‘I WASN’T LIVING – I WAS JUST SURVIVING’: DR ZOE WILLIAMS OPENS UP ABOUT REMOVING STRESS AFTER HEALTH SCARE

After facing a health scare in 2023 where her heart went into an “abnormal rhythm” of 300 beats a minute, Dr Zoe Williams made the decision to try to remove stress from her life.

“I was on a weekend trip with some friends before ending up in A&E in Spain for a night,” 46-year-old Burnley-born Williams says. “They almost had to put the paddles on my chest and defibrillate to try and put my heart back into a normal rhythm.”

Williams, who has appeared as the resident doctor on ITV’s This Morning alongside presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, says she spent some time afterwards speaking with cardiologists and got a procedure to her heart to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.

“I did quiz them about why it happened, but was reassured that there is no specific cause,” she says.

However, it led her to realise she couldn’t afford to be stressed anymore.

“At that time,  my nervous system was so dysregulated – not because I was stressed by anything bad. I had the life I wanted and even though it wasn’t negative stress,  it was still very stressful,” she admits.

“I’ve often got demands coming from different places and even though I created this life I liked, I wasn’t really living it – I was just surviving it, I was just about coping.”

Hampshire-based Williams says since then, everything has been a real transition for her. “I’m now much more in touch with my body and I understand the feelings, signs and symptoms of when I’m starting to feel stressed and I know what to do.”

Williams’ journey with fitness has also changed dramatically in recent years, following a severe spinal stenosis diagnosis and back surgery in February of this year to remove overgrown ligaments and bone. “When I was younger – in my 20s and 30s – I loved playing rugby, team sports, lifting heavy weights and running. I would love to work out to the point of exhaustion and the feeling it gave me,” she says.

However she suggests that since transitioning into her 40s, that type of exercise doesn’t serve her anymore. “After my back surgery and in the two years leading up to it, it was really challenging for me to train and exercise in the way I wanted to,” she explains.

Williams says the two years before her surgery were the hardest time for her wellbeing.

“I couldn’t express myself and being constantly in pain every day is tiring. It makes everything harder. You’re more irritable and you’ve got less energy,” she admits.

“There were periods within that where I couldn’t do much at all and for the first time in my life, this muscle that I’ve always taken for granted – I was losing it. So I’ve seen with my own body that maintaining strength as we get older is more difficult, but really crucial.”

Williams says she spent time prepping herself for surgery – both physically and mentally.

“I tried to prepare my body by getting as strong as I could, so I was really focusing on muscle strengthening and I had a new motivation to really push myself in the gym,” she says.

“The most important thing I did was prepare my brain and mindset.”

“I did a lot of gratitude work and when I was in pain after my surgery, I was so happy about the pain because it was different to what I had had previously for two years.”

She continues: “I had gratitude about the fact that I had a warm, comfortable home, a partner who was looking after me, painkillers, access to medical health and support which a lot of people around the world don’t have.”

“Instead of feeling guilty about not being able to do stuff around the house, I realised the world is not going to change if for a few weeks I can’t do things for other people.”

For Williams, muscles are important for every aspect of health.

“In terms of looking after our brains and our bodies, resistance training is probably the most important thing that I do,” she explains.

“In order to keep our bodies strong and healthy, we need to exercise. If we give our muscles the right nourishment and the right type of exercise, they’ll grow, thrive and be healthy. I think we can extrapolate that to other areas of our life as well.”

Williams, who has partnered with Specsavers to raise awareness around summer eye and hearing health, suggests other simple ways people can reset their nervous system and overall happiness.

“One of the best things you can do is eat all your meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – every day without fail and as close to the same time as possible,” she explains.

“Make sure your plate has complex carbohydrates, a good healthy protein source and loads of vegetables.

“Getting early morning sunlight is important, too. This helps regulate your body clock – it tells your body the day has started and helps regulate cortisol levels, serotonin levels and regulates melatonin levels in the evening.”

Williams says the quickest way to bring yourself out of fight or flight mode is with the breath. “I love the physiological sigh – where you breathe in fully through your nose and then take a short, sharp, further breath in through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth.”

The internet is full of wellbeing trends – some more beneficial than others. One that Williams does like is ‘fibremaxxing’, which is maximising the amount of fibre in your diet.

“I think it is a helpful trend. As long as people don’t take it to the extreme and do it safely,” she notes.

“I think at least 95% of us are not consuming enough fibre for good health, so if the trend can get more people eating it, then that is great.”

But one she’s not so keen on? Ice baths. “They definitely have their place and benefits to certain people and those who have a regulated nervous system – there might be some benefits.

“But if you’re a woman in midlife, these hormones are declining and you’re all over the place – putting yourself in an ice bath is not going to help. In fact, it could make it a lot worse.”

Dr Zoe Williams, GP, has collaborated with Specsavers. To book a hearing or eye test, visit specsavers.co.uk.

2026-08-05T07:15:15Z