Confronting anxiety is easier said than done. It’s hard enough with adults, but with children it’s even more tough. Anxiety keeps us safe, but often we over-predict that something bad will happen and under-predict our ability to cope. The key is to learn how to manage anxiety before it becomes a problem. This week’s guest is educational psychologist Nicky Odgers. She specialises in working with kids who are feeling anxious about attending school. A lot of what she helps kids with applies to adul...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 186
Do you find yourself thinking "it will be better tomorrow", or believing things will improve in a few months' time “when x happens”? In this quick dip episode, Rachel reveals how waiting for outside events to occur leads to more problems – because even when tomorrow comes, we’re still the same person facing the same challenges as we were yesterday. This mindset can lead us to looking for partial solutions which ultimately keep us from solving our bigger problems. But by focusing on our zone of p...
Sep 11, 2023•17 min•Ep. 185
One way or another, menopause affects everyone at some point. If you’re not experiencing symptoms yourself, you almost certainly know or work with someone who is. That’s why understanding its effects and being able to offer support and compassion is so important. Women going through menopause can experience a wide range of physical, psychological, and hormonal symptoms. These symptoms often go unnoticed or ignored, which can impact confidence and increase anxiety. Lack of confidence or temporary...
Sep 04, 2023•51 min•Ep. 184
So many of us are caught up in a vortex of busyness. We end up working harder and harder without doing anything that re-energises us, all because we feel like we have no other choice. As healthcare professionals, we feel like rest is a reward for good behaviour, but it's a basic human need, and a professional responsibility. Why? Because rest makes us better at our job, and – frankly – we deserve it. In this quick dip episode, Rachel explores ways we can give ourselves permission to rest and rem...
Aug 28, 2023•14 min•Ep. 183
For people in caring professions, trauma can be something we experience on a regular basis. an event doesn’t have to be earth-shattering to be traumatic, and if we let those “little T” traumas build up over time without addressing them, we can find ourselves in a constant sate of fight, flight, or freeze. When stress and trauma accumulate over time, we can minimise what triggers us and downplay our experience. Each time we do, we deplete our battery, pushing it from the green zone of calm and en...
Aug 21, 2023•51 min•Ep. 182
We’re not just service providers – we’re carers and helpers. This can make it hard to set boundaries and prioritise our workload. What we need is air cover. By working together with your colleagues, you can create agreements about what to say yes and no to, and hold each-other accountable. And you can also seek out peers outside of work, so you can share your dilemmas and feel less alone. If we keep silently struggling with saying no or setting boundaries, we can start feeling burnout, which can...
Aug 14, 2023•17 min•Ep. 181
Do you ever feel like you're just not being heard? Or like you’re under pressure and no one understands how much you’re juggling? Especially in high-stress careers, few of us have the chance to truly be listened to – and coaching can help with that. Coaching isn’t therapy or listening to someone else’s advice. It's about exploring solutions yourself, with guidance. Coaching gives you permission to take a tricky situation and ask "If this were different, what would I notice?". Coaching allows you...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 180
Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to do? Maybe it was a task at work, a favour for a friend, or a chore at home. It can be frustrating and draining when it seems we have no say in our actions. It can make us feel powerless and stressed out. And that's not good for our work quality or our well-being. But is that true? Do we really have no choice at all? In this Quick Dip, we share how to use power language to set boundaries and take back control of your life. Keeping your work and...
Jul 31, 2023•11 min•Ep. 179
In the words of today’s podcast guest, “Everyone can benefit from neurodiversity”. But how much do you understand about the way it impacts you and your colleagues? Neurodiversity can be a real strength in high-stress roles like medicine. Different ways of thinking can allow us to cope with high pressure situations, handle complex information, and perform brilliantly in ways that others couldn’t. But it also offers us challenges, both when it comes to managing our own needs but also in supporting...
Jul 24, 2023•56 min•Ep. 178
It's a fact of life that we can't please everyone. That's why one of the hardest things to do is say no and try to keep everyone happy with our decisions. Even if it's against our will, we try to give a piece of ourselves to everyone. The thing is, that takes a toll on us until resentment builds up in our hearts. So, how do you expect pushback while staying firm with your decisions? In this Quick Dip, we explore the topic of pushback, how it affects our emotions, and why we should expect it. We ...
Jul 18, 2023•13 min•Ep. 177
High-stress and high-performance professions like healthcare often push people beyond their limits. When this happens, stress and burnout are often the unfortunate consequences. In this episode, Dr Sarah Coope joins us to discuss how to avoid burnout by embracing your capacity. She delves into finding your optimal stretching point for each of your limited resources. Sarah also examines the nature of our fear of saying no. And we explore the consequences and benefits of managing and maintaining y...
Jul 11, 2023•54 min•Ep. 176
You have brilliant ideas and solutions that can make a difference in your work. But how do you get others on board with them? It can be hard to convince others when they have different views and opinions. The thing is, you can’t change someone’s mind without knowing where they are coming from and what matters to them. You have to face it with confidence, grace, patience, and, sometimes, acceptance. In this quick dip episode, we talk about how you can influence anyone by understanding yourself an...
Jul 04, 2023•14 min•Ep. 175
On this episode of You Are Not a Frog, our guest, Corrina Gordon-Barnes, joins us to discuss the challenges working mothers face in traditional family units. The conversation sheds light on the value of self-compassion, learning to navigate negative emotions, and striking a balance between work and family life. This episode is for everyone involved in parenting, not just mothers. It’s not just women who experience mum guilt! For a new perspective on mum guilt and actionable advice for a healthy ...
Jun 27, 2023•56 min•Ep. 174
Disappointing ourselves and others is an awful feeling highlighted by guilt and shame. It can often lead us to act out regretfully as we attempt to mask it. Out of fear of its consequences, we resort to tiptoeing around others. This is most common in the medical field, where people tend to prioritise the needs of other people before their own. It could be why you may have difficulties saying no to people. In this quick dip episode, I will dive into how you can deal with disappointment. Lea...
Jun 20, 2023•16 min•Ep. 173
Does it feel like you're in a toxic work environment and can't get out? Too many doctors — both in the UK and elsewhere — find themselves in a whirlwind of work. There's always more to do, and you don't want to imagine the consequences of what happens if you fail. There seems like there's no way out, but the truth is, you always have a choice. In this episode of You Are Not a Frog, Dr Dike Drummond and I dive into a topic that affects many industries but is particularly prevalent in healthcare —...
Jun 13, 2023•59 min•Ep. 172
Life can seem full of threats and stresses we face daily. As high-stress professionals, these types of situations are a part of daily life. All of this can place a great mental load on our brains and trigger our amygdala to not always respond in the best way. That's why it's important to learn how we can reduce these threats and manage our stress. The question now is how can we do this? Picking up where we left off, this quick dip episode dives into the last four factors of the SCARF Model...
Jun 06, 2023•15 min•Ep. 171
Our conditioning has trained us to rely on the egocentric left brain. We often overthink things, even when we have no control over them. But what if we didn't have to accept that this is simply how our brains work? This week, Dr Giles P Croft joins us to discuss his experience of having a TIA that caused his left brain to stop functioning properly. Giles shares what it’s like to access his right brain freely without any worry in mind. We discuss how our thinking left brain often gets in the way ...
May 30, 2023•56 min•Ep. 170
Criticism and feedback are fundamental to growing as an individual and professional. However, often, our brain perceives such conflicts as a threat. The amygdala acts upon this and kicks in our survival instincts. As a result, we check out and shut down to protect ourselves. How do we avoid acting from this place of fear and focus on working toward developing ourselves? In this quick dip episode, we uncover the overarching principle of the amygdala. We discuss how to avoid an amygdala hija...
May 23, 2023•13 min•Ep. 169
This week, Jo Watkins, co-founder of The HOW People, joins us to explore entrepreneurial possibilities for doctors without leaving their day jobs. We talk about what holds us back from pursuing a business idea and how you can get started on this journey. We also discuss honing the transferable skills you already have to discover what you'd like to try. If you want to start doing something different in your life and career, listen to our full conversation in this episode of You Are Not a Frog. He...
May 16, 2023•57 min•Ep. 168
As a medical professional, facing high-stress situations every day might make you think you can handle anything. But the truth is, decisiveness isn't always what you want when things go wrong. Not every crisis is the same. Sometimes, the best course of action is to take a step back and come back to the crisis later. In this quick dip episode, we uncover why we become terrible in a crisis, even as healthcare professionals. We explore how we typically react to stressful situations and their conseq...
May 09, 2023•22 min•Ep. 167
How often do you answer honestly when asked are you ok? Many people often say I’m’re ok even when you really aren’t. In truth, we aren’t ok. In today’s world, you’re faced with high-stress jobs, societal pressure and the uncertainty of the new normal. As we come out of the recent crisis, changed and unsure of who we are, it’s harder than ever to be ok. You have to recognize and accept when you’re not ok. In this episode, James Spice joins us for a conversation about what it means to be a human b...
May 02, 2023•55 min•Ep. 166
Do you ever feel like someone else is running your life? Do you find yourself just following a set of instructions in everything you do? Without realising it, we often permit other people to control our lives. It's like living a life we don't enjoy on autopilot without questioning it The thing is, it's not too late to design your own flight plan. You have the power to take control and lead the life you want to live. In this quick dip episode, we highlight the importance of designing our own flig...
Apr 25, 2023•13 min•Ep. 165
Can you keep cool when you receive a complaint about your work? Complaints are part and parcel of every profession. No matter how common they may be and how hard you work to avoid them, the anxiety that you’ll get one is always there. It’s even more nerve-wracking if you work in healthcare. Often, complaints come with threats of referral to a professional regulator. All of a sudden, your career might be on the line. This week, Dr Annalene Weston of Dental Protection Australia joins us to discuss...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 164
Too often, we say yes to every request and every demand, even when it's not what we want. It's not about people-pleasing. It's about your values. But ask yourself, is it worth it? Is sacrificing your peace and well-being a worthy cost of validating your internal dialogue? In a world that applauds the grind, learning to say no will keep you grounded. Setting boundaries helps you care for yourself. When you care for yourself, you can look after others to the best of your ability. In this qui...
Apr 11, 2023•15 min•Ep. 163
How do you make decisions? Is it from a deep place of knowing and intuition? Or is it merely out of fear? Making big decisions (or even small ones) can understandably be stressful and anxiety-inducing. But being stuck in fear-based thinking is a prescription for misery - and for living a life doing stuff you don’t actually want to do. This week, Henri Stevenson, Executive Coach and Shapes trainer, joins us to discuss how to stop making decisions based on fear and anxiety. We break do...
Apr 04, 2023•55 min•Ep. 162
We need boundaries. In fact, you might have already set some of your own. But ask yourself: how often do you let those boundaries crumble? It’s not unusual for professionals in high-stakes industries to give in to other people’s demands, even if it means losing the boundaries they set. That’s not healthy — so why do we do it? In this Quick Dip, we explore the challenges doctors and other professionals face when trying to enforce their boundaries. The problem isn’t in knowing when to say no or wh...
Mar 28, 2023•18 min•Ep. 161
No one wants to burn out. When you experience burnout, you might find yourself thinking much more slowly and your productivity drops. Many high-stress professionals often feel guilty and ashamed for struggling with burnout. Unfortunately, the demanding and high-stress environment these days makes burnout much more likely to happen again and again. So what can you do to avoid experiencing burnout in the future? In this episode, Dr Claire Ashley joins us for a conversation about the very real issu...
Mar 21, 2023•55 min•Ep. 160
What criteria do you use when prioritising the tasks on your to-do list? Do you just put them in the order you get them? Maybe you pick the ones that seem the most urgent? Here’s an alternative: do the ones that are the easiest first. Not everything worth doing needs to be difficult! In this quick dip episode, we talk about the reality of our limits. In a high-stress job, getting everything done in one day is nearly impossible. And that's okay! What's important is putting your focus where you ca...
Mar 14, 2023•17 min•Ep. 159
Professor Chloe Orkin & Dr Nuthana Bhayankaram of the Medical Women's Federation join us in this episode to discuss sexism in medicine. We share first-hand experiences and explore why it remains a glaring issue today. We then discuss some strategies for action and what we can do to improve things. If you want to know what the glass ceiling, glass cliff, and glass slippers are and how to avoid them, listen to our entire conversation in this You Are Not a Frog episode. Here are three reasons w...
Mar 07, 2023•50 min•Ep. 158
When you're dealing with a stressful situation, your first instinct might be to act immediately to solve it. Unfortunately, acting immediately often means you don't think your actions through. Acting rashly can worsen the situation, making it even more stressful. Fortunately, there's a better way to respond to stress. All you have to do is take a few seconds to press the pause button. In this quick dip episode of You Are Not a Frog, you'll discover the power of pressing pause in the middle of a ...
Feb 27, 2023•17 min•Ep. 157
