How To Get Well and Stay Well: 6 Healthy Habits We All Need To Know with Dr Gemma Newman #420
Jan 24, 2024
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Dr. Gemma Newman, a family doctor with 20 years at the NHS, advocates for a holistic approach to health, blending conventional medicine with nutrition and psychology. She discusses her new book, highlighting the GLOVES method—six essential habits for wellness. Gemma emphasizes self-compassion as a starting point for change, the power of gratitude in fostering emotional well-being, and the benefits of personalized nutrition. She also explores visualization techniques for personal growth and the importance of connecting with nature for enhanced health.
Practicing gratitude improves mental and physical well-being.
Visualization can transform mindset and bring attention to desired outcomes.
Finding purpose involves aligning actions with values and showing up as the person we want to be each day.
Daily reflection through journaling or key questions cultivates self-awareness and reinforces positive changes.
Deep dives
The Power of Gratitude and Self-Compassion
Gratitude is about recognizing what we can learn from our experiences and finding moments of beauty in our lives. It helps us bring light and self-compassion to times of struggle. Practicing gratitude can improve our mental and physical well-being. It activates parts of the brain associated with positive emotions and decreases excessive rumination. Research shows that gratitude practices, such as journaling, can reduce pain perception and improve mental health, even for those experiencing chronic pain or low mood.
The Role of Visualization and Imagination
Visualization is a powerful tool for imagining a better future and changing habits and behaviors. It allows us to focus on the feeling and emotion of desired outcomes. Visualization can improve pain perception, enhance physical performance, and help us embody qualities like compassion or gratitude. Creating a daily practice of visualization, such as journaling or setting intentions, can transform our mindset and bring our attention to what we want to embody and experience in our lives.
Finding Purpose through Values
Finding purpose does not require grand gestures. Instead, it involves showing up each day as the person we want to be and aligning our actions with our values. Reflecting on our most important values and thinking about how we can honor them each day can help us find purpose and meaning. Creating a code word or symbol that reminds us of our values can further strengthen our connection to them and reinforce their significance in our lives.
Embedding Habits through Daily Reflection
Daily reflection through journaling or asking key questions can help embed desired habits and behaviors. By answering questions related to our values, intentions, or desired qualities, we bring them into focus and increase the likelihood of embodying them throughout the day. This practice cultivates self-awareness, reinforces positive changes, and empowers individuals to show up as their best selves.
The Power of Three for Health and Well-being
The podcast episode discusses the power of three key factors - plants, peace, and purpose - in improving health and well-being. These factors encompass various aspects, such as gratitude, forgiveness, nature, and self-compassion. The episode emphasizes the importance of incorporating these elements into daily life to enhance physical and mental health. It highlights practical tools and techniques like tapping and the exploration of the mind-body connection. The episode encourages listeners to embrace self-compassion, acknowledge setbacks, and appreciate the effort made towards personal growth and well-being.
The Healing Benefits of Forgiveness
The podcast explores the concept of forgiveness as a powerful tool for healing. It emphasizes the importance of forgiveness for oneself rather than as a validation or acceptance of the wrong actions of others. The episode acknowledges the challenges in forgiving and provides insights into how forgiveness can bring emotional and physical health benefits. It shares stories of individuals who found peace and freedom in letting go of resentment and highlights the psychological and physiological implications of holding onto grudges. The episode encourages listeners to consider forgiveness as a gift to themselves and a pathway to personal growth.
The Impact of Nature and Personal Connection
The podcast underlines the significance of nature and personal connections in promoting overall well-being. It discusses the therapeutic effects of spending time in nature and the positive impact on mental health and stress reduction. The episode highlights the importance of peripheral vision and looking into the distance to engage the parasympathetic nervous system and create a sense of calm. It also delves into the benefits of water and its influence on mental well-being. The podcast gives practical suggestions for incorporating nature into daily life, even in urban settings, and emphasizes the healing power of personal connections and acts of kindness.
The Path to Healing and Empowerment
The podcast episode recognizes the struggles individuals face when seeking healing and change in their lives. It emphasizes the significance of self-compassion and reminds listeners that setbacks and past failures are part of the journey. The episode encourages a mindset shift towards gratitude for the willingness to make a difference in one's health and life. It discusses the power of storytelling and reframing perspectives, offering examples of personal growth and finding inspiration through suffering. The podcast provides practical tools and exercises to support personal empowerment and resilience in the face of challenges.
What is it that really makes us healthy? Is it regular trips to the doctor, a swift diagnosis, and medicine when we need it? Or do we need a more holistic approach? Today’s guest believes it is the latter.
Dr Gemma Newman has been a family doctor in the NHS for 20 years. She is regularly invited to speak and teach all over the world and is incredibly passionate about treating body, mind and spirit as one - and this forms the basis of her brand new book, Get Well Stay Well - The Six Healing Health Habits You Need To Know.
Like me, Gemma increasingly found that her conventional medical training wasn’t yielding positive results for many of her patients - so she decided to take a more open-minded approach, studying nutrition, psychotherapy and a range of other holistic methods and combined them with her conventional medical practice. And, very soon, she began to see radical transformations in the health of her patients.
It’s this holistic method that Gemma explains in our conversation today, using the acronym GLOVES - which points to six key areas of life we can address if we want to get well and stay well. They’re ways of thinking, being and doing that should be front and centre in our lifestyles, and, of course, we discuss them all during our conversation together.
Crucially, Gemma, believes the first step in any effective, lasting behaviour change is finding self-compassion, and her approach will help you trust your inner wisdom, feel more in control, and stop outsourcing your wellbeing to the doctor’s surgery. And in a world where ‘wellness’ often comes with a hefty price tag, her suggestions are all free.
Gemma writes and speaks from the heart and I think you will really enjoy this conversation.
DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
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