Revolution Health Radio RHR: Finding Joy and Peace in the Midst of Challenging Circumstances, with Dr. Greg Hammer
Sep 17, 2024
Dr. Greg Hammer, a recently retired Stanford professor and author, shares his wisdom on finding joy during tough times. He introduces the GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Non-judgment—as a powerful toolkit for resilience. Discussions revolve around mental health challenges exacerbated by societal stress and digital distractions. Dr. Hammer emphasizes mindfulness and presence as essential for emotional well-being, while exploring the importance of overcoming divisive thinking in today’s polarized world.
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Modern Baseline Of Stress
- Modern life combines pandemic, wars, climate anxiety, and digital overload to create unprecedented stress.
- Greg Hammer frames these as baseline drivers we must first identify before acting.
Breathe Then Bring Gratitude
- When stressed by political disagreements, focus first on slow, deep breathing to activate your parasympathetic system.
- Then intentionally bring to mind things you are grateful for to down-regulate the fight-or-flight response.
Practice Acceptance, Not Resistance
- Deliberately practice acceptance for pains you cannot change instead of resisting them and increasing suffering.
- Use short guided exercises to open to pain and ask if you can live with it to reduce resistance.
