How to Protect Your Brain from Stress
Stress is a natural part of life, but it can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health. In her TEDxAmsterdamWomen talk, Niki Korteweg explains how to protect our brains from the damaging effects of stress.
The Impact of Stress on the Brain
Stress can have a significant impact on the brain. It can cause changes in the brain’s structure and function, leading to a decrease in cognitive performance and an increase in anxiety and depression. Stress can also lead to an increase in cortisol, a hormone that is released in response to stress. High levels of cortisol can lead to a decrease in the production of new neurons, which can impair memory and learning.
How to Protect Your Brain from Stress
Niki Korteweg suggests several strategies for protecting the brain from the damaging effects of stress.
1. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Regular physical activity can help to reduce cortisol levels and increase the production of endorphins, which are hormones that can help to reduce stress and improve mood. Exercise can also help to improve cognitive performance and reduce anxiety and depression.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential for the brain to function properly. Lack of sleep can lead to an increase in cortisol levels, which can impair cognitive performance and increase stress. Getting enough sleep can help to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet can help to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance. Eating a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help to reduce cortisol levels and improve mood. Eating a diet that is low in sugar and processed foods can also help to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance.
4. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice that involves focusing on the present moment and being aware of one’s thoughts and feelings. Practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance. Mindfulness can also help to reduce anxiety and depression.
5. Connect with Others
Connecting with others can help to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance. Connecting with friends and family can help to reduce cortisol levels and improve mood. Connecting with others can also help to reduce anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
Stress can have a significant impact on the brain, leading to a decrease in cognitive performance and an increase in anxiety and depression. Niki Korteweg suggests several strategies for protecting the brain from the damaging effects of stress, including exercise, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, practicing mindfulness, and connecting with others.
FAQs
Q: What is the impact of stress on the brain?
A: Stress can have a significant impact on the brain, leading to a decrease in cognitive performance and an increase in anxiety and depression.
Q: What are some strategies for protecting the brain from stress?
A: Some strategies for protecting the brain from stress include exercise, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, practicing mindfulness, and connecting with others.
Wow, amazing!
thank you, it is easy to be understand
currently in a place where i can't take a break
1- Be active
2- Sleep well
3- Eat smart
4- Meditate
In short, she said 1. Exercise 2. Sleep well 3. Eat healthy (Mediterranean diet) 4. Meditate
What if you completely dont have sleep?
Meditative music helps to shift from negative thoughts to positive ones, which can reduce the frequency of stress and improve psychological health
thanks sir for this useful video my mom also suffering from depression then hume planet ayurveda ke bre me pta cghla or unka treatment wha se start kia ab woh bilkil thk hai , thnx planet ayurved
Wonderful
My notes:
1. If memory and focus aren’t working how you want them to, it can be stress related.
2. Stress affects two areas of the brain: the frontal lobe (the area for working memory, keeping emotions under control, goal setting, making plans, prioritizing what to do first, next, etc.) and the hippocampus, which is the core of our memory.
3. High-stress hormones shrink the cells in the frontal lobe and hippocampus.
4. The best thing you do for your brain is to be physically active. When we’re working out, it’s not just good because our heart starts pumping and we get oxygen to our brain, but while we are physically active, our brain makes growth factor that stimulates the outgrowth of the branches in brain cells. They re-establish contact with each other, maybe even new cells are formed.
5. It doesn’t have to be a marathon. Research shows that people who do a brisk 45-minute walk 3 times per week gave a bigger hippocampus than people who only do stretching exercises.
6. Sleeping well is the second very important thing you can do. Sleep loss is a chronic stressor. Even after one night of poor sleep results in poorer concentration, memory and irritability. During sleep, our brain reorganizes itself: good connections are strengthened, and bad connections are removed. Sleep washes the brain clean of waste products. We need that for a good working brain.
7. Your brain needs good building blocks, i.e. food. It’s hard to pinpoint which vitamins or minerals are good for your brain, but for a whole eating pattern, it’s clear that people who eat a Mediterranean diet have a brain for a longer time with better memory and concentration.
8. A Mediterranean diet is large amounts of fruits & vegetables, fish which provide omega-3 fatty acids (we cannot make them ourselves), other proteins and grains, and healthy fats (olive and nuts—in some studies, these seem to be the two secret ingredients that keep your brain healthy for a long time). Red wine is not good for your brain!
9. Meditating is the fourth thing you can do for your brain. Increased scientific research shows that daily meditation can benefit your focus and attention. In a basic way, meditation trains your attention and emotional control. You can start with five minutes a day and see how it goes. You can try it, for example, five minutes daily when you wake up or before bed.
10. These four adjustments can counteract the devastating effects of chronic stress and make your brain resilient to it.
11. Nilki built these areas into her routine after getting burned out through work. She feels her brain works well again, maybe even better than ever. And she now knows it’s perfectly fine to work hard and long hours as long as she takes good care of her brain.
12. Be good to your brain. It’s the crown of who you are. Treat her like a queen!
Thank you for making such huge efforts to educate us. I use to take planet ayurveda herbal product calm easy capsules which are the natural stress buster.
Sleep is the most important.
Thank u . I will start my day accordingly to your suggestion to handle my stress at my early 20s .
She is not enough educated,she is only good on Ted talk ,practically she is not a neurologist or a Doctor
I'm so burned out, fried, really crispy, that i could not follow what she was saying. It is me, with guidance, that has to do the work. Good luck to everyone. You have to do it by yourself, but you do not have to do it alone.
Before you sleep
Just bring an empty piece of paper
And a pen
Then write your schedule of next day in that piece of parer
When you wake up
Just focus on what is writen in the paper
And focus on your goals in the paper
That's all
You will remove all stress and negative energy
Try it before you decide
If you are smart
Oh yeah. And you're the genius is that why you're doing TED Talks?? 😅😅😅
Dont take yourself seriously. When your told you have good end stinks. It means his shorts has poop.
Having God will relief everything thats stressing you😇🙏🏻
It seems so compelling and wise. But life is much more complicated. Advise how to calm your mind in a war. For example, getting enough sleep when an air raid alarm sounds several times a day and night
same old same old
❤️❤️❤️
24/03/2023
How to protect your brain from stress | Niki Korteweg
Jadi di dalam otak itu there is bagian yang mengatur gerakan kita yang dimau. Terus caranya tuh ada set goal, make plan, decide 1,2,3 , keep focus, remember, keep cool. Terus cara agar kita baik adalah dengan be aktif seperti olah raga dan semacamnya. Dan cara kedua untuk menjaga otak anda adalah sleep well. Cara ketiga adalah eat smart. Makan makanan yang sehat agar membuat otak anda sehat. Dan selanjutnya adalah meditate, supaya otak anda fokus. Jadi seperti itu cara menjaga otak anda dari stress, ada be aktif yang mana artinya anda bisa olahraga untuk meningkatkan otak anda jadi lebih sehta, kemudian sleep well artinya tidur yang cukup agar otak anda bisa beristirahat, kemudian eat smart, jaga pola makan dan pilih makanan yang sehat aja. Kemudian meditate dapat membantu otak anda lebih fokus lagii, seperti itu yang bisa saya sampaikan
From my own experience social support network is another very important factor. It is important to keep in touch with friends and family as they can provide emotional support and prevent feelings of loneliness during periods of stress.
everybody seems to know what are the ways to empower the brain, The challenge is how passionate we can be to pursue them freely.
Thank you for this ❤❤❤.
I mean sorted and clear vision