We call it "normal life."

But for most of us, it's a low-grade chronic stress loop.

News alerts. Group chats. Doomscrolling. Constant urgency.

In this episode of Dealing With Feeling, Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Elisha Goldstein to explore how tiny emotional shifts can interrupt stress patterns, strengthen relationships, and change the trajectory of our health over time.

This is a conversation about emotional longevity — and what it means to stop living in permanent survival mode.

In this conversation:

• Why anxiety is not your identity, but a reinforced loop

• How low-grade stress becomes "the water we swim in"

• Elisha's 4R method: Recognize, Release, Refocus, Reinforce

• Moving from blame into skillful emotional requests in relationships

• How small shifts in real moments create long-term change

Links

Marc Brackett: https://marcbrackett.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marc.brackett

X: https://x.com/marcbrackett

Facebook: https://facebook.com/drmarcbrackett

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drmarcbrackett

About the guest

Dr. Elisha Goldstein is a clinical psychologist, teacher, and author whose work focuses on mindfulness, resilience, and emotional health.

Guest links

Website: https://elishagoldstein.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drelishagoldstein

Dr. Marc Brackett's Books

• Permission to Feel

• Dealing with Feeling

Explore Marc Brackett's work at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where he serves as founding director, and learn more about RULER—an evidence-based, systemic approach to SEL developed at Yale that supports leaders, educators, students, and families in building emotional intelligence and creating healthier school climates.

A special thank you to the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for supporting this webcast. I also want to thank Oji Life Lab for their generous support: https://ojilifelab.com. Oji Life Lab is the leader in mastery-centered learning for the workplace. To develop your skills in leadership, emotional intelligence and more, visit oji life lab dot com or click the link in the description of this video and use the promo code DEALINGWITHFEELINGS to save 25%.