What if the real Grinch of the holidays isn’t your family, the chaos, or the to-do list… but your cortisol? Today, we’re talking about the kind of stress that hijacks your healing without you even realizing it, and how to take back your calm.

Welcome to Day 2 of The 12 Days of Holiday Resilience.

Stress doesn’t just live in your head, it lives in your body. And for anyone healing from cancer, autoimmune disease, neurological illness, or chronic inflammation, stress isn’t just unpleasant… it’s physiologically disruptive.

When your brain senses stress, it shuts down digestion, suppresses immunity, pauses detoxification, and pulls your body out of its healing state. Even perfect nutrition can’t override a nervous system stuck in survival mode.

This episode breaks down exactly how stress impacts healing, and how simple, science-backed regulation techniques can help you shift your physiology back into repair, safety, and resilience.

By the end of this episode, you’ll learn:

• What stress actually does inside a healing body, and why chronic cortisol surges can stall remission.
• Why nervous system regulation is non-negotiable if you want your body to repair, regenerate, and stabilize.
• Three powerful, accessible tools, like the 4-7-8 breath, hand-to-heart grounding, and cognitive reframing, to bring your body back into safety anytime, anywhere.
• How to recognize the signs of “holiday overwhelm physiology” so you can intervene early, instead of crashing later.
• Why calm isn’t a mood, it’s a biological state that makes healing possible.

You’ll walk away with practices that restore safety, lower inflammation, and give you back a sense of control in the midst of seasonal chaos.

Listen now to learn how to reclaim your calm, regulate your nervous system, and create moments of internal peace — not as a luxury, but as medicine for your healing body.

Join us tomorrow for Day 3, where we’ll explore how to stay consistent with the daily self-care habits that anchor your healing, even when the season tries to pull you off center.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not offer medical advice. Consult your licensed healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment or health regimen. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk.

This podcast explores stories and science around ALS, dementia, MS, cancer, mind body recovery, healing, functional medicine, heart disease, regression, remission, integrative medicine, autoimmune conditions, chronic illness, terminal disease, terminal illness, holistic health, quality of life, alternative medicine, natural healing, lifestyle medicine, and remission from cancer, offering hope and insights for those seeking resilience and renewal.