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In This Issue:
Featured Wellness Message: A Multitude of Ways to Nourish Your Mind
Recommended Resource: The Healthy Mind Platter
My Psychology Today Article: Anorexia Nervosa: More Than Just a Psychological Disorder?
My Featured Post: Do You Go After What You Really Want?
A Multitude of Ways to Nourish Your Mind
Has anyone ever suggested that you “get some fresh air” as a way to calm down when angry or to lift your spirits when feeling blue? I can’t count the number of times I’ve prescribed the outdoors as an accessible solution for people dealing with anxiety, depression, or stress.
I advise spending time in nature because it’s proven effective. One 2019 study revealed that just two hours a week in nature (i.e., green spaces like parks and woodlands) can have a positive effect on mental health and well-being. That same year, a fascinating meta-analysis showed that just 10 minutes of natural environment exposure a day can have the same beneficial effects.
Spending time in nature is nonnegotiable if you want to have good mental health and anxiety relief. Here's what hanging out with trees can do for you:
Lower your blood pressure
Reduce your anxiety and stress
Boost your mood
Improve your physical health and fitness
Increase your pain tolerance
Improve mindful awareness
Reduce symptoms of depression
This summer, challenge yourself to find 10 minutes a day to be outdoors. Grab a dog, call a friend, set a walking meeting, or simply explore in blissful silence. Whether you visit a state park or a community garden, nature is out there waiting for you. I hope to see you out there!
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than they seek."—John Muir
Healthy Mind Platter
Balance your energy by creating calm in your body
As a specialist in treating eating disorders, I receive a lot of questions about what, when, and how much to eat. The truth is, eating disorders are not only about food. They are dangerous ruptures in our mental health that need compassionate, whole-health care.
So instead of focusing on what to feed your body—whether you have an eating disorder or not—begin to think about what to feed your mind. The Healthy Mind Platter can help. Created by doctors David Rock and Dan Siegel, the Healthy Mind Platter serves up seven essential elements for optimal mental health:
Focus time, for getting into the flow with goal-oriented tasks
Playtime, for being spontaneous, creative, and trying new things
Connecting time, for building deep bonds with loved ones
Physical time, for moving our bodies
Time in, for self-reflection and meditation
Downtime, for letting our mind wander, relax, or recharge
Sleep time, for recovering from the day's events and consolidating what we learned
How do you spend your time? Where might you dedicate more minutes every day to find balance? How might you nourish your brain and build new neural networks with new healthy habits?
When you can give the brain lots of opportunities to develop in different ways, you build a stronger, healthier foundation to weather tough times and bounce back more quickly.
Not only can the Healthy Mind Platter approach expand your options for creating greater well-being, it may reduce ruminating and obsessing about your eating habits and food choices. Which mental health activity will you dedicate extra time to today?
The Healthy Mind Platter for Optimal Brain Matter. Copyright © 2011 David Rock and Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Anorexia Nervosa: More Than Just a Psychological Disorder?
Underlying genetic influences and a potential metabolic link offer hope
Hospitalizations for adolescents with eating disorders have risen more than 25 percent since March 2020. Even more distressing: anorexia nervosa in particular has a high fatality rate among psychiatric conditions. This is especially true for males, and current treatments don’t always work.
Though the problem is growing, new research offers good reason to hold onto hope. Four genes have been found to influence four important anorexia-related traits: psychiatry/personality, physical activity, anthropometry (related to the proportions of the human body), and metabolic traits.
What does this mean? In short, these findings mean that eating disorders are not the result of simply a lack of willpower; our genes carry some responsibility. These findings also mean that we need to reduce the shaming and blaming of those with anorexia nervosa, for whom eating enough and weight gain is particularly difficult and aversive.
For more on the study, the science, and how treatments might change in the future, read my full article.
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Do You Go After What You Really Want?
Your mindset may be holding you back
Our brain is an amazing warehouse of ideas, emotions, information, dreams, reasonings, and calculations. By some accounts, we generate at least 60,000 thoughts per day. That’s a lot of thinking!
It’s no wonder, then, that a great deal of research has gone into how we think and see ourselves and the world. More than 15 years after the terms “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset” were coined, our outlook continues to be a major subject of study.
Evidence shows that having a fixed mindset can keep us stuck, set us up for failure, and diminish the desire to try new things. Those with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence and skills can’t be improved, regardless of the persistence, time, or effort it takes to develop certain skills. If you become defensive or give up easily and stay in your comfort zone, you may have a fixed mindset.
Conversely, a growth mindset can lead to a flourishing, satisfying life. Those with a growth mindset have more freedom and more willingness. That’s because they believe in developing their talents, are passionate about learning, aren’t afraid to take risks, and are confident that they can bounce back or grow from setbacks.
Which mindset do you have? Take a look at the full blog post to see the traits for each way of thinking. You'll also read about ways to develop a growth mindset.
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