Insights to help you unwind
Self care was never meant to look like this
Self care was never meant to look like this
“I do have a thing, to be honest with you, about how self care is marketed and advertised.” When Dr Emily Musgrove uttered those words, I wanted to high five... Read more...
You don't have to be good at it.
You don't have to be good at it.
When you imagine starting any kind of creative project, does a little voice pipe up in your head that says something like: “I'm not artistic,” or “What if it looks terrible?,” or “I wouldn't even... Read more...
The psychology of scrolling V stitching, with Dr Em
The psychology of scrolling V stitching, with Dr Em
Last week, Dr Emily Musgrove gave us a lightbulb moment when she explained that being still isn’t the same as resting.  I wanted to understand why lounging on the couch scrolling your phone could... Read more...
What Dr Em taught me about rest and guilt
What Dr Em taught me about rest and guilt
Chances are you’ll be able to relate to one of these sentiments…  You find it almost impossible to sit still. The moment you stop and try to do something for... Read more...
What rats can teach us about self care. (Yep, 🐀 rats.)
Stay with me on this one, because it starts with rats and ends with your evenings on the couch. (It will make sense, I promise.) Dr Kelly Lambert is a Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience who has spent years studying the experiences and environments that optimise our brain health. A lot of her work involves laboratory and field studies of rats, primates and raccoons to explore the complexity of the mammalian brain. My favourite experiment of hers involved rats and Froot Loops. She divided rats into two groups. The first group... Read more...
Dopamine gets a bad rap.
Dopamine gets a bad rap these days. We're told our phones are giving us dopamine hits, said in a tone that implies dopamine itself is the problem. But dopamine isn't the villain. It's one of the most important chemicals in your brain. It's the thing that drives motivation and focus. The real story here is how you trigger it. Because dopamine can either leave you feeling genuinely restored or endlessly chasing the next hit, depending on where it came from. Think of it as cheap dopamine versus deep dopamine. Cheap... Read more...
The surprising thing your exhausted brain is craving
Ever noticed that when you finish the day exhausted, your first instinct is to hit up the couch and start the scroll or the TV streaming? You’re not alone.  Read more...
Need more time? Take up a hobby... Let us explain.
...when we engage in effortful creative activity, it doesn't just feel good in the moment. It expands our perception of time! So we end up feeling like we have more time in our day.  Read more...
I interviewed a creative health scientist. It was fascinating!
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down via Zoom with Katina Bajaj, who is a Creative Health Scientist with a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. Katina studies how creativity works in the brain and why it’s the most overlooked aspect of our wellbeing.  Read more...
'I quit my dream job to be a florist overseas. Nobody knew the real reason why.'
'I quit my dream job to be a florist overseas. Nobody knew the real reason why.'
Have you ever fantasised about quitting your job and running away from the daily grind and impending burnout to become a florist?  Well, I did that, and it ended up... Read more...