- Podcast Title: The Mental Health Doctor: “Sitting Is Increasing Your Anxiety!”, Your Phone Is Destroying Your Brain, You May Have ‘Popcorn Brain’!
- Podcast: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
- Guest: Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, Harvard stress expert.
Aditi Nerurkar, MD, MPH is an internal medicine physician, public health expert and medical correspondent with an expertise in stress, resilience and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. She currently serves as the Co-Director of the HMS Clerkship in Community Engagement with former HMS Dean of Students Dr. Nancy Oriol.
- Guest Book: Dr. Aditi’s New book, The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience.
Origin Story
- Dr. Aditi’s catalyst moment came when she couldn’t find a doctor to deal with her stress. She became the doctor she needed when she was going through her stress struggle.
State of Stress
- We are seeing unprecedented levels of stress in the world, affecting every industry, age and group. It is the great equalizer.
Stress Stats
- 70% of people have at least a feature of burnout, and 72% struggle with stress.
What’s Happening
- Delayed Stress Reaction:
Under periods of acute stress, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, we shore up our internal reserves. We often do not crack during the moment of high stress, we keep it together at all cost. - Our brains are built like dams. When you are going through a period of stress, you keep it together at all costs. When that acute period of stress is over, our psychological defences come down, and our true emotions can emerge. It is often a deluge. It comes out in different ways as the manifestations of stress are different.
What is Stress?
Acute Stress vs Chronic Stress
- Under normal circumstances, we function in resilient mode, and the prefrontal cortex governs us. The prefrontal cortex is right in front of our forehead. It is the part of the brain responsible for what, in scientific terms, is referred to as “General Executive Function” or, in layman’s terms, adulting. It is also responsible for memory, planning, and strategic thinking. Under stress, we are governed by the Amygdala.
- The Amygdala is a tiny almond-shaped structure deep in our brains. It is our emotional center and limbic system. It is often called the reptilial brain because it is the part of our brain that has not evolved like other parts of our brain. The Amygdala creates the fight or flight response to stressors in our body. We are built for managing stress.
- Modern-day life has no long, acute threats like the tiger. All of our tigers are chronic financial troubles, bills, marital or relational conflicts, and health issues. Acute stress is evolutionarily healthy as it serves a role.
Chronic Stress
- The brain doesn’t get time to rest or recharge.
Burnout
The definition is changing. Earlier, burnout meant apathy, lethargy, feeling unproductive, not very motivated. In 2019, the world health organization (WHO) designated burnout as an occupational phenomenon and a clinical syndrome.
2020-Date: Meaning of Burnout
- It is no longer only the classical typical syndrome but we are also seeing more atypical signals.
In a study, 60% of people with burnout had an inability to disconnect from work as their main feature of burnout.
- Work Burnout occurs when it begins to interfere with your day-to-day functioning. An inability to unplug is a sign of burnout.
Parental Burnout
- A 2022 Ohio State University study found that two-thirds of working parents reported being burned out.
- There is a lot of stigma and shame around burnout.
Atypical Burnout
- Your brain and body deserve a rest, and you need to have spaciousness to function optimally.
What is your endgame?
Is this a sprint or a marathon?
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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