1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:01,880 Speaker 1: I'll get out of t him. I hope you will. 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: So I'm opening the conversational door somewhat tentatively today because 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: I am not an expert in inverted commas in what 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: I'm about to discuss. But obviously most of you know 5 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: that I'm doing a doctorate in europsychology, psychology, you know, 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: so mind stuff, brain stuff, human behavior stuff. You also 7 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: know that I have a background in exercise science and anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, movement. 8 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: So I think I have a reasonably good, albeit not expert, 9 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: but a reasonably good grasp of the human condition. So 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: the mind stuff, the body stuff, the emotional stuff, the 11 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: behavioral stuff, while not regarding myself on any level as 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,959 Speaker 1: a guru. And it is with that disclaimer that I 13 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: tentatively open the conversational door today on this topic and 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: what I want to talk to you about because you 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: are an know that anyway, but is about the idea 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: of thinking yourself sick. So I'm going to be exploring 17 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: the relationship between thought, what happens in our head, our stories, 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: our ideas good or bad, negative or positive, our self talk, 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: our rumination, our self doubt, our self loathing, all of 20 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: those things and the impact that that non physical stuff, 21 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: that internal cognitive stuff can have on our very real physiology, 22 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: our body. So the relationship between what we think and 23 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: what those thoughts can produce, for better or worse in 24 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: our body is the door that I'm opening. So for 25 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: this episode, I'm just sharing my thoughts, experiences, and insights 26 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: into an area of the human experience that genuinely excites 27 00:01:55,920 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: me and fascinates me. I'm eighty percent student, twenty percent teacher, 28 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: and so this is me. This conversation is me sharing 29 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: with you what I'm learning as I go. And none 30 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: of this is intended to be personal advice. That's not 31 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: a call to action. It's not me telling you asking 32 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: you to do something. It's not an individual prescription. As 33 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: I always say, It's just me thinking out loud. So 34 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: if I say something that resonates with you, then you 35 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: might you might choose to look into it. You might 36 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: choose to do some research. You might choose to jump 37 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 1: online or read a book or listen to some more conversations. 38 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: Or you might choose to take that idea or thought 39 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: or concept or strategy or piece of information that I 40 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,119 Speaker 1: shared for a bit of a test drive and see 41 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: what happens. So I decided to record a podcast called 42 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: Thinking Yourself Sick in an attempt to unpack the very 43 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: real and powerful, but largely unknown and undiscussed in terms 44 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: of the general public anyway, relationship that exists between negative 45 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,239 Speaker 1: thinking and our body. And it's I mean, it's been 46 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: my experience, my observation, my research that chronic negative thinking 47 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: might just be, I say, might one of the leading 48 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: but undetected drivers of or in science, we might say 49 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: psychological or physiological pathways too, physical dysfunction, disease, and disaster. 50 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: In other words, there is and can be a very 51 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: real correlation between toxic thinking and toxic outcomes in our body. 52 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: And while it's pretty well established that thoughts have the 53 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: power to heal or at least again as positively influence 54 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: health outcomes, I've interviewed a bunch of people on this show, 55 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: world class academics and researchers, you know, Professor Jeffrey Reticker 56 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: from Harvard Medical School. We've spoken about spontaneous healing, the 57 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: placebo effect, the potential healing capacity of thought. That shit's 58 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: so exciting, isn't it? But I guess what's not discussed 59 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 1: so much is the potentially disastrous physical health outcomes or 60 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: consequences of ongoing negative like chronic negative thinking, rumination, obsession, 61 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: those pessimistic, dark kind of holes that we dig for 62 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: ourselves cognitively overthinking, not not thinking a fair bit, not 63 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: as in, you know, like we can have busy, a 64 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: busy mind. Sometimes I have a busy mind, but it's excited, 65 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: it's creative. But when I talk about overthinking in this capacity, 66 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: I'm talking about that rumination, that doom and gloom storytelling, 67 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: that potentially that self loathing, that immersing ourselves in problems 68 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: that don't actually exist, problems that we think might arise 69 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: in the future, but in the day, and despite the 70 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: fact that those problems don't exist and we know through 71 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: research about ninety one or two percent of the time 72 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: never actually arise. Despite the fact that most of those 73 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: things won't happen in the future, we are trapped in 74 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: that negative rumination about future potential problems in the moment, 75 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,239 Speaker 1: and despite the fact that those problems are not real. 76 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: The consequence of the rumination, the overthinking, the doom and gloom, 77 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: the pessimism, the consequences of that negative thinking are very real. 78 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: So literally, while there is no practical problem in the future, 79 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 1: we create a literal physiological problem in the now quite 80 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: often as as as a byproduct, I should say, of 81 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: what is happening in that operating center that lives between 82 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: our ears. So for me, I really believe a greater knowledge, 83 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: greater awareness, and greater understanding and conversation about this is 84 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: crucial because if we can and again this is not 85 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: going to enlighten the world, but this is just for me. 86 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: This is opening the door on a conversation that if 87 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: we can begin to realize and consider the fact that 88 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: our thinking has a consequence in our body, for better 89 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: or worse, and we can understand that my toxic thoughts 90 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: can lead to toxic outcomes with my physiology, then I 91 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: can start to at least bring that awareness and that 92 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: recognition into my life, into my choices. You know, when 93 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: I feel myself sitting down on a couch and ruminating 94 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: or overthinking, I can make a conscious decision to get 95 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: up off the couch and focus on something else. And 96 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: when I focus on something else, even if it's making 97 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: a cup of tea or making dinner, or if it's 98 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: putting on my runners and going for as I often do, 99 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: I put on my runners. In fact, last night I 100 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: got home from the gym. Don't ask me why, I 101 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: felt kind of a bit blah, which I don't often, 102 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: but I felt a bit mentally blah, even though I'd 103 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: been to the gym. But what I haven't done for 104 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks is I haven't run. So I 105 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: put on my runners. I went and ran like a 106 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: crazy person for about two k's like ten minute quickish 107 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: for my sixty year old body. Run got back, I focused, 108 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: I shifted my focused on that thing that I was 109 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: are starting to go down that kind of negative pathway 110 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: on and I just got into my body. I got 111 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: into the run. I got back, and not only had 112 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: I shifted my focus and what was happening in my mind, 113 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: which is a good thing, but it also shifted the 114 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: biochemistry of my brain. Now I was producing some dopamine. 115 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: Now I was producing some endorphins, and now I was 116 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: doing something good for my body. So let's talk about 117 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: Let's talk about thinking. So thinking is the solution and 118 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: thinking is the problem, depending on where we're at on 119 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: the day. And as you've heard me talk many times 120 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: about the idea of thinking about how we think, and 121 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 1: we call that metacognition. Yes, you've heard me say that 122 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: a thousand times. But I think it's really important to 123 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: bring our attention to what is happening in our mind, 124 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: good or bad, and to as much as we can 125 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: try to open the awareness door on what am I thinking? 126 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,959 Speaker 1: Why do I think this way? Where did this kind 127 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: of thinking good or bad come from? Where do my 128 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: beliefs come from? Did I choose my beliefs, this negative belief, 129 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: this self limiting belief, this toxic kind of self talk 130 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: that I have? Where did all of this kind of 131 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: thinking come from? Can I change my thinking? How do 132 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: I change my thinking? And So if we know that 133 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 1: thinking can be the cause of sickness, and it can, 134 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: and I'll explain physiologically how, but if we know that 135 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: thinking can be the root of all kinds of illness 136 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: and physiological dysfunction and pain and suffering and reduced quality 137 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: of life, which it can, then it's in our interests 138 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: to really start to think about how we think and 139 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:09,320 Speaker 1: how we might make ourselves sick or well. So thinking 140 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: happens NonStop, doesn't it. So A lot of people wheel 141 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: out this figure that we have about sixty or seventy 142 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: thousand thoughts a day, and the truth is will the 143 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: truth is, as I understand it, we don't know how 144 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 1: many thoughts we have, And I think that's I think 145 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: that's an exaggeration. There's been some research that was done 146 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: in Canada a few years ago where they watched where 147 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: they analyzed people's brains over an extended period of time 148 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: while they were doing things, focusing on things, and they 149 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 1: kind of ascertained that it's maybe closer to the ten 150 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: twelve thousand thoughts per day. But when you think about 151 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: thinking unintended, like thinking happens because of us conscious thought. 152 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,440 Speaker 1: Oh I am thinking about what I'm going to have 153 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: for dinner. I'm going to have some chicken and veggies 154 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,599 Speaker 1: and rice wet. I'll get the chicken wear it or 155 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: get the veggies wet, or get the rice. What am 156 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: I going to put with it? Am I going to 157 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: have a source? What am I going to How much 158 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,079 Speaker 1: do I want? How am I going to Am I 159 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: going to use a wock? Am I going to use 160 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: how am I going to put? You know? Conscious thought? 161 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: Now I'm hungry. I shouldn't have given that example conscious thought. 162 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 1: So thinking happens intentionally, and thinking happens unconsciously, and that 163 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: is when we think about Like right now, I am 164 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 1: thinking about what I am saying to you, So my 165 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: prefrontal cortex is focusing on the words and making sense 166 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: and trying to build a level of connection. So I 167 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: am thinking critically, I am consciously forming my words to 168 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: build relationship, understanding, insight with you in this moment. But 169 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: also subconsciously, I know that I've kind of been talken 170 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: for about ten minutes. I know that I'm aware of 171 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,560 Speaker 1: the temperature in the room. I'm subconsciously aware of the 172 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 1: light coming through the window up to my right, and 173 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: the trees that are kind of dancing in the wind. Right. 174 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: All of these things can coexist, but I can't focus 175 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: on two things at once. My mind can only my 176 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: conscious mind can only pay absolute specific attention to focus 177 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: on one thing at a time. And that's a hint, 178 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 1: isn't it. That's a hint right there, for being able 179 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: to redirect our thoughts or do a left turn with 180 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: our mind when we're starting to go down a particular 181 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:33,559 Speaker 1: negative path of thought. That when I get up out 182 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: of the chair, as I spoke about before, and now 183 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: I now go and invest my self mind, body, emotions 184 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: in a task or something different. Then I take myself 185 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,320 Speaker 1: out of that place, or I get off that road 186 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: that I was heading down. So your mind like my mind, 187 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: and some of these are not new concepts for you, 188 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: but let's just just revisit it. Your mind, my mind, 189 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: our minds. They are the control rooms for our life. 190 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: My mind is my data processing center. My mind is 191 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: the window through which I view and analyze and understand 192 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: and process the world around me. It's where I figure 193 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: out when I meet someone if I trust them or 194 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 1: don't trust them. And I'm doing all this in real 195 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: time and quickly, and often not even aware of it. 196 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: So the role of our mind is to make sense 197 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 1: of things. It is to decode and interpret and tell 198 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: stories about and give power and meaning and significance and 199 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,839 Speaker 1: influence to the goings on of our world, in other words, 200 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: our physical world. So there's the stuff that's going on 201 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: around you, let me be more specific, the stuff that 202 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,439 Speaker 1: you're aware of that's going on around you, and then 203 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: there's your story about it. So there's the thing that's happening, 204 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 1: and then there's your story. And interestingly, your story has 205 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: much more impact on your body and emotional system than 206 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: the actual thing. Like, if something bad happens in front 207 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: of you, something scary happens in front of you, which 208 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: we might broadly consider most of us would consider to 209 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: be scary, but you don't think it's scary, you think 210 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: it's amusing. Then your physiological and emotional and psychological response 211 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: will be one of curiosity and amusement rather than one 212 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: of anxiety or panic. Right, because you weren't scared, the 213 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: ten other people next to you were scared. Their blood 214 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: pressure went up, their heart rate went up, they started 215 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: producing adrenaline and cortisole, and they got stress, and their 216 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: body believed their story, and their story was this, this 217 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: is a problem. I am in trouble, I am in danger. You, 218 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: you standing right next to them, told yourself a different story. 219 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: And because of your different story that you believed you 220 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: had a different experience. Now, this is not a possibility, 221 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: This is a certainty. If you're not scared of something, 222 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: even if you should be, you're not going to have 223 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 1: a fear response. Even if you're in a situation where 224 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: logically the rest of us would go, what are you doing? 225 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: Get out of there? But you have no fear, then 226 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: you're in no hurry to get out of there. And 227 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: so this speaks to the fact that our mind, our 228 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: beliefs have a very real consequence in our body. Your mind, 229 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: your thoughts, they are on a personal level, they are 230 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: your reality creators. And when you're your mind believes something, 231 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: then your body believes that something. So careful what you believe, 232 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: because if your body believes it, then it's going to 233 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 1: respond according So your immune system, your nervous system, your 234 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: cardiovascular system, your muscular system, your endocrime system, your gut 235 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: bio Did I say nervous system, Not sure, all the systems. 236 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: So careful what you believe. I think one of the 237 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: biggest challenges for us is to manage our mind. I 238 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: think of all the things that we think about and 239 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: talk about, you know, managing money, managing lifestyle, you know, 240 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: looking after our body, all of that kind of practical 241 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 1: life stuff, which and all of those things are important, 242 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: but think about how many of those things are in 243 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: some way dependent on or affected by what's happening in 244 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: our mind. Like, if I can't manage my mind, I 245 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 1: can't be great at making decisions. If I can't manage 246 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: my mind, then I'm not going to be a great 247 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: problem solver or conversationalist or conflict resolver or relationship builder 248 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 1: or listener. If I can't manage my mind, I'm not 249 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: going to be a great employee or boss or leader 250 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 1: or manager or academic. If I can't manage my mind, 251 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: then I'm probably going to have some very real and 252 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 1: dire consequences in my body. And this is not something 253 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 1: to panic about. This is something to consider, you know. 254 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:45,360 Speaker 1: So many Eastern philosophies talk about the notion of minding 255 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 1: your mind and the power of thought for good and bad, 256 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: and being able to control your mind, or perhaps maybe 257 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,159 Speaker 1: a better perspective is to coh exist in harmony with 258 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,199 Speaker 1: your mind, because your mind is not you and you 259 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: are not it, but you have one, just like your 260 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:08,439 Speaker 1: body is not you, and you are not your body, 261 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: and you're not your thoughts your thoughts. Kind of there's 262 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: you and there's your thoughts, and while you might be 263 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,760 Speaker 1: the creator and driver of those thoughts, they're still not you. 264 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: They're they're just constructs that can prove to be you know, 265 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: powerful or inert, for good or bad, depending on how 266 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,919 Speaker 1: much you believe those thoughts. Like you might have a 267 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: thought like ah, you know that guy over there doesn't 268 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: like me at all, and you go, Then all of 269 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: a sudden, you have awareness and you go, you know what, 270 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 1: we haven't even spoken. It's like he kind of glanced 271 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: at me, and I'm being an idiot, and you realize 272 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,719 Speaker 1: you're just being an idiot, and you realize that that 273 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: guy probably actually has no opinion of you, So catastrophe averted. 274 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,159 Speaker 1: On the other hand, you think the guy on the 275 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 1: other side of the road kind of sideways glances at you, 276 00:18:57,600 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: and now you start to tell your self and story 277 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,399 Speaker 1: and that story gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and 278 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: then in five minutes you're now in a state of 279 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:06,680 Speaker 1: anxiety and panic because clearly it's going to come over 280 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: pretty soon and kill you right now. This is kind 281 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,679 Speaker 1: of funny and kind of silly, but it's kind of 282 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: common and for some people, you know, these these uncontrolled thoughts, unregulated, 283 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:31,439 Speaker 1: disregulated thoughts lead to consequences that can be catastrophic in 284 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: terms of you know, obviously physical health, but also mental 285 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 1: and emotional health. So we know that thoughts create emotional responses, 286 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: but we also know that emotions give rise to thought. 287 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: Thoughts create emotions. So if I think I'm in trouble, 288 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: the emotional response will be fear. And if, for example, 289 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: I watch something and I'm watching a movie and an 290 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 1: emotion rises and that is sadness, well that's going to 291 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: stimulate or that's going to influence how I think in 292 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: that moment. I might think, oh my god, life's unfair. 293 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: I might think, I might think something that takes me 294 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:20,400 Speaker 1: down another negative path. So I'm talking here with emotions 295 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: and thoughts about a bi directional relationship which creates a 296 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:32,120 Speaker 1: feedback loop with thoughts and emotions continuously influencing each other. 297 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: So the potential link between worry, negative thinking, fear, anxiety, overthinking, distress, 298 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:47,960 Speaker 1: and physical disease, it's been something that's been researched quite 299 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: a lot, but not as much as a lot of 300 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: other things, to be honest, But it's been researched in 301 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: the space of you know, psychology and medicine and neuroscience. 302 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: But to be honest, the interplay between mental and physical 303 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 1: health is kind of complex and it involves like numerous biological, psychological, 304 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: and sociological factors. I'm going to try and keep that, 305 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: you know, as understandable as possible, all right, So let's 306 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: start by looking at some of the biological mechanisms that 307 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 1: are impacted by worry, or in more general terms, negative thinking, 308 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,199 Speaker 1: fearful thinking, all kind of in the same bucket. So 309 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:41,479 Speaker 1: let's look at stress response and immune function. So chronic 310 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 1: worry activates the body's stress response system in particular, I 311 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: think or are you ready? You don't need to remember this. 312 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: There'll be no test, but a thing called the hypothalamic 313 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: petuitary a dreamal axis or the HPA access. And we 314 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: know that prolonged while we done. But I'm telling you, 315 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: we know that prolonged activation of this axis, the HbA access, 316 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: leads to a sustained release of stress hormones like cortisol 317 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: and adrenaline. By the way, we don't want cortisole floating 318 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: around our system on a regular basis. I'll talk about 319 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: that more later. We know that elevated levels of these 320 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: hormones can suppress immune function, has a direct impact on 321 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:33,359 Speaker 1: your immune system. It can make the constant kind of 322 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: elevated levels of these things, adrenaline cortisol can make your 323 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:44,640 Speaker 1: body more acceptible, susceptible to infections, disease, and slower healing. Additionally, 324 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: this kind of overthinking, this negative thinking, this this chronic stress. 325 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: Internal stress can lead to inflammation. Inflammation is a big 326 00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 1: risk factor for various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, 327 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 1: and sadly, numerous cancers. So, to simplify what I just said, 328 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:18,360 Speaker 1: chronic worry or chronic negative thoughts negative thinking absolutely correlates. 329 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: It might not we think it does, but absolutely correlates 330 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,119 Speaker 1: positively with a greater risk and incidents of a range 331 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 1: of illnesses, diseases, dysfunction, and poor health outcomes. Oh, even 332 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:39,400 Speaker 1: more simply, there's a direct relationship between negative thinking and illness. 333 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: All right, So let's look at the nervous system. You 334 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: know what that is, specifically the autonomic nervous system. Negative thinking, 335 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:55,400 Speaker 1: So worry, rumination, self loathing, I hate me, my life, shit, 336 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: I'm no good, I'm an impluster, done a bit of 337 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: that myself, that whole kind of doom and gloom storytelling, 338 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 1: that internal negative space that we create, that can also 339 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:12,399 Speaker 1: affect the autonomic nervous system, which regulates all the involuntary 340 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: bodily stuff, all the functions like heart rate, digestion, respiration, 341 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:23,439 Speaker 1: all that. And chronic anxiety, worry, overthinking, and fear based 342 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: obsession often leads to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, 343 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: favoring sympathetic over parasympathetic activity. That is your fight or 344 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: flight's response, your fighter flight response, which you know what 345 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: that is, that panic, that oh my god, that ready 346 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: to take action that switches on twenty thirty forty times 347 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:49,160 Speaker 1: a day, and that parasympathetic response. That fight or flight 348 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:54,439 Speaker 1: response is great when it's needed, like when there's a 349 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 1: lion in your bloody office, or there's an intruder breaking 350 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 1: into your house, or there's or you're in a fi fight, 351 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:05,679 Speaker 1: or there's an earthquake, or when there's something that requires 352 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: you to get in that elevated state. It's awesome, but 353 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:15,160 Speaker 1: it's complete shit for your body and your health if 354 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: you are turning on that fight or flight response twenty 355 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 1: times a day and that rumination, that negative thinking, especially 356 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 1: when we turn up the volume on that, that's exactly 357 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: what we're doing. And so this imbalance, this overreaction, this 358 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: over supply of specifically cortisol, can contribute to things like 359 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: hype tension, high blood pressure, gastro intestinal disorders, you know, 360 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: gut health stuff, and chronic pain. I found that interesting 361 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: when I realized that worry, that self created psychological and 362 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: emotional prisons that we build for ourselves that we live 363 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: in actually can result in real, genuine increases in physical 364 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:12,000 Speaker 1: pain and also lead to cognitive impairments. So when we 365 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: are consistently or regularly regularly creating a stress response or 366 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: that putting ourselves in that state, that mental state, we 367 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: can see impairment in memory, concentration, and decision making due 368 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: to detrimental effects on the brain or areas specifically like 369 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. So also keep in mind that 370 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: prolonged activation of the fight or flight response is linked 371 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:50,919 Speaker 1: to the development and exacerbation of mental health issues that 372 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,439 Speaker 1: are really you know what we're constantly talking about now, 373 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:59,200 Speaker 1: anxiety and depression and the like. So that you know 374 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: when we are when we are ruminating, when we're overthinking, 375 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,920 Speaker 1: we are turning up, we are literally creating more anxiety ourselves. 376 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: So anxiety is a bigger episode than this. But anxiety 377 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: is the psychological, emotional, and physiological consequence of and sometimes 378 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: genetic consequence of a bunch of variables. But what we 379 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: do know is that we can, for one of a 380 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:31,640 Speaker 1: more science y term, we can turn up the volume 381 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: on our depression and our anxiety, by ruminating, by overthinking, 382 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: by focusing on things that we can't change, by being 383 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: the problem person not the solution person. This is not 384 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:54,120 Speaker 1: self loathing, this awareness. This is just awareness. So there's 385 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:57,640 Speaker 1: no criticism or judgment in that. Like, we've all had 386 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: this experience where we think about something, we worry about 387 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: something that doesn't turn out to be true. I mentioned 388 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: this before. We worry about something potentially happening, and even 389 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,679 Speaker 1: though it's not happening, now we worry about it and 390 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: a few minutes later, we are now stressed, we are 391 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 1: now anxious. Our body is now in a fight or 392 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: flight kind of state. And our body is in that 393 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,440 Speaker 1: state not because it's required by the situation, because right 394 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,719 Speaker 1: now the situation is fine, but our body is in 395 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 1: that state as a byproduct of our thinking about what 396 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: could happen. And again, just awareness. So that'll do for 397 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: the minute. That'll do for the biological mechanisms for now. 398 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 1: So let's take a look at some of the what 399 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: do we call them. Let's take a look at I guess, 400 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: some of the psychological pathways that might lead to poor 401 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:06,719 Speaker 1: health outcome, sickness, dysfunction, disease, you know, immune system suppression, 402 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: and even worst case scenario, early death. So let's look 403 00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: at health behaviors. So people who experience high levels of 404 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: negative thinking worry often engage in unhealthy behaviors in order 405 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: to cope. Right, So we worry, we overthink, we're in 406 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: that negative space. And then so which is again no 407 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: criticism in this, just awareness. So one of the results 408 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: of that for some people or many people in fact, 409 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: is smoking, is drinking lots of booze, is numbing out 410 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: with food, is recreational drugs, is physical inactivity, and so 411 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: all of these things increase the risk of developing you know, 412 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, arthritis, cancer, 413 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: and more generally obesity, which like it or not is 414 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: not is a problem. It's not nothing. So it's not 415 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: in this case, it's not directly the thinking that will 416 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: make the person sick, So there's no straight line there. 417 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: It's not directly their thinking that will make them sick, 418 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: but rather the choices that they make as a result 419 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 1: of their thinking, and then the subsequent physical, destructive habits 420 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: and behaviors that they embrace, which of course, are a 421 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: byproduct of their choices slash thinking. So once again there 422 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: is a correlation there. So in short, often negative thinking 423 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: equals negative choices equals negative behaviors equals negative physical outcomes 424 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: or simply poor health. So it's a it's a cycle, 425 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,200 Speaker 1: it's a chain of events, I guess, But that chain 426 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: of events starts without thinking. Also another when we're looking 427 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:09,880 Speaker 1: under the banner of I guess bio logical mechanisms that 428 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: are problematic. So I know a lot of you because 429 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: I get a lot of messages, a lot of information 430 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: through the comments and through DMS and all through also 431 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 1: through emails. But shitty sleep, so poor sleep hygiene, poor 432 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 1: sleep quality, sleep disturbances, so negative thinking, that toxic thinking, 433 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: you know, anxiety, ruminations, all that stuff is commonly associated with, 434 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 1: for one of better terms, shit sleep. And that can 435 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: be you know, anything from kind of slightly disregulated sleep, 436 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: not very good sleep quality right through to I can't 437 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: fucking sleep in some now. So there's no surprise for 438 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: me to tell you that inadequate sleeps been linked to 439 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: a bunch of health issues, like you know, weakened immune system, 440 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: metabolic disorders, increase susceptibility to chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, 441 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 1: you know, and when you think about it, like when 442 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: our body doesn't fully rest and recover, I mean that's 443 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,400 Speaker 1: why we sleep. Our body needs downtime, Our body needs 444 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: to go offline, our brain needs to switch off, you know. 445 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: That is the time where all our hormones recharge, like 446 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: our cells repair and recover. And it's almost like we're 447 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: heading the reset button on us every night. But when 448 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: our thinking, our negative thinking, results in poor sleep, then 449 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: we're opening a fucking Pandora's box on not just being 450 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,080 Speaker 1: irritable and grumpy mentally and emotionally because we're not sleeping, 451 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: but a potential myriad of physiological consequences. Again, it's not 452 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: a direct correlation, like a straight line between thinking and sickness, 453 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 1: but rather the sickness is a consequential effect of one's thinking. 454 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: That is, negative thoughts leading to poor sleep, in turn 455 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:22,440 Speaker 1: leading to illness, in turn leading to a whole bunch 456 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: of shit for you and me and our body. All right, 457 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:31,040 Speaker 1: So let's park the psychological pathways to physical illness for 458 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: a moment and take a look at some social and 459 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: environmental factors that might influence one's mental state and in 460 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: turn physical states. So I've spoken many times on this 461 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:52,480 Speaker 1: show about the health benefits I guess yea, the health 462 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: benefits and the impact that things like feeling loved, feeling valued, 463 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 1: being connected, being seen, being heard, being wanted, being part 464 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: of a group, you know, feeling like people care about us. 465 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,760 Speaker 1: And I've also spoken about the numerous health risks of 466 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 1: the opposite, you know, which is isolation, loneliness, social disconnection, 467 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: and I guess in general terms like being a person 468 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:24,800 Speaker 1: that feels unseen, unwanted, unloved like you know, what's the point, 469 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: and that, you know, leads to a potential raft of 470 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: you know, psychological, sociological, and emotional challenges. So we know 471 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:39,360 Speaker 1: that the presence or absence of social support and connection 472 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:44,720 Speaker 1: can significantly influence how a person thinks, for better or worse, 473 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,439 Speaker 1: And naturally that in a dialogue that thought, that way 474 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: of thinking will have a very real impact, potentially will 475 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 1: have a very real impact on their physical health. So 476 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 1: the bottom line is strong social networks provide emotional support, 477 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 1: practical help, and I guess a sense of belonging which 478 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 1: can somewhat buffer against the negative effects of the thinking 479 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:17,759 Speaker 1: that comes with that isolation. That separation, that disconnection, that 480 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: feeling unloved, unlanted, unneeded, all that stuff. You know, social 481 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:29,160 Speaker 1: isolation and loneliness can absolutely exacerbate the impact of worry 482 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 1: on physical health and you know, increase the risks of 483 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:37,800 Speaker 1: all of those things we've been talking about so far. Alrighty, 484 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:39,759 Speaker 1: So let's have a look at a little bit of 485 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:44,879 Speaker 1: research that I dug up on. I've opened the door, 486 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: but let's go a little bit deeper on some of 487 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: the relationships that exist between thinking and sickness, some of 488 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: the relationships that we absolutely know about. So let's start 489 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 1: with cardiovascular disease. So, numerous studies have established a link 490 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:05,799 Speaker 1: between chronic anxiety, negative thinking, and an increased risk of 491 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:11,840 Speaker 1: cardiovascular disease. Anxiety disorders are associated with high rates of 492 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,760 Speaker 1: hype tension, a rhythmia so heart going out of time, 493 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: and coronary artery disease. This stress induced release of cortisol 494 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,920 Speaker 1: and adrenaline often leads to changes in heart rate and 495 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: blood pressure and contributes to the development of cardiovascular problems. So, 496 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:36,200 Speaker 1: long story short, how we think what's happening in terms 497 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: of our cognition and the way that we view the 498 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,400 Speaker 1: world and other people, and the way that we create 499 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:45,720 Speaker 1: problems or solutions can have a positive or negative effect 500 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:48,399 Speaker 1: on the way that our heart works. That's the dumb 501 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 1: down version. And now think about if we open the 502 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: door on the gastro intestinal stuff, like the gut biome stuff. 503 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,040 Speaker 1: It's been there's a lot, been a lot of talk 504 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,840 Speaker 1: lately and by lately the last five years between relationship. 505 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,920 Speaker 1: The connection maybe is better between the brain and the gut. 506 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:09,760 Speaker 1: In fact, some people think that, you know, the gut 507 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: is the second brain. So we have the brain. Some 508 00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:15,759 Speaker 1: people call the gut second brain. Some people call the 509 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,440 Speaker 1: heart the third brain. And it's probably fair to assume 510 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:20,799 Speaker 1: that the brain as we know it, the brain, brain, 511 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 1: and the gut and the heart are all their own 512 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:29,120 Speaker 1: kind of intelligence. But anyway, so the connection between the 513 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:32,120 Speaker 1: brain and the gut, which is often called what's it 514 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: called the gut brain access, it's right, that highlights the 515 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:41,319 Speaker 1: impact of worry and negative thinking on the gastro intestinal 516 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:46,120 Speaker 1: health of the individual. So we know that negative thinking 517 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:52,840 Speaker 1: can exacerbate kind of symptoms of irritable boo syndrome IBS, 518 00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: gastroesophage or reflux disease GERD, and lots of other gastro 519 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: testinal this sort of So again you know even on 520 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:09,880 Speaker 1: a gut level, that negative thinking has a hormonal response, 521 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 1: which in terms has a gut biome consequence. So again, 522 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:18,919 Speaker 1: a non physical thing, a thought leading to a physical thing, 523 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:24,360 Speaker 1: an impacted gut biome. And as I mentioned before, you 524 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: know the relationship between thinking and chronic pain. That's a 525 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 1: really interesting one because we know that chronic overthinking, that 526 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: negative thinking, that rumination, can contribute to the development and 527 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:43,560 Speaker 1: or exacerbation of, in other words, making worse chronic pain 528 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:48,760 Speaker 1: conditions like five ALGA and tension headaches. Many, many times 529 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,760 Speaker 1: I've been with people who have thought themselves into a headache, 530 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 1: They've worried themselves into a headache, they've created with a 531 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: non physical thing I thought, they've created a real physical 532 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:04,680 Speaker 1: consequence in their body. And the constant activation of these 533 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 1: stress responses it also leads to or it can lead 534 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:13,279 Speaker 1: to a heightened pain sense TOV and eventually perpetuate this 535 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: kind of cycle of pain and distress, this two way 536 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:23,440 Speaker 1: kind of street, this interactive mechanism between these negative thoughts 537 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: and this physical consequence in the body that we call pain. 538 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: All right, so let's take a little bit of a 539 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:35,760 Speaker 1: breather and maybe summarize this so far so the potential 540 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:40,840 Speaker 1: link between negative thinking and physical disease is one hundred 541 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: percent supported by a growing body of evidence that indicates 542 00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:49,880 Speaker 1: that our thoughts can have do have a profound effect 543 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: on our physical health. Biological mechanisms, psychological pathways, social and 544 00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: other environmental factors can also play a role in media 545 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:04,359 Speaker 1: mediating this Relationationship and understanding the connections between mental and 546 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 1: physical health is really important for you and I to 547 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:13,600 Speaker 1: be able to develop a comprehensive approach slash strategy for 548 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:18,680 Speaker 1: prevention and treatment and emphasizing the need for integrated care 549 00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:24,880 Speaker 1: that addresses both psychological and physiological well being. So I 550 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:29,439 Speaker 1: might come back in the next day or three, and 551 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:31,800 Speaker 1: I just need to do a little bit more thinking 552 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:36,280 Speaker 1: about how I might articulate this. And while today I haven't, 553 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:42,160 Speaker 1: I haven't given you any solutions per se. What I've 554 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 1: done and what I've tried to do is open the 555 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: door on the conversation. And I mean, obviously, if we 556 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 1: know what the problems are and then we can we 557 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 1: can kind of figure out the solutions by virtue of 558 00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 1: you know, working backwards. So I know that if I 559 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,240 Speaker 1: eat crap, I gained way, So if I don't act crap, 560 00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 1: I might not. I know that if I sit on 561 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:07,279 Speaker 1: the couch and a couch and obsess, there's an anxiety 562 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,880 Speaker 1: kind of consequence. So maybe I shouldn't sit on the 563 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 1: couch and obsess and so on. But I might do. 564 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: In fact, I will do in the near future. I 565 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:19,239 Speaker 1: just need to do some planning in the middle of 566 00:41:19,239 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: all of the other shit I've got going on. I 567 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:26,240 Speaker 1: will do another conversation around turning that negative thinking around 568 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:30,319 Speaker 1: and how we can create a better internal space to 569 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,680 Speaker 1: create or a better psychological and emotional space I guess 570 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:40,800 Speaker 1: to create better physiological outcomes. I might do that anyway. 571 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,279 Speaker 1: I hope that was interesting for you. Like I said, 572 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: I'm not a guru in this space, just opening the door, 573 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,920 Speaker 1: figuring it out myself, and I thought I would give 574 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: you a little bit of a snapshot, a little bit 575 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: of a peek behind the Craig curtain, to see where 576 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 1: my mind's at. I'm fascinated with this. I'm going to 577 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,560 Speaker 1: continue apart from my other research. I'm going to continue 578 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: on this journey. I'm going to keep asking questions and 579 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:06,520 Speaker 1: turning over metaphoric rocks to see what's under them. Keep 580 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:12,319 Speaker 1: knocking on doors and opening doors, keep researching. But if 581 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:14,440 Speaker 1: you're not following me on or if you're not a 582 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:16,799 Speaker 1: member of our Facebook group which it's just called the 583 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:23,280 Speaker 1: You Project on Facebook You Project podcast, I think Facebook 584 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:27,160 Speaker 1: group jump in become part of that community. There's no 585 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:29,480 Speaker 1: books capture the genders, but we don't sell you anything. 586 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:33,680 Speaker 1: And maybe leave a comment on that page about this episode. 587 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:37,359 Speaker 1: And if you've got questions, thoughts, ideas or feedback, I'd 588 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:41,120 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. All right, all the best kids,