This episode covers the conclusion of our two-part series on the importance of taking time off to facilitate quality output. High-quality time off is described as anything that gives you meaning. In this way, how you decide to spend your time off is very personal and will be unique to you. If you missed part 1, back and listen to it before jumping into the conclusion. In this episode, we talk about the concept of time off and rest ethic by exploring creativity, artificial intelligence, and music creation.

This episode covers part one of a two-part series on the importance of taking time off and resting to enable you to show up as your best self. Rest ethic isn’t about scrolling social media or binge-watching your favourite show; it is about taking time to rest, recover, and reconnect with yourself, nature and the people around you in a meaningful way. By taking intentional time off, you can unlock your brain’s power and creativity.

A healthy lifestyle includes sleeping well, managing stress, exercising, and eating healthy foods. Knowing what you need to do to be healthy is simple, but the execution is hard. There are many barriers to building healthy habits and showing up for yourself in a way that will keep you feeling vibrant and energized. Start by naming potential obstacles and make a contingency plan. Next, uncover your “why.” By connecting with the deep emotion behind your desire to build healthier habits, you will be better equipped to implement them when motivation wavers.

The importance of physical exercise to aging well cannot be overstated. The benefits of staying physically active as you age go beyond the physical realm and can include increased mood, elevated levels of happiness, & larger memory centres of the brain. Exercise also helps your heart become more efficient and better able to pump blood throughout your body. Tune in to learn more about the importance of physical movement with increasing age.

Healthy aging is multi-faceted, and many contributing factors will not come as a surprise to you: exercise, eat healthy & nutritious foods, stay connected to your community, practice mindfulness & meditation, etc. This episode covers insights on healthy aging from a unique perspective: Ayurveda (the art of being). By practicing stillness and learning how to better connect with and listen to your body, you can tune into your inner knowledge and implement healthy lifestyle approaches that best work for you.

Perfectly hidden depression is a syndrome that presents as a group of characteristics, including perfectionism that is fueled by shame, difficulty expressing painful emotions, and sincere concern over the well-being of others, while allowing few into your inner world. People who are experiencing perfectly hidden depression often have an inability to relate with themselves and others on an emotional level and may feel empty or void of connection. Identifying, addressing, and managing perfectly hidden depression is possible. Tune in to learn more!

What comes to mind when you hear: “vibrant aging”? Aging vibrantly includes feeling a sense of well-being, living a quality life and expressing a sense of personal fulfillment. Vibrant aging is also tied to your health, so your lifestyle choices impact it. What you eat, how much you exercise, and how stressed you feel affects various health outcomes (e.g., telomere length and inflammation). Tune in to learn more about how to age vibrantly and the different lifestyle behaviours that impact overall health.

Your brain is a dynamic and adaptable organ. In this episode, we will cover how to keep your brain in good shape, maximize your memory and boost your brain health. We will be doing a deep dive into the role that various lifestyle factors – including sleep, stress and exercise – play in the health of your brain. Tune in to learn how to optimize your everyday brain performance and hold onto essential functions like memory into old age.

Creativity is defined as something that is both novel and useful. Research shows a quieting of the frontal lobes - your brain's "checking" functions - during creative output, which allows for new, more outside of the box, thinking. Interestingly, the frontal lobes of the brain naturally undergo age-related changes. So, if you are a listener who is over the age of 60 - you may be living at a creative advantage! To learn more about creativity and the brain, be sure to tune in.

Relationships and love are fundamental to our identity. Regardless of whether you are currently in a relationship, single or somewhere in between – we can learn a lot by examining and unpacking how we connect or don’t connect with those around us. For example, dynamics in our family of origin play a powerful role in our identity, emotional wellness, self-esteem, and self-worth which carries into and impacts every relationship we have – with ourselves, our friends, work colleagues, as well as in romantic relationships. Tune in to learn about dating, relationships, identity development, and emotional wellness.

Your brain changes all of the time. Throughout your entire life your brain adapts in response to your experiences and the environment. There is an infinite number of ways that your brain can rewire itself, but it is up to you and how you spend your time (e.g., novelty seeking, working through challenges) that will have a direct impact on how your brain is wired and functions. Tune in to learn about your brain’s unique ability to change itself and approaches you can use to optimize your brain’s performance.

Dementia is not a normal part of aging. Dementia (an umbrella term) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that is characterized by various cognitive symptoms, including declines in memory, difficulty with language, communication challenges, and issues with problem solving. This episode covers insights about dementia and the many challenges faced by caregivers of loved ones with dementia. If you are currently caregiving for someone with dementia, listen to this episode for valuable resources and suggestions of online support communities.

We could all use an additional spark of joy in our lives. With increasing age, there can be loss, but turning grief into joy is possible. We all have a spirit of joy deep inside that wants to wake up and grant our true heart’s desire. Our guest, Dr. Jacqueline Thea, calls this spirit your fairy grandmother within. Transform grief, find hope, and stir healing.

Happy 1-year Anniversary, BrainShape Podcast! In this episode, we celebrate being on the air for one whole year by sharing some of Dr. Andrea Wilkinson’s favourite moments. If you are enjoying the content shared in this podcast, please help us grow the show by sharing it with your network and by subscribing, rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple Podcast. We couldn’t have asked for a better first year and we are so excited to see what the future has in store. Will you be coming along for the journey?

Depression in older age is a specific mental health condition that warrants further discussion. We live in a youth-oriented society that sends incorrect messages about aging and how one should feel during the aging process. The misconception that getting old is bad, gloomy and depressing is damaging for a multitude of reasons, but one particular damaging impact is the under diagnosis of clinical depression in this population. Depression is a tremendous source of suffering, disability, and poor health outcomes that needs to be diagnosed and treated. Tune in to learn more about depression and aging.

This episode concludes our two-part series on how to combine the best of Western and Eastern medicine for optimal health. Our guest, Dr. Catherine Kurosu, trained as an acupuncturist and subsequently integrated this modality into her medical practice. Hoping to raise awareness of the benefits of this approach to well-being, she has co-authored a series of books called “True Wellness.” This episode covers part 2 (conclusion) and we’ll be talking about how sleep and stress impact the health of your brain.

The next two episodes will be a series that covers the topic of how to combine the best of Western & Eastern medicine for optimal health. Specifically, you'll learn how your everyday choices (e.g., exercise, nutrition, & stress management) impact your health & wellness, & the important roles sleep & stress play in how your brain functions. This episode covers part 1 where you’ll be introduced to our guest Dr. Kurosu & learn how different lifestyle behaviours impact health & what you can do about it.

Music is incredibly powerful. Some songs – when played – can open up a floodgate of memories & emotions. To help us learn about music & the brain, this episode features a book called, “This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession” by Dr. Daniel J. Levitin. Using quotes from Dr. Levitin’s book, this episode covers how your brain perceives & interprets music. Other topics discussed include why music is so powerful to our human experience & the unique ways it gets embedded into memory.

As you age, your brain undergoes normal structural and functional changes. One of these changes includes shrinkage of your hippocampus – your brain’s memory centre. Research shows that – on average, as you age - your hippocampus shrinks around 1-2% per year. But, there are lifestyle behaviours that can help protect your brain against normal age-related changes. Exercise has been shown to benefit the brain in many ways.  For one, physical exercise has also been shown to increase the size of your hippocampus.

Women in midlife have a tremendous amount of value, knowledge and inspiration to share. But, it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and be your true, authentic and magnificent self. In this episode, we talk to a 50+ year-old blogger on a journey of self-discovery and a mission to help other women connect with themselves to live a fierce and vibrant life.