Better Brain, Better You
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Women experience three reproductive stages in their lives - puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause - that change their brain in unique ways. These three critical stages in a woman’s reproductive life are accompanied by huge hormonal changes that have huge effects on her brain. I share how a woman’s brain changes during each of these stages and what she can do to protect her brain health now and for the rest of her life.
Trauma can actually make you feel more resilient and leave you better equipped to tackle future challenges. Although "post-traumatic growth" often happens naturally, without therapy or other interventions, it can be facilitated using five growth strategies: through education, emotional regulation, disclosure, narrative development, and service. I discuss how to use these five strategies to start growing after trauma. You can emerge stronger yourself. And you can help and support others to emerge stronger by encouraging introspection and curiosity, actively listening, and offering compassionate feedback.
One of the biggest issues for parents of teens is figuring out what’s “normal” teenage behaviour and when their child might need some extra support. I talk to parenting expert, blogger and influencer, Helen Wills, about how parents can support teenagers through the many different challenges that they face during adolescence. We also touch on another big issue for midlife mums, which can be just as confusing and challenging as parenting a teenager: managing the menopause.
When our children begin the slow transition to adulthood, many of them struggle more with anger. It’s important to keep in mind that anger is not the problem - it’s a symptom of a deeper problem or challenge. When we have a deeper understanding of what ramps up rage, particularly spontaneous or irrational anger for our teens, we can better support them during this turbulent and confusing time. I explain why teenagers can be so angry and how to deal with their emotional outbursts without shouting, shaming or punishing them.
Anyone who has ever gone on a run will be familiar with that "runner's high” feeling - that euphoric sense you get after a jog where you feel on top of the world. That post-workout good mood isn't just anecdotal: research has consistently shown that, in addition to physical health benefits, exercise boosts your mood and happiness. I breakdown why exercise is such a powerful mood-booster and how it can make you happy now and in the long-term.
How you act and behave as a parent or carer has a massive influence over your teenager’s attitudes, behaviour and choices. I breakdown why parents are the most important role models for teenagers and how they can be a positive role model in their life. Role modelling works in relation to virtually everything – from how you handle emotions such as frustration and anger, to how you respect and relate to other people, to how you cope with stress and difficulties, to eating patterns and exercise, even to how you look after yourself.
All women experience the menopause. Yet many women and health professionals still don’t fully understand the signs and symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause or know how to best treat them. I have a really important and wide-ranging discussion with GP and world-leading menopause specialist, Dr Louise Newson, about how to prepare for, monitor and manage the peri-menopause and menopause.
Do you think your genes are your destiny? Once you’ve inherited the “Alzheimer’s gene” then that’s it, you will get dementia and there’s nothing you can do about it! It’s time to change your assumptions. The way you live your life can actually change your genetic makeup. Your lifestyle choices - the foods you put in your body, the chemicals you are exposed to, how active you choose to be, even the type of people you choose to spend time with - can switch off and switch on different genes to change the destiny of your brain health.
Comedy and mental health don’t seem like natural bedfellows, but there is really good evidence that laughter triggers the release of endorphins boosting our mood and mental well-being. I talk to comedian and mental health ambassador Juliette Burton about the relationship between comedy and mental health and how she’s using her stand up shows to educate the world about mental health.
Addiction treatment is failing worldwide because it deals with the effects of addiction which is addictive behaviour, rather than the actual the cause of the addiction which is childhood trauma. I discuss why addiction is an attempt to deal with the pain of childhood trauma and the path to recovery starts with reconnection with your true self. By restoring the connections with your body and the emotions you lost as a child you can start the process of recovery.
Your brain is shrinking, costing you memories and mental sharpness. Brain shrinkage is closely related to symptoms of ageing, including mental decline, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and even poor sleep habits. You can prevent brain shrinkage by adopting healthy lifestyle habits that boost your brain’s vulnerabilities. For example, lowering blood pressure, lowering your blood sugar, improving sleep can help to stop brain shrinkage and improve your chances for a long, mentally fit life.
Swimming is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that strengthens your heart and circulatory system. But it also really benefits your brain and mental health. It encourages the brain to release brain chemicals that elevate your mood and repairs damage to brain cells and grows new ones to improve your memory. Cold water swimming triggers the release of a ‘cold-shock’ protein that slows down the onset of dementia. So swimming in water builds and repairs your brain while your worries drift away.
Experiences from decades ago still affect how you think, feel and behave today. Traumatic events and experiences that you endured early in life as a child or teen have a lasting effect on your emotional wellbeing as an adult. Childhood trauma takes many different forms, including abuse and neglect. And almost a third of young people in the UK experience trauma that doubles their risk of experiencing mental health challenges later in life. I discuss how childhood trauma filters through into adulthood to change the way you behave and impact your mental health in midlife.
Emotional ups and downs are are a normal part of adolescence, making it difficult for parents to distinguish between normal teenage moodiness and mental health struggles. Teens might not always be able to articulate what they’re going through, and they might not want to talk to parents about it. So how can parents support a teenager’s mental well-being? I share how parents can make themselves available and what they should say to teens to support difficult feelings and mental illness. Download our FREE “Parent’s Guide To Teenage Depression” HERE: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/depressionguide
Wet towels left in their wake, a sea of strewn clothes where there once was carpet, plates of food festering under the bed…why are teenagers so messy? A teen’s untidiness is a real bugbear for many parents and can be the source of ongoing conflict in many families. I explain why a messy bedroom is an easy, safe way for a teenager to declare their independence. And the protracted process of rewiring their brain during adolescence means that they won’t notice the mess for most of the time they're living with you. Arguing with them won't change that, but setting a few simple family rules can make things a little easier.
When a child experiences neglect or abuse early in their life, it has a devastating impact on their physical, mental and emotional development. I discuss how trauma during early childhood changes the brain and why the teenage years are an ideal window of opportunity to rewire a traumatised brain by providing a child with the experiences and opportunities that they missed out on earlier in life.
The Mediterranean diet is perfectly suited to women’s health. Partly due to the beneficial effects on the heart, it’s also good for a woman's brain. Women who follow the Mediterranean diet have younger looking brains but, unlike women who eat a western diet, show no early brain signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and experience fewer and milder menopausal symptoms. I share a simple step-by-step diet plan with the right intake of nutrients to help women keep their brain young, reduce menopause symptoms and protect them against dementia. Get our FREE GUIDE “12 Brain Foods To Boost your Memory, Mood and Thinking" HERE: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/brainfoods
What happened to the sweet little girl who you’ve loved and nurtured for more than decade? Who is this irrational, untidy and moody young women living in your house, who seems to find everything about you so embarrassing? I have a really interesting and wide ranging discussion with parenting columnist, Lorraine Candy, about how to survive the challenges of parenting teenage girls. We cover topics ranging from why teenage girls are so mean to mums, how to connect with teens, dealing with their untidy bedroom, picking your battles, managing screen time, to being a mother during menopause. Lorraine's new book, ‘Mum, What’s Wrong With You?': 101 Things Only Mothers of Teenage Girls Know, is available to buy from 10th June, 2021. podcast website: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/podcast; follow us @ologyonline on facebook, twitter and instagram
The menopause opens a new chapter in a woman’s life that can take her on roller coaster ride of foreign feelings, lasting easily a decade or more. From hot flushes to low mood to insomnia to forgetfulness, menopause can be deeply distressing for many women. I look at the impact of fluctuating hormones on a woman’s brain health and how to manage well-being during menopause.
It’s hard for people to feel hopeful in these uncertain times. But having hope for the future helps to build resilience and gives people the will, determination, and sense of empowerment to tackle their mental health challenges. I talk to Jonny Benjamin, a mental health campaigner, about his truly extraordinary story and new book, ‘The Book Of Hope’. Jonny was 20 and standing on the edge of Waterloo bridge about to jump. A passer-by, a stranger, noticed his distress and took the time to talk to him. It was a moment of kindness and compassion that change the course of his life. His new book, which brings together 101 different voices on overcoming adversity, similarly aims to inspire acceptance, compassion, courage, resilience, kindness and, most importantly, hope in people facing their own mental health challenges.
You probably expected to get some attitude when your child arrived in the teenage years. But the constant eye-rolling, emotional outbursts and “You are so embarrassing” comments may be harder to handle than you imagined. In this episode, I discuss why a teenager’s life is so full of emotions and angst and how to cope with their emotional highs and lows.
Do you enjoy a glass of wine to wind down after work or a cocktail (or four) to loosen you up in social situations? You’re not alone! Last year, more than 80% of us reported that we drink alcohol on a regular basis with heavy drinking increasing by more than 40% in women. I discuss the impact that alcohol can have on your brain and mental health, and how to manage your relationship with the most socially acceptable and accessible drug on the market.
Imagine it was possible to successfully treat depression without needing to take any form of antidepressant drug. Today I talk to therapist, Nic Saluppo, about his incredible journey to heal his own depression without using medication. Nic experienced psychological trauma as a child that led to severe depression as an adult. But he has managed to cure his depression for good - naturally, and after 9 years - by learning to experience the feelings he had been suppressing from his childhood.
Welcome to Better Brain, Better You. We are neuroscientist Dr Ben Webb and clinical psychologist Dr Zoe Webb. On this podcast we help people of all ages to cultivate a healthy brain for a mentally healthy and happy life. So come and join us to build a Better Brain, for a Better You. We release weekly episodes for brains of all ages.
From getting drunk at a party, to stealing your clothes, to Xbox gaming into the early hours, teenagers often make bad decisions. I breakdown why teenagers make misguided decisions and how parents can help them to learn good decision-making skills. Teenagers will often express quite clearly why certain behaviours and actions are not desirable. But put them in a situation where they feel pressure, stressed, or are seeking attention from their peer group, they will start to make poor decisions. And to make matters worse, teenagers are guided by a brain that can’t access information that could improve these decisions.
Why are women twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease? I discuss some important differences in the way women's brains age and how this increases their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not that a female brain is fundamentally different to a male brain. But there are some really important differences in the way a female brain responds to hormonal changes at different stages of life that drives brain ageing in women, significantly increasing their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Ever wondered why you feel low or lethargic after eating certain foods and invigorated and energised after eating others? I breakdown why certain foods affect your mood and how simple changes to diet can improve your mental health. When we eat foods high in refined carbohydrates and trans fats and don’t look after our gut health it has detrimental effects on our mood and mental health. Whereas traditional diets high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, fish and seafood lower the risk of developing depression and enhance mental wellbeing. podcast website: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/podcast; follow us @ologyonline on facebook, twitter and instagram
Ever offered up what you thought was an inspirational solution to you teenager’s problem, only for it to be dismissed as annoying, irrelevant or even stupid. I breakdown why teenagers don’t want parents' advice and prefer a sounding board not a solution. When we offer a solution too quickly, teenagers often feel like we’re not really listening to them or understanding what they’re going through. And it turns out that listening and understanding is what teenagers really want. Podcast website: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/podcast; follow us @ologyonline on facebook, twitter and instagram
We often give teenagers a hard time for being impulsive, emotional outbursts, taking risks, too much screen time, or just because they can’t get out of bed in the morning. Today I want to talk about a teenage super-power: their extraordinary capacity for learning. The growth of new brain connections and shedding of unused ones make teens sensation-seeking, learning machines. They learn much faster than adults and what they learn is retained for longer. This make the teen years the ideal time to identify a child’s strengths, invest in them, and support their emerging talents.
Why are teenagers susceptible to depression? And what can they do to thrive and be emotionally healthier? The teen years are characterised by three converging events that are a window of risk for developing depression. First, puberty brings dramatic changes that completely remodels their brain. Second, they gradually become better at self-regulation. Third is the intense series of social changes that happen as they transition into independence. The teenage brains flexibility to adapt and adjust is what makes teenagers highly susceptible and vulnerable to disruption by these events. Unusual, very intense or traumatic stress events in the teenage years can have a bigger and more lasting impact on mental health than if the same kind of events happen later in life as an adult. But these same changes and dynamics that make the teenage years a window of risk are also a window of opportunity. With the right support and brain scaffolding to develop coping skills, these challenges can also be deeply enriching and boost their brain health and resilience. podcast website: https://www.ologyonlinecourses.com/podcast; follow us @ologyonline on facebook, twitter and instagram
