Sometimes life can feel like a bit of a mess, but these talks are here to help you de-stress.

Which came first: the stress or the pimples? The physical reactions to stress can cause major breakouts, which, in turn, can be even more stressful! Claudia Aguirre gives just one more reason to get that stress under control. [Directed by Alan Foreman, narrated by Claudia Aguirre].

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for...

Our hard-wired stress response is designed to give us the quick burst of heightened alertness and energy needed to perform our best. But stress isn't all good. When activated too long or too often, stress can damage virtually every part of our body. Sharon Horesh Bergquist gives us a look at what goes on inside our body when we are chronically s...

Stress isn't always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you're playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it's continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the...

You spend weeks studying for an important test. On the big day, you wait nervously as your teacher hands it out. You're working your way through, when you're asked to define "ataraxia." You know you've seen the word before, but your mind goes blank. What just happened? Elizabeth Cox details the complex relationship between stress and memory. [TE...

Many of us will experience some kind of trauma during our lifetime. Sometimes, we escape with no long-term effects. But for millions of people, those experiences linger, causing symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, and negative thoughts that interfere with everyday life. Joelle Rabow Maletis details the science behind post-traumatic stress diso...

Yami Joshi had just landed a dream job and a placement in graduate school when she got into a complex relationship ... with stress. In this delightful talk followed by a riveting eight-person dance, Joshi demonstrates how the cleansing qualities and symbolism of a two thousand year-old classical Indian dance can be a cure for our modern-day anxi...

What keeps you up at night? Pondering deep questions? Excitement about a big trip? Stress about unfinished work? What if the very thing keeping you awake was stress about losing sleep? This seemingly unsolvable loop is at the heart of insomnia, the world's most common sleep disorder. So what is insomnia? And is there any way to break the cycle? ...

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik and, with it, an international space race. The United States and the Soviet Union rushed to declare dominance of space for 18 years, until the two countries agreed to a more collaborative model. The real winner? Science. Jeff Steers describes the history -- and the benefits -- o...

By some estimates, work-related stress drains the US economy of nearly 300 billion dollars a year -- and it can hurt your productivity and personal health too, says wellness advocate Rob Cooke. He shares some strategies to help put your mental, physical and emotional well-being back at the forefront.

What if you could transform your anxiety into something you can actually use during your work day? Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki shares two evidence-based activities -- breathing and movement -- that can soothe your nervous system and fuel creativity and connection.

Kelly McGonigal translates academic research into practical strategies for health, happiness and personal success.

Get to know your heart a bit better with insightful talks on this powerful, life-sustaining organ.

Rob Cooke, a relationship manager for high net-worth individuals, investigates the cost of work-related stress -- both in our personal lives and the global economy.

Robert Sapolsky is one of the leading neuroscientists in the world, studying stress in primates (including humans).

Imagine playing a video game controlled by your mind. Now imagine that game also teaches you about your own patterns of stress, relaxation and focus. Ariel Garten shows how looking at our own brain activity gives new meaning to the ancient dictum "know thyself."

Bruce Feiler has a radical idea: To deal with the stress of modern family life, go agile. Inspired by agile software programming, Feiler introduces family practices which encourage flexibility, bottom-up idea flow, constant feedback and accountability. One surprising feature: Kids pick their own punishments.

You take vacation days, sick days and mental health days; now it's time to add a financial health day to that list! What to do on it? Behavioral psychologist Wendy De La Rosa shares 10 simple steps you can take to spend less, save more -- and stress less.

Racism is making people sick -- especially black women and babies, says Miriam Zoila Pérez. The doula turned journalist explores the relationship between race, class and illness and tells us about a radically compassionate prenatal care program that can buffer pregnant women from the stress that people of color face every day.

Worn out? Exhausted? Bleary-eyed? If you need a little something to ease your frustration and get you back in the spirit, this collection of talks should help.

Nadine Burke Harris’ healthcare practice focuses on a little-understood, yet very common factor in childhood that can profoundly impact adult-onset disease: trauma.

The report you've been putting off is due tomorrow. It's time to buckle down, open your computer ... and check your phone. Maybe watch your favorite YouTube channel? Or maybe you should just start in the morning? This is the cycle of procrastination. So, why do we procrastinate when we know it's bad for us? Explore how your body triggers a procr...

Health care workers are under more stress than ever before. How can they protect their mental health while handling new and complex pressures? TED Fellow Laurel Braitman shows how writing and sharing personal stories helps physicians, nurses, medical students and other health professionals connect more meaningfully with themselves and others -- ...

How do you effectively regulate stress? Therapist Esther Perel discusses the importance of creating routines, rituals and boundaries to deal with pandemic-related loss and uncertainty -- both at home and at work -- and offers some practical tools and techniques to help you regain your sense of self. (This conversation, hosted by TED's Helen Walt...

Sitting down for brief periods can help us recover from stress or recuperate from exercise. But nowadays, our lifestyles make us sit much more than we move around. Are our bodies built for such a sedentary existence? Murat Dalkilinç investigates the hidden risks of sitting down. [Directed by Oxbow Creative, narrated by Addison Anderson].

Amishi Jha studies how we pay attention: the process by which our brain decides what's important out of the constant stream of information it receives. Both external distractions (like stress) and internal ones (like mind-wandering) diminish our attention's power, Jha says -- but some simple techniques can boost it. "Pay attention to your attent...

C. Noel Bairey Merz is director of the Women's Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, where she is a professor of medicine.

Get the better of frustration with these talks about how to positively channel that angry energy.

When it rains, it tends to pour. Here’s hoping that a break in the clouds is coming soon.