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25.01.2022 The Challenge Response is the stress response that you typically see in surgeons, musicians, or people working to a deadline (I call on this response with public speaking) As with the fight-or-flight response, there is an increase in heart rate and blood pressure to get oxygen to your muscles (which is why your heart pounds when you’re about to make a speech) Unlike the fight-or-flight response though, the ratio of hormones being released with the Challenge Respon...se are different. This is why (most) people will work hard to meet a deadline instead of running away and hiding The key benefits of the Challenge Response are: Increased release of the hormone DHEA which helps you to recover and learn from the stressor (meaning that every time you face the stressor in the future you will be even more equipped that the time before) Increased growth index of the stress response which will allow your brain to see the stressful experience as strengthening instead of harmful (doing a presentation to your workplace vs getting mugged) A feeling of focus instead of fear Increased confidence Increased motivation So, lots of positives! I’ll dedicate an entire post to talk through how to nail the Challenge Response so keep your eyes peeled See more

24.01.2022 I tend not to post too much about my personal life because that’s an important boundary I have set for myself to allow me to stay present with my loved ones. This is a minor exception Todd and I have been together for 10 years today (kind of - today is an arbitrary date that we picked 10 years ago to call an anniversary ) Over the past 10 years, we have both changed and grown enormously as people. Neither of us are the same person that we were at 19 - and thank god f...or that! He has supported all of my crazy ambitions and need to not stay in one spot too long. He has also taught me to be a better, more thoughtful person This is kind of a cheers to us post but also a reminder that great things take work. The ups of our relationship have only been made better by the downs See more

24.01.2022 Connection is everything and loneliness is killing us Did you know that there’s actually 3 different types of loneliness? 1 Intimate/emotional loneliness - longing for someone to share a deep, mutual bond of affection and trust with... 2 Relational/social loneliness - yearning for quality friendships, social companionship and support 3 Collective loneliness - need for a network or community of people who share your sense of purpose and interests This could be why you have a great intimate partner or a close group of friends but still feel lonely. The three dimensions together reflect the full range of high quality social connections that humans need in order to thrive Okay so you feel lonely - now what? Make an effort to join groups, say yes when friends invite you somewhere, or volunteer for a cause or organisation that you believe in Combating loneliness takes effort on your part. Do the work to reap the benefits of social connection Illustration by @aolanow See more

20.01.2022 In a study of 15,000 people across the workforce, 50-60% reported feeling negative on a daily basis. But what happens if the leader/s within that organisation have emotional intelligence? Individuals feel 50% more inspired when they worked within an organisation with a leader with high emotional intelligence.... They also experience 30-40% less frustration throughout the day, significantly lower intentions to leave their jobs, and lower rates of burnout. The skill of emotional intelligence is important for you as an individual, but is hugely important if you are a leader within your organisation, company, or community.

19.01.2022 Your ability to show up and do good - at home, at work, for society - is dependent on your ability to look after yourself There’s only so far that you can push before that energy source becomes depleted, and you become a less effective version of yourself This doesn’t mean you have to immediately take a holiday from your life. It does mean that you need to do the work in a more consistent way that you probably already are... Taking time to rest and recharge physically sleeping enough exercising regularly eating well mentally meditate mindfulness gratitude and, emotionally connecting with others practicing emotional literacy means that you are less likely to push so hard that you crash and burn It means that you can show up and do your best work more effectively, and more consistently Illustration by @audrianacreates See more

18.01.2022 No one is going to look back on 2020 as the year everything went smoothly, but I hope you’ve been embracing the challenge! Did you know that the way that you look at stress changes your response to it? If you have been resisting the need to change/pivot/‘insert buzz word here’ in an attempt to maintain control, then you have probably been feeling pretty frazzled... Alternatively, if you’ve embraced the change and were able to switch your view to highlight some of the positives of the last few months (new opportunities to connect with family and friends, more time spent with your dog, the ability to spend time on your hobbies) you have probably had a smoother run This doesn’t mean that the second, more positive tier of people didn’t experience feelings of stress or overwhelm. They just experienced less of it overall, and at a lesser intensity when it did show up The science of stress is super interesting (maybe just to me ) but I’ve been working on something pretty exciting in this space for a little while now and can’t wait to share it with you in the coming months See more

17.01.2022 Like most people in Melbourne, my emotions have been all over the place over the last few weeks and months I feel like I have run through the 5 stages of grief multiple times, but then also experienced waves of determination, gratitude and creativity. It’s been a wild ride to identify what I’m feeling every day 2020 has been a rollercoaster of resilience and we are going to take the skills that we’ve learnt with us into the future to (hopefully) make the world a ...better place for ourselves and the wider community Here’s hoping the stage 4 restrictions do what they need to do so that we can connect IRL again soon Illustration by @sar.ra__ See more

14.01.2022 I have never felt less motivated to exercise than I do right now Since going into lockdown, I suddenly have a desk job when normally I’m up and moving all day My commute is gone so the baseline amount of walking I do everyday has dropped significantly... It’s cold and dark and I’m still figuring out how to layer My normal exercise routine (and just general day-to-day movement) has gone out the window and I have mentally struggled with turning my living area into an exercise space on top of a work space, study space, business development space and chill out space But! I know the impact that not moving enough each day has on my mental health, sleep quality, and energy levels (and all of these have been pretttttyyyy bad lately) So I’m dragging my ass out of bed every morning to go for a walk in the cold and the dark (and the fog this morning) because I know that I’ll feel better I hate it at the time. I’d much rather stay in bed. But focusing on the long-term impact it will have on my days and weeks is keeping me going for now See more

13.01.2022 Things are tough, but you’ve got this! Maybe you’re working at a reduced mental capacity than before while stress and anxiety takes up space in your brain but you’re still going! The effort you’re putting in now to move forward, or sideways, or even to stay still, is making you more resilient than you have ever been and boy will that help you in the future. Just breathe and know that you’re doing your best every day ... @ohverlee See more

12.01.2022 The Tend-and-Befriend response - part 3 - brought to you by me and Rosie By now you should know all about what the Tend-and-Befriend response is (if not look at the last 2 posts) but now you’ll want to know how to use it It’s as simple as this:... Anytime you chose to help other people, you are activating this response Being present and providing comfort, support or help for people, without being sucked into a rabbit hole of easing or avoiding our own discomfort, increases the activity in the reward and caregiving systems of the brain Connecting to your bigger-than-self goals (the opposite of self-centred goals like getting a promotion or reward) also leads to increased connectedness and decreased levels of stress and burnout Bigger-than-self goals are the role you play in the wider community - what you want to contribute and the change you want to create TL;DR - do things and show up for other people and you’ll kickstart your Tend-and-Befriend response. Happy connecting! See more

10.01.2022 We can only wish we looked this good after scaling a mountain @the.inspired.dietitian

09.01.2022 Imagine you’re pissed off at something. You’re really angry. But is it actually anger that you’re feeling, or is it something more nuanced? Like jealousy. Or frustration. Or fear.... Being able to use the correct language to label your emotions not only makes you more emotionally resilient (which is crucial for good mental health!), but also improves your capacity to connect with the people around you. @_maggiestephenson_

09.01.2022 Ooh boy. Back into 6 weeks of lockdown I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling defeated and kind of sad around a bit of normalcy being taken away again for a little while To combat that, I’ve been trying to think of all the things I learnt the first time around... 1 Exercise is a daily non-negotiable for my mental and physical health 2 Sticking to a routine makes working from home easier 3 Get ready in the morning as if you were leaving the house for work (including shoes!) 4 Just because youdon’t know what day it is, doesn’t mean that you should have a glass of wine every night We’ve gotten through it before and we’ll get through it again. Stay safe Melburnians! See more

07.01.2022 The Tend-and-Befriend response - part 2! This response is all thanks to 3 different brain systems working together in response to stress 1 The social caregiving system is regulated by oxytocin. This system increases feelings of empathy, connection, and trust while inhibiting your fear response and boosting your courage... 2 The reward system releases dopamine which increases motivation levels while also decreasing fear. Dopamine makes you feel optimistic about your ability to do something meaningful. It also gets your brain ready for physical action which makes sure you won’t freeze in response to the stressor 3 The attunement system is all thanks to serotonin. Activating this system enhances your perception, intuition, and self-control. This makes it easier to understand what is needed in times of stress and helps to ensure that your actions have the biggest positive impact The Tend-and-Befriend response makes you braver, smarter, and more social during times of stress. It increases your courage to act and the awareness to do something in a skilled way In part 3 we’ll talk about how to kickstart your Tend-and-Befriend response when faced with a stressful situation! Illustration by @tatianasoash See more

07.01.2022 And what a mess it is! Sometimes the overwhelm of a situation can feel like way too much to handle. It paints everything else in your life with the same brush of heaviness and I-can’t-do-it-ness But... Understand how to take that stress and flip it so that it empowers you and makes you more effective and impactful is not only possible, it’s a scientific fact! The fight-or-flight response is just one scenario of how stress can dictate our actions or behaviour in the face of an overwhelming situation But there are actually a few more responses available to us when facing a stressful situation - The Challenger Response and The Tend-and-Befriend Response All three stress responses have a time, place, and situation where they will be the most effective Learning how to ‘manage’ your stress actually comes down to learning how to make stress (not a dirty word) work for you in every scenario If you know the creator of this illustration, let me know so I can credit them! See more

07.01.2022 @kaycee.louise is the ultimate slashy. She’s an advocate for breaking the stigma around mental health and eating disorders (and she shares her own personal stories about both topics so openly and authentically). She’s also a creative/yoga teacher/dog mum/professional dancer/physiotherapist.... Phew! That’s a lot to pack into 30 years!

05.01.2022 So what can you do to kick your Challenge Response into gear when your Fight-or-Flight Response is threatening to take over? A few things actually! The first is to recognise that the stress response you are feeling in your body (heart pounding, palms sweating) is actually a good thing! It means that your brain and body is preparing to rise to the challenge by increasing your energy levels... The second is to reframe your thinking to see anxiety as excitement. By doing this, you are actually changing the way that stress is affecting your body, making the response more beneficial and creating better outcomes for performance Finally, consider why you are feeling excited about whatever is causing this stress response. Why is it meaningful for you? Assigning meaning to the stressor makes it something important to work towards, instead of a threat to your safety Does this all seem too simple to work? Give it a try! I can promise that you will be pleasantly surprised Illustration by @quotesbychristie See more

04.01.2022 @ang_tag ran a half marathon to get this medal, meanwhile we’re still waiting for our 2020 participation ribbon to arrive

01.01.2022 Let’s talk about another kind of stress response - the Tend-and-Befriend response! Like the Challenge response, the Tend-and-Befriend response is another adaptive response that we can utilise in times of stress Understanding this response actually came about from investigating the way that women respond to stress ... Women, in particular, show an increase in tending (caring for others) and befriending (relationship-strengthening behaviours such as listening, spending time with people, providing emotional support) under stress Men absolutely share this response as well! In times of stress, many people become more trusting, generous, and willing to risk their own well-being to protect others There is so much involved in this response that I’m going to make it a 3-parter (because I know that no one wants to read an essay on here ). Stay tuned for more Tend-and-Befriend chat! See more