Well Words Wednesday: Rewiring Your Brain for Less Stress & More Resilience

10 01 2025

Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a physician specializing in stress and resilience, argues that modern life leaves many of us in a chronic state of stress overload. Constant digital stimulation, busy schedules, and uncertainty can keep the brain and body “stuck in survival mode,” leading to physical symptoms, burnout, and reduced well-being. Her book presents five science-backed “resets” to help people retrain their brains and bodies for resilience, calm, and sustainable energy.

1. The Reset of Body

Stress first shows up in the body, often before we consciously notice it. Nerurkar highlights “canary symptoms”—early warning signs like fatigue, headaches, stomach upset, or muscle tension. These are signals from the body that stress is accumulating.

Goal of the Reset: Learn to listen to the body as an ally instead of pushing through symptoms.
Strategies Include: mindful movement, adequate sleep, hydration, breathing practices, and regular check-ins with physical sensations.
By caring for the body consistently, the nervous system feels safer, lowering baseline stress.

2. The Reset of Mindset

How we interpret stress shapes how we experience it. A fixed, threat-oriented mindset (“stress will break me”) can make challenges heavier. A reframed, growth-oriented mindset (“stress is information I can work with”) helps reduce the harm of stress.

Key idea: Your brain’s story about stress is as important as the stress itself.
Tools: self-talk reframing, gratitude practices, noticing strengths, and identifying unhelpful mental habits.
The Resilience Rule of Two: Instead of overloading yourself with countless new habits, choose just two small, doable shifts at a time. This makes rewiring of the brain’s neural pathways sustainable.

3. The Reset of Connection

Isolation magnifies stress, while connection buffers it. Neuroscience shows that healthy relationships help regulate the stress response system. Loneliness, on the other hand, is as harmful to health as smoking or obesity.

Core message: Humans are wired for connection—social bonds are medicine.
Practices: investing in small moments of warmth (a smile, check-in, or shared meal), nurturing supportive friendships, and practicing kindness.
Connection doesn’t require a big circle of friends; even one or two trusted relationships are deeply protective.

4. The Reset of Spirit

Nerurkar defines “spirit” broadly—not only religious faith but also meaning, values, awe, and practices that give life depth. When people connect to something larger than themselves, stress becomes more manageable.

Examples: prayer, reading the Bible, attending church and Bible studies, meditation, nature walks, art, volunteering, or reflecting on purpose.
Effect: Spiritual or meaning-making practices help shift attention away from daily pressures and remind us of a bigger, more important perspective.
This reset fosters hope, steadiness, and inner calm even when circumstances don’t change.

5. The Reset of Time

One of the most pervasive stressors today is time pressure—feeling there is “never enough.” Paradoxically, technology meant to save time often robs it, scattering attention and heightening urgency.

Focus of the reset: reclaim agency over time through boundaries and intentional pauses.
Practices: digital hygiene (limiting constant phone checks), structured breaks, prioritizing essentials, and designing daily rhythms that allow recovery.
When people stop racing the clock, they create margin that reduces stress and boosts resilience.

Integration: How the Resets Work Together

Each reset addresses a different layer of human experience—body, mind, relationships, spirit, and daily rhythms—but they are interconnected. Strengthening one area reinforces the others. For example:

Resting the body improves mindset.
Connection reinforces spirit.
Daily movement throughout our day and a 20 minute walk each day improves physical health.
Reclaiming time makes it easier to nourish relationships and health.

Dr. Nerurkar emphasizes that rewiring for resilience doesn’t mean eliminating stress. This is impossible, and some stress is even helpful. Instead, it means teaching the brain and body to recover faster, maintain balance, and use stress as a signal rather than a sentence.

Practical Approach

Start Small: Change is more lasting when it’s incremental. The “Rule of Two” keeps new practices realistic.
Notice Your Canaries: Pay attention to early stress signals rather than ignoring them until they grow.
Choose Daily Micro-Resets: Even five minutes of deep breathing, connection, or reflection can shift the stress cycle.
Make It Sustainable: Consistency matters more than intensity. Tiny, regular actions have cumulative power.

Takeaway

The 5 Resets is a roadmap for reclaiming resilience in a culture of stress. Dr. Nerurkar blends medical insight, neuroscience, and compassionate guidance to show that stress does not have to be a life sentence. By resetting body, mindset, connection, spirit, and time, anyone can rewire their brain and body to live with less stress, more calm, and renewed vitality.

Greta Parkinson, MA-LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years experience working with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples. She has worked in the public sector as a counselor, policy maker, and director of child, adolescent, and family services, as well as in private practice offering services to children and adults. In her therapy practice she helped clients with a broad range of issues including anxiety, depression, mood issues, ADHD, parenting issues, career related transitions, relational issues, and other adjustments to life transitions. A parishioner for many years, Parkinson joined the staff of Christ Church Episcopal in 2024.