Stress Archives - Brainfit Resorts

What’s A Psychologist Got To Do With It?

Susanna Zito — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 04:33:59 +0000

I am very happy that accessing the support of Psychological services has become more and more common practice for many people.

However, I think there is still a misconception that Psychologists are seen only when there is a serious mental health problem, overwhelming feelings, and disruption to life.

It is true that many Psychologists are trained in the assessment and treatment of Mental Disorders, in treating trauma, substance use issues, in supporting individuals and families dealing with grief and loss; issues that are serious, disrupt life and cause immense pain and suffering.

However, the specific set of skills Psychologists have can be used effectively to support change in people who want to simply shift their life and take better care of themselves.

It does not necessarily mean there is trauma or chaos.

It means someone has identified a gap in their life and wants to make a change that matters.

This can sometimes be difficult because of many reasons: poor insight, old habits, self-limiting beliefs, past history, or a limited set of coping strategies, can all get in the way.

A psychologist can help you change that, identify why this change matters to motivate you further, explore what behaviors you may be engaging in that keep you stuck, what skills do you need to develop, and what behaviors need to shift or be replaced with more self-serving ones.

This can be applied to many areas of one’s life, like lifestyle choices, health matters, nutrition, physical activity, relationships, parenting, employment, life goals, and also retirement.

I usually look for what life “gap” is the person experiencing.

What important aspect of who they want to be is not being fulfilled, and from there, we look at what thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are getting in the way of value-driven action.

All of this can take time and practice for the person developing his new ways.

The Psychologist helps by bringing all the evidence-based knowledge into practice with tips on new habit formation, on how to effectively deal with the inevitable hurdles of change, whilst supporting the refinement of new effective behavioral skills.

So if you have tried to make changes but “it was too hard”, have old “unchangeable habits”, find “change too stressful” and yet you are keen to shift your life for the better, I encourage you to consider reaching out to a Psychologist who may just be the right support for you.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to psychology, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

VIDEO: Is your MIND getting in the way of YOUR life? (4 Minutes)
Can STRESS be good for us?
How to move past thoughts of negativity
Why use Mindfulness Self Compassion?

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Can Stress Be Good For Us?

Susanna Zito — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 03:42:43 +0000

Most people find stress to be a very powerful internal force and dealing with it can at oftentimes be an insurmountable task.
Is it then possible for stress to actually be good for us?

We’ve discussed in many of our articles and videos what can trigger stress and ways in which we can more effectively manage it physically, but could it be possible, for us to change our perception of what our stress actually is?

You see, our beliefs can shape our reality.
The way we appraise an event can trigger a myriad of behavioral responses that can affect the way we act and experience our whole life.

This can also affect us at the physiological level.

For example, in one of our previous articles, I mentioned how our belief of aging can affect whether we age healthily or not.

Simply by holding a strong enough belief that we can age with healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, and acting accordingly, can be the difference as to whether it becomes a reality or not.

This also applies to how we experience stress, and, how it might similarly impact our health.

But what if then, there was a simple approach to stress that would alter our whole experience and physiological response?

Research shows that what we believe of stress has a lot to do with its impact on us.

If we believe stress to be toxic, this will trigger physiological responses that can predefine serious health issues even ten years from now.

However, in people who see stress as “energizing” their biology is different: they feel better, there is less inflammation, lower blood pressure, decreased stress hormones and they handle the stressful tasks more successfully.

They use the stress response to harness the energy and address what needs to be done.

Author and researcher Kelly McGonical describes three responses to stress:

The flight and fight response
The challenge response; and
The tend and befriend response.

These three responses are all triggered by stress but have different physiological effects in the body.

Let’s explore them in more detail:

The flight and fight response:

A person perceives stress as a situation that is overwhelming. This leads to increased inflammation, high levels of cortisol and adrenalin, and strain on the cardiovascular system.

The challenge response:

A person perceives the stress as a challenge to master. The body is energized into action with less inflammation, lower blood pressure, decreased stress hormones.

The tend and befriend response:

A more socially connected response where the person reaches out for support has more compassion for himself and others. This generates a more parasympathetic system response in the body, where blood pressure is normal, and vasopressin and oxytocin are released (these are the connecting “love” hormones). In fact, this response appears to be protective of overall health, healthy aging, and brain health.

Let’s look at this in more practical terms.

Thinking stress is bad, will make us try to avoid it, causing more stress and more harm (i.e. I will drink to make these feelings go away). This happens usually in flight/fight response.
Thinking stress is a challenge we can sustain, that the feelings are excitement and energy, will activate the challenge response which is physiologically less damaging.
And reaching out and helping and connecting to others in a similar struggle is protective and physiologically not damaging at all (and this is the tend and befriend response).

So how does this work in the real world?

Let’s look at some examples.

Tommy has a big swimming race and his heart is pounding.
He is stressed but reminds himself “This energy will fuel my body during this challenge”.
He uses the energy to compete and does well in the race.

Leila has a newborn baby who does not sleep at night.
She joins a support group for mothers and finds herself understood, supported and supporting other mums in a similar situation.
She feels that she is not alone, and she can handle this challenge.

So from this, we can see that in order to activate more beneficial physiological responses when stress occurs, it is helpful to keep our beliefs of stress in check.

Accepting stress as a normal body response, rather than trying to avoid it or believe it is toxic), might help activate a “challenge stress response”.

Looking out for beliefs like “I cannot handle these feelings of stress” and reminding oneself “this is energy my body is producing to help me handle this situation” will also help us move from flight/fight to challenge response.

Finally, reaching out to your own community of family and friends, and connecting to others in similar situations, will help activate the tend and befriend response.

This is a bit like that feeling of connection that arises when big tragedies strike (i.e. after a natural disaster) and communities come together for support and care.

Rather than going within and shutting down, reaching out and connecting produces powerful healing, and generates a healthier response in the minds and bodies of all.

Applying this simple information to how you respond to a stressful situation may be helping the brain to shift from a Flight and Fight response to a Challenge, Tend and Befriend reaction.

This is not only better for the body, but this simple mind reset may generate a cascade of new and positive actions that could impact your life and brain health for the better.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you videos, blogs, and articles just like this one, as we release them.

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We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

How To Move Past Thoughts Of Negativity

Brett Simmons — Tue, 28 May 2019 07:44:41 +0000

Do you often find yourself thinking about the worst possible outcomes in everyday situations?

Maybe tragedy has struck in the lives of someone you know and care for.

Thoughts Of Negativity.

The feelings, emotions, and decisions that can often result from these external forces can have a very real impact on how we think and what we perceive to be true.

Take for example, as horrible but very realistic as this example is if someone you love has been diagnosed or is suffering from cancer, or a disease, such as in our field of expertise, Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia.

It can hard to experience as a witness.

The grief it generates, along-side the guilt, frustration, exhaustion and anger that may come through daily dealing with the symptoms of this disease.

With this first-hand experience, the “fear” of also having Dementia can occur.

One might question their own future.

What if it happens to me too? How likely might this occur? Am I at risk?

Fear By Association.

It’s amazing how by simply associating the thought of something that happened to someone else, it may, in turn, happen to us, can cause such stressful emotions to arise.

The fear and anxiety these questions bring up in us can be absolutely paralyzing.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Today, we discuss how we can better respond to these thoughts when in the moment.

First: The Bad News.

There is no permanent way of removing all worries from our minds.

Our mind is designed to predict danger to keep us out of harm’s way.

We are built to worry as a means of survival.

So, when your mind tells you that you may be at risk of Dementia, ironically, this is your mind trying to keep you safe by scaring you.

But, here’s is the good news.

A worrying thought is not a fact.

It’s a worry.

And worry is simply thoughts about a perceived threat.

“Perceived” meaning it is not necessarily a real threat, but we simply “see” is a threat.

You see, even though your mind is suggesting you may get Dementia one day, this is not a fact.

These worrying thoughts and feelings, however, are completely rational and normal.

However, if you choose to believe everything your mind tells you, you may act in ways that are not healthy for you.

Imagine how the thought “I am doomed” might impact your actions differently from “I am in control of my life”.

When a question like “What if Dementia happens to me?” or similar enters your mind, try the following:

Step 1:

Take a nice deep breath.

Pause and ground yourself back into the present moment.

Breathing slowly will help your brain switch from a flight and fight state (which is what leads to anxious feelings and thoughts) back to recognizing you are safe at this moment.

Right now, you are well. “This was just a worried thought”.

Step 2:

Take a few more long breaths, and with each out-breath, let go of any tension you notice.

Allow the muscles to relax and allow any tension to melt away.

This will also help the brain disengage from the flight and fight response and calm the mind from predicting all these tragic outcomes.

Notice thoughts and emotions as they are.

Simply events of the mind and body.

Step 3:

Ask yourself these two little questions and see what arises for you.

What is most important to me right now? and
How can I take care of myself at this moment?

This may help you connect to actions that matter to you (i.e. taking better care of your health).

Again, engaging your thinking brain with a profound question about values will move the brain from fight/flight to being more present and aware.

Know that feelings carry valuable information you can use to guide your actions. Use this awareness for your own good.

These simple steps will not stop the experience of anxiety from taking place but will allow you to attend to the feelings that arise with awareness.

This will reduce being trapped by the worries and then acting in unhelpful ways.

Engage in this practice whenever you feel the need to nurture and self-care any worry that is painful to you.

Attend to the anxiety with an attitude of care and compassion and be aware of the fact that feelings are temporary, and this moment too shall pass.

Most importantly, learn to recognize that anxious thoughts and feelings are not truth or a representation of reality, and use these challenging moments to connect to the healthy you that you want to be.

These suggestions are to help you handle better the anxiety when it strikes.

However, be aware that there is no quick fix and it may be uncomfortable and challenging at times.

If you would like to know more about what normal age-related cognitive decline looks like, and the things you can do to protect yourself from Dementia, have a read of some of the articles below from Prof. Dan J. Sherman, MD, as you will find them packed with information and useful hints.

For more information on what one can do to take care of their health, to prevent cognitive decline, protect their brain from the effects of aging, and promote healthy aging, click on the button below to SUBSCRIBE and we’ll send you weekly updates with news, blogs, videos and articles on how you can live your best brain healthy life.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our Blog, and if you have any comments, questions, suggestions or feedback, be sure to leave it in the comments below.

We’d love to hear that you were able to put some of our suggestions into action.

Until next time, Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

How Your Mindset Can Impact Your Everyday Life

Susanna Zito — Wed, 22 May 2019 09:02:46 +0000

The way we think about ourselves can have a real impact on our lives.

How we live it, how we take care of ourselves, how we interact with loved ones and others, and the choices we make.

Are you familiar with this beautiful quote by the great Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi?

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

I love it, as it explains so well how subtly your mindset can impact your life and your future.

For example, did you know that how you view aging today (whether as a positive or negative process) can have a very real impact on how you age?

Small changes in behavior like choosing or not choosing to maintain relationships, continuing to take care of your health, or staying engaged and contributing to society have been shown to alter your life’s longevity by up to 7 years! (Keller A1, 2012 Sep;31(5))

According to Kelly McGonigal Ph.D., author and Health Psychologist, small shifts in mindset can lead to a cascade of behavioral changes that have a lasting impact on your life (like the healthy longevity described above). (McGonical, 2015)

Ultimately, it all comes down to our mindset.

So, what do we mean when we refer to our Mindset?

It’s not just the way you think.

Mindset refers to implicit deep beliefs that color how you perceive life events and how your body responds.

It may be the difference between the body going into a threat response or a tend and befriend response.

Your relation to the world is impacted by your mindset and so is your life in many deep ways.

So, how do we deal with a limiting Mindset, like for example a belief that aging is bad?

According to Kelly McGonigal Ph.D., attend to your Mindset with an attitude of Mindful curiosity.

Rather than trying to argue the evidence against your own belief, try to hold both opposites (aging is bad, and aging is good) and bring mindful attention to what is true at this moment.

Research suggests that people tend to notice only evidence in support of their beliefs. (Plous, 1993)

So, being open and curious allows evidence to come forward that is consistent with the mindset that may be more helpful.

Remember, mindset can dictate what evidence we align with, so maintaining open curiosity is key.

If you’ve identified a mindset that may be limiting to your health, aging, and engagement with life, try the following:

Bring curiosity to your beliefs
Hold the opposites beliefs without searching for evidence in support or against.
Talk to people about it, this will help you share your insights and will also serve as a reminder for next time a belief is hijacking a value-driven life.

These simple steps may help shift behaviors that are limiting to you and your life!

Be mindful of your thoughts and when you notice thoughts of an unhelpful mindset, aim to put these steps into practice where possible.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to changing behaviors, check out some of our other feature articles and videos by clicking on the links below:

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you new feature articles and videos just like this one, as we release them.

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We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

If you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below, and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.