Managing Stress

Summary

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The Dr. Laura Podcast

Episode: Managing Stress

Host: Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Release Date: February 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "The Dr. Laura Podcast," Dr. Laura Schlessinger dives deep into the realities of stress in everyday life, challenging widespread assumptions about its inevitability and offering evidence-based strategies for healthier coping. Rather than relying on "hoping" for change, Dr. Laura advocates for proactive solutions—especially the power of hobbies—to build resilience and reclaim one's joy. Through practical advice, research insights, and her candid commentary, Dr. Laura empowers listeners to rethink their approach to stress and take meaningful, joyful action.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stress: Voluntary vs. Inescapable

• Agency in Stress:
  Dr. Laura asserts that much of the stress people experience is, in fact, voluntary and within their control—even when it feels otherwise.
• Excuses vs. Choices:
  She challenges listeners on the excuses they make to stay in stressful situations, stressing that many circumstances can be changed:

  "You can come up with all kinds of excuses why you can't change the situation, but they're excuses. And yes you can, but you choose not to."
  — Dr. Laura, [01:17]

2. "Hoping" Skills vs. Actual Coping Skills

• Coping by Hoping—A Flawed Strategy:
  Dr. Laura critiques reliance on "hoping skills"—like wishing a situation or a person's behavior will improve—instead of taking real action.

  "'I hope when I marry this person they will turn nice. Right now it's causing me great stress. I hope my mother, I hope my father, I hope my kid. Yeah, useless. Okay.'"
  — Dr. Laura, [02:46]

• Denial & Suppression:
  Attempts at ignoring stress or wishing it away are deemed temporary and ineffective.

3. Hobbies as a Stress Relief Superpower

• Surprising Solution:
  Dr. Laura turns to research, championing hobbies as an underrated but powerful coping skill.
  • Hobbies foster resilience by providing accomplishment and engagement.
  • They boost mental health, creativity, and social connection (when shared with others).
  • Hobbies counter isolation—unless, she jokes, you're "in the basement being Dr. Frankenstein."

    "...one of the best coping skills is hobbies. What? Hobbies. Coping skill for stress."
    — Dr. Laura, [03:11]

• Science-Backed Benefits:
  She cites a major study:

  "A 2023 Nature Medicine study found 93,000 older adults across 16 countries found that folks who had hobbies reported better health, greater life satisfaction and fewer symptoms of depression compared to folks without hobbies."
  — Dr. Laura, [07:51]

4. Challenging Self-Indulgence Myths

• Reframing Hobbies:
  Many view hobbies as self-indulgent or wasteful. Dr. Laura counters this by highlighting their essential role in wellness.

5. Actionable Advice for Listeners

• Replace Hope with Action:
  "Hoping is useless. It's postponed disappointment."
  — Dr. Laura, [08:22]
• Concrete Steps:
  • Think hobby when feeling stressed.
  • Schedule joy.
  • Stay curious and connect with others through shared activities.
  • Reframe obligations:
    Many obligations that trigger stress are unnecessary and can be renegotiated or released.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Voluntary Traps:

  "For the most part, being in a stressful situation is voluntary... Therefore you will continue to be stressed."
  — Dr. Laura, [01:16]

• On the Futility of Hoping:

  "Hoping is useless. It's postponed disappointment."
  — Dr. Laura, [08:22]

• On the Value of Hobbies:

  "Turns out...one of the best coping skills is hobbies. What? Hobbies. Coping skill for stress."
  — Dr. Laura, [03:11]

• Joking Aside:

  "...unless you're in the basement being Dr. Frankenstein, just trying to take a cadaver part and put it to life. Okay."
  — Dr. Laura, [03:57]

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Research & Recommendations

• 2023 Nature Medicine Study:
  Dr. Laura references this study as a key piece of evidence confirming the mental and physical health benefits of maintaining hobbies in older adults.
  [07:51]

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Episode Flow & Timestamps

• 00:46: Dr. Laura transitions from ads to core theme—stress is often self-chosen.
• 01:16: Listeners are challenged: Are you really "stuck" with stress, or just avoiding change?
• 02:46: Examination of "hoping skills" vs. effective coping.
• 03:11: Introduction of hobbies as the research-backed answer.
• 07:51: Highlighting the Nature Medicine study and practical takeaways.
• 08:22: Final action points on reframing stress management—think hobbies, schedule joy, connect with others.

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Final Takeaway

Dr. Laura issues a clear call to action for listeners to ditch the cycle of "hoping" and start actively managing stress by prioritizing restorative, connecting activities—especially hobbies. Her message: You have more power than you think, and you can choose joy, creativity, and well-being.

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For More

• Join Dr. Laura on social media for daily Stories, listener features, and more advice:
  • Facebook.com/DrLaura
  • Instagram.com/DrLauraProgram
• Call in: 1-800-375-2872
• Visit DrLaura.com

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This summary excludes ad spots and program promos, focusing solely on Dr. Laura’s guidance and related content.

Transcript

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Thank you for listening to my morning monologue brought to you by Golden Crest Metals. Helping everyday investors protect what they've worked so hard to build by adding gold and silver to retire portfolios. Learn [e-mail] Protect Remember, you can hear my radio program daily on Sirius XM Triumph and connect with me 24 [e-mail] stress. Very unavoidable part of life. But how? The decisions we make with respect to what stresses us. That makes the quality of our life and our health and all our longevity more in our control. Almost 80% of you say stress negatively impacts everything in your life. But I've got to tell you, for the most part. Listen carefully. For the most part, being in a stressful situation is voluntary. You can come up with all kinds of excuses why you can't change the situation, but they're excuses. And yes you can, but you choose not to. Therefore you will continue to be stressed. Coping strategies are very important, but most of you have hoping skills. These are mental games you play with yourself that you're actually managing stress. Like squashing unwanted thoughts, wishing they would just disappear, clinging to useless strategies, hoping they will magically work. So ignoring denying may work for 20 minutes, but not for the long haul. Believe it or not, one of the best coping skills. Because hoping skills suck. I hope when I marry this person they will turn nice. Right now it's causing me great stress. I hope my mother, I hope my father, I hope my kid. Yeah, useless. Okay. Turns out from a lot of studies that one of the best coping skills is hobbies. What? Hobbies. Coping skill for stress.

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[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

Yeah, they foster resilience by giving you a sense of accomplishment. So you take on a hobby, you start learning it, you start getting good at it, and it makes you feel better, gives you a sense of accomplishment, helps your mental health, creativity and social connections. If this is a hobby that requires interacting with other people, mental health keeps you from being isolated. Unless you're in the basement being Dr. Frankenstein, just trying to take a cadaver part and put it to life. Okay.

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[Dr. Laura Schlessinger]

A 2023 Nature Medicine study found 93,000 older adults across 16 countries found that folks who had hobbies reported better health, greater life satisfaction and fewer symptoms of depression compared to folks without hobbies. Hobbies. Great coping skill for stress reduces anxiety and stress improves overall well being. You can garden. You can paint. You can dance. All of this. All of this. These are all coping mechanisms. And a lot of you think of it as a waste of time or self indulgent or selfish. Hoping is useless. It's postponed disappointment. So if you're feeling stress, start thinking. Hobby. Schedule joy. Stay curious. Connect with others. Reframe your obligations. A lot of you are trapped in a prison of unnecessary obligations that comes up on the program pretty often and I'm sure we'll talk about it again. Line number 1-800-375-2872 check out my social media on Facebook and Instagram. I post stories, photos and videos seven days a week and feature some of what you sent me too. There's always something interesting going on there. You can find me at facebook.com DrLora and instagram.com DrLauraprogram.

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