In Episode Seven we connected with neuroscientist Selena Bartlett and heard about the sister that she lost to mental illness and how that shifted Selena’s career to studying “brain health” and neuroplasticity. Today, we dig in even deeper to hear about Selena’s own experience with depression and the way she was able to overcome it by “retraining” her brain.

Selena knows with conviction both through her work and through her personal experience that we CAN rewire our brains. She says that the process she shares with us is “simple” but not “easy”. Selena gives practical tactics to help make our brains more resilient to pain and remain peaceful in the midst of chaos.

In this episode, you will learn the role mirror neurons play in our depression, why the amygdala is wired to “protect us”, how we can train our brain to be “calm”, and how to use unconditional love as a tool to soothe loved ones through mental illness. She even asks me about the “moment of change” in my own journey and we discuss how using small moments can change the wiring of our brain. 

Towards the end of the interview, we also dig into nutrition's role in mental health, why sugar should be avoided and how the brain negatively responds to it, and why Selena believes that exercise is the “elixir of life”. This interview is not only inspirational but incredibly informative. Please connect with us in our private Facebook group and let us know what you learned!

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Resources mentioned: 

Jill Bolte Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/speakers/jill_bolte_taylor

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Topics Discussed:

• How to become the “boss of your brain”.
• How to train our brain to respond and not react.
• How we can support loved ones who are struggling with mental illness through positive experiences.

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Connect with Selena Bartlett:

• Website: http://selenab.com/
• Books and Resources: https://www.amazon.com/Selena-Bartlett/e/B076HT6YPC%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/miggimatters
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smashingmindset/

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Connect with us!

• Website: https://hopetorecharge.com/
• Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2079694042156503/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matanajacobs/

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• iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-to-recharge/id1464788845
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