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Rewire Your Brain with Barbara Gustavson - E105
55 Plays26 days ago
Trying to “think positive” or “just push through” isn’t enough when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or exhausted.
Old habits and thought patterns quietly drain your energy and motivation, even when you try to make healthy changes. Relying on willpower alone keeps you on a loop - disconnected from your goals, your relationships, and your sense of purpose.
This episode unpacks the real science of how to rewire your brain for better energy, resilience, and clarity. Learn why changing your mindset isn’t about empty affirmations, but about simple, research-backed steps you can use to build lasting brain health and rediscover joy in daily life - all guided by someone who’s reworked these rhythms firsthand.
Barbara Gustavson is a brain health educator, speaker, and leadership facilitator with a Master’s in Psychology. Known for her down-to-earth approach, she equips community leaders, caregivers, and health professionals with practical, science-backed tools to regroup, rewire, and lead with clarity. Her work blends neuroscience, psychology, and human connection to help others prevent burnout, build resilience, and lead sustainably. She also partners with organizations to support corporate wellness, stress management, and culture change. Her work offers a practical path forward rooted in both science and compassion.
“...our brain is the most energy hungry organ in our body and it consumes a great amount of calories, we use up calories just thinking.” - Barbara Gustavson
In this episode you will learn:
- Why energy management matters more than only tracking your time.
- How short, daily regroup breaks can raise mood and focus.
- Tips to spot and address hidden energy drains in your day.
- The value of writing down what you are tolerating to find clarity.
- How a simple nightly gratitude practice can rewire your brain.
- The steps in the REGROUP framework for building resilience and well-being.
Resources
- Connect with Barbara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bgustavson/
- Learn more about Discover Next Step: https://www.discovernextstep.com/about
- Read her book, ‘REGROUP’: https://www.amazon.com/Regroup-Unlock-Hidden-Productive-Yourself/dp/B0GYBMT9MS/
- Read her blog: https://www.discovernextstep.com/blog
This podcast was produced by the team at Zapods Podcast Agency:
https://www.zapods.com
Find the products, practices, and routines discussed on the Alively website:
https://alively.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction & Podcast Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
We're literally using up calories in our brain and expending our energy. So until I really understood how the brain responds and uses up energy and calories, it began really making sense when I was overwhelmed. No wonder I'm so exhausted. No wonder I feel disconnected. No wonder I'm not as excited about doing what I love.
00:00:25
Speaker
This is the Home of Healthspan podcast, where we profile health and wellness role models, sharing their stories and the tools, practices, and routines they use to live a lively life.
00:00:39
Speaker
Welcome to this week's
Meet Barbara Gustafson: A Dive into Mindset and Neuroscience
00:00:41
Speaker
Home Healthspan. I am very excited for this conversation with Barbara Gustafson. And before we dive into it, mindset, science behind it, neuroscience, everything she does, Barbara, how would you describe yourself?
00:00:55
Speaker
Yeah, so I would describe myself as a lively learner, not because I think I'm super smart or anything, but I really love to lock on to new ideas and cutting edge science. And I love putting it to use in such a way that it's easier to educate people versus just learning a bunch of stuff for myself. So I would definitely say a lively learner.
00:01:22
Speaker
a learner who takes her learnings and shares them to the benefit of others, which I think is the beauty of your work, um the beauty of your book, Regroup, and everything you do. You're not just constantly learning, but you're sharing it. So the others are benefiting from all of your work and learning as well, which I find really exciting.
00:01:39
Speaker
So on that, you you mentioned the science behind it. And I'm curious here because in from where I sit, it seems like there are a lot of...
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science
00:01:51
Speaker
human truths that if you go back, what the science is catching up to is what maybe Laozi and Taoism kind of figured out or the Stoics figured out or, you know some different philosophers thousands of years ago figured out, but we didn't understand the science behind it. And so now we're starting because of fMRI and because of what we're able to do to really understand the mechanics of, oh, this is why this is true.
00:02:20
Speaker
Is that fair to say, or are we unlocking totally new things as well? Yeah. So looking at new and emerging science and even, you know, in the past few decades, I see it really getting back to the basics and honoring ourselves and honoring our natural rhythms. And we have a society and culture where there's a lot of things that go against the grain of honoring ourselves. and we often, you know, talk about honoring people, but what about honoring ourselves?
Aligning with Life Cycles and Inner Rhythms
00:02:53
Speaker
our life cycles, our seasons, like we go through different seasons in our life that look completely different from each other. And when we're really open to the idea that our, our body, our biological system has these built in regroup systems that help us know when we've reached our capacity and then when we need to step back and replenish and how by doing so,
00:03:22
Speaker
it doesn't slow us down. it helps us be more aligned, more productive, more fulfilled. Yet I think it's really hard to do so when we look at our schedules, you know, and see all the, you know, the plates that we're spinning in the air and the people that we're taking care
Energy Management vs Time Management
00:03:41
Speaker
of. It's really hard to picture ourselves stepping back and really honoring ourselves in these moments. And what I've found is,
00:03:51
Speaker
Our bodies are amazingly designed. Often it doesn't take a big regroup to replenish. It could be stepping back just a few minutes, several times a day.
00:04:01
Speaker
It could be maybe taking a little bit longer regroup. And so looking at, we don't necessarily, I believe, need a full life overhaul, but we need to allow ourselves to step back and see the bigger picture and see what's going on and ultimately see if there's another way.
00:04:23
Speaker
I'd love to double click there because I think this is a distinction you draw with the regroup of controlling our time versus controlling our energy and that they're there.
00:04:34
Speaker
You could do one and still not get the other if not done properly, perhaps. And so can you just describe that distinction, what you see there? Yeah. So a lot of people, including myself, you know, we're focused on managing our time. You know, what are our top priorities? How can we best manage that time and the day and the hours that we're given?
00:04:56
Speaker
A deeper layer of that, however, is our energy management. And there's a lot of things in our life that can without us knowing start to drain our energy. And I really, for me, and it really was perplexing because i was getting a great night's sleep, but feeling exhausted the next day. and and when i learned through brain health training that our brain is the most energy hungry organ in our body, and it consumes a great amount of calories and thinking,
00:05:31
Speaker
We use up calories just thinking. So if we're feeling overwhelmed, overcommitted, we're overextending ourselves, we're literally using up calories in our brain and expending our energy.
Overcommitment and Capacity Limitations
00:05:43
Speaker
So until I really understood how the brain responds and uses up energy and calories, it began really making sense when I was overwhelmed. No wonder I'm so exhausted. No wonder I feel disconnected. No wonder I'm not as excited about doing what I love. And it occurred to me, it really is in the overings. When I was in graduate school, there was a a class or section on what are the things that you overdo in your life. and it's appropriate to give and it's honorable to give and serve others. But when we overdoing it, that's when we're really living outside of our window of tolerance, our capacity in that moment. So it's really under understanding how you operate during those times.
00:06:32
Speaker
Like you, you might be able to, you know, go out and do all this stuff. But for me, if my window was only open 50% one day, it would exhaust me. And then it would cause me to have one or two days of recovery time, which most of us can't afford. So it's really looking at learning our own psychology and how we operate and also what's going on in our lives.
Owning Time and Mind Clarity
00:06:59
Speaker
For sure. One of the distinctions in in my book, I had the, there are two different things of owning your time, right? So, so much of our time, we feel like we're renting the pieces back. We've committed to all these other things. And then we're trying to fit in what we actually want in our life around the side. But then even separately, there's owning your mind because you could be in the time of technically what you want to do, but your mind's still back at work or stressing about what's coming up. And so you're spinning on that and you're not owning your mind.
00:07:28
Speaker
you're you're still trying to rent those pieces back. And so i think that's very similar to the distinction you're drawing there. Absolutely. And, and, you know, Andrew, the way I look at this, when I sat down and I literally broke down a list and i encourage other people to do this, write down what you're tolerating in your life.
00:07:48
Speaker
It's really important and and go to the things you're feeling like there's things we have to do that we can't step away from, but really just write them down what you're tolerating. These could be things, these could be people, this could be habits and and just really see on paper. And that will really give you clarity on things that could point to what's draining your energy.
00:08:14
Speaker
That's going to give you a clarity. And then that's going to allow you to, you know, determine, okay, how do I want to take this information for what do I want to let go?
00:08:27
Speaker
And when you talk about, you know, What's your time in your mind? When you have that clarity on what your energy drains are and you make these subtle shifts, that's going to completely support your time management because you're going to be crystal clear on what it is that you want to say yes to and what it is that you say no or not now.
00:08:48
Speaker
And you describe it as these are the things, whether they're energy giving or draining. But, you know, there's John Paul Sartre said, hell is other people. Right. But we also know so is heaven.
00:08:59
Speaker
And so do you find it's outside events or thoughts or it could be the people that we surround ourselves with and and spend time with?
Reevaluating Thoughts and Affirmations
00:09:10
Speaker
It seems like those are the most extreme, right? that If you think of what can add or take away. Yes, I see them as both. Like it can definitely be around the people. But one of the things that I talk about is update your thinking, really question your thoughts, question your mind. And not every thought deserves a seat at the table.
00:09:33
Speaker
And what happens is because we're thinking our thoughts day in or day out, our brain is so used to that. It's like, okay, this is what I've always thought. I'll go with that. And yet when we slow down to question it and decide, okay, which thoughts do I want to hold on to?
00:09:51
Speaker
And which thoughts do I need to let go of? That's when your brain starts to really shift and look and, and this part of your brain, your prefrontal cortex, it's like your business partner.
00:10:03
Speaker
It starts to really work with you to create these goals. Yeah. And the interesting thing happens is often like we have this clear goal we set forward, but because there hasn't been a clear groove or neural pathway for that new thought, that new, more uplifting thought, sometimes our our brain goes against it and fights back and tries to revert.
00:10:27
Speaker
But the idea is to really stick with it and to repeat it and And you've heard of affirmations and affirmations. affirmations can be really helpful, but they also, for many people don't work if they don't understand how their brain operates or if they make it too big of steps.
00:10:45
Speaker
I had to kind of ease my brain into thinking or even trick it into thinking a certain way. And a lot of people, including myself, tend to be wired towards a ne negativity bias. We tend to see more what's going wrong than versus also what's going right.
00:11:04
Speaker
And so we can easily train our brain into that positivity bias if we are clear what we don't want. Yeah. And ah for me, what I've found has been helpful on that, right? Because it is...
Gratitude and Positivity Practices
00:11:19
Speaker
the world and life is a tapestry. It's a big picture that has everything and there's threads of everything. And where we choose to point our gaze and shine that light can vary.
00:11:31
Speaker
And for me, a gratitude practice that is really rooted in thinking to the day prior of what was I really grateful for yesterday and going through that.
00:11:44
Speaker
it one rewrites my memory from the day before. So every day is a great day. But then two, knowing i'm going to have to do that the next day puts my light specifically looking out for the positive things instead of, oh, this took too long. Like, oh my God, how great was that coffee? Right? Because I need the thing to be positive for. So have you found practices that do help focus that energy and that light more productively? Yeah.
00:12:11
Speaker
Similar to yours, and how I love how you put a twist on it, you do it the day before, I hadn't heard that before, but every, before I go to bed every night, I think of three things I'm especially grateful for.
00:12:24
Speaker
For whatever reason, my brain, when I think of a especially, it starts to see more things. And it could be a tiny thing. Like it could be like we just adopted a dog. You know, I really enjoyed my time with Kaya. We're really bonding. I'm, I'm especially grateful for that. Or it could be, didn't lose my temper over the situation. And, and so it's really getting creative with your mind. Sometimes we tend, we think that we have to go to big things that we're grateful for. It could be the tiniest thing and the cool thing is that tiny thing could be a miracle in your life or a shift that you're wanting or you know, it really is customized to us and so just those three things consistently can start to rewire your brain and
00:13:14
Speaker
I really want to point out, because you you talk about the day before, you're rewriting your memories.
Traits Across Life Seasons
00:13:21
Speaker
And that's such a, that's something that we all have the capability of doing.
00:13:26
Speaker
And we're able to reframe our past in such a way, like it's already happened, but we can frame it in a way that it supports what we're wanting and that we're more aligned.
00:13:38
Speaker
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00:13:52
Speaker
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00:14:06
Speaker
You mentioned seasons and how it can shift over time. And i kind of have a question. This is something personally I've been discussing with friends recently, this idea, whether it's seasons or tools. So people talk about character traits and hate that that was something that may have been adaptive or protective at a certain point in life. And now it's no longer serving you and you need to put it down and move.
00:14:31
Speaker
I, I don't know if I believe yet that it's as absolute as that, that a lot of times they're tools. And so this tool in this kind of situation or environment might be helpful.
00:14:46
Speaker
But instead of it being the hammer and everything's a nail, it's like, hey, 5% of the time, this is actually useful. But you need to build up that tool set because 95% the time, that's not the right tool and and you need to develop other ones.
Learning from Past Experiences for Resilience
00:15:00
Speaker
What's your take on that in the seasons that it's not, my take would be, it wouldn't necessarily be shifting entirely. That, that tool that you use in one season may still be relevant, but just not as frequently.
00:15:12
Speaker
Oh, that's a really deep one. i love it. I think there is definitely a benefit in really looking back at seasons and what you've done before. For example, oftentimes if we find ourselves in a place where we're not feeling resilient, like we feel like, you know, I don't have this in me. And for an example, let's say someone's on a caregiving season caring for someone and they have a lot going on, but they also have a opportunities. opportunity, maybe their business has taken off and they've just hit a wall. Like I cannot go much further. I'm not strong enough. What's helpful is if we look back at other seasons and remind ourselves that we're still strong, like we're still resilient. There's that scene in the Lion King where Lion Kings look in the water. And i think it's the, um, can't remember the,
00:16:07
Speaker
Monkey's name. He, Lion King, he's looking ahead his reflection. Rafiki. Yes, Rafiki. And he says, remember who you are.
00:16:19
Speaker
Remember who you are. And so knowing that even right now, we may be in a difficult season. We're still us and we're still changing and we can look back and remember that.
00:16:33
Speaker
And we can remember what got us through. What is the tool? What's the mechanism um that got us through that particular point that I can use in this season now?
00:16:44
Speaker
can We spend more time there. So this this one I'm are really curious about because to me, I heard two different things, right? Remember who you are. it I don't know if ah you remember in Hamlet, the the the king says to him, hey, stay true to yourself, be true to yourself.
00:17:02
Speaker
And my professor in high school said, that's the worst advice you can give to a 15 year old. I mean, the 15 has no idea who they are yet. And so what is this true to yourself in this situation?
Core Self vs Evolving Self
00:17:15
Speaker
there's this, the world's not as clean as this and two people, but the, Hey, you have this one core true self and we are creating the self. We decide who we want to be by our actions, by our words. And we create this person and it changes with time. And so this idea of a core static innate self versus an ever living, evolving organism that we define So I guess what what are your thoughts there? Because I obviously, or maybe not obviously, I lean much more to the latter camp of I'm not sure about this core singular. There's this thing. It's constantly evolving and shaping and in yeah, moving.
00:17:57
Speaker
Yeah. I will be the first to say i don't have all the answers in that area. And i would say I used to be on a quest to figure out who am I, you know, who am I? And I would say that my determination to figure out who I am, it was like a moving target. Right. like, as soon as I thought I figured it out, you know, it's like, oh, there's more to me. But what I really learned to surrender, but also appreciate is we can start where we are. We can start with what we know and we can build from there.
00:18:30
Speaker
We don't have to have all the answers. and And just understanding that our experience in this life, the way I perceive it is that, you know, we're in this physical body, you know, this shell,
00:18:44
Speaker
And then, you know, we have this brain, this mind, and then there's a deeper part of us.
Observing Life for Calmness and Openness
00:18:50
Speaker
And that deeper part of us, is more like an observer. You know, we're we're experiencing this life in real time, but there's also a part of us that's observing what's happening. And I found that when I'm able to really tune into that more observer and just notice things versus being so emotionally attached to it, I'm able to get to a place where i'm feeling quiet and still and calm in this presence.
00:19:22
Speaker
And so I'm opening myself up to, you know, what if there's more to what I've been thinking about life? What if what if there's more? And what if I could just accept what is now and what is happening?
Productive Peace and Morning Routines
00:19:36
Speaker
I want to move more on that. so I want to hear your thoughts on that. Yeah. Yeah. yeah well One of the the phrases in the subtitle of your book is this idea of productive peace.
00:19:48
Speaker
and And to me, i think that's what you're getting at there is the the the being in the now, the the comfort. Can you say what you mean by productive peace? And then I'd love to discover and explore how you get there, what what that journey looks like.
00:20:04
Speaker
Yeah. So productive peace, it's something because when we think of, and one of my high core values is inner peace. So that's something that I just feel in my skin and feel at home.
00:20:20
Speaker
yeah There's can be all this chaos happening too. And so there's this contradiction. How can I get to peace? And I used to feel i had to get rid of the chaos in order to feel peace And then during my 15 year journey with my dad, which was very disruptive and with his brain disease, I realized, you know, I can either go through this journey waiting for peace to be at the end, or I can find it in the moments, even during the chaos.
00:20:52
Speaker
So peace for me, for a period of time, which is being in a peaceful place, having peaceful thoughts. But what if I could really leverage the peace I have and as a byproduct, it's more productive. And I'll give you an example, just because I think you can take this different ways.
00:21:12
Speaker
I was visiting my dad, things weren't going well. He was, you know, in in a difficult state. And what I found that was helpful he would respond to me more if i walked in the situation and I was collected and I was in a state of calm, like he would literally pick up into that versus if I came in frantic and responsive, he would, you know, so what I found was if i intentionally shifted my state before I visited him, that visit was more productive.
00:21:49
Speaker
And One day when when he was in the middle of um just a difficult situation and he was out of touch with reality,
00:22:00
Speaker
you know i i distracted him. i found that using distraction and just said, Dad, let's go outside and just watch the birds, which he absolutely loved. He loved watching the birds. So we went outside and we sat down.
00:22:15
Speaker
at the facility and we just watch birds and butterflies and his whole demeanor changed. And I was able to have a difficult conversation about decisions we needed it to make.
00:22:29
Speaker
And it was so productive and he was so responsive in that moment. But it really occurred to me that I crave peace, not just for the sake of that feeling, but there's a way that I can use and leverage peace.
00:22:45
Speaker
in difficult moments. And I find that when I, for myself, when I create a state of peace in the morning and I have more morning routine, I'm much more productive in the afternoon.
00:22:58
Speaker
There's so much there. One, I think we have very, very similar values, right? One of my top five is equanimity. It is all that. And this idea of you know You hear Buddhists, people say, well, I wish I could just leave life and and go and be a monk and study. And they're like, no, your ashram is your family, is your work, right? Like you can think you're in enlightened, but you have to go then have dinner with your family and see how enlightened you actually are because it it needs contact with reality. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. And so you can be as peaceful as you want, but then you have to still go operate in the world. And it's finding that peace in the maelstrom that is life.
00:23:36
Speaker
It is what true peace is. It is a process. And honestly, i at first hesitated using the word productive peace because I did not want this book to be another productivity book.
00:23:50
Speaker
And I'm thinking... i you know I don't know if I want to do this, but at the same time, there is a benefit to allowing ourselves to step back and being in this state of peace and calm. There was a study done by & Company that And they did, they had 34 leadership traits and they did this survey with a bunch of people and they had them choose what the top leadership traits they desired in a leader.
Centeredness as a Leadership Trait
00:24:18
Speaker
And out of charisma, decision-making, the number one was centeredness. And that blew my mind. And when they... looked at the answers, why did you pick this?
00:24:31
Speaker
It was, if my manager or if my leader was centered, I knew I can depend on them in a crisis. I knew that they would be making decisions based on accuracy. They would see the big picture. They wouldn't be making it out of fear.
00:24:48
Speaker
And I'll never forget that. that that shifted something in me just because I, I realized we all have the opportunity to create a space of centeredness.
00:25:00
Speaker
And it's not just being still, it's being able to widen our lens. Like you mentioned, the bigger picture, we're able to see much more than just that tunnel vision of what's happening. I would also say, i I don't know if people realized it,
00:25:14
Speaker
But I think maybe the bigger point is the point you made with your father is we are far more permeable on others energy than we may realize. And so the centeredness, yes, okay, I have confidence they're going to make that, but it also makes me more centered.
00:25:30
Speaker
When I'm looking at that, I'm picking up on that energy, just like a dog would just, we were less in tune as than dogs, but we do pick up on that energy. If we're with someone who's chittery and antsy and okay, then the whole team starts getting, and it's not just that I trust them, but by seeing them, I start trusting myself more.
00:25:51
Speaker
And I think it goes both ways.
Energy Awareness through Animal Interaction
00:25:53
Speaker
Yes, when i I had the privilege of being able to work with first responders and healthcare care workers impacted by PTSD with the work of horses. And it was over a period of six weeks. and these are people who they were pretty much at their last leg. If things didn't improve, they would have had to have been let go with their work.
00:26:19
Speaker
And so the idea was to really use the horses as mirrors as what's happening in your body. and it was, it was mind blowing to watch, you know, the very beginning, the horses responding, you know, different ways with the people. And this could be a first responder who looks completely fine on the outside.
00:26:39
Speaker
but internally something was happening and the horse would respond. Some of them may have misbehaved or walked away, been really stubborn. But over time, as they learn to really manage their energy and invite peace and calm into that situation, the horses responded to that and just to see a beautiful partnership happening. And then to hear the stories week after week You tried this exercise with my family. I was able to stay calm. I was able to work through this difficult situation at work.
00:27:12
Speaker
We have access to so many things inside us, but I think what happens is life and, you know, kind of the static of the noise that we have around us.
00:27:24
Speaker
We have information, yet we don't, we no longer have access to what we already know and to what's already available. So my hope is my work and the the people, all the people that have influenced me is this creates a bridge for them to have access again.
00:27:42
Speaker
And I do want to get into that. I do want to touch on first, like whether it's horses or dogs or animals, I think this is a space where as humans, we have language, we have words. And that in a lot of ways can get in the way we over intellectualize.
00:27:58
Speaker
And so we've become less in tune to those energy forces and fields that are, we're feeding out and and receiving. And so we're not in tune to them because we think through the words we we try to articulate and we're not good, right? How do you feel? And people have like four words. I feel good. i feel bad. I feel sad. I feel happy, right? Like we're not, whereas the actual feelings, it's an infinite spectrum and we don't have the words for it. But if if we just felt, we would just be more in tune to that.
00:28:29
Speaker
You were spot on. A dear mentor shared with me, listen to the whisper. Don't wait for the two by four.
Internal Regulation and Daily Impact
00:28:37
Speaker
And those whispers,
00:28:40
Speaker
like our body is communicating, our minds communicating all the time. We, we often ignore the whispers until we have to pay attention to it. But when we can listen to what's happening in our body, like it's, especially our nervous system. And that's one of the things I get into. how do we know you know,
00:29:01
Speaker
internally that we're regulated and what's the importance of being a regulated leader and how am I showing up? Am feeling disconnected or is it the opposite? Am I over activated in this hyper arousal state of our nervous system? But I really think it gets back to us understanding the basics of how we operate internally.
00:29:24
Speaker
And how that impacts what we're doing, our behavior, our conversations. And then what would it look like if we were to operate or even just make tiny shifts the other way? What if we were a little bit more centered, a little bit more regulated? How would we feel?
00:29:40
Speaker
But also how would we think? And what would our conversations be like? How would we feel at the end of the day? On that, I do want to get in to regroup your your book
Principles of 'Regroup' and Brain Health Practices
00:29:53
Speaker
and the framework. Can you take us through um the framework for that, please?
00:29:59
Speaker
Yeah. So there's each of the letters stands for something and the framework. And I describe it as more principles or a resilience framework. They're all brain based. But each one and and a lot of this is through lived experience, but it is backed by science. But the first one is really focusing on the resilience and recognizing you are already resilient. Like we can obviously build that muscle, but there is that muscle of resilience. You have already. You're here. Yes. You are here. You've overcome. But just really getting back to that and remembering
00:30:38
Speaker
that you're strong. And then the ease for energy. i really go into the, you know, what are the things that train us? And, but also what are our energy gains? What are the things that give us energy boost during the day? And I i encourage people to like create a little micro happiness list or a bliss list, the little things that boost your energy during the day.
00:31:03
Speaker
And then the G is guard your margin. so if you think of a piece of paper, notebook paper, you have this white margin around it. And it's just a space to kind of like break up all the words that you write on that piece of paper. We need margin in our day.
00:31:19
Speaker
We need breathing room and we need to guard it guard We're our most important client. So where in your day do you have breathing room? And I have seen the busiest of people say, nope, I have no room. But when we get down to it, we're able to create little bits and pieces throughout their day, these little pockets of time.
00:31:41
Speaker
So that's why I say protect it and guard it Otherwise, we're not going to take it seriously. We're going to let other people and things take over. And that's hard during busy seasons especially. And then the R, and the next second art is the regulate your nervous system.
00:31:59
Speaker
I love this because it was so framed for me and I realized my past panic attacks were not my fault. And I was really able to look at myself with more compassion and what's happening.
00:32:14
Speaker
So that that is, I talk about just a basic way of understanding your nervous system. We don't go into anatomy and all that, but it's really helpful for someone to understand themselves, but also when other people might be reacting a certain way.
00:32:31
Speaker
The O, I think you're going love this one because it's right along with your TED talk is operate from alignment. And I was um just, ah this is a silly example, but just the other day I'm in Virginia and it still feels like winter, even though today's the first day spring, I was trying to put my jacket on and the zipper would not zip and it was all misaligned. It was very frustrating. And finally, I'm just like, I zipped it like it was, but it was misaligned and I got my jacket on, but think of the times where we feel something is off.
00:33:04
Speaker
And we may not know what that off is it something Something is off. And we're able to get on our day. But over time, it just becomes this heavy weight that we carry. So it's really important that we get aligned with our values, our purpose, what gives us meaning so we can be more efficient, and the things that we love.
00:33:28
Speaker
And then update your thinking. This is where I get into the automatic negative thoughts, the amps that tend to steal our mind and wreak havoc on our picnic.
00:33:40
Speaker
And we we get into how do we question those in such a way that it makes it easy for our brain to work with us. And then the P is prioritize brain health.
00:33:50
Speaker
That's such a big one for me, my family, and and those that I work with. I work with clinicians and educators every day who are... teaching very basic ways to take care of your brain. And it gives them a backdoor to support people with mental health challenges.
00:34:11
Speaker
So many people are you seeing themselves in a new light. Mental health, as we know, is so important, but it's also heavy issue that still brings about shame for many people.
00:34:25
Speaker
And through the lens of brain health, we can change our thinking, and our language and we can really learn to embrace who we are and accept one another. Yeah, I love that. I i love every single one of those. that That last one I do think is really important in that when it comes to our physical health,
00:34:47
Speaker
No one thinks you just automatically have it, right? You can't just eat Twinkies, sit on the couch and you automatically have it. We have to think about what we eat and you don't eat well for a month and think, okay, the rest of my life, I'm fine.
00:34:59
Speaker
You don't go to the gym for a week and think, okay, for the rest of my life, I'm fine. It takes consistent work. And yet... With mental health, we can ding ourselves say, well, everybody else is just automatically fine. I should be fine versus this is a thing I need to work towards and for.
00:35:16
Speaker
Or I go to one Tony Robbins event or I read one book and all of a sudden i should be magically better. like no, it's daily consistent work, right? Like you talked about the gratitude practice each night. It's it's something we have to invest in and it's...
00:35:33
Speaker
yeah We talk about the five pillars health and that mindset and mental health to me is the foundational one, like sleep, maybe more because it's hard to be fully mentally there if you're not well rested. But when you get that mindset part locked in it makes all the others so much easier because you're in the right place and state of mind to to go navigate it My Dr. Daniel Amen, who I support, he says, it get your brain right and your mind tends to follow that. So looking at, you know, if our brain is functioning well, we tend to be happier. We tend to be more successful. We tend to have better relationships, make better decisions. We tend to be more clear on our goals And if our you know brain is struggling for any reasons, there's so many different reasons. There's activity and blood flow. There's you know physical trauma and emotional trauma. We tend to struggle more. We tend to be...
00:36:34
Speaker
sadder. We tend to be more impulsive. We tend to struggle more with relationships. So it's a deeper level and just even easy, easy things, but significant. Like our brain is almost 80% water. Like if we hydrate it and give it the water it needs, we're going to be supporting it. And our brain is going to work with us.
00:36:57
Speaker
So just, you know, even from the beginning, remembering, you know we can honor our body with simple things and it will, it will support us. And if we don't support it, you know, it it in turn won't support us as much.
Conclusion and Resources
00:37:14
Speaker
Barbara, this has been amazing. I know with all the the rich detail you have in Regroup, the book, everybody get that. We just scratched the surface here, but hopefully piqued your interest to to go dig deeper.
00:37:27
Speaker
Thank you for all your work, for sharing it with the world, for helping us all all live happier and healthier. appreciate you. oh Thank you so much for allowing me to be a guest. And i'd love your questions.
00:37:41
Speaker
Thank you for joining us on today's episode of the Home of Healthspan podcast. And remember, you can always find the products, practices, and routines mentioned by today's guests, as well as many other Healthspan role models on Alively.com.
00:37:54
Speaker
Enjoy a lively day.