How does excessive information and bad news affect our brains?

Constant bombardment by bad news, especially through digital media, overwhelms our brain's capacity to distinguish between immediate danger and distant events. This can lead to a chronic state of alarm, characterized by elevated cortisol and adrenaline, contributing to anxiety and 'constant terror'.

What's the difference between sadness and clinical depression?

Depression is described as a brain disease with no sensation, unlike sadness which is a reaction to external events. It feels like being in a coma, where even simple actions are extremely difficult, indicating a profound disruption in brain function rather than emotional response.

Why are negative thoughts and critical voices so prevalent?

Our brains are wired for survival, prioritizing threats and negative information. Critical voices telling us 'you're not good enough' are thought to be a survival mechanism, preparing us for danger. However, in modern society, this leads to constant anxiety as we're bombarded with information that triggers these ancient alarm systems unnaturally.

What is rumination and how does mindfulness help with it?

Rumination is the repetitive act of dwelling on negative emotions or problems without reaching a solution, like endlessly trying to figure out why a relationship ended. Mindfulness helps by teaching us to notice these thoughts without getting caught up in them, using anchors like sensory experiences to bring us to the present moment and break the cycle.

How can focusing on senses act as an anchor during anxiety?

When you focus your attention on a sensory experience (like hearing a sound or feeling a touch), you activate the insula in your brain. This shifts focus away from the amygdala's alarm response triggering anxiety, as you can't be anxious and fully experience a physical sensation simultaneously. It anchors you to the present.

Can mindfulness actually calm down cortisol levels?

Yes, research suggests that mindfulness practices can lead to a reduction in cortisol levels. By learning to observe thoughts and engaging in present-moment awareness, individuals can decrease the body's stress response, which is often fueled by chronic exposure to cortisol.

How does mindfulness promote compassion?

By observing our own thoughts and internal struggles with acceptance and without self-judgment, we develop self-compassion. This understanding of our own internal 'crap' allows us to extend that same empathy and compassion to others, recognizing that they too are likely dealing with similar internal battles.

Key Moments

Ruby Wax on Mindfulness

School of Life

Education4 min read28 min video

Dec 3, 2013|285,635 views|4,409|181

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Ruby Wax shares her journey with mental illness, exploring brain science and mindfulness as tools for mental well-being and self-mastery.

Key Insights

Mental illness is prevalent, affecting everyone, not just a diagnosed minority.

Our brains are constantly bombarded by information, leading to a heightened stress response.

Negative self-talk and rumination are common habits that can be detrimental to mental health.

Neuroplasticity shows that our brains can change and adapt throughout life.

Mindfulness offers a practical method to observe thoughts without judgment and anchor oneself in the present.

Self-compassion and present-moment awareness are crucial for managing stress and internal conflict.

THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY INTO MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY

Ruby Wax recounts how a public revelation of her mental illness by Comic Relief propelled her into becoming a mental health advocate. Initially mortified by a large poster campaign, she decided to channel her experience into a comedy show. This led to a two-year tour of mental institutions, where she found a profound connection with patients, discovering a shared language for their struggles and a sense of 'finding her people' who didn't offer superficial 'fine' as a response to 'how are you?'.

THE UNIVERSAL BOMBARDMENT OF BAD NEWS

Wax argues that mental distress is not limited to those with a diagnosed illness but is a widespread issue affecting everyone. In the modern age, our brains are constantly bombarded with global bad news and digital stimuli, making it difficult to distinguish between immediate threats and distant events. This overload triggers a constant state of alarm, overwhelming our capacity to process information, unlike our ancestors who were limited to local news.

UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN: NEURONS, HABITS, AND ADAPTATION

Driven by a desire to understand her own mind, Wax pursued neuroscience. She explains the brain as an intricate network of 100 billion neurons, constantly firing and forming pathways that create habits. These habits, developed for adaptation, can become ingrained personality traits, like responding to fear with aggression or withdrawal. Ancient survival mechanisms, relying on cortisol and adrenaline for immediate threats, are now overactivated by constant stressors, leaving us in a perpetual state of alert.

THE DOWNSIDE OF CONSTANT ALERT AND NEGATIVE VOICES

The modern environment constantly triggers our fight-or-flight response, even with non-physical threats like social media rejection. This persistent activation of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, fueled by sensationalized news and digital overload, leads to negative self-talk and a tendency towards rumination – trying to solve emotional problems with logical thinking, which becomes a destructive cycle. These internal critical voices are a survival mechanism gone awry, as positive affirmations are less conducive to immediate danger detection.

NEUROPLASTICITY: THE BRAIN'S CAPACITY FOR CHANGE

Despite the challenges, Wax highlights the concept of neuroplasticity, offering a powerful message of hope. This scientific understanding reveals that our brains can change and rewire themselves throughout our lives by altering our thoughts, experiences, and feelings. Even our genes can be influenced by our behaviors and mindset. This implies that we are not permanently fixed in our patterns and have the potential to break free from detrimental habits and create new, healthier neural pathways through conscious effort.

MINDFULNESS AS A TOOL FOR SELF-REGULATION

Wax discovered mindfulness as a practice that yields significant positive results for a range of mental health issues. She explains that mindfulness involves learning to observe one's thoughts without judgment, using an anchor like sensory experience to ground oneself in the present moment. This technique helps disrupt the cycle of rumination and anxiety by engaging the insula, activating a calming response that counteracts the overactive amygdala. The practice encourages self-compassion by acknowledging internal struggles without self-criticism.

ANCHORING IN THE PRESENT: SENSORY AWARENESS AND COMPASSION

The core of mindfulness practice is redirecting attention to sensory experiences – touch, sight, sound, taste – which activates the insula and pulls us out of anxious future-thinking or past regrets. This intentional shift prevents the brain from getting stuck in a loop of fear or rumination, as one cannot simultaneously be anxious and fully experience a sensation. This practice foster self-compassion, akin to the empathetic listening of a therapist, promoting forgiveness and understanding of one's own mental processes.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: FROM INNER PEACE TO WORLD PEACE

Wax suggests that personal transformation through practices like mindfulness or other embodied activities (yoga, martial arts) has a ripple effect. By managing our internal states and promoting self-compassion, we become better equipped to connect with and influence others positively, spreading calm rather than internal conflict. She emphasizes that the 'war' is often within our own minds, and resolving that internal conflict is the first step towards broader peace, likening our interconnectedness to neural Wi-Fi.

REGAINING CONTROL AND THE BONUS OF PRESENCE

By learning to focus our attention and return to the present moment, we gain a crucial mechanism for managing stress and preventing detrimental thought patterns. This conscious control over our focus is vital, especially when we recognize we've exceeded our tipping point. The ability to pull back, engage with our body, and be present enhances clarity, memory, and emotional regulation, enabling us to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience and wisdom, moving beyond mere survival towards a more fulfilling existence.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Organizations

●People Referenced

Mindfulness Practice: Dos and Don'ts

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Sit down and notice your thinking without judgment.

Use your senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste) as anchors to the present moment.

Practice noticing thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

Acknowledge that rumination has no answer and can lead to burnout.

Be compassionate towards yourself when you notice difficult thoughts or feelings.

Recognize that mindfulness can help regulate the brain and create a ripple effect.

Engage in activities that keep you in your body, like Tai Chi or Yoga.

Focus on regulating your own brain before worrying about external issues.

Avoid This

Don't run away from your thoughts or try to suppress them.

Don't punish yourself for having difficult thoughts or for feeling stressed.

Don't engage in rumination, which is an endless loop of trying to solve emotional problems.

Don't get caught up in the 'red mist' of intense emotions.

Don't blame external factors for internal conflict; the war is in your brain.

Don't get stuck in old patterns; embrace neuroplasticity and change.

Don't let constant bad news and social media bombard your brain without an anchor.

Common Questions

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This means our thoughts and experiences can change our brain structure and function, offering a pathway to alter ingrained behaviors and emotional responses, which is key to mental well-being.