At the end of 2024, I was beyond burned out — very much “burning the candle at both ends.” Then I came across a new book called Toxic Productivity by Israa Nasir, a licensed therapist in New York City who also founded the digital community Well Guide. As it turns out, Israa struggled with many of the same things — saying “yes” to too many commitments and overscheduling herself, while taking little time for herself. Fortunately, she made some radical changes to ditch these toxic habits and ultimately lead a happier, mentally healthier life. In this episode, she’s sharing:

• Why hustle culture is toxic and how to escape it
• How to set boundaries with yourself, and why it's important
• How to say "no" more easily if you're a people pleaser
• Why a "gentle reset" might be the way to make healthy habits stick
• Hacks for carving out more downtime and "me time" if you tend to overschedule yourself
• How the "five-minute rule" can change your life
• The difference between process-oriented goals and outcome-oriented goals (and why we should start focusing on the former)

I also got Israa’s honest take on a range of buzzy wellness trends, from cold plunging, forest bathing, and sleep tracking to habit stacking and dopamine menus.

This episode is for anyone who feels like they have to cross every little thing off their to-do list to feel productive, tends to overpack their calendar, or just wants to create more breathing room for themselves but doesn’t know where to start!

PROMO CODES:

• For 15% off your first order from Pact, shop here and use code WELLBENT15!
• For $60 off Apollo Neuro, shop here OR use code WELLBENT at checkout!

Follow Israa Nasir on Instagram here.

Order Toxic Productivity here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Well-Bent is a little different — instead of interviewing an expert, I'm sharing a life-changing hack I recently adopted that's helped me to maintain a more consistent and beneficial morning routine.

One of the questions I love asking Well-Bent guests is what their morning routines look like — because I truly believe the habits you start your day with can set the tone for you mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Over the last year, I’ve experimented with a lot of different rituals, from dry brushing and gua sha to different kinds of breathwork and journaling, but as I kept adding more and more trendy practices it got to the point where my morning routine was no longer realistic or doable. I was actually overwhelmed by how much I had on my “to-do list” in the morning before I could get out the door or start my work day. And I realized something: having a morning routine that’s supposed to be for the sake of wellness but is actually stressing me out, is kind of counterproductive.

I was telling my therapist about this and she suggested a really helpful alternative approach: creating a "morning menu."

In this episode, I'll explain how to develop a morning menu, and how this strategy can help you build the best morning routine for your specific goals and lifestyle. Hope you find this helpful! And if you need some ideas for practices to add to your menu, head to the Well-Bent pod Instagram and comment "MORNINGS" on my latest post about this episode.

––

PROMO CODES:

• Shop here and use code WELLBENT15 for 15% off your first order from Pact!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Psychadelic-assisted therapy remains one of the hottest (and most controversial) topics in the mental health space today — and in this episode, you’re going to hear from a board-certified physician who has not only tried it but is calling it “the biggest breakthrough in mental health treatment in a generation.” That’s Dr. Sara (Gottfried) Szal, Director of Precision Medicine at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. She’s a Harvard-educated medical doctor who treats professional athletes and executives alike, and I loved getting to hear about how MDMA-assisted therapy has been transformative on her journey to healing trauma. But first, here’s some context.

Only about 30% of people eventually recover from PTSD with treatment — so clearly, we’re missing a piece of the puzzle. The question is: Are psychedelics that missing piece? Multiple trials have shown participants who were given MDMA-assisted therapy for their PTSD experienced a significant reduction in the severity of the symptoms compared to people who were just given a placebo pill with therapy. In fact, in one 2023 trial, 71% of patients no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, and almost 50% were considered in remission 18 weeks after they started MDMA-assisted therapy. Of people who got the placebo with therapy, only 48% didn’t meet the diagnostic criteria anymore and 21% were in remission. Another meta-analysis found that psychedelic-assisted therapy can significantly reduce anxiety and depression, both of which often co-occur in people with PTSD.

Psychedelics aren’t for everyone, and there are risks to consider with taking any substance. The first meta-analysis that examined the safety of psychedelics in a medical context, which looked at 30 studies and was published in May of this year, revealed that in over 1,000 cases where psychedelic substances were administered to people, there were only nine serious adverse events. Most of the side effects were temporary symptoms like elevated heart rate, nausea, and lower appetite.

While Dr. Gottfried Szal shared her transformative experience with psychedelic-assisted therapy, we discussed:

• Is MDMA good for trauma?
• Has MDMA been approved for PTSD?
• How and why MDMA-assisted therapy works for PTSD
• What are the results of psychedelic-assisted therapy?
• What is happening in your brain when you add MDMA to a therapy session?
• Can psychedelic-assisted therapy be done virtually, or does it have to be in person?
• How to find psychedelic-assisted therapy near you
• The importance of finding a therapist you trust when using psychedelics
• How setting and environment play a key role in reaping the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy

PROMO CODES:

• Shop here and use code WELLBENT15 for 15% off your first order from Pact!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.