Podcast Summary
Embracing Wholeness for Personal Growth and Happiness: Acknowledge and work through difficult emotions for personal growth, lean into 'stuck' moments, and understand emotional cycles for improved well-being.
Learning from this episode of the Resetter podcast is that embracing wholeness, including the good, the bad, and the challenging moments, is essential for personal growth and happiness. Guest Britt Frank, a licensed therapist and trauma specialist, emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and working through difficult emotions rather than striving for perfection. She offers valuable insights on motivation, leaning into "stuck" moments, and understanding the emotional cycles, particularly for women. This conversation offers practical tools and a deeper understanding of the human experience, encouraging listeners to approach their health and life journeys with compassion and resilience. Additionally, Doctor Bindi invites listeners to join her Reset Academy for support and guidance on their personal health and fasting journeys.
Feeling stuck in life? You're not alone.: Acknowledge feeling stuck, assess your life, seek support, and make adjustments to unlock your fullest potential.
Everyone experiences feeling stuck at some point in their lives, whether it's related to mental health, relationships, career, or finances. Dr. Mindy Pelz chose the title "The Science of Stuck" for her project because she believes it would resonate with a wider audience and normalize the experience of being stuck. To determine if you're stuck, ask yourself if your life is working and if you're doing things you truly want to be doing. If not, it may be time to reassess and make changes. However, it's important to remember that feeling stuck is a common experience and there's no shame in acknowledging it. Additionally, sometimes we can become so close to our situations that we don't even realize we're stuck. So, take an honest look at your life and consider if it's time to make some adjustments. Remember, it's okay to ask for help and support, and joining a community like Doctor Mindy Pelz's Reset Academy can provide valuable resources and encouragement on your journey to unlocking your fullest potential.
Embracing Complexity in Happiness and Mental Health: Happiness and mental health involve holding multiple truths, including the good, bad, and icky parts of ourselves and life, for true well-being.
Happiness and mental health are about holding multiple truths at once, even when life gets messy and challenging. We all want to be happy, but we often seek neat and clean solutions, forgetting that happiness can coexist with sadness, anxiety, and other complex emotions. Trauma and stuck places are a part of life, but they don't define our overall well-being. Embracing wholeness, including the good, the bad, and the icky parts of ourselves, is the key to true happiness and mental health. We were never taught how to live with contradictory truths, but with compassion and practice, we can learn to hold them all at once. Remember, happiness is not a destination, but a journey filled with ups and downs.
Happiness is a mindset, not a destination: View happiness as a mindset of contentment and gratitude, and health as an ongoing action rather than a goal.
Happiness is not a destination but a mindset. It's about being content and grateful for what we have, rather than constantly searching for perfection. Assuming our basic needs are met, happiness comes from the freedom to own our emotions without external imposition. Negative emotions, like anger or sadness, are not bad but uncomfortable. They serve a purpose and can even lead to clarity. In the context of health, it's essential to view health as a verb, an action we take, rather than a destination. We will encounter setbacks and periods of lost momentum, but with the right mindset, we can continue our journey towards better health.
Embracing the ebb and flow of our hormones and energy levels: Recognize natural cycles of ups and downs, give ourselves permission to rest, and find peace in the journey towards better health
When we encounter setbacks in our health journey, it's essential to recognize if we're truly stuck or if we're just going through a natural cycle or fluctuation in our energy levels. The human body is designed to have cycles of ups and downs, and trying to force a steady state of high energy can lead to frustration and failure. Instead, it's crucial to learn to lean into these cycles and give ourselves permission to rest and attend to our needs during the downtimes. This approach can help us move beyond perceived "stuckness" and find the wisdom and power in our body's natural rhythms. By embracing the ebb and flow of our hormones and energy levels, we can avoid the battle of constantly fighting ourselves and instead find peace and enjoyment in the journey towards better health.
Embracing the wisdom of our bodies during menstrual cycles: Recognize and respect body's natural cycles for increased productivity, self-care, and personal growth. Rest and introspect before period, release old thought patterns during shedding process.
Recognizing and working with the natural cycles of our bodies, specifically the menstrual cycle, can lead to increased productivity, self-care, and personal growth. During different phases of the cycle, we may have more or less energy, and it's essential to respect these ebbs and flows rather than pushing ourselves beyond our limits. The week before our period, for instance, can be a time for rest and introspection, as our bodies prepare for shedding and detoxification. This shedding process also offers an opportunity to release old thought patterns and let go of what no longer serves us. By embracing the wisdom of our bodies and acknowledging the physiological and psychological aspects of our cycles, we can lead more balanced and fulfilling lives.
Understanding the interconnectedness of emotions and physical sensations: Recognizing the wisdom in our physical symptoms and emotional experiences, and aligning ourselves with them, can help reduce unnecessary suffering and improve overall well-being.
Our physical and emotional experiences are deeply interconnected, and ignoring this connection can lead to feelings of being "stuck" or resistant to change. Our central nervous system doesn't respond to logic alone; it requires sensation, movement, and other somatic experiences to function optimally. This somatic approach can help us understand and communicate with our bodies, rather than being at war with them. Anger, for example, can be a clarifying emotion, but suppressing it can lead to resistance and feeling stuck. Similarly, ignoring our body's natural rhythms and needs can result in symptoms and discomfort. It's essential to recognize the wisdom in our symptoms and work to align ourselves with our physical and emotional truths, rather than resisting them and adding unnecessary suffering. By accommodating our bodies' needs to the best of our abilities, we can reduce unnecessary discomfort and better navigate the ups and downs of life.
Trusting your body's whispers: Embrace feelings, build trust, and achieve overall well-being by listening to your body's needs and practicing self-compassion.
Allowing yourself to listen to your body's authentic whispers and giving yourself permission to embrace your feelings, even during challenging times, can help prevent small setbacks from turning into long-term struggles. By trusting the wisdom of your body and practicing self-compassion, you can build a healthier relationship with yourself and overcome trust wounds from the past. It's important to remember that everyone experiences ups and downs, and embracing these moments rather than creating resistance through shame and guilt can lead to a more balanced and fulfilling life. Trusting your body's needs and working with it, rather than against it, is key to achieving overall well-being. Building this relationship takes time and effort, but the rewards are worth it. Remember, you're not alone in your journey, and giving intuitive eating or listening to your body's cycle demands a try can be a helpful step towards reestablishing trust in your relationship with yourself.
Understanding current motivators for progress: Focus on momentum, acknowledge and address current motivators to make progress towards goals.
True motivation comes from understanding what drives us at any given moment, rather than waiting for inspiration to strike. The speaker shares her personal experience with overcoming body image issues and the importance of focusing on momentum rather than motivation. She also introduces her new fitness program, PowerSync 60, designed with various fitness levels and hormonal considerations in mind. The speaker encourages listeners to join her community and emphasizes that motivation is a constant presence, but our primary motivations shift. It's essential to acknowledge and address the current motivators to make progress towards our goals.
Choosing Between Comfort and Discomfort: Recognize that both comfort and discomfort have their own challenges. Choose consciously to improve overall well-being.
Our brains are always motivated, and we often make things harder for ourselves by choosing discomfort over comfort. During our cycles, we may question if comfort is truly serving our highest good and if we can achieve our goals while staying comfortable. Using the example of fasting or working out, it's essential to recognize that both options come with their own discomforts. The choice ultimately depends on which discomfort we prefer. Moreover, we often use comfort as a coping mechanism, such as emotional eating. However, the aftermath of making unhealthy choices can lead to feelings of guilt and shame, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Instead, it's crucial to challenge ourselves and adopt healthier habits, even if they are initially uncomfortable. In essence, we must choose our hard. While it's tempting to believe that comfort is the easier option, it's essential to recognize that both comfort and discomfort come with their own challenges. By acknowledging this and making conscious choices, we can work towards our goals and improve our overall well-being.
Understanding Dopamine's Role in Seeking Pleasure and Reward: Acknowledging the never-ending desire for dopamine and being truthful about the costs can help us make better choices and avoid unhealthy patterns.
Understanding the role of dopamine and being radically honest with ourselves about the costs and benefits of our actions can help us overcome obstacles and make better choices. Dopamine, a neurochemical associated with pleasure and reward, is never satisfied and drives us to seek more and more upsides. By acknowledging this and being truthful about the costs of our comforts, we can avoid getting stuck in unhealthy patterns. Additionally, recognizing the impact of neurochemicals on our behavior can help us make more informed decisions and widen the gap between our impulses and actions.
Celebrate your wins to combat dopamine hangover: Celebrating achievements, no matter the size, stimulates happiness and encourages long-term contentment by activating feel-good chemicals in the brain. Take time to acknowledge and enjoy every victory.
Celebrating your achievements, no matter how small, is crucial for combating the "dopamine hangover" and encouraging long-term happiness. Instead of seeking out the next goal immediately after achieving one, take time to celebrate and acknowledge your wins. This not only helps install the win in your system but also stimulates both the sympathetic activation and rest and digest systems in your brain, making you feel safe and present in your life. So, whether it's putting away laundry or running 2 miles, celebrate every victory to maximize the feel-good chemicals in your brain and break the cycle of constantly seeking the next dopamine hit.
Focus on Execution, Not Just Sharing Plans: Instead of seeking validation through sharing goals, focus on taking action and executing them for sustainable dopamine. Recognize and challenge societal norms that discourage women from celebrating accomplishments, and support each other by recognizing our authentic desires and cheering each other on.
Instead of focusing on sharing our plans and goals to get a dopamine hit, we should focus on taking action and executing them. It's important to consider the sustainability of the dopamine we receive, as too much can be problematic. Women, in particular, often struggle with giving ourselves permission to celebrate our accomplishments without fear of appearing conceited. This stems from a patriarchal system that has historically punished women for owning their power and a cultural norm of being small, nice, and not taking up too much space. Jealousy and comparison are common, but it's essential to recognize that these feelings are just information pointing towards our authentic desires. To support each other, we need to withdraw our projections and cheer each other on, recognizing that when one woman wins, we all do. The language we use is crucial, focusing on our own feelings and actions rather than judging others.
Understanding ourselves as complex systems: Embrace self-love by acknowledging our multifaceted emotions and needs, giving permission to nurture all parts, and practicing compassionate self-care.
We are complex systems made up of various parts and subparts, and embracing this understanding can lead to a deeper sense of self-love. Our emotions and desires are not monolithic, but rather multifaceted. Self-love involves giving permission to ourselves to nurture all parts of us, just as a loving parent would care for a child. Practices such as family meetings, rituals, and therapy can help us approach ourselves in a compassionate and understanding way. As for superpowers, some people may have empathy born from trauma, the ability to synthesize complex ideas, or the capacity to be a strong inner mother to their inner child. These unique qualities make us who we are and deserve to be celebrated.
A Simplified Guide to Understanding and Addressing Common Mental Health Issues: Britt Frank's book, 'The Science is Stuck,' provides a concise and accessible guide to understanding and addressing common mental health issues like anxiety, depression, burnout, procrastination, and addiction.
Britt Frank's new book, "The Science is Stuck," offers a simplified and accessible guide to understanding and addressing common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, burnout, procrastination, and addiction. Instead of having to read through multiple books on your nightstand, this book serves as a concise and easy-to-understand manual on these topics. Frank encourages readers to buy, share, read, and review the book. For more information, visit her website scienceofstuck.com or find her on Instagram @brittfrank (with two t's). Frank enjoys sharing thoughtful discussions about health and invites listeners to engage by leaving reviews, sharing the episode, and sharing their biggest takeaways.
