Re-train Your Brain With Self-Care | Dima Abou Chaaban | TEDxUNBSaintJohn

Summary

This script delves into the phenomenon of burnout, recognized by the WHO as an occupational hazard. It discusses the importance of self-care in preventing burnout and enhancing resilience, motivation, and stress management. The speaker uses neuroscience to explain how self-care rewires the brain for positivity, affecting neurotransmitters responsible for our well-being. Neglecting self-care can lead to decreased energy, motivation, and even depression, while a consistent self-care routine can create a positivity pathway in the brain, helping to counteract the brain's negativity bias.

Takeaways

• 😌 Burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon, indicating the importance of addressing work-related exhaustion.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Self-care is crucial for maintaining energy levels and preventing the onset of burnout, but it is not a one-size-fits-all solution and varies from person to person.
• 🤔 The phrase 'I'm fine' often masks deeper feelings of frustration, stress, and the desire to quit, highlighting the need for genuine self-assessment and care.
• 🧠 The brain is constantly changing due to various factors like caffeine, stress, and learning, which underscores the potential for self-care to rewire and improve brain health.
• 🎓 Neuroscience helps us understand how our brain operates under stress and the importance of self-care in shaping a healthier brain through repeated practice.
• ☕ Caffeine temporarily alters brain chemistry by blocking adenosine, which normally makes us feel tired, but relying on it can lead to a cycle of needing more to maintain energy levels.
• 🔁 The process of learning and memorization involves the strengthening of neural connections, which is similar to how self-care habits can be formed and reinforced over time.
• 🚫 Neglecting self-care can lead to a decrease in neurotransmitters responsible for good feelings, such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin, contributing to negative mental states.
• 🧠 The amygdala, responsible for detecting stress, can become overactive without self-care, leading to a constant perception of stress even in non-threatening situations.
• 💪 Practicing self-care is akin to exercising; it requires time, patience, and perseverance, and can help build resilience and positivity in the brain.
• 🛠 Creating a self-care plan is about preparing a toolkit for managing stress and preventing crises, emphasizing the importance of proactive mental health care.

Q & A

What does the World Health Organization recognize burnout as?

The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon.

Why did the speaker's best friend stop going to the gym?

The speaker's best friend stopped going to the gym because she was experiencing burnout, which affected her energy levels and made her seem off.

What does the speaker suggest is the common response when someone is asked 'Are you okay?'

The common response is to either burst into tears or say 'I'm fine,' which often means the person is actually not okay and may be feeling frustrated, upset, or wanting to quit.

What are some possible reasons for people feeling tired according to the script?

People may feel tired due to being drained from working too much, being overwhelmed with stress, or spending too much time working and not enough time doing what makes them feel good.

What is the role of self-care in preventing burnout?

Self-care helps to increase resilience, motivation, and the ability to cope with stress, and it produces neurotransmitters that make us feel good, thus preventing burnout and compassion fatigue.

What is compassion fatigue and how is it related to self-care?

Compassion fatigue is the psychological and physical fatigue from showing too much empathy to others and not enough for oneself. Self-care is essential to prevent this by ensuring one also takes care of their own needs.

How does the brain change due to the practice of self-care?

Practicing self-care helps rewire the brain by stimulating neural connections, leading to a healthier brain that is better equipped to handle stress and promote well-being.

What is the role of neurotransmitters in the context of self-care?

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin, referred to as the 'happy chemicals,' are released when practicing self-care, contributing to feelings of happiness and well-being.

What is the function of the amygdala in relation to stress?

The amygdala is responsible for detecting stress and acts as the 'stress radar' in the brain, becoming active during stressful situations and increasing heart rate and cortisol levels.

How can practicing self-care help balance the amygdala's response to stress?

Practicing self-care helps manage stress levels, which in turn keeps the amygdala balanced and prevents the brain from constantly perceiving danger even when there is none.

What is the significance of creating a self-care plan when not in crisis?

Creating a self-care plan when not in crisis is about building a toolkit that can be used in times of distress, allowing for better preparedness and prevention of making stressful situations worse.

Outlines

00:00

😩 Understanding Burnout and Self-Care

The first paragraph discusses the common experience of feeling tired due to excessive work or school hours, and the recognition of burnout as an occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organization. It uses a personal story about a friend who stopped her self-care routine of going to the gym, leading to a noticeable change in her energy levels. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of self-care to prevent burnout, which is described as a state of chronic stress leading to emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. It also touches on the concept of compassion fatigue and how the brain changes due to various factors like caffeine consumption and stress, suggesting that self-care can help rewire the brain to a healthier state.

05:00

🧠 The Neuroscience of Self-Care

This paragraph delves into the neuroscience behind self-care, explaining how our brains are affected by stress and how self-care can help. It describes the role of adenosine, a molecule that makes us tired, and how caffeine blocks its production, leading to temporary changes in the brain. The paragraph also explains how repeated practice and neural connections help us memorize things, like song lyrics, and how self-care can be learned and practiced in a similar manner. It discusses the brain's constant change due to experiences and the importance of stimulating positive pathways to counteract the brain's negativity bias, which can be influenced by neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin.

10:01

🤯 The Impact of Stress and the Role of Amygdala

The final paragraph focuses on the impact of stress and the role of the amygdala, the brain's stress radar. It explains how chronic stress can lead to the amygdala being overly active, causing a constant perception of danger even in non-threatening situations. The paragraph highlights the benefits of self-care in managing stress levels and maintaining a balanced amygdala. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of treating both physical and mental health, suggesting that self-care is essential for a healthy brain and overall well-being. The paragraph encourages creating a self-care plan to prevent and manage stress, and reminds us to be patient with ourselves as we develop these habits.

Keywords

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic stress that leads to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. In the video, burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon, illustrating the impact of overworking and stress on individuals. The script mentions how burnout can affect personal relationships and energy levels, as seen with the speaker's best friend who stopped going to the gym and seemed off.

💡Self-care

Self-care refers to activities that individuals engage in to take care of their mental and physical health. The video emphasizes the importance of self-care in preventing burnout and enhancing resilience. It is highlighted as a non-uniform practice, with examples given such as the husband's preference for candles and bubble baths, and the speaker's own routine, which is not specified but implied to be different.

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, including the brain and its functions. The script uses neuroscience to explain how the brain can be rewired through self-care practices, leading to healthier mental states. It is mentioned in the context of understanding how our brain changes due to experiences like stress, caffeine consumption, and meditation.

💡Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain that facilitate communication between neurons. The video discusses four 'happy chemicals': serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin. These neurotransmitters are linked to feelings of well-being and are released during self-care activities, contributing to the overall theme of the video that self-care can improve mood and mental health.

💡Adenosine

Adenosine is a molecule naturally produced by the brain that contributes to feelings of tiredness. The script explains how caffeine consumption can block adenosine production, leading to increased alertness. This example is used to illustrate the temporary changes in the brain that can be induced by external substances, contrasting with the long-term rewiring effects of self-care.

💡Amygdala

The amygdala is an almond-shaped region in the brain associated with the detection of stress. In the video, it is referred to as the 'stress radar,' highlighting its role in the body's stress response. The script suggests that chronic stress can lead to the amygdala being overly active, which can be mitigated through self-care practices.

💡Negativity bias

Negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon where the brain tends to give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones. The video mentions this concept to explain why people might focus on negative news and experiences. It also suggests that self-care can help create a 'positivity pathway' in the brain to counteract this bias.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or adapt to change. The script mentions that self-care can increase resilience, motivation, and the ability to cope with stress. It is a key concept in the video's message that self-care is not just a luxury but a necessity for maintaining mental health and well-being.

💡Compassion fatigue

Compassion fatigue is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion that can result from excessive empathy and caring for others, often at the expense of one's own well-being. The video uses this term to describe a specific type of burnout that can occur in caregiving professions, emphasizing the importance of self-care for those in such roles.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. The video script explains that practicing self-care can lead to the rewiring of the brain, promoting a healthier mental state. It is used to support the idea that the brain can be trained to respond more positively to stress through consistent self-care practices.

💡Stress

Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat or challenge, which can have both positive and negative effects on the body and mind. The video discusses stress in the context of its role in burnout and compassion fatigue, and how self-care can help manage stress levels. It is a central theme in the video, as the practice of self-care is presented as a means to reduce stress and its negative impacts.

Highlights

Social media posts often reflect people's exhaustion from work or school.

The World Health Organization has recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon.

Self-care routines, like gym visits, can change or stop due to burnout.

People often say 'I'm fine' to hide their frustration and desire to quit.

Burnout is characterized by exhaustion from chronic work involvement.

Compassion fatigue is the psychological and physical toll of excessive empathy.

Neuroscience explains how our brain changes due to experiences and habits.

Self-care can rewire the brain to a healthier state.

Caffeine consumption and stress are factors that change the brain's neural connections.

Repeated practice strengthens neural pathways, as seen with memorizing song lyrics.

Self-care habits are formed through repeated practice, similar to learning new tasks.

Negativity bias makes the brain more sensitive to negative news than positive.

Self-care can create a positivity pathway in the brain to counteract negativity bias.

Four neurotransmitters—serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin—are linked to feeling good.

Stress and overwhelm can deplete the 'happy chemicals' in the brain.

The amygdala is the brain's stress radar, and self-care helps balance its activity.

Practicing self-care is essential for mental well-being, just as physical health is for the body.

Creating a self-care plan in advance can serve as a toolkit for times of distress.

Postponing self-care can lead to decreased energy, motivation, and potential depression.

Self-care enhances energy, mood, resilience, and reduces stress.

Transcripts

[Music]

I see many posts on social media about

people being tired from work or from

school so let me share one of those

posts with you today your friends who

work 40 plus hours a week I'm just

avoiding you

they're just tired does this look

familiar to some of you did you know

that the World Health Organization

recently recognized burnout as an

occupational phenomenon my best friend

goes to the gym every morning as part of

her self-care routine until one day she

suddenly stopped going and she

definitely seemed off there was

something about her energy levels she

wasn't like she used to be so I asked

her are you okay we all know what

happens to somebody when you ask them

are you okay they will either burst into

tears or will they'll say I'm fine well

she said I'm fine and we all know that

when someone says I'm fine they're

really not I'm fine means I'm frustrated

I'm upset I want to quit my job I want

to drop out of school I'm tired so why

is it that we are so tired is it because

we're drained from working too much is

it because we're overwhelmed with stress

or is it because we spend too much time

working and little to no time doing what

makes us feel good we've all had our

fair share of bad days

but the most important question to ask

yourself is is it actually a bad day or

is it more than that we can prevent

burnout from exposure to chronic stress

by practicing self-care but just

remember that South care is not a

one-size-fits-all for example South care

for my husband is candles and bubble

baths for me well let's just needs not

that

it's easy to wake up everyday and show

up to work because you have to it's your

job it's mandatory yet it's just as easy

to convince ourselves that we don't need

self-care I don't have the time for it

it's ineffective or because we think

that going on vacation for a few weeks

to a nice place with enough of a

self-care that's like charging your

phone for five minutes

it reaches 20% you're like yeah I'm set

for the whole day but it's not gonna

last long so what happens when we keep

coming up with excuses to delay

self-care what happens when we postpone

South care well first of all self-care

increases resilience motivation and our

ability to cope with stress it also

produces neurotransmitters that are

responsible for making us feel good

without self-care we may experience

burnout and compassion fatigue burnout

has been described as the state of

psychological emotional mental physical

and even spiritual exhaustion from

chronic involvement in your work

compassion fatigue is simply the cost

you pay for being too caring it's

psychological and physical fatigue from

showing too much empathy to others and

not enough for yourself a Canadian

psychologist named Donald Hebb once said

neurons that fire together wire together

our brains are constantly changing

because neurons in our brain are

constantly being fired and because

certain parts of our brains are more

activated than others our brains are

constantly changing simply from caffeine

consumption to stress to practicing

meditation our brains are constantly

changing simply because of learning new

things and forming new habits and due to

the brain's ability to change we can

shape it to a healthier one by rewiring

it and we can rewire our brain

by practicing self-care so to start with

neuroscience is a study of the nervous

system so that includes the different

regions of your brain the neurons and

the neural connections throughout the

nervous system neuroscience helps us

understand human thoughts behaviors and

emotions it also helps us understand how

our brain operates under certain

circumstances what happens when we're

under stress and how the brain can

change yourself let's take a look at

what happens to our brains when we drink

coffee when you drink a cup of coffee

suddenly your surroundings are clear

your attention is at its best it

couldn't get any better than that

you drink your first type of coffee on a

Monday morning and you're like yes let's

do this Monday I'm gonna conquer the

world nothing can bring me down but

don't you realize that as the day goes

by your energy levels start to decrease

you get really tired and you find

yourself running for that second cup of

coffee or even third cup of coffee for

you coffee headaches out there well

that's because of a molecule called

adenosine Anna Nelson is a molecule that

is naturally produced by your brain

which makes you tired so when you drink

a cup of coffee the caffeine blocks

adeno sense production making you more

alert this entire process is basically

changing your brain temporarily so when

you practice self-care you're actually

wiring your brain you're making it

better

you think we have the ability to

memorize the lyrics to our favorite

songs that's because of two things first

is repeated practice and second it's the

pathway in your brain and the neurons

wiring together the brain is made up of

ampel neurons and neurons are a billion

of nerve cells the neurons consist of

axons dendrites and the cell body

the cells are very talkative and they

communicate with one another the axon

will first send a message from one

neuron onto another and then the

listening neuron known as the dendrite

receives the signal and passes it along

to the next neuron and so on so cells

will keep firing messages in our brain

and the firing of cells and its activity

is known as neural connections think of

neural connections as best friends with

a very strong bond the closer you are to

your best friend the more supported and

loved you will feel so when you're

learning the lyrics your favorite song

the cells that send and receive

information about that song become very

efficient and the more efficient they

become the less effort it takes them to

send a message to the next cell about

what's happening making it easier for

you to sing the song so when you

practice self-care to include it in your

routine it's as if you're learning

something new it becomes a habit and

this habit is the result of learning a

new task you can learn to practice

self-care the same way that you learn

anything else through repeated practice

as we now know your brain fires neurons

all the time which causes some changes

in your brain such as the pathway that

you just created to learn the lyrics to

your favorite song your brain is

constantly trying to remodel itself

based on the experiences that you go

through in life and when you stimulate

the same circuit over and over again you

strengthen it you learn to practice

self-care the same way you learn

anything else through repeated practice

you may be familiar with the saying

practice makes perfect

but just keep in mind that self-care

doesn't happen overnight

it takes time patience and perseverance

but don't give up

lots of little efforts add up over time

you have to work your brain the same way

that you would work your muscles when

you're exercising at the gym as humans

we are more prone to being affected by

negative news instead of positive ones

somehow our brain is wired to pay

attention to the bad side of things

instead of the good this is because of

something known as the negativity bias

the same way that your brain was able to

create that negativity pathway you can

create a positivity pathway and the

first step is to practice self-care the

more you practice self-care the more

neurons your brain will fire in order to

create that positivity pathway that will

help you cope with stress there are four

neurotransmitters responsible for making

us feel good according to Loretta

burning serotonin dopamine endorphins

and oxytocin she calls them the happy

chemicals when you do something that you

love when you practice something that

makes you feel good these

neurotransmitters will be released by

your brain but when you're always under

stress and you're always feeling

overwhelmed these neurotransmitters are

not present let's talk a little bit

about the role of the amygdala the

amygdala is an almond-shaped region in

your brain that is responsible for

detecting stress it's literally your

stress radar so when you're under stress

your amygdala is active your heart

starts racing your cortisol levels

increase which is a normal response to

the situation that you're in stressing

out from time to time is normal but when

your amygdala is always active you're

wiring your brain to think that you're

always in a stressful situation and that

there's always danger around you even

when there's none but practicing

self-care helps you manage your stress

levels which keeps your amygdala well

balanced

treat your brain the same way that you

retreat your body why would you take

care of your physical health but neglect

your mental well-being think of it this

way your brain is like the remote

control and your body is like a

television as long as you have charged

batteries you can flip through life's

challenges with the resilience and in

order to charge yourself practicing

self-care is essential but just remember

to be patient with yourself when you

create a self-care plan when you're not

in crisis you're creating a toolkit that

you can turn to in times of distress

nobody knows you more than you know

yourself you know how stressed out you

get use that as the guide to help you

create the best self-care plan for you

to prevent making stressful situations

even more stressful so to answer the

question I posed earlier what happens

when we postpone self-care we simply

don't feel good our energy level is

decrease we feel less motivated we don't

want to do anything we may even feel

depressed and it could be hard to get

out of self-care enhances your energy

levels boosts your mood increase its

resilience and most importantly reduces

stress because stress is inevitable a

healthy brain is a healthy you thank you

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

you