1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Are you feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or constantly on edge? 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: You are not alone. In today's episode, I'm joined by 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: doctor Aditi Naruka, a Harvard trained physician and one of 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: the world's leading experts in stress medicine. With over two 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: decades of experience, doctor Naruka has helped countless patients overcome 6 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: burnout and revolutionize their approach to stress management. But doctor 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: Narruka isn't just a stress expert. She has lived it, 8 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: from working eighty hour weeks as a medical resident to 9 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: experiencing her own stress induced healthscare. She's walked to the 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: path from burnout to breakthrough, and today she's going to 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: share some game changing strategies for rewiring your brain, mastering resilience, 12 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: and thriving in this high pressure world. So whether you're 13 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: a CEO, busy parent, or anyone feeling the weight of 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 1: modern life, this episode will definitely help you feel a 15 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: lot less stressed. Welcome to How I Work, a show 16 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. I'm 17 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: your host, Doctor Amantha Imber, as a doctor who specializes 18 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: in stress, I wanted to know what our doctor adities 19 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: go to daily rituals or routines for managing her own stress. 20 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 2: Everything that I write about in the five Reset Samantha, 21 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 2: I live and breathe it, and I truly do walk 22 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 2: the talk. So there are some key things that I 23 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 2: do because of course stress affects us all. Even if 24 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: you know all of the science, you still are not 25 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 2: immune to feeling stressed, right, and so keystone stress reset 26 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 2: would be to really prioritize sleep like the vital resource 27 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 2: it is. So aim for a ten o'clock bedtime. That's 28 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 2: what I do now. I don't need to set a 29 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 2: bedtime alarm because I've been habituated to this pattern, But 30 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 2: initially I would set a bedtime alarm of nine thirty. 31 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 2: We have alarms to wake us up, and why not bedtime. 32 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 2: So really making sure that you are protecting your sleep 33 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 2: like the vital resource it is, because sleep has a 34 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: great effect on your mental health, your brain, your body, 35 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 2: your stress, and how you cope with the day. So 36 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: when you are particularly having bad days, you know, like 37 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: lots of hot stuff happening, you need to really focus 38 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 2: on having good nights. 39 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: What else do you do? What are the other corner 40 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: starts to your retains around managing stress. 41 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 2: Another thing that is key for me is some form 42 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: of movement every day. So perfect example, today I had 43 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 2: pack day meetings and really very little time to exercise, 44 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 2: and so instead of saying, oh, I'm not going to 45 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 2: do it, I did twenty minutes of pilates. Did it 46 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 2: really make a den in my overall fitness for the day. No, 47 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 2: But when you twenty minutes that I did today with 48 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 2: twenty minutes I did yesterday, it was a very busy 49 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: day for me. I couldn't fit in my usual one 50 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: hour or forty five minute workout, so I did another 51 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 2: twenty minutes. So when you think about that, I did 52 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 2: twenty minutes yesterday, twenty minutes today. And we know the 53 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: science shows that these short workouts ten twenty minutes, even 54 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: five minutes can have a profound impact on your brain 55 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 2: and your body, particularly when it comes to mental health. 56 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 2: In fact, studies have shown that ultra short bursts of 57 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 2: activity one to two minutes can have an influence on 58 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 2: your mental health. Get up, lace up your sneakers, head 59 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: outside if you live in a safe area, and take 60 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: a small walk and then come back. So sleep and 61 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 2: exercise would be the key things that I do. And 62 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 2: then one of my other really important things that I 63 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 2: really tried to double down on when I'm faced with 64 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: lots of stress in life is that I create some 65 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 2: digital boundaries for myself. So what's a digital boundary? For example, 66 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 2: during the day, I keep my phone out of arms reach, 67 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: or if I'm sitting at a cubicle working, put it 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 2: in a drawer. What that does is that then I'm 69 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 2: not incessantly checking my phone. Because when you are feeling 70 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: a sense of stress, you are scanning for danger, because 71 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 2: it's that primitive brain, you're amygdalad that is on high 72 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: alert when you're feeling a sense of stress. And then 73 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: what's our modern day way to scan for danger. We scroll, 74 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 2: We look at headlines, we look at social media, We're 75 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: looking at lots of the news. And scrolling is a 76 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: form of self preservation. It's your primal urge to scroll. 77 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 2: So I try to do different things like that. And 78 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 2: we are so good with making sure that our kids 79 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 2: have the right amount of screen time, and we're very 80 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: vigilant with screen limits, right, we need to parent ourselves 81 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 2: in many of the same ways and create limits for 82 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 2: our own screen time because while our brains are not 83 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 2: of course children's brains, because children's brains are developing at 84 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 2: a rapid rate. Our brains are always changing because of neuroplasticity, 85 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 2: which is the concept that your brain is always responding 86 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 2: to external stimuli. And so because of that premise, I 87 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 2: really do focus on all of these various things, which 88 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: seems to help, you know, because stress isn't this like mythical, 89 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 2: magical creature that we make it out to be. It 90 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: is something that can be quantified, measured, curtailed, and overcome 91 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 2: with these very simple habits. 92 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 1: I've heard you talk about breathing techniques, and I feel 93 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: like I could do with a good lesson in this. 94 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: As I go about my day, I'm very aware of 95 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: my stress levels, and I know that exercise is great 96 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: and movement is great, but I'm interested in breathing techniques, 97 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: something that I can do when I'm just sitting at 98 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: my desk. Can you take me through something that I 99 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: can do to reduce that stress in the moment? 100 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 2: Ooh, what a good, juicy question, especially that feeling of 101 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 2: really breaking out right, like, how do you You're feeling 102 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 2: a sense of overwhelm and this feeling of doom and 103 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 2: gloom because that's what your stress response does. It's your amygdala, 104 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 2: it's part of your brain. It's self preservation mode, and 105 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 2: you're thinking about your immediate survival, So how do you 106 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 2: squash that in the moment. It's like your breath is 107 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 2: the gateway to that moment because your breath is the 108 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 2: only biological mechanism in your body that is under voluntary 109 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 2: control and involuntary control, so your heartbeat can't be controlled 110 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 2: by you, your brain waves, your digestion, so it's the 111 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 2: only bodily process where you and I are going to do. 112 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 2: Maybe we'll do a breathing technique together and then we 113 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 2: can just hang out and chat and you're breathing. Your 114 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 2: breath is so so important when it comes to stress. 115 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 2: And then the other reason is because your brain and body, 116 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 2: your nervous system. In your body, there are two nervous systems. 117 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 2: There is the sympathetic nervous system, which is fight or flight, 118 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 2: and when that sympathetic system is an overdrive, like when 119 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 2: you're feeling stressed, that's the dominant system. Your breath is quick, shallow, rapid, 120 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 2: it's like anxious breathing. And then the other one is 121 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 2: the parasympathetic system rest and digest, and those two systems 122 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 2: are mutually exclusive. They can't be on at the same time. 123 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 2: So when you modulate your breathing through a couple of 124 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 2: things that we're going to talk about right now, we 125 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 2: can switch. It's like a light switch moving away from 126 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 2: sympathetic to parasympathetic. And those two reasons, the breath being 127 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 2: under voluntary involuntary control and this light switch of sympathetic 128 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 2: to para sympathetic is why the breath is such an 129 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 2: important and transformative tool when you're feeling that immense sense 130 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 2: of doom and gloom, are overwhelmed. So there's a couple 131 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 2: of things that we can do together. The first is 132 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 2: stop breathe. B It's a three second brain reset, So 133 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 2: let's do it together. You stop, you breathe, and you 134 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 2: be ground yourself in the present moment. When you do 135 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 2: this three second reset over and over throughout your day, 136 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 2: it's great if you practice it over and over again. 137 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 2: Pick one thing that you can do to practice it, 138 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 2: you know, like whether it be joined zoom, or every 139 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 2: time you check email, every time you get up up 140 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 2: and move to go to another meeting, if you're working 141 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: in an office, anything that you do that's a habitual, 142 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 2: mundane part of your day that you do over and over. 143 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 2: Another technique for seven eight breathing, that's when you inhale 144 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 2: for account of four, hold for account of seven, and 145 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 2: exhale for account of eight. Mind body connection, move out 146 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 2: of sympathetic stress response and back to that parasympathetic rest 147 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 2: and digest. And when you practice these breathing techniques, when 148 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 2: you do a lot of these resets that you and 149 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 2: I are talking about today, you can actively shift who's 150 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 2: in that driver's seat, so your prefrontal cortex gets back 151 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 2: in the driver's seat, the parasympathetic rest and digest system 152 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 2: gets back on track, and then you can start thinking 153 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 2: more strategically, solve complex problems, do all sorts of things. 154 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 2: So your breathing can be a really important gateway to 155 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 2: that whole biological process and physiological process. 156 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 1: I want to talk about the difference between stress and 157 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: burnout because I feel like gets very confused, and I'd 158 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: love to start by understanding, have you ever been close 159 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: to burnout or hit that moment? 160 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:14,719 Speaker 2: Oh, I've absolutely been burnt out before. Doctors are socialized 161 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 2: to play small. We never talk about our own personal 162 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 2: stuff when we are trained to be with patients, and 163 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 2: first and foremost you think about your patients. I was 164 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 2: asked over and over again. My patients over the years 165 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 2: have always said, how'd you become a doctor with an 166 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 2: expertise and stress, Like what made you choose this? And 167 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 2: I'd say, oh, well, it's just an interest of mine. 168 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: But the truth is that I went through my own 169 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 2: stress struggle. I was a stress patient. I had debilitating stress, 170 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 2: acutely debilitating stress. I was looking for answers, went to 171 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 2: go see my doctor, didn't really get any answers, and 172 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 2: so then I decided to be the doctor that I 173 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 2: needed during that difficult time, and I put on my 174 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 2: scientist's hat. And so that's like my villain origin story. 175 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,319 Speaker 2: I was working eighty hours a week and I was 176 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 2: a medical resident in training death and dying on a 177 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 2: daily basis. Things that no mere mortals should see, right, 178 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 2: like really awful, terrible things that you've seen when you're 179 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 2: in your medical training, because you have to. This is 180 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 2: part and parcel of you becoming a doctor. I was 181 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 2: told very early on in my medical training, pressure makes diamonds. 182 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,679 Speaker 2: And we went through medical training thinking like, ah, I'm 183 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 2: a diamond in the making. We'd get to scrub in 184 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 2: for a surgical procedure that was I don't know, seven 185 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 2: or eight hours long. You'd be like, ooh, I'm a 186 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 2: diamond in the making, Bring it on. And then my 187 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 2: diamond cracked and it cracked. One day when I was 188 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 2: a senior medical resident in charge of the cardiac ICU rounding, 189 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 2: after a thirty hour shift rounding on my patients, and 190 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 2: I suddenly felt a stampede of wild horses across my 191 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 2: chest out of the blue. Didn't know what was happening, 192 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 2: sat down. I was, of course sweating. It knocked the 193 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 2: wind out of me. I sat down immediately. My nurse 194 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 2: that I was working with, she brought me some orange 195 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 2: juice and gave it to me. Could tell something wasn't right. 196 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 2: And then within seconds the feeling passed and I kept working, 197 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 2: which just goes to show you, right, like that idea 198 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 2: of like diamond in the making. And then every night 199 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 2: it never happened again, that feeling of the stampede of 200 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 2: wild horses ever ever again. 201 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: At work. 202 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 2: What would happen is I would go home after a 203 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 2: thirty hour shift or you know, twelve sixteen hour day, 204 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 2: go home and as I was going to sleep. As 205 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 2: my head was hitting the pillow, I would feel that 206 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 2: stampede of wild horses. So it happened. I don't know 207 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 2: for about two weeks until I finally said, okay, I 208 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 2: need to go see a doctor about this, like what 209 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 2: is going on? And then the doctor did the full 210 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 2: work up, heart, ultrasound, EKG, blood test forr anemia and 211 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,719 Speaker 2: thyroid and electrolytes and everything. Everything checked out fine, and 212 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,439 Speaker 2: the doctor said, oh, it's probably just stress, big reassuring smile, 213 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 2: everything's normal. It's probably just stressed. Just go home and relax. 214 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 2: I know, medical training is really stressful for all of us, 215 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 2: We've all been there. I was like, hmm, try to relax, 216 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 2: Like what does that mean? So I did all of 217 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 2: the things that you think of when you think about, Okay, 218 00:11:57,640 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 2: I'm going to have a relaxing time. I watched movies, 219 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 2: to dinners with friends and family, went to a spa, 220 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 2: got a massage, took a vacation, did things that I 221 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 2: was like, Okay, this is what the doctor means. But 222 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 2: it didn't really work. And then that's when I put 223 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 2: on my scientist's hat and I thought, Okay, what's going 224 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 2: on with my brain and my body for me to 225 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 2: feel this way and how can I find my way out? 226 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 2: And then over time it took about three months. I 227 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 2: kept working eighty hours a week, seeing patients all of it, 228 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 2: and over time I started bringing in a lot of 229 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 2: the things that I learned in the research into my 230 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 2: everyday life. And then I found my way out of 231 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 2: my stress struggle. And that is when I vowed to 232 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 2: become the doctor that I needed during that really difficult time, 233 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 2: so that I wouldn't say to my patients who are stressed, 234 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 2: but which, by the way, sixty to eighty percent of 235 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 2: all doctors visits have a stress related component, and only 236 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 2: three percent of doctor's counsel for stress. And I wouldn't 237 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: say to those patients like augh, just try to relax, 238 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 2: go home and try to relax. And so this is 239 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 2: not a personal failing or something wrong with doctors or 240 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 2: the medical profession. And more so, it's a system. It's 241 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 2: the system that is broken and to blame. And so 242 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 2: that was my personal stress story. I mean, I struggled 243 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 2: as a stressed patient. I was desperate for answers, and 244 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:12,840 Speaker 2: then I became the doctor I. 245 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,719 Speaker 1: Needed with the idea of a first tell how can 246 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: people that are listening to this work out what their 247 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: first tell is? Because I'm listening to you, and I'm like, 248 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: I wonder what mine is? How do I know for sure? 249 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: How did you know that yours was irritability? 250 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 2: So with such certainty, often other people will tell you. 251 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 2: Even now, my husband will often say to me, they're 252 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 2: really cranky these days, And then I was like, oh 253 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 2: my god, I have been cranky. It's probably Streuss, you know, 254 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 2: like you because again you're going through life thinking, oh, 255 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 2: I can handle it all. We as humans are really 256 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 2: bad in terms of because of this resilience myth to 257 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 2: know like, wait a second, I think I need to 258 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 2: take a break because we have been taught from a 259 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 2: very young age that lots of discomfort and tolerating that 260 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 2: discomfort is really what resilience is all about. And that's 261 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 2: the myth, because that's toxic resilience and not true resilience. 262 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 2: And so you can kind of figure out what your 263 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 2: tell is because think about a pattern. You know, when 264 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 2: things get really out of hand, we all know, right, 265 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 2: typically that first tell is like a whisper. It's like 266 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 2: your canary song, but it's like just a little you know, 267 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 2: tweet here and there, and then after a point, your 268 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 2: canary starts belting out of tune. Think about what's happening 269 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 2: to you on a day to day basis that you 270 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 2: are disturbed by. So you've gone to your doctor. Let's 271 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: say you're having headaches and your doctor's like, oh, ivery, 272 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 2: thing's fine, everything's normal. I'll give an example of like 273 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 2: a patient who was a type a high achiever, and 274 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 2: anytime she had to present, which was often at work, 275 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 2: she's a high powered lawyer, she would have a stomach 276 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 2: ache and then she would present and it was pretty bad, 277 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 2: like her abdominal pain, you know, really interfered with her 278 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 2: everyday life. And then she would present and then immediately 279 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 2: that day after the presentation, her abdominal pain would disappear. 280 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 2: And so she noticed a pattern, and of course first 281 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 2: went to her doctor. And so this patient nothing else 282 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 2: was going on with her, and then it was stress related. 283 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 2: Because it's the mind gut connection, that thing that is 284 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 2: the tell your canary is kind of trying to get 285 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 2: your attention. And then once you start bringing some of 286 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 2: these other strategies that you and I have already talked about, 287 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 2: that will start working its way out. But it's your 288 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 2: canary just wants you to pay attention. 289 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: I've heard you talk about a typical burnout, and I 290 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: was really intrigued by that concept. Can you share a 291 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: bit about what that is, because when I heard you 292 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: talk about this previously, I thought, hmmm, is that what 293 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: I'm experiencing. 294 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 2: The who identified burnout in twenty nineteen as an occupational phenomenon. 295 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 2: It was kind of reserved for the work setting, and 296 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 2: it was very validating for millions of people, and they 297 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 2: called it an official clinical syndrome. But this was pre 298 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 2: pandem and then the pandemic happened and everything shifted, and 299 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 2: so what happened So when you think about burnout, classic 300 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 2: typical burnout, what that looks like, what that person looks like, apathy, disengaged, 301 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 2: or unmotivated. We all know the face of burnout. But 302 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 2: what happened over the past several years from the pandemic 303 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 2: and in the post pandemic era, which we are all 304 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 2: squarely in, is that we started to see more atypical 305 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 2: features of burnout. In one study, sixty percent of people 306 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 2: with burnout their feature was an inability to disconnect from work, 307 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 2: which is fascinating because you never think of someone with 308 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 2: burnout as an inability to disconnect from work. When you 309 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 2: think about classic symptoms, that's the opposite. So for many people, 310 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 2: burnout is difficult to identify in yourself and others because 311 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 2: for many people, they're thinking, like, I can't have burnout. 312 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 2: I'm always on, I'm always engaged, I'm always checking my email, 313 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 2: and I'm always at work and I'm always on twenty 314 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 2: four to seven. That could be burnout and a tip 315 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 2: go modern day burnout. And so ask yourself, are you 316 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 2: different now than you were, say in twenty eighteen. Now, granted, 317 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 2: because of that global catastrophe that we all live through, 318 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 2: the pandemic, we have all changed. But when it comes 319 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 2: to your mental health and your work, or you know, 320 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 2: the way you relate to others or your family life, 321 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 2: for how you are and your relationships, are you different? 322 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 2: Do you feel different? Based on the data, anywhere from 323 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:28,199 Speaker 2: seventy to seventy four percent up to ninety percent of 324 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 2: people would say resoundingly yes, yes I feel burned out 325 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 2: or yes I am stressed. And you are very much 326 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 2: the norm and the rule rather than the exception, because 327 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 2: that is what burnout has become. It's unprecedented what we 328 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 2: are seeing now in terms of stress and burnout, and 329 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 2: a lot of the reason is because your brain is 330 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,480 Speaker 2: built like a dam, so when you are going through 331 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 2: periods of acute stress, you keep it together at all costs. 332 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 2: I've seen this time and time again with my cancer patients. 333 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 2: They're given a diagnosis of cancer, or they start seeing 334 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 2: they're oncologists, maybe they're getting chemotherapy or radiation. They don't 335 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 2: shed a tear when they come to see me. They 336 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 2: are given the clean bill of health. At the end, 337 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 2: you know, they finish their treatment, their oncologist says, you're 338 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 2: all clear, and then they're in my office the next 339 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 2: day bursting in tears, saying, oh my god, I should 340 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 2: be celebrating, but I am weeping. I've been weeping uncontrollably. 341 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 2: And I explain that it's a very normal reaction. It's 342 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 2: called the delayed stress response. And so what happens to 343 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,239 Speaker 2: my cancer patients is that they keep it together and 344 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 2: then they feel psychologically safe because the acute threat has 345 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 2: passed and the dam breaks. All of those pent up 346 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 2: emotions come to the surface, and it's a delusion. And 347 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 2: my sense is that that's what we're all going through 348 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 2: right now, because we lived through the pandemic in twenty twenty, 349 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 2: twenty twenty one, even a little bit in twenty twenty two, 350 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 2: right and so finally we were told, like it's over, 351 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,879 Speaker 2: go out and enjoy yourself. We were kind of promised 352 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 2: the Roaring twenties after the pandemic, but no one feels 353 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,439 Speaker 2: like that. The damn broke for all of us, and 354 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 2: so many people now more than ever, are feeling that 355 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 2: sense of stress and burnout and all of those pent 356 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:15,640 Speaker 2: up emotions are really coming to the surface. So this 357 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 2: is healthy and good even if it feels really bad. 358 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 2: If you feel like it's really affecting your work and 359 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 2: your life and your relationships and your day to day, 360 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 2: it's really important to see a therapist or a counselor psychiatrist, 361 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 2: you know, someone in the mental health community to help 362 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,400 Speaker 2: you work through these painful and difficult emotions. The only 363 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 2: way around us through and once you get through this, 364 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 2: then you can get to the Roaring twenties. 365 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: We will be back with doctor Aditi soon talking about 366 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: how to understand if you're just stressed or actually burnt out. 367 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,880 Speaker 1: If you're looking for more tips to improve the way 368 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: you work, can live I write a short weekly newsletter 369 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,400 Speaker 1: that contains tactics I've discovered that have helped me personally, 370 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,320 Speaker 1: and sign up for that at Amantha dot com. That's 371 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 1: Amantha dot Com. I'd love to know in your own life, 372 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 1: how do you know whether you're stressed as opposed to 373 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: burnt out? Because I feel like knowing where you're at 374 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: would then determine a different course of action. Breathing is 375 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: always going to be good, Sleeping is always going to 376 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 1: be good. But how do you I make a self 377 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,479 Speaker 1: diagnosis in terms of Okay, well, what's going on and 378 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:31,360 Speaker 1: what do I need to do? 379 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're seeing unprecedented rates of stress and burnout right, 380 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 2: it's not specific to any country. We're seeing this on 381 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 2: a global scale. Certainly age groups are more affective than others. 382 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 2: The younger age groups so eighteen or twenty four particularly affected, 383 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 2: and two thirds of parents have parenting burnout. Burnout was 384 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,119 Speaker 2: considered an occupational phenomenon, something that happened at work, but 385 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,360 Speaker 2: certainly not now because we're seeing the hybrid work culture 386 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 2: and so many changes that we've all endured over the 387 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 2: past four to five years has really had an impact 388 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 2: on us. What is your stress response fight or flight. 389 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 2: Fight or flight in literal terms evolutionarily meant that when 390 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 2: we were all cave people living in you know, tribes, 391 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 2: people living in the forest, and in caves, you saw 392 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 2: a tiger in the forest who either fought the tiger 393 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 2: or you flee. Fight or flight. That is what the 394 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 2: fight or flight response, that's what it comes from. And 395 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 2: so when you are feeling that sense of acute stress, 396 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 2: You're amygdala is on high alert. When you are feeling 397 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 2: short bursts of stress. Your brain is expertly designed to 398 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 2: handle that. Your amygdalah, you know, volume goes all the 399 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 2: way up. The acute threat is over, and then you 400 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,719 Speaker 2: get back to baseline. The tiger in the forest, you 401 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 2: either fight or you flee, and then there's like a calm. 402 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 2: The challenge over the past few years is that we 403 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 2: haven't come back to baseline because these metaphorical tigers like 404 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:58,240 Speaker 2: financial constraints or job challenges, marital conflicts, climate disasters, the 405 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 2: pandemic and you know auto on it. Oh, these are 406 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 2: not one off, short term things. They are always going 407 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,640 Speaker 2: on in the background, and so your stress response, because 408 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 2: we're all hyper connected, so you are constantly feeling that 409 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 2: sense of threat and those tigers all around you, they're 410 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 2: circling you. They're all not just like a one and 411 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 2: done thing. And so when you're amigdala is chronically activated 412 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,199 Speaker 2: in the background, it's like at a low hum for 413 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 2: all of us. What happens is that is what leads 414 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 2: to burnout. So if you are wondering, like, huh, do 415 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 2: I have stress? Do I have burnout? What's the difference? 416 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,360 Speaker 2: I would say, right now, in this moment in time, 417 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,360 Speaker 2: this is not what I would have said three, four 418 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 2: or five years ago, But right now, in this moment 419 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 2: in time, you can use many of the same strategies 420 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 2: for your stress and your burnout. And it kind of 421 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 2: doesn't matter whether you have stress or burnout. You know, 422 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 2: it's a spectrum. You can reset your stress, rewire your brain. Again, 423 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 2: we talked about row plasticity. It's your brain. It's plastic, 424 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:07,720 Speaker 2: meaning it is always evolving, it's in flux. It's not like, oh, 425 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 2: the brain I have at birth is the brain I 426 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 2: got forever. No, your brain is always changing and evolving, 427 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 2: and actual structures in your brain are growing or shrinking 428 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 2: based on external stimuli. What you do, I would say, 429 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 2: if you are wondering, do I have stress or burnout. 430 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 2: Chances are you do, because just look at the data, 431 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 2: most people do. 432 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: In terms of making change. I've heard you talk about 433 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:33,679 Speaker 1: the resilience rule of two. Can you share what that is? 434 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 1: Because ultimately, if someone is identifying somewhere on that spectrum, 435 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: they're going to need to change their behavior. 436 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 2: The resilience rule of two is how your brain responds 437 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 2: to change. So change, even positive change, is a stressor 438 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 2: on your brain. Think about New Year's resolutions. You might 439 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 2: have like ten or fifteen things that you want to do. 440 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 2: You might say twenty ways that I'm going to change 441 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 2: my diet and exercise. There's high pressure moments right in 442 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 2: our life and throughout our weeks and days and years, 443 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 2: and so when you take on this everything but the 444 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 2: kitchen sink approach of like I'm going to do it 445 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:12,880 Speaker 2: all how it usually happens. It maybe like a week 446 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,439 Speaker 2: or two, maybe three at most, you really do do 447 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,159 Speaker 2: all of those things, and then before you know it, 448 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 2: you're like doing one or zero because your brain needs 449 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 2: time to adapt. And by the way, all of these 450 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 2: things that you're trying to bring into your life are positive. 451 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 2: Right like when we make neuro's resolutions, these are wonderful 452 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 2: positive things. Unfortunately, your brain because it is adapting to 453 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 2: this newness, whatever that new thing that you're bringing into 454 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 2: its orbit, you can only do two new things at 455 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 2: a time. And the rule of two comes from a 456 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 2: seminal study done many decades ago by two scientists and psychiatrists, 457 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 2: doctor Holmes and Rehee, and they found that when they 458 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 2: studied five thousand people and forty three of the most 459 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 2: common things that happened to people like positive things, marriage, graduation, promotion, 460 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,840 Speaker 2: having a child, all of these personal achievements, and compared 461 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 2: those along with difficult experiences grief, depth, divorce, loss of 462 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 2: a job, health issues. They found that whether the thing 463 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 2: that was positive or whether it was negative, it's about 464 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 2: the life events that happened to you, and that when 465 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 2: more life events that happened, that those people had a 466 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 2: greater propensity for stress and illness later on in life 467 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 2: when you're taking on too much these positive changes, when 468 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 2: done all at once, your brain gets overloaded and can't 469 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,640 Speaker 2: actually follow through. So if you want something to be sustainable, 470 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 2: do something two things at a time, Focus on those 471 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:40,680 Speaker 2: two things, and then give yourself eight weeks. It takes 472 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 2: eight weeks to build a habit. Once those eight weeks 473 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 2: have passed new folded in these two new changes into 474 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 2: your life, then add two more and then keep going. 475 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,679 Speaker 2: So the rule of two is really how your brain 476 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 2: makes change happen, and it's about working with your biology 477 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:56,439 Speaker 2: rather than against it. 478 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, clearly someone that loves what you do for whack. 479 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,199 Speaker 1: And I don't like the term work life balance, but 480 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 1: I kind of wonder I'm definitely predisposed to heading into 481 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 1: atypical burnout because I can get really involved in my 482 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: work and really into flow and not want to switch 483 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: off right now. I have to force myself too, because 484 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: a few weeks ago I definitely hit burnout. What do 485 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:25,200 Speaker 1: you do in your life to not fall into a 486 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,639 Speaker 1: typical burnout, which I imagine is just hard when you 487 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 1: love your work. 488 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 2: I have had moments of atypical burnout. It again, because 489 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 2: you know, the science doesn't mean that you're immune to 490 00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 2: atypical burnout. It just means that you can quickly recognize 491 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 2: it for what it is and then find your way out. 492 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,880 Speaker 2: Back in the day when I didn't have this scientific knowledge, 493 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 2: when I was like that diamond in the making before 494 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,119 Speaker 2: my diamond cracked, rest was a four litter word. For me, 495 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 2: it was like, oh my goodness, rest, No, I'm going 496 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,679 Speaker 2: to be productive all the time, constantly, because that's just 497 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,679 Speaker 2: what I was taught. That is what it means to 498 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 2: be successful. And now rest is like, I have no 499 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 2: trouble unplugging and just chilling out. It is my favorite 500 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 2: thing to do. And that is because it's taken me 501 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:18,159 Speaker 2: years and it was really a psychological shift that took decades. 502 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,679 Speaker 2: But if only someone had told me early on that 503 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 2: your productivity in fact, will increase when you take a break. 504 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:29,919 Speaker 2: So now I know all of the science, and so 505 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,920 Speaker 2: when I do take brain breaks, I like relish in them, 506 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 2: and I take brain breaks very often, particularly if you 507 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,840 Speaker 2: have a high pressure job, forward facing job, a lot 508 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 2: of responsibility. All the more recent tape take more frequent 509 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 2: brain breaks, and in fact, there's been many studies. Microsoft 510 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,399 Speaker 2: did a study where they compare two groups of people. 511 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 2: One group took no breaks and just worked straight through 512 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 2: the day. The second group took incremental ten minute breaks 513 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 2: several times a day. And they looked at brain scans 514 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 2: of these two groups and found that the people who 515 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:05,640 Speaker 2: took frequent short breaks throughout the day, at the end 516 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 2: of their workday, their cumulative stress was much lower, and 517 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 2: they said that there was greater engagement, cognition, attention, all 518 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,199 Speaker 2: of these things. So your brain needs a break. It's 519 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:22,920 Speaker 2: a biological necessity. It is not a luxury. And that 520 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:26,919 Speaker 2: reframe is really important, particularly for people who are always 521 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 2: on the go. Productive reframe and say, oh no, my 522 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 2: brain actually needs this to decompress. It's called neural consolidation. 523 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 2: Every day we're learning new things, but your brain needs 524 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 2: time to cement free floating information that is just information 525 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 2: in your brain into deep knowledge. And that only happens 526 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 2: neural consolidation. That process happens during rest, not activity or practice. 527 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 2: New learning happens at moments of rest. There was a 528 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 2: study that showed that even ten seconds of rest is helpful. 529 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 2: The reason you want to honor your breaks instead of like, oh, 530 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 2: I'm just going to mindly scroll through social media, take 531 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,959 Speaker 2: a walk, do some deep breathing, figure out ways that 532 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 2: you can really actively relax and manage your stress instead 533 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 2: of passively relaxed. Because we know that there's nothing passive 534 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 2: about scrolling. It has a very active influence on your 535 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 2: brain and your stress. But when you honor your breaks 536 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 2: and really cherish them and take them very seriously. That 537 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 2: can have a profound impact, because human productivity is not linear. 538 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 2: For true resilience to show itself, you do need rest 539 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 2: and recovery. You need a little bit of stress, but 540 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 2: that healthy stress, not unhealthy stress. 541 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 1: Love that, and I particularly love being reminded of the 542 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 1: importance of brain breaks. I'm looking ahead at my day 543 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: today and it's looking very busy, but I'm definitely going 544 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: to prioritize brain breaks thanks to this chat. 545 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 2: Schedule it in what you can do is particularly for 546 00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 2: people who are working in corporate settings or a really 547 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 2: high achiever. Schedule it in the way you would schedule 548 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 2: a meeting. I try not to schedule back to back meetings, 549 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,800 Speaker 2: So if a meeting ends at two, I will the 550 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 2: next one will start at two fifteen, simply because I 551 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 2: need a brain break to do nothing more than just 552 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 2: like get up, stretch, practice breathing. Like I said, I 553 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 2: walk the talk, So practice some deep breathing, do some stretching, 554 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 2: honor that break. No mindless scrolling, but just ground yourself 555 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 2: to some stop breatheinge, do some four to seven A 556 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 2: breathing techniques. All of the things that we really talked 557 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,239 Speaker 2: about honor your break and cumulatively, these things add up. 558 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 2: So you have to schedule it in the way you 559 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 2: would a meeting, because it's an important check in with yourself. 560 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: Doctor Adititie, I'm so glad we could make this chat happen. 561 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: I've learned so much and I'm feeling very inspired to 562 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: be applying a lot of your strategies throughout my working 563 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: life and certainly today. Sorry, thank you so much for 564 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 1: your time. 565 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 2: It was such a pleasure to join you. 566 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,959 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this chat with doctor Aditi and 567 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,479 Speaker 1: that it's given you some tactical ideas on how to 568 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: reduce stress in your own life. I have definitely started 569 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 1: breathing more thanks to this interview. Obviously I breathe every day, 570 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:13,479 Speaker 1: but you know, breathing exercises. And if you're looking to 571 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:17,480 Speaker 1: dive deeper into doctor Aditi's work, I highly recommend the 572 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 1: Five Resets, which is out now wherever you buy books. 573 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: If you like today's show, make sure you hit follow 574 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: on your podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop. 575 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: How I Work was recorded on the traditional land of 576 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: the Warrangery people, part of the Kulan nation. A big 577 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: thank you to my editor Rowena Murray and Martin Nimmer 578 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 1: for doing the sound mix.