Healthspan Psychology

Excited to be diving into Dr. Gabor Mate’s new book “The Myth of Normal”. As he puts it, “in the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well”…and part of this is because of the social structures, assumptions, and values considered “normal”, that are LARGELY unhelpful…

Where suppressing feelings can be celebrated as “stoic”, and focusing on the needs of others while persistently ignoring our own, praised for its “kindness”…

We make the assumption these are normal, admirable, and in fact characteristics of our personality (problematically suggesting we can do nothing to change them). But as Dr. Mate so eloquently explains, these characteristics have nothing to do with our personality traits but are at the root, coping patterns. Furthermore, these normalized ways of being often contribute to significant illness and disease in our culture.

The reality is MANY things impact our mental health and we all face mental health struggles at one point or another.

Whether we have a diagnosed condition, some concerns or are looking to stay healthy, we check in with different health practitioner like doctors, dentists, or optometrists. We even take our cars in for regular maintenance.

Let's continue to promote taking care of our mental health as well!

Another day, another book. From the role of biology, epigenetics, and our nervous system, to understanding trauma, practical practices, attachment styles, and boundaries…this book is all in all a good overview of the many components to overcoming the unhelpful impacts of our past to promote physical and psychological health!

KEY REMINDERS:

• Trauma is a part of life. It is unavoidable. AND just because we have experienced trauma does not mean we are destined for a life of suffering and illness.

• Physical and psychological symptoms are messages, not lifelong diagnoses (though we often seek to silence these forms of communication due to the discomfort they create).

• Bringing me to the next point…discomfort is temporary AND a necessary part of transformation. I have yet to see any person overcome anxiety, trauma ,depression, debilitating self criticism (etc.) without discomfort.

• As long as trauma is not resolved, the stress hormones the body secretes to protect itself keep regulating, impacting both our physical and psychological health. Good news is, there are many evidence-based practices for resolving trauma and promoting wellbeing!

Information Boundaries. We live in a world with constant access to information (thanks to google and basically all forms of social media!). With that comes immense learning opportunities AND immense opportunity for anxiety. While knowledge can help us develop new skills, connect to others around us, learn ways to protect ourselves, and provide for the needs in our world….it can also be overwhelming. It can feel heavy. We can feel like we are missing out if we are not “up to date”.

There was a historical time where humans suffered in part due to a lack of knowledge (i.e. think germ theory or basic hygiene)...however now it’s indicated that an excess of knowledge (all the time) may be negatively impacting our mental well-being.

Given that our brain is biologically wired to focus on negative information (a survival mechanism), there are times where we need to set boundaries around how much information we consume and how often. This is not permission to put our heads in the sand and ignore what is going on in the world around us. However, it is permission to get intentional about what information we are consuming, when, and how often. In some cases we may even give ourself permission to “not know”.

We don’t always know our boundaries and that is okay. Sometimes we figure them out by reflecting on how we are doing or feeling, or realizing we need a boundary in the first place.

Notice this week how you feel consuming information. If you are feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, irritated, anxious, or numb, it may be an indicator some informational boundaries are needed!

INCREASING VAGAL ACTIVITY in short, activates the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest system), allowing you to relax and recover faster from stress.

More specifically, it helps reduce inflammatory responses by putting the brakes on the sympathetic nervous system (your stress response).

Recent research has suggested that increasing vagal activity may be crucial for inhibiting the ongoing physiological and psychological stressors we face today (promoting rising rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms), and essential for enhancing physical and mental resilience.

There are many ways to increase vagal nerve activity, but some with the best supporting evidence for benefit are below:

MODERATE EXERCISE: research has demonstrated healthy individuals who are under sustained stress exhibit improved mental health (i.e. fewer depressive symptoms) when they exercise at a moderate intensity compared to individuals who do not exercise at all or who exercise at a high intensity.

DEEP BREATHS: most people take about 10-14 breaths each minute. Slowing this down and taking 6 deep breaths (with a long exhale) is key to stimulating the vagus nerve. Breath deeply from your diaphragm, allowing your stomach to expand outwards (verse your chest).

MEDITATE: when we are stressed, slowing down to focus on the present moment, our breath, our bodies, our emotions…even for a minute can feel like the last “thing” we have time for. And we will be able to tolerate and recover from the stress in life more efficiently, ironically, if we give ourselves a brief moment to meditate. Mind-body interventions like meditation are associated with decreases in cortisol levels (stress hormone), improved immune function, and adaptive changes in brain regions involved in cognitive and affective regulation, which may explain the positive effect on emotional well-being and stress resilience!

Have you heard of the VAGUS NERVE? Enjoying reading this review journal this morning looking at the impact the pandemic has had on our mental health AND the role of the vagus nerve as it relates to biopsychosocial resilience (fancy term for one’s ability to recover from biological, psychological or social stressors).

Part of me is so tired of talking about COVID. And the other part of me knows that we need to keep talking about it as it relates to the widespread increase in mental health challenges (e.g. anxiety, depression, trauma, etc.)

Stay tuned to see what I learn!

We all want to avoid our emotions at times. I get it. AND if we continue to avoid our emotions, we will spend way more time and discomfort dealing with all the pesky and problematic ways those repressed emotions show up i.e. physical disease, anxiety, trauma, depression, addiction, sleep disturbances, emotional reactivity, anger, the list goes on…

Re-reading “Permission to Feel” by Marc Brackett, PhD prompts a little PSA:

Your feelings matter. Your emotions are valid. Acknowledging this is key for your health. Let me explain.

Emotions often get a bad rep. Firstly, we label them as “good” or “bad”...so naturally when we experience emotions categorized as “bad”, we think something is wrong. Not only can this lead to some unhelpful thinking patterns, but it promotes avoidance (more on this later), and activates our sympathetic nervous system (i.e. our stress response). In short, this dampens our health. For instance, emotional suppression is strongly correlated with increased burnout, decreased life satisfaction, and higher rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms.

Secondly, we often lump feelings, thinking, and behaviours as one in the same….and then judge them correspondingly as valid or not. The distinction between emotions, thoughts, and behaviours is important. Emotions are always valid. I know this can be hard to accept, but they are always valid because no matter what thinking or situation is promoting the feeling, the experience of the feeling is 100% real…trying to trick our mind or body into saying it's not valid only INCREASES the feeling. Ever had someone tell you, “you shouldn't be angry, sad, mad, etc.…”? Did the feeling suddenly go away or intensify? Exactly. So while emotions are always valid, this is not permission to think or behave however we want.

3 Quick tips:
•Remind yourself, all emotions are important. Some may be more comfortable or enjoyable like joy, hope or contentment. Some may be less comfortable like guilt, disappointment or despair and that is OKAY.

• What we resist persists (say it again!). So ironically, if you are noticing uncomfortable emotions dominating your life right now…learning to feel the uncomfortable emotion is key to alleviating the emotion’s intensity.

• Emotions are information. Learning to label and process them is a skill (i.e. takes practice and patience).

Looking to learn more, you can click the link in bio or email me at [email protected] to book a free phone consult and see if we are good fit for working together.

Fixed it! We often think of our mind and body as separate, but ample research demonstrates how seriously interconnected our mental and physical health are. To give you a taste:

• 85% of individuals with chronic pain experience severe depression (1)

•50-80% of individuals with mental health struggles, suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea (compared to 10-18% prevalence in the general public) (2)

• Frequent consumption of foods high in processed sugar are correlated with increased risk of anxiety, depression, and negative cognitive function (3)

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines: health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The WHO also states “there is NO health without mental health”.

I get passionate pretty much any day of the week when it comes to ending stigma and people viewing health as a combination of mental, physical and social well-being, BUT I get even more excited on day to get the message out!

When someone breaks their leg or has a cold, do we view them as “weak” or “crazy” for seeing their doctor? No, quite the opposite. We probably see them seeking out medical support as a wise thing to do. When we schedule our yearly medical, see our dentist, or take our vehicle in for maintenance…is it because we are “messed” up? Or because we have been taught/know the value of taking care of our bodies or our belongings to preserve health and longevity. So let's be clear, seeing a Mental Health Professional is SMART, just as seeing your doctor, dentist or mechanic is a good idea as well. Depending on what is going on, it may be beneficial to see your Mental Health Professional more regularly or periodically for a check up.

Right now I’m reading “The Dance of Anger” by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., who I am now confident is a relationship genius.

I don’t highly recommend all books, but this one makes the list! For any woman (or human being for that matter) looking to cultivate health, emotional stability, and clear communication this book is fantastic.

Too many take aways to count, but here's a taste:

•Blaming blocks change

• If it is upsetting you, it is yours to deal with (which is different than your fault)

• Value of stating what is helpful to you, and not what other person is doing “wrong”

• Right to feel doesn’t mean someone else is responsible (you can hold people responsible for their behavior, not your response to them)

• Common ways we get stuck: pattern of overresponding and underresponding. If we want our partner/family/friend to stop underfunctioning in an area, we must be ready to stop overfunctioning (and thus relinquishing some control).

Kind reminder, communication is a skill. None of us are automatically good at it, cause we all need time, space, and grace to learn. Practice, reflection, and learning is hard and also so rewarding!

Gratitude isn’t an attitude, it's a practice. And it is not as simple as a gratitude list...

Peer reviewed studies have shown that gratitude has huge positive effects on mental and physical health (e.g. change brain circuits to reduce anxiety and promote motivation, reduce inflammatory cytokines released during stress to improve immune functioning, lower BP, reduce depressive symptoms, improve sleep, ect.) BUT surprisingly many commonly used practices like gratitude lists are less effective at reaping all the benefits. TWO WAYS that do lend to highly effective gratitude practices are:

1) Think, read, or listen to a story of someone else expressing gratitude. Our body’s seems to respond better to gratitude when its embedded in human story or experience; bonus the more aspects of the story you can relate with!

2) Reflect on times or situations where people have expressed genuine gratefulness for you or something you did.

Full disclosure, I was a gratitude list fan until I learnt I could tweak my practice to increase benefit!