Bonus: SYSK TRENDING - How Stress Distorts Your Thinking

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Education, Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Science, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Everyone seems more stressed than ever — and oddly, some people even wear it like a badge of honor. But chronic stress isn’t something to brag about. It quietly alters the way you think. It amplifies worry, exaggerates threats, narrows your options, and makes worst-case scenarios feel not just possible, but probable. Over time, stress doesn’t just affect your mood — it reshapes your perception, your judgment, and the decisions you make. And because the shift happens gradually, you often don’t realize it’s happening at all. Clinical psychologist Arthur Ciaramicoli has spent decades studying stress and its impact on the brain and behavior. In this conversation, he explains what’s actually happening neurologically when stress rises — how your brain shifts into a more reactive mode, why you become more negative and less flexible in your thinking, and how chronic stress can trap you in a self-reinforcing loop. We also explore why modern life seems perfectly designed to keep stress levels elevated and why simply “relaxing” isn’t a realistic solution. Most importantly, Arthur shares practical, science-based strategies to interrupt the cycle — techniques you can use in the moment to calm your nervous system, widen your perspective, and prevent stress from distorting your thinking. If you’ve ever made a decision under pressure and later wondered, “What was I thinking?” — this episode will help you understand exactly what was happening and how to prevent it next time. Arthur is the author of The Stress Solution (https://amzn.to/3yQgt22). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS QUINCE: Refresh your wardrobe with Quince! Go to ⁠https://Quince.dom/sysk ⁠for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! HIMS: For simple, online access to personalized and affordable care for Hair Loss, ED, Weight Loss, and more, visit ⁠https://Hims.com/SOMETHING⁠ for your free online visit! SHOPIFY: Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠ DELL: Dell Tech Days are here. Enjoy huge deals on PCs like the Dell 14 Plus with Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. Visit ⁠https://Dell.com/deals⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES: We love the Planet Visionaries podcast, so listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you're listening to this podcast! In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A lot of people are feeling stressed right now, and you think you know what stress feels like,
0:08.0	faster heartbeat, tight shoulders, feeling overwhelmed. But what if the biggest impact of stress
0:14.0	isn't how it makes you feel, it's how it makes you think? That's today's SYSK trending topic, how stress distorts your thinking. Under pressure,
0:24.4	your brain shifts into a different mode. You become more reactive, more negative, and more convinced
0:29.5	that the worst case scenario is right around the corner. You may think you're being logical,
0:35.3	but stress quietly narrows your perspective and exaggerates the danger.
0:40.5	In my conversation with clinical psychologist Arthur Sierra McColle,
0:44.8	we explore what's happening in your brain when stress rises.
0:48.9	And more importantly, we'll share practical techniques you can use right away to regain clarity and keep stress from running the show.
0:57.0	And we'll get to it in just a moment.
1:01.9	Of the Regency era, you might know it as the time when Bridgeton takes place,
1:07.5	or is the time when Jane Austen wrote her books.
1:09.8	The Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals,
1:15.0	and maybe the worst king in British history.
1:18.2	Vulgar history's new season is all about the Regency era,
1:21.3	the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal.
1:24.3	Listen to Vulgar History, Regency Era, wherever you get podcasts.
1:33.6	People throw around the word stress a lot, as in, I'm under stress. This stress is killing me.
1:41.4	My life is so stressful. But what's interesting to me about stress is that stress is something we really impose on ourselves, for the most part,
1:51.3	which means it's really up to us to manage it and eliminate it when we can.
1:56.5	Someone who understands stress really well is Dr. Arthur Sierra McColley. He's a clinical psychologist
2:03.3	and author of the book The Stress Solution. And I think when you listen to him, you'll have a better
	...

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