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A regular exploration into the science of mental health by a recovered anxious worrywart. This podcast focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of anxiety, stress and worry, and links them to tools and practices to enable positive change.
32 Episodes
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More on how "emotional learnings" are created and how they inform our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Also includes some discovery techniques that will allow us to uncover these schema so that we might update them in future, which will help resolve inner-conflict and mental or emotional suffering.
This episode explores how our memories inform our beliefs and schema from the perspective of science. It includes aspects of memories and how we develop them as we mature from babyhood onwards, why it is difficult (but possible) to update our beliefs when they are downloaded at an early age, and the difference between "extinction" and "reconsolidation".
What do we mean when we say emotional trauma, and why does it matter to us as adults? A huge part of finding inner-peace is understanding where the inner disharmony comes from. Many of the beliefs we have about ourselves that create dissonance and suffering are learned via emotional trauma, especially during childhood years. This episode explores how this trauma shapes us, and introduces a pathway into healing.
Once we have built a foundation of self-worth, the other aspect of self-esteem is personal growth or "mastery". But is it really that important, and how do we find a sense of purpose?
How can we start feeling good about ourselves? What's the difference between people with authentically high levels of self-esteem, narcissists and those with low levels of self-worth? How can we work towards feelings of self-compassion, respect and feelings of worthiness, regardless of our social status or bank balance?
How do we fill the sense of emptiness when we have met our needs but still feel like there's something missing? Why do people get stuck on the hedonic treadmill, which keeps them unfulfilled? How can we reassess our lives and start moving towards self-realisation and inner peace?
How can we let go of this tendency to berate ourselves for things we've done in the past? How can we forgive ourselves and others, so we can get on with living? How can we detach ourselves from the sticky default mode network, which is responsible for dominating our thoughts with "shoulda woulda coulda"?
Are you afraid of being happy? As odd as that sounds, its true for many of us on a deep, implicit level. Uncovering why we might close ourselves to happiness can allow us to let it in.
For those who love the neuroscience and biological aspect of mental health. A brief look into the murky world of biology and depression. If we can see depression as an adaptive response instead of a pathological state it allows us a window into healing.
How do we protect ourselves from emotional contagion? How do we get the best out of human connection whether we're extroverts or introverts? Why do we need to let go of the distractions that keep us stuck in isolation, so we can spend more time connecting with ourselves and others?
An introduction into the science of human connection. How did we get here? Why do we feel better when we have the support of people we care about? Why does it matter who we spend our time with?
An introduction into autonomic nervous system and how to shift the balance from "fight/flight" to "rest/digest" by deliberately stimulating the vagus nerve.
Much of the time the biggest stressor of modern life is overwhelm, which triggers the threat circuitry for repression, or a lack of perceived control. Slowing down, getting organised, freeing up time, losing distractions and reinstating order can reduce the feeling that your challenges are bigger than you. There is no rocket science here - but we all need a reminder to carry out good practice sometimes. There is also an introduction into what I think may just be the most effective h...
13 worry hacks for a peaceful brain:1. Use your focused/task based attentional networks instead. Worry is chiefly the result of the activation of the daydreaming default mode network (where we go when we are not practicing mindfulness or concentrating on a task). Using the task-based networks instead can give us a break. Do something that is useful or enjoyable and requires your full concentration. This will take the resources away from the DMN and give you some peac...
1This episode introduces the idea of "emotional duality", which was an essential step towards my recovery from the default discomfort of anxiety, and gave me the freedom to be myself without the guarded feelings I always carried around. If you have anxiety, this is a game changer.. and one that doesn't get much coverage. If we want to teach our subconscious that our environment is safe and there is no need to feel on edge all the time, we need to change the way we connect with the world. ...
This episode starts by briefly covering how we can use mindfulness to press pause, allowing us to veto emotional reactions such as anger. Next, we talk about two common traps that most of us fall into at some point - anger and victimhood. A lack of control, resentment and the wounded pride of ego are often the root of anger, and when we understand what the cause is, we can often take action to attenuate these feelings. It is also helpful to recognise when we are taking the role of t...
This is a deep dive into a practice that is notoriously difficult to explain. Years of study into mindfulness, neuroscience and psychology have allowed to me to connect all the dots, enabling the realisation of a model which can finally give solidity and clarity to this seemingly nebulous idea. Insight into the mechanisms behind mindfulness, and understanding why it is so effective at helping us achieve balance, will give us motivation to learn more on how to practice effectively and con...
This episode covers the physical foundations of achieving a balanced mental state. The brain is part of the body. Balancing the system through changes to diet, removal of toxins and increased levels of exercise, will result in a vast improvement to your mental state. We look into why chronic stress, poor diet, alcohol usage and a sedentary lifestyle leads to inflammation and how inflammation can lead to affective disorders and autoimmune diseases.
This episode outlines the importance of sleep, and its role in maintaining a balanced mindset. It also explores ways in which we can get better at getting enough sleep, particularly if we're prone to worry and anxiety at night.
How high levels of anxiety can be conceptualised from a biological and psychological point of view. The cycle of anxiety will be introduced, along with initial ideas on how you might break the cycle and turn the volume down on relentless feelings of discomfort and unease.
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