing your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings (while continuing to breathe).

According to Dr. Nerurkar, by practicing “Stop, Breathe, Be” 30-40 times a day—before and after meetings, while waiting for an email to send, or before responding to a message—you can retrain your brain to shift away from maladaptive stress patterns and toward healthy stress/emotional regulation. Over time (about 8 weeks, the time it takes to form a habit), this small but powerful practice rewires your brain, fostering greater calm and confidence.

Additional stress managements practices from Dr. Nerurkar:

• Create a “MOST” Goal – Shift from self-criticism to clarity by setting a goal that is Motivating, Objective, Small, and Timely. This approach reframes your inner dialogue, helping you engage your thinking brain instead of your stress response.

• Honor Boundaries & Celebrate Saying No – True resilience includes knowing your limits and advocating for your own well-being without guilt.

• Prioritize Rest & Recovery – Your body and mind require downtime to function at their best. Making rest a priority is an essential part of sustainable resilience.

• Maintain a Gratitude Journal – Each day, write down five things you’re grateful for and why. Studies show that after 90 days, this simple practice can improve mood and enhance overall well-being.

• Try Therapeutic Writing – For a deeper emotional reset, practice therapeutic writing by journaling about a traumatic event for 20 to 25 minutes per day over four consecutive days. Research suggests that handwriting (rather than typing) activates different neural pathways in the brain, making the process more effective for emotional processing. Expect that by day two or three, you may experience a surge of intense emotions, but by day four, many people find these feelings begin to resolve naturally. This structured approach can help reframe difficult experiences and support long-term emotional healing.

Additional Resources:

• Click here to learn more about the book The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience by Dr. Aditi Nerurkar.
• Click here to listen to Stress Reduction: 5 Free, Quick, Science-Backed Strategies with Dr. Aditi Nerurkar on the Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Dan Harris (67 minutes).