Babes & Brains Ella & Julia

The 22nd of April, the Earth Day, marks human mobilisation to protect our planet. Our world is being transformed because of the urge to dominate and exploit it, rather than being a part of it. Unless we act now, this change may be irreversible.

In this episode, we describe how our childhood and growing up in different countries shaped our attitudes to sustainability. We also tackle the most efficient practices in climate change communication and promoting behaviour change to others. In this episode we are also joined by a special guest. Tune in for an intimate (nearing TMI...) conversation straight from our couch!

(1:41) – Our unique experiences of sustainability

(16:07) - Climate change as a one-dimensional issue

(23:27) – Perks of vegetarianism

(25:07) – How to communicate climate change efficiently?

(31:37) – Should we induce fear while discussing climate change? How does human anxiety play into our sustainable behaviour?

(39:12) – Be kind to yourself and others while caring for the planet!

(53:37) – Are we overrating our agency? Climate change as a systemic issue

We have all lived from lockdown to lockdown for nearly a year now. While the distribution of COVID vaccines gives hope of a brighter future, the present is still shadowed by the pandemic and its influences on an individual and societal level. Building up resilience to adverse events can increase personal wellbeing in these difficult times, during the pandemic and beyond.

So what does being resilient mean? How can you become more resilient? What do orchids, dandelions and bamboos have in common? Find out in this episode of Babes & Brains where we tackle resilience research and techniques.

(1:20) Why do we think resilience can help you during the Covid-19 pandemic?

(8:25) Orchids and dandelions: developmental perspectives on resilience

(18:00) What is psychological flexibility?

(20:00) Acceptance of negative emotions

(25:00) Tips for building your resilience

Babes and Brains make a lockdown comeback! Most of us are aware of the oppressive influence of social media and panic (social dilemma?) is starting to emerge. Is our fear justified? How can we stop ourselves from becoming addicted to our smartphones? Is social media the “evil force” behind political polarisation and emergence of mental health difficulties? We chat about all of that while trying to survive the hermit lifestyle aka Lockdown 2.0.

(1:41) Introduction & our personal (often excessive) social media usage (4:43) The dark side of social media. Social media = scary? Is it taking away our power? Are we losing our agency? (14:01) Is there hope? Solutions from education to regulations (20:11) Your phone knows your secrets and is tracking your every move! (25:57) How to get out of your social media echo chamber? Outsmarting the algorithms and fake news across the political spectrum (38:00) Is fear mongering about social media justified? The difficulty of science communication (40:53) Concluding remarks. Getting away from your screen and into the forest!

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health disorders and affect us significantly, especially during very stressful times like a freakin' worldwide pandemic. Listen to us spill the anxie-TEA!

(2:05) Covid-19 and anxiety

(09:20) Our experiences of anxiety

(14:55) Our ways of managing anxiety

(19:50) Anxiety = being stuck in the future?

(30:30) Panic disorder

(36:45) Reframe your anxiety with excitement

In this episode, we tackle how humans develop conspiracist ideas and beliefs!

(0:15) COVID-19 conspiracy theories

(5:45) Why do you start believing in conspiracy theories?

(8:50) Conspiracy theories that aim to explain how the world works (Q-ANON)

(16:20) What kind of people believe in conspiracy theories?

(23:30) Negative consequences of conspiracist beliefs

(30:00) Mistrust in the government and our Trump rant

A lot of our insight comes from a webinar run by Donald Lush, a Careers Consultant, working at King's College London.

King's Fund Blog that we refer to:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2019/09/tackling-imposter-syndrome

2:40 Our experience of imposter syndrome

9:10 How do you identify imposter syndrome?

17:50 Dunning–Kruger effect and practical advice to combat imposter syndrome and turn it into your superpower

26:00 Uncertainty is a natural element of reality (especially during COVID-19)

38:20 Perfectionism