From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
You can't get addicted to drugs unless you're exposed to them. You have to be exposed in situation where you can determine the dose. If you take the drug long enough and in a high-enough dose… most drugs which are addictive, will give you withdrawal symptom… making you feel rotten, and giving you another reason to take more.
I was born premature, just 1lb 14oz, and my parents were told that survival chances for babies born so premature were low, and that it was likely I would grow up with disabilities if I survived. Praise God I survived, and I'm here today to live out my dreams.
We can take a hell of a lot more stress than we believe we can. We should learn how to fight not flight. And fight doesn't have to be a physical thing – it can be that you feel something's going to be uncomfortable 'okay well let's avoid it'. No, go through with it but go through with it in a progressive manner.
The cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of action. Every day we delay comprehensive HIV programs, we're not just counting dollars - we're counting lives.
I want to set an example for this generation of war reporters, and for my generation as a whole, that you don't have to rely on drugs or alcohol to cope with traumatic experiences.
We spend so much time at work, so we're going to have relationships with our colleagues – and those relationships may be distanced, troubled or fantastic. When they're positive, they're a source of joy, energy, productivity, and resilience. On the flip side, when those relationships are negative or stressful, they have incredible ramifications for our well-being, productivity, and creativity. Studies show that even when we cut ourselves, it takes longer to heal if we are having animosity in our close relationships!
When we crafted that phrase, it was because we saw a similarity with physical fitness. If you work out today, you don't return home and declare, 'Great, I'm finished, I never have to exercise again.' Those with the strongest social bonds diligently nurture them throughout their lives.
The microbiome is taking up space, so it is not letting the viruses and the bad bacteria come, adhere to the tissue and then grow. To conclude these are the two mechanisms. It's very simple.
Mental wellness is an unwavering commitment to reality, regardless of the cost. Trauma, in this light, can be a powerful teacher, offering a stark glimpse of reality, a contrast to the daily bombardment of trivial concerns.
One of the amazing things is how adaptable our brains our – and by day 2, I was feeling really good. NASA is pretty good at understanding how to keep you healthy in space; and so you go through sleep-shifts to help you stay rested, and to make sure you don't get a drop in performance from being tired.
In our low moments, music is our therapy, it helps us to cry, to breathe, or gives us the encouragement we need… it's our therapy. In our moments of happiness, music is our celebration… it's extraordinary.
I define robustness as saying that we're fit for purpose, 'I'm sat in my house in the morning, I'm in a great place, I'm robust and ready to face the world and deal with any emotions my brain throws up' It's having a plan and being ready. Once I open the door and life happens to me, I've got to say robust, that's resilience. Robustness is being in a good place and having a plan, resilience is being able to implement that plan and stay in a good place.