75: Dr. Melanie Greenberg – The Stress-Proof Brain
Episode description
On this episode of Uphill Conversations, Megan and Tim discuss brain plasticity, mindfulness, thoughts and emotions and how they relate to stress – mentally and physiologically – with Melanie Greenberg.
Melanie Greenberg, PhD is a practicing psychologist, author, speaker, and life/business coach, with more than 20 years of experience as a clinician, professor, and researcher. A recognized expert on stress management, and health and relationship challenges, she draws on neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology in her work, blending science with mindful wisdom and heart-based compassion practices. Melanie seeks to educate, support, heal, and inspire her clients helping them to realize their full potential. Full bio here: drmelaniegreenberg.com.
Show Notes:
- Melanie’s journey and how she came to become so interested in the stress and the mind-body connection
- A fixed-mindset vs. and open mindset
- When facing new demands, it requires figuring out new ways to cope
- Human tendency when faced with stressors to go to “fight, flight or freeze” – to focus on all the things that could go wrong
- Anxiety, fear and anger can cause you to get stuck; people cling to stability
- Thoughts, feelings + actions can actually change the structure of your brain, causing you to automatically become more reactive, with less ability to calm down your stress response through logical thinking
- Techniques to be more self-compassionate and bring yourself back to the present when faced with a stressor: grounding + mindfulness
- Mind-body connection tactics like placing both feet on the floor and just breathing + sitting with your thoughts
- We can’t control our subconscious programming or thinking, the thoughts that come into our head, but rather than be ashamed, you an change your relationship to them: “you are not your thoughts”
- If you have feelings of low self-worth, must understand where comes from and then fight it – focus on positive
- Take time to ask the emotion what it needs, without judgement
- Physiological effects of stressors on the brain
- Consequences or mistakes that occur when someone doesn’t face their true emotions
- Perfectionism and “conditional self-esteem” + the need to look for the grey
- Putting our own problems in perspective and focusing on the positive
- “Instead of just running from the tiger to smell the flower”
- Life is a combination of appreciating and enjoy what you have, find points of peace, and you strive for more
- Melanie’s Uphill challenge + optimism for next 12 months
Connect with Melanie:
Resources:
INTRO AND OUTRO MUSIC (Used by permission):
Dreams Groove (© 2017 Tim Pecoraro)
Straight Drive (© 2017 Tim Pecoraro)
Uphill Conversations is an Uphill Strategies, LLC production
© 2017 Uphill Conversations
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