How to become unfuckwithable

A radical approach to stress (or whatever is vexing you)

This is probably going to sound crazy, but I recently did the hardest thing I've ever done: I took a round-trip flight from New York to Washington, D.C.

How, you may ask, is that a big deal?

I have crippling claustrophobia which, for the last few years, has made airplanes and elevators a nightmare. In fact, I haven't been able to take any flights without medication.

But a few weeks ago, my shrink and I flew back and forth to D.C. I’m a guy who used to work in war zones, and this was the most terrified I've ever been.

Why do I tell you all of this?

Because while I was on that flight, with my head spinning and legs wobbly from abject terror, I made a counterintuitive move: instead of pushing away what I didn't want to feel, I let it in. I got curious. I got mindful. Which is what helped me get through it.

And that’s what I recommend to you—for whatever is bugging you, be it panic or garden-variety stress. Try this radical and countercultural move: instead of pushing away what’s bothering you, let it in.

There’s an art to this. You don’t want to swamp yourself. So, for example, while I was on the flight, if my anxiety level got to an eight or nine, I switched from mindfulness to self-soothing. I would tell myself that I was OK, that this was just my brain/body reacting inappropriately to a stressor.

Today’s episode of the podcast is all about stress, both the unhealthy and the healthy kind. My guest is Jeff Krasno, author of Good Stress, a stalwart of the wellness world who nonetheless found himself in failing health and then turned it around by subjecting himself to a science-backed regimen of healthy stressors.

And paid subscribers also get a new guided meditation designed to pair with the podcast episode to help you operationalize the ideas about how to become unfuckwithable. As with all of the guided meditations we are releasing this month, this one comes from one of my favorite dharma teachers, Cara Lai.

Paid subscribers get the 10% Happier podcast ad-free, as well as:

• A cheatsheet for each episode — with key takeaways, time-coded highlights, and a transcript

• The ability to comment on posts and participate in subscriber chats

• Access to our twice-monthly live video sessions, in which I guide a meditation and take questions

Join the party.

Episode cheatsheet

The big takeaway

Jeff Krasno explores how our convenience-obsessed modern lifestyles have led to chronic stress and disease, while simultaneously starving us of the “good stress” our bodies and minds evolved to handle. By reintroducing discomforts like fasting, temperature changes, and honest communication, Jeff makes the case that we can realign with our biology, boost resilience, and find more genuine well-being.

Too Comfortable for Our Own Good: How “Good Stress” Makes Us Healthier: