Do you start the day overwhelmed? Does the day begin in your mind before you even get out of bed? Let's talk about making the morning easier with Just a Minute of Mindfulness.
In this episode we talk about overwhelm, stress, the invisible load of mothering and the role that progesterone can have on working memory.
In this gentle and grounding episode, Dr Kumari Valentine shares the Just a Minute Manifesto—a compassionate philosophy of healing through micro-moments of self-connection. Rooted in trauma-informed mindfulness, this episode explores how just one minute can reconnect us with our body, our breath, and the parts of ourselves that need care. You'll be invited into reflection, regulation, and a quiet rebellion against burnout culture. A soothing listen for anyone craving deep self-care, one deliberate minute at a time.
In this episode I talk about Dissociation and introduce the idea of the Dissociation Thermometer I developed this week. You are welcome to download it and use it. Please share: https://pdflink.to/eccbd83c/ I also mentioned the petition that is taking up my time and is part of the concerning things happening for psychologists in New Zealand alongside other health professionals. https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/protect-public-safety-and-psychology-in-new-zealand-a-petition-by-psychologists-and-supporters
I had planned to talk about this at a later point, but recent events have caused me alarm. The Minister for Mental Health (NZ) revealed on Tuesday that the government is developing Associate Psychologist Scopes of practice, with the help of the Psychologists Board in NZ. The proposed pathway means that people with a basic undergraduate degree (where there is no clinical or hands on training) would do a one year training and then be registered health professionals, Associate Psychologists. Amongst the many issues of harm to the public, including that the vulnerable public might not know what an Associate vs Clinical or Registered Psychologist is, is the erosion of one of our foundations of practice - the Scientist Practitioner Model. In this podcast, I talk about the importance of the Scientist Practitioner Model to Psychology.
Can the way we eat affect how stressed we feel? The Christmas or holiday season is typically associated with a variety of stressors. In this episode with award winning chef and author, Bridget Foliaki Davis, we talk about gut health, stress, and eating. Bridget has some amazing tips to eat better this season in order to really nourish you and manage stress better. Bridget has TONS of free resources. She also has a transformative 28 day boost camp: https://bridgets.shop/ Free resource from me about 5 strategies to soothe the nervous system and proactively manage stress? Here is a PDF with audio guide I put together. Want to do a deeper psychological dive into a Stress Less Christmas? https://payhip.com/b/Ixcvg
Low or depressed mood affects EVERYTHING. I am a clinical psychologist with almost two decades of clinical experience as well as previously having been a researcher and lecturer in psychological science. In this episode, I share some evidence based tips for lifting low mood or maintaining mood. The awful thing when you feel low is that it feels like "this is it"! It isn't! You can improve your mood. Stress also affects mood. Would you like some additional quick strategies to help soothe the nervous system, decrease stress, and feel better? download at: https://drkumari.ck.page
Mindfulness has many benefits but can also be misunderstood. I talk about what mindfulness is and how it can be useful when we are dealing with relational trauma.
Episode 47: There is so much to the Gut Brain Axis but I give you a very quick overview and briefly cover Polyvagal theory.
Do you struggle with people pleasing and perhaps even identifying your own needs? In this episode I talk about the "fawn" response to relational trauma. My deeper self care course is available here: https://kumari.gumroad.com/l/deeperselfcare
I often talk about the nervous system and soothing it for dealing with stress and trauma. Here I talk about what I mean by the nervous system. A couple of weeks ago, I had an extra stressful week and was pleased with a few things I put into place - I'm always learning! I hope these tips are useful to you too! Here is a download to the handout I talk about: 5 strategies to soothe the nervous system and cope with stress: https://drkumari.ck.page
Waitangi Day is pretty important in New Zealand and a day I have mixed feelings about. One the one hand, it is really important, I feel, to honour our known guardians of the land and the special history and culture. On the other hand, there has been so much wrong doing, bias, racism, and disadvantage to the indigenous people of this country.
Best wishes for the holiday season! This is often a time of year when we start thinking about "resolutions" and "goals". These are more likely to succeed when they are driven by values. In this podcast, I talk about how we might discover or re-discover our values and some tips. Goal setting and values clarification are always easier when coming from a place of a more soothed nervous system. Here are 5 strategies I commonly teach, as a clinical psychologist, to help soothe and reset the nervous system: https://drkumari.ck.page/9f339e3e2b
Terror Management Theory is one of Psychology's "Grand Theories", explaining how existential terror influences decision making and choices. This is my contribution to an observation that we are moving into a time of more right leaning politics. Change can be hard to manage and mean that dysregulated nervous systems struggle more. Download five strategies to help soothe a nervous system: https://drkumari.ck.page/9f339e3e2b
What do we mean by Somatisation? In this episode I look at the connection between body and mind and what we mean by these diagnostic terms. I read some lines from the amazing book by Professor Bessel van der Kolk: "The Body Keeps the Score". Relearning to be in our body means resetting our nervous system. Sign up to my newsletter to download five powerful strategies to soothe the nervous system: https://drkumari.ck.page/9f339e3e2b
Perhaps not one to do actively while driving or doing something hazardous! We do a short mindfulness meditation aimed at increasing self compassion.
Our childhood experiences can mean that it is hard to be compassionate towards ourselves. I talk about why self-compassion is the magic ingredient in healing and how to develop more self-compassion.
Many of us are so skilled at being compassionate towards others. Here's Just a Minute of turning that outward reflex inwards....to build self compassion.
We are allowed to have things easy and to have ease in our lives! Our life experiences and messages from growing up might give us ideas against this. Let's take a moment to notice what comes up when we sit with the idea of ease.
In this episode I talk about what PTSD and Complex PTSD are, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) and ICD-11.