Stress Less: Harnessing The Mind-Body Connection - by Dr. Laura Hays

COURSE

Stress Less: Harnessing The Mind-Body Connection

With Dr. Laura Hays

Stress is a normal part of life, but when it becomes chronic, it affects your health, focus and overall well-being. In this course, Dr. Laura Hays, an emergency physician and wellness coach, guides you through the science of stress, showing you how to recognize your body's signals and intentionally shift into calm and resilience. Through eight practical, reflective lessons, you'll explore the mind-body connection, learn tools to regulate your nervous system, and develop habits that promote clarity, focus, and sustained energy - even in challenging moments.

ClarityResilienceStress & AnxietyScienceStressPerformanceHealth & HappinessScience

Meet your Teacher

Dr. Laura Hays
Charlotte, NC, USA

Dr. Laura Hays is a board-certified emergency physician, expert speaker and well-being coach with years of experience working in high-pressure environments. Through her work in both medicine and leadership coaching, she helps individuals understand the connection between mind, body, and performance. Drawing from science, clinical experience, and practical tools, Dr. Hays teaches strategies for stress management, resilience, and sustainable well-being that empower people to live and lead with greater clarity and calm.

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8 Days

99 students

5.0 stars

9 min / day

Clarity

English

Lesson 1

Understanding Stress: What Your Body Is Trying To Tell You

In this lesson, you'll explore what stress really is - not just a feeling, but a biological response designed to protect you. Learn how your brain and body communicate under pressure, the difference between acute and chronic stress, and why awareness of your body's signals is the first step toward lasting resilience.

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Lesson 2

Your Nervous System: The Key To Calm

In this lesson, you'll discover how your nervous system drives your stress response, and your ability to recover from it. Learn about the balance between the sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and restore") systems, and explore practical ways to activate your body's natural calm response through awareness, breath, and gentle regulation techniques.

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Lesson 3

Awareness First: Recognizing Early Signs Of Dysregulation

In this lesson, you'll learn to identify the early physical, mental, and emotional signs that your body is under stress, before it escalates. By tuning in to subtle cues like tension, restlessness, or acting thoughts, you'll begin to understand your unique stress patterns and build the awareness needed to respond with calm and clarity instead of reacting on autopilot.

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Lesson 4

The Power Of The Pause

In lesson 4, you'll discover the power of the pause - a simple, evidence-based practice that helps you interrupt your stress response and restore clarity. Drawing from Dr. Hays's experience in the emergency department, you'll learn how one intentional breath can steady your body, sharpen your focus, and shift you from reaction to response. Like any skill, the pause takes practice - and each moment you use it builds your capacity to stay grounded under pressure.

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Lesson 5

Breathing And Grounding For Balance

In this lesson, you'll learn how breath and body awareness can help calm your nervous system and restore inner steadiness. Dr. Hays explains the physiology behind how breathing and grounding shift your body from stress to regulation , sharing lessons from her experience in emergency medicine. You'll also explore why life isn't about perfect balance, but about finding harmony, learning to return to center again and again through intentional practice.

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Lesson 6

The Rhythm Of Recovery - Training Your Body To Reset Under Stress

In this lesson, Dr. Hays dives into the next phase of the stress cycle: recovery. She explains the science of vagal tone, heart-rate variability, and neuroplasticity, and how brief "micro-recovery" moments retrain the body to return to calm. You'll learn practical ways to strengthen your nervous system's flexibility and sustain high performance without burning out.

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Lesson 7

The Mind-Body Connection In Relationships And Communication

This lesson explores how your nervous system communicates beyond words. Dr. Hays explains the science of co-regulation and how calm, grounded physiology can influence others through emotional contagion, tone and body language. You'll learn how awareness and attunement improve relationships, communication and leadership - even under pressure.

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Lesson 8

Integration - From Awareness To Embodied Change

In this final lesson, Dr. Hays integrates the science and practice of the mind-body connection into a sustainable framework for well-being. She explores the concept of dynamic harmony - how awareness, recovery, and alignment create lasting change. This lesson helps learners bridge insight into action and embody resilience in daily life.

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5.0 (9)

Recent Reviews

Rich

December 30, 2025

Great course! Thank you!

Mickey

December 13, 2025

Exactly what I have needed. Stressed most of my life. Have handled it but not without a cost. Thank you for this course. Namaste

Tope

November 25, 2025

Practical and applicable insights for everyday living. I enjoyed the course!

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