Reduce Stress with NPR’s Calm-Inducing Mission

 If you want to reduce stress, join NPR in their mission to bring back calm. 

Stress is woven into the human experience. 

The older we get, the more we expect challenges and difficulties in relationships, work, raising children, and more, as well as health worries. Plus, we have fears of big events over which we have no control,  from climate change to ugly political polarization to global conflict. This can all be a lot. 

But how we deal with stress is key to growth. It turns out there are some simple strategies that can help reduce anxiety and increase positive emotions. And there's plenty of scientific evidence that they work. 

Think of these strategies as skills that you can practice  and improve, which can help you cope better during difficult times. 

If you want to increase your resilience, subscribe to NPR's Stress Less newsletter series. Over the course of 5 weeks, you'll be introduced to  powerful tools and strategies proven to help  reduce anxiety and increase well-being. 

Learn skills like positive self-reflection, mindfulness, and self-compassion from leading experts in the fields of psychology and neuroscience, as well as insights into stress research. 

 Special Opportunity: Take a Masterclass in Resilience 

NPR has partnered with Northwestern University to offer viewers an online stress reduction course and research study. 

Stress Less is based on the work of Judith Moskowitz, a research psychologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who developed the course. It teaches eight skills to promote positive emotions. 

The book is based on her more than 20 years of research with people who have experienced extremely challenging situations, such as women with stage 4 breast cancer and people caring for  loved ones with Alzheimer's. Their peer-reviewed studies show benefits. Sponsored Message 

Their research shows that people who learn and practice these skills report feeling more joy and less anxiety, even during difficult times. 

"We've accumulated a pretty large body of research  that shows these skills  work for anyone, regardless of the type of stress they're experiencing," says Moskowitz. 

When you sign up, you'll participate in an online research study led by Dr. Moskowitz and supervised by him. You'll complete a survey to measure your own anxiety levels  and positive emotions before and after the course. The course is free. Mastering these skills requires practice, and participants typically spend about 10-15 minutes per week studying these skills and a few minutes per day practicing them. READ MORE