Episode Summary
In this weekly summary of the activity on the podcast over the last 7 days I share the highs, the lows and the lessons learnt. These include:
- The ongoing control the stigma of mental illness has over me.
- 4 different ways to increase the levels of serotonin in the brain (and do the job of antidepressants?).
- Diet can be used to increase serotonin in the brain – or can it?
- The re-realisation that I am not really addressing what needs to be addressed to create mental well being.
- Some insights on happiness from the UK’s only Doctor of Happiness
Episode Show Notes
00:17 – In Monday’s episode (107 The Conflict Of Connection) I shared my thoughts on the challenges I face about sharing my journey so far with someone I deeply care about.
01:44 – Tuesday’s episode was called 108 Four Alternative Ways To Increase Serotonin In The Brain Without Drugs and identified the following ways:
- Self induced mood changes
- Light exposure
- Exercise
- Diet
02:04 – On Wednesday I decided to explore how diet can be used to increase serotonin levels in the brain and came up with some conflicting advice. The important amino acid is tryptophan, though it isn’t necessarily a simple case of eating more food containing it.
04:22 – On Thursday in episode 110 I explained why I didn’t tell someone close to me about my struggles. I think this will be an ongoing internal debate I’ll have with myself for a while.
05:12 – By Friday, I started to come to my senses about what I really need to be doing when it comes to improving my mental well being. I realised I have been skirting around the real issues and probably need to dig a little bit deeper into CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
06:26 – In yesterday’s episode I shared some of the insights I got from attending a conference on happiness. The key idea for me was this:
You feel your thinking
Dr Andy Cape, The UK’s Only Doctor of Happiness
