Dr. Aditi Nerurkar

When you are feeling a sense of stress or anxiety or these uncomfortable feelings, the volume of your amygdala is turned up, right? It's your self-preservation response. And so the goal is about dialing down the volume of your amygdala. The reason self-compassion works on your amygdala to dial down the volume is because it changes your neural circuitry. It helps you get out of your own way.

When you're feeling a sense of stress and this feeling of the dam breaking, you can't get out of your own way. Like we talked about, anticipation, thinking about the future, that's your prefrontal cortex. You have to get there. But if you're stuck in amygdala mode, you biologically cannot get there. So the first step, normalize and validate this difficult experience. Next, start small.

When you're feeling a sense of stress and this feeling of the dam breaking, you can't get out of your own way. Like we talked about, anticipation, thinking about the future, that's your prefrontal cortex. You have to get there. But if you're stuck in amygdala mode, you biologically cannot get there. So the first step, normalize and validate this difficult experience. Next, start small.

When you're feeling a sense of stress and this feeling of the dam breaking, you can't get out of your own way. Like we talked about, anticipation, thinking about the future, that's your prefrontal cortex. You have to get there. But if you're stuck in amygdala mode, you biologically cannot get there. So the first step, normalize and validate this difficult experience. Next, start small.

You have to also be authentic in this journey and discovery. So when someone says to you, oh, it's mind over matter, just think about something that you can do a year from now or six months from now. You are biologically inept and incapable in that moment to living in amygdala mode to use that prefrontal cortex to think about what you are going to achieve six months from now or a year from now.

You have to also be authentic in this journey and discovery. So when someone says to you, oh, it's mind over matter, just think about something that you can do a year from now or six months from now. You are biologically inept and incapable in that moment to living in amygdala mode to use that prefrontal cortex to think about what you are going to achieve six months from now or a year from now.

You have to also be authentic in this journey and discovery. So when someone says to you, oh, it's mind over matter, just think about something that you can do a year from now or six months from now. You are biologically inept and incapable in that moment to living in amygdala mode to use that prefrontal cortex to think about what you are going to achieve six months from now or a year from now.

It's not mind over matter.

It's not mind over matter.

It's not mind over matter.

Is that right? Yes. It's a telltale sign of being psychologically depleted. And so, again, it's also normal, Mel, to berate yourself and say, I should be doing more. I need to be doing more. Again, that's your amygdala speaking. That's your inner critic speaking. Instead, take your foot off the gas and focus on two things.

Is that right? Yes. It's a telltale sign of being psychologically depleted. And so, again, it's also normal, Mel, to berate yourself and say, I should be doing more. I need to be doing more. Again, that's your amygdala speaking. That's your inner critic speaking. Instead, take your foot off the gas and focus on two things.

Is that right? Yes. It's a telltale sign of being psychologically depleted. And so, again, it's also normal, Mel, to berate yourself and say, I should be doing more. I need to be doing more. Again, that's your amygdala speaking. That's your inner critic speaking. Instead, take your foot off the gas and focus on two things.

Even if you can only focus on one thing, say, I'm going to look forward to getting my cup of coffee this afternoon.

Even if you can only focus on one thing, say, I'm going to look forward to getting my cup of coffee this afternoon.

Even if you can only focus on one thing, say, I'm going to look forward to getting my cup of coffee this afternoon.

So there are many things that you can do that are immediate, free and science-backed. So for example, if you are feeling like this, prioritize your sleep. Think about sleep as a therapeutic intervention and don't power through and stay up till midnight. Go to bed at 9 p.m. for one week and see how that makes you feel. We know the golden hour of sleep is from 10 to 11.

So there are many things that you can do that are immediate, free and science-backed. So for example, if you are feeling like this, prioritize your sleep. Think about sleep as a therapeutic intervention and don't power through and stay up till midnight. Go to bed at 9 p.m. for one week and see how that makes you feel. We know the golden hour of sleep is from 10 to 11.

So there are many things that you can do that are immediate, free and science-backed. So for example, if you are feeling like this, prioritize your sleep. Think about sleep as a therapeutic intervention and don't power through and stay up till midnight. Go to bed at 9 p.m. for one week and see how that makes you feel. We know the golden hour of sleep is from 10 to 11.

So if you, you know, as close to the 10 o'clock bedtime as you can get. Next, think about doing something, even if it's five minutes every day to move your body. Get out of your head, get into your body. We know that's what's good for your body is good for your brain and vice versa. So it's truly about blood flow and getting good blood to the brain. And so think about that.