Share

Stress, for most Americans, feels as natural to us as breathing. It’s something that comes so quickly, that Dr. Modupe Akinola, a psychologist from New York, and assistant professor at Columbia Business School; believes we should acclimate ourselves with it’s presence and study it’s indicators.

Akinola, as a psychiatrist has studied stress and work performance for years and identifies reasons that some people thrive under pressure and some do not. She believes that we can all control our anxieties in high-pressure situations, similarly to everyday life stressors, in a multitude of mindful ways. As a psychiatrist, she has studied stress and work performance for years and identifies reasons why some people thrive under pressure and some do not.

We spoke to Dr. Akinola just a few days before the premiere of National Geographic’s new series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth to learn more about how we can cope with stress through extreme situations and our everyday lives.

In Limitless, she emphasizes the physical ramifications that our pressures build on the body, down to the speed of our heart rate.

Over time, those mental and physical changes could put us at considerable risk for High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, and Hypertension, if we don’t learn the coping strategies needed to ground ourselves when we are feeling stress/anxiety.

Check out the video below to understand more about what it means to “Date your stress”, her experience with the Marvel Megastar, and more.

*NOTE: This interview took place just before Chris Hemsworth announced that he would be taking a break from acting due to finding out about his increased risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.