Professional Well-Being Newsletter
A weekly nudge designed to help professionals enhance their brain health and mental strength.
Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix
View past newsletters below.
Fructose & Alzheimer’s Disease
Consuming foods high in sugar and salt, processed meats, and alcohol cause a vicious cycle of craving for more of these same foods. Stress also increases our desire to consume these types of foods. And these foods increase our risk of developing AD.
Brain Benefits of Cinnamon
Ceylon Cinnamon or True Cinnamon has properties that can improve cognitive function and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Chronic Stress and Brain Health
Changes in the brain result in fluctuations in our mental health. Exposure to 10 days of stress causes repeated firing of brain cells in the hypothalamus, and heightened risk of mental health problems. The good news is that activation of POMC neurons is reversable.
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
Make mental space for the good things you have and the positive things you want in your life by practicing: Let Be. Let Go. Let In.
Enhance Creativity
Creative thinking is a skill that can be strengthened. Reinterpreting an obstacle or frustrating situation can enhance creative thinking and problem-solving. Try challenging your perspective on a hardship, reframing the narrative, or viewing a setback through a different lens to enhance creativity.
Dogs Increase Human Brain Activation
Interactions with dogs increase activation in the prefrontal cortex which is important to attention, motivation, problem-solving, and social and emotional processing.
Winter Walks & Body Image
Exposure to winter wonderlands can improve body image, and they are likely to improve psychological well-being in the same way that green and blue spaces do.
We Need Light, We Need Love
We are all going through invisible heartbreaks and struggles. Connection, a feeling of psychological safety, and therapy are healing options.
Longevity & Sense of Purpose
Having a sense of purpose appears to be connected to longevity and protective against mortality.
Thank You, Birds
Prescriptions Green, Blue, and Wildlife support getting outdoors and appreciating the sights and sounds of our feathered friends for improving mental health.
Sleep Loss & Working Out
If you want to work out after a short night of sleep, do it in the morning and keep it simple.
Longevity Factors
The capacity for physical activity is a significant predictor of longevity.
Making Anxiety Work for You
Learning to use anxiety as a tool for navigating outcomes you care about can become a source of mental strength.
Omega-3s & Brain Health
Strive to include Omega-3s in your diet to keep your memory-processing hippocampus healthy and to empower cognitive capacity.
Mental Health & Aging
Caring for your mental health, including stress management, is a potential anti-aging intervention.
Sleep & Immune Health
Sleep disruption increases inflammation. Strive for 7 to 8 hours of sleep consistently to reduce risk of inflammation and disease.
Reshaping our Reactions to Stress
Reshaping how stress arousal is interpreted can result in a challenge response, where attention bias toward negative information is reduced, and cardiovascular response is efficient, rather than harmful.
Exercise & Yoga Reduce Alcohol Cravings
Exercise and yoga can reduce the urge to consume alcohol, and aerobic exercise (anything that raises your heart rate) can reduce anxiety and improve your mood.