10% Happier with Dan Harris Why You're Always Half-Stressed — and How to Chill | Christiane Wolf
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Nov 16, 2025 
Christiane Wolf, a physician and mindfulness teacher, shares her insights on navigating the everyday stress that keeps us in 'yellow mode.' She discusses the modern triggers for this low-level stress, the difference between being chill and being appropriately responsive, and shares quick techniques to calm the nervous system. Christiane explains how trauma can hinder relaxation and highlights the importance of community and mindfulness. Discover practical tools and her unique 'Butterfly Hug' technique to gently shift back to a grounded state.
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Modern Life Keeps Us In Yellow
- Most people live in “yellow mode,” a chronic low-level vigilance that keeps them productive but anxious and tired.
- Christiane Wolf calls green mode the calm, flexible state we should aim to reclaim more often.
Environment Shapes Nervous-System Baseline
- Modern environments (indoors, constant work, screens) keep our nervous systems activated compared with ancestral village life.
- Wolf emphasizes cultural design matters and we can reclaim breaks and nature to down-regulate.
Tea Break In New Zealand Shifted Her View
- A student noticed New Zealand workplaces take a long afternoon tea break and found it normalized rest.
- The student realized continuous 12-hour workdays are neither natural nor universal.