Dr. Maya Shankar

I care about how high quality my book is gonna be.

That's why I'm feeling stressed.

Okay, so that's one.

The second, which is kind of counterintuitive, is to distract yourself a little bit.

So distraction gets a really bad rep, but modern research shows that it can actually be a really healthy coping mechanism for dealing with these kinds of ruminative spirals and just negative events in general.

I think there's a narrative out there that if we don't directly and persistently confront our negative emotions or our biggest fears all the time, then down the line, those emotions will rear their ugly heads with even greater force.

But modern research shows that's simply not true.

And for a lot of people, distraction is actually a very good strategy to have in their toolkit and can give them much needed relief from that anxiety and stress so that they are more resilient longer term.

So one thing I do, and I've only done this maybe in recent years, but it's actually helped, is to introduce a really small daily ritual into our lives that we do without fail.

For me, and I've actually brought it to this interview, I make a cup of Indian style tea.

So I cut up fresh slices of ginger, cardamom, asam tea,

And it is a whole thing that I do.

And when I travel, I pack my tea bags and I pack the creamer I use and I pack the ginger.

So I'm making this tea in hotel rooms.

Wherever I go, my tea is the thing that grounds me in my morning.

And the reason why rituals are so important is that they signal to our brain that despite the fact the world might be swirling around us, despite the fact that so much is uncertain, there are still some things that are fully in our control.

that we can introduce into our lives no matter what.

And there have been moments, by the way, Hala, where I have felt like this warm, cozy tradition ritual thing doesn't fit my day, right?

Like I'm having a terrible day and I don't want to do it, but I do it anyway.

And subconsciously, I do think that it brings me some reassurance.