Your Better Mental Wellbeing Boots Digital Health

Do you have a habit or something that you keep doing over and over again that frustrates you or others around you? A habit that you really want to change? Rewiring your brain to improve how you act is possible.
That's what we are talking about today on Episode 1: Upgrading Your Habits.
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
Links to this week's discussion:
[02:56] What habits are, why they are useful and why they can also be unhelpful
[05:14] Neuroplasticity and the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways
[09:02] How habits develop and how noticing our cues and triggers can begin to change them
[13:14] Why motivation and willpower is not enough
[16:29] Making mistakes and slipping up, but not giving up
Key takeaways:
-Believe you can change your habits - neuroplasticity means that our brains can rewire to form new pathways and connections
-Ask yourself why you really want to change - how does that habit make you think, feel and do
-Do something achievable that you can stick to over and over again, even when you are tired or have low motivation
Join us next time when we discuss how to manage stressful moments.
Find our more:
For transcripts visit our website: http://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.

Do you have some very stressful moments in your day to day life? Things that feel beyond your control or overwhelming? Quickly being able to calm your mind and body is possible.
That's what we are talking about today on Episode 2: Managing Stressful Moments.
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
Links to this week's discussion:
[01:56] Why stress is important and how it impacts our daily lives in both beneficial and unhelpful ways
[04:58] How our body reacts to stress
[07:28] Ways in which our thoughts and feelings can affect how we perceive and respond to stressful situations
[14:27] What we can do to cope with stress when it starts including breathing techniques
Key takeaways:
-Whenever we encounter events or situations that we perceive to be stressful, our bodies experience a physiological stress reaction
-We may not always be in control of the situation, but we're always in control of how we respond to it.
-We can use tools including breathing exercises to calm and restore ourselves.
Join us next time for an Impactful 10 episode: And Breathe - guiding you through some breathing exercises in real-time, to calm yourself quickly.
Find our more:
For transcripts visit our website: https://www.yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.

Do you want to be able to calm your mind and body quickly? Using the power of your body's natural breathing ability is the key.
Dr Neera Dholakia will be guiding you through a practical session on breathing techniques in this Episode 3 Impactful 10: And Breathe.
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
This week's tools:
[01:30] Diaphragmatic or Belly Breathing
[02:53] 4-7 Breath and variations
[05:48] 3 minute Breathing Space
Join us next week when we look at loosening the grip of long term stress.
Find our more:
For transcripts visit our website: https://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.

Do you have times in your life when you feel endlessly stressed, thinking you can't cope or finding it difficult to deal with things?
That's what we are talking about today on Episode 4: Loosening the Grip of Long-Term Stress.
We explore the the topic of long-term stress, its effects on mental and physical health, and ways in which listeners can manage and mitigate its impacts. We look at two main coping strategies: problem-focused coping that deals with the reducing or removing the cause of stress, and emotion-focused coping that works to reduce the emotional distress associated with stress. We also offer a wealth of practical tips around time management, reframing thoughts, breathwork, mindfulness and deep muscle relaxation. 
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
Links to this week's discussion:
[02:34] The Stress Bucket Analogy
[03:58] Effects of Long-Term Stress on Physical Health
[10:00] Problem Focused Coping Strategies
[12:00] SSTA (Stop, Slow Down, Think, Act)
[15:42] Emotion Focused Coping Strategies
[18:37] Importance of Relaxation in Stress Management
Key takeaways:
-Managing long-term stress is essential for mental and physical health.
-You can identify the feelings and behaviours that impact on how you cope with stress.
-Use problem-solving and relaxation techniques to reduce stress and improve your ability to deal with it when it's there.
Join us next week for a guided Impactful 10: Muscle Relaxation.
Find our more:
For transcripts visit our website: https://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.

You can’t feel stressed and relaxed at the same time. Actively relaxing your muscles dissolves the tension in your body and calms your mind, making it easier to cope with whatever life throws at you. 
Dr Neera Dholakia will be guiding you through a practical session on deep muscle relaxation in this Episode 5 Impactful 10: Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
We're your hosts, Neera and Soen.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
This week's tools:
This muscle relaxation will reduce the body’s stress reaction and so reduce your heart rate, your blood pressure, your breathing rate, and your startle reflex. And as your body feels less stressed, your thoughts will also be calmer, more logical and rational. By reducing muscle tension, you can also dial down pain that has developed as a result of built-up tension. This deep relaxation helps to relax your body and restore your mind into its calm, resting state. 
You move progressively through your whole body from one muscle group to the next, tensing and releasing. By focusing on the sensations of tension and relaxation, you learn how your body feels when your muscles are tense and relaxed, and which areas you might need to concentrate on more. You only need to tense to a moderate tension, avoiding discomfort or cramp. 
You can do this in the moment when you need it, or practise it regularly to build up its beneficial effect. Many people find it helps them to sleep too.
[00:56] Understanding the Benefits of Muscle Relaxation
[02:29] Guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise
[08:28] Final Relaxation
Join us next week when we discuss: Taming your Worries in Today's World
Find our more:
For transcripts visit our website: https://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.

Do you spend time worrying about things, wishing that you weren't worrying or feeling anxious? Finding helpful ways to manage your worries will reduce your stress and give you time back to focus on things meaningful to you.
That's what we are talking about today on Episode 6:Taming your Worries in Today's World .
We're your hosts: Dr. Neera Dholakia and Soen Trueman, and we're joined by Ben Cronin who is an experienced high intensity cognitive behavioural therapist working in an NHS Talking Therapy service in Surrey and Kent for With You. We explore the science behind worry and anxiety. We provide insights into the benefits and drawbacks of worry and discuss common worries and concerns. We also discuss lots of practical tips to cope better and manage worries effectively.
Your Better Mental Wellbeing is a weekly podcast helping you to manage stress and build resilience with easy evidence-based tools.
Dr Neera Dholakia is a GP for Boots Online Doctor and the NHS. She is an expert in mental wellbeing and has extensive experience designing mental health services whilst working for NHS England, Healthy London Partnership and mental health trusts. As well as promoting self-care, she also works to improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Soen Trueman is a full stack developer with Boots Online Doctor, specialising in graphics design, user experience, and user behaviour. Soen’s interests in behavioural analysis extends to psychology and further to neuroscience, which he is currently studying at Harvard University.
Links to this week's discussion:
02:47 Common themes of worry
04:06 The purpose of worry including the impact of social media
06:51 Rumination and the role of worrying about past events
09:49 Differentiating between helpful and unhelpful worry
11:40 Coping with your worst case scenario
15:43 Practical techniques to deal with worry: cost-benefit analysis, worry postponement, 2 minute rule, spot-stop-switch
Key takeaways:
-Worrying can be a helpful process but it's important to identify when it is not.
-We often compare ourselves, judge ourselves and worry we are not good enough
-Some easy techniques to cope with worry or worry better include: saying 'so what if', postponing worrying or worrying for 2 minutes and spot-stop-switch 'choo-choo'.
Join us next week for an Impactful 10 guided session on Being Present and Becoming Mindful.
Find out more:
Ben Cronin is a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist providing mental health support for individuals, couples and families. He works for WithYou treating people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety disorders.
WithYou provides free, confidential counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in Surrey and Kent. They also have an online chat service. For more information, visit https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk
For transcripts visit our website: https://yourbettermentalwellbeing.show
For great health, lifestyle and wellbeing information visit: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com
The information in this podcast is not intended to replace your own GP or other doctor’s professional medical advice.