It was Stress Awareness Month in April so we’re bringing you a belated episode all about stress, what it is, what it means for your body and mind and how to tackle it and cope with stress a little bit better. This week, we cover:Real and perceived stresses and how they’re one and the same thingThe stress response and the physiological impacts of stress Your built-in relaxation system: the parasympathetic nervous systemSpotting the signs of stress therefore preventing burn-outOur own experiences of burn-outManage stress with these top tipsWe can’t stress enough (pun intended) the value of social connections and self-care during times of stress: whether that’s driven by internal or external pressures. Please reach out to loved ones and/or healthcare professionals whilst you engage in lots of self-care to get you to a much healthier and happier place. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We know the January Blues are a real thing, and that this month can be a bit of a struggle. We’re no stranger to this, both personally and professionally. If you’ve ever wondered what depression is, what it can look like in people, and what causes it (from a neuroscience perspective), this is the episode for you.Whilst it’s impossible to put all of the information and science out there in this episode, we’re putting this episode together as a gentle introduction to the topic to expand your knowledge on the subject. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more episodes from us on this subject to come!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeIf you’re struggling with feelings of low mood and/or depression, please seek help. Consider speaking to a friend, colleague, family member or your GP as soon as possible.If you’re in crisis, please consider calling 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours or Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19On this episode, we cover:What is depressionWhat are the signs and symptoms to look out forWhat causes depressionBrain chemistry and depression 101: neurotransmitters and how they contribute to depression and how antidepressants can workChanges in brain activity we see with depressionIf you like what you hear, please do consider supporting us to keep our little show running:Instagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Happy New Year! We’re back with an episode all about a controversial subject: New Year's Resolutions, health habits and how to work towards your health goals. Here’s a clue: we’re not all that into New Year’s Resolutions! Intrigued? We’ll tell you all about why they can often fail, and we’ll tell you how to set yourself up for success when it comes to habit change. Some topics we cover:Our Christmases Habits we want to pick up (again) this yearHow to start building new healthy habitsWhy New Year’s Resolutions often failHow hypnosis helps habit changeHabits we want to stopThe importance of starting small when it comes to habit changeLike what you hear? Give us a like, follow and/or subscribe and you’ll always receive out latest episode right there wherever you listen to your podcasts.SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

We’re back to you after yet another (unplanned but much needed) hiatus. We’ve been busy trying to get all our ducks in a row to come back to you more regularly with episodes. We’ve missed you and the podcast! Now is a perfect time to be back in your ears and minds in the lead up to what feels like the biggest celebrations that we’ve had in a while: Christmas and how to eat well during this time period. We’re the first to point out that (we hope) this is a time to let your hair down a little, but to do so consciously - which means being less conscious during specific meals, but more conscious of what you’re doing around those specific celebrations to stay well. Not sure what we mean? Don’t worry we’ll help!In this episode, we’ll discussWhat we’re up to over the festive periodAre Christmas dinners unhealthy?How to eat well over the festive seasonThe importance of keeping up healthy routines and habits during ChristmasOur views on celebrations and managing our health during this periodHow to cope when Christmas isn’t a happy time SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]

After a little break, we’re happy to come back with a stellar podcast episode: the issues we have with Diet Culture. We cover a huge amount of topics within this umbrella term: diets, the culture of dieting and wacky diets being introduced to help with weight loss. We discuss a little bit about weight loss and about the nutritional considerations when it comes to eating more optimally for your goal weight. However, this isn’t a podcast that offers weight loss advice - we’d always encourage you to read up on nutrition and consult a specialist who can help you with your personal health needs and goals. On this episode, we cover:What we think about caloriesDiets based on body shapeWeight, BMI and healthThinking about weight loss as the side effect, rather than the main goalWhy many weight loss diets failOur problem with diet culture The dangers of yo-yo dietingThe illusion of quick fixes in weight lossWhy giving up your control to an app isn’t helpful Why reading nutrition labels is keyMaking intentional choices with lifestyle changesThe value of small changesSUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). Today we’re tackling a topic that hits home for most of us: emotional eating. At some point, we all fall victim to stress eating, eating more comfort foods in times of low mood, or being unable to stick to our health goals sometimes out of boredom. We cover the following:How we’re doing What is emotional eating and what isn’tOur own experiences with emotional eatingHedonic and homeostatic hungerWhy noticing hunger and habits is very important for healthHow to address emotional eating patternsWe hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too!SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). After a bit of an unplanned break, we’ve returned for the second episode of the third season, and this one is different! We’ve scoured the pages of Reddit for all kinds of nutrition content to help figure out what our audience do and don’t know about nutrition and lifestyle changes.On this episode, we’ve taken to the Nutrition myths we wished would die (is brown rice really better than white? Is eating fruit the same as eating a candy bar and is a raw diet the best diet for health?) Small lifestyle changes that have had an outsized, beneficial effect on health, nutrition and happiness (eg. using smaller plates, practising good sleep hygiene, flexibility in your thoughts when it comes to achieving your health goals) AITA: AITA for trying to get my 91 year old grandmother to get some more variety and nutrition in her diet and it’s my week to take care of her?We hope you enjoy the episode, and if you do, please follow us on any/all of the channels. Feel free to leave us a comment too! We’d hugely appreciate it if you could support us! SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome to the Joyful Balance Podcast with your two delightful co-hosts, Meera Malhotra (Nutritional Therapist) and Denise Iordache (Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist). This is the first episode of our new season where we take you on a journey of how your mind, brain and body are interconnected. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeWe’re finally back with Season 3 of the podcast! We’ve taken all the data from the podcast and we’re bringing you more episodes you love - all about food and setting ourselves up to eat more healthily on a regular basis for your wellbeing. Not sure how to go about it? We’ll give you all the tips and tricks you’ll need to get you on the right track!Topics we cover this episode:Catch up with us since Season 2How to get enough iron in your diet if you’re full vegetarian Meera’s top tips to set yourself up for success in making changes to your dietThe value of starting small and knowing your starting point Denise’s top tips for healthier livingThinking about ‘treats’ differently and the importance of assessing how you feel after you eat YouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome to the Joyful Balance Podcast! Denise and Meera are here to take you on a journey of understanding your mind, your brain and your body and how all three things are very much interlinked. This is the final episode of Season 2! The theme running through this season has been about personal change for us both, learning to action the advice we give you! Today we’re rounding up on how we have been finding our own sense of balance between living healthily and enjoying life (knowing the two aren’t mutually exclusive). On our final episode this season, we cover:The value of getting outside your comfort zoneHow to keep going and get back into healthy habits when you face a blipWhy routines are really important over external pressure for consistently reaching your health goalsWhat balance means to usThe danger of all-or-nothing thinkingHow to maintain balance over the long termSUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)

Welcome back to the Joyful Balance Podcast! This week we’re talking about a topic not often thought about very deeply - Resilience. A hugely underrated skill, Meera and Denise cover the benefits of resilience on a neuroscience and psychological level, and how you can develop resilience like any other skill - with practice. SUPPORT JOYFUL BALANCE PODCAST: Feel free to share your support with us, by donating a cup of coffeeListen to us as we explore:What resilience means to us and what it actually meansThe neuroscience of resilience and what you can use neurobiology to your advantage to make you more resilientHow you can improve resilience with cognitive behavioural hypnotherapyWhat resilience actually isHow to identify a resilient personThe value of positive social connections to resilienceOther useful factors that help you become more resilientFinal thoughts on the importance of resilienceYouTube: Joyful Balance PodcastInstagram: @joyful_balance.meEmail: [email protected]—-Work with usCLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH MEERA (NUTRITION)CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DENISE (THERAPY)