Dysregulation 101

In this episode of Burnout Solutions, Mona delves into the concept of dysregulation, explaining what it is, how it manifests, and its impact on our behaviors and emotions. Mona emphasizes that dysregulation is a natural response of the nervous system, not a failure, and offers insights into recognizing dysregulated states. The episode covers the concept of the 'window of tolerance' and how factors like physical and emotional stressors can push us beyond this window. It also touches on the importance of awareness and personal responsibility in managing dysregulation, with practical examples and strategies. Listeners are encouraged to observe their behavior patterns to better understand their own dysregulation ahead of next week's episode, which will focus on strategies for returning to a regulated state.

00:00 Introduction to Dysregulation

00:58 Understanding Regulation and Dysregulation

02:06 The Human Experience of Dysregulation

03:52 Window of Tolerance Explained

05:06 Nervous System and Dysregulation

07:42 Physical and Emotional Dysregulation

09:20 Personal Experiences and Coping Strategies

12:25 Dysregulation in Caregivers and Professionals

16:01 Recognizing Dysregulation Symptoms

18:04 Thought Distortions and Dysregulation

20:44 Awareness and Personal Responsibility

24:42 Conclusion and Homework

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Understanding and Remodeling Your Nervous System Blueprint

In this episode, Mona delves into the concepts of blueprints and construction of the nervous system. Drawing from her personal experiences and the teachings of experts like Dr. Bruce Perry, Dr. Dan Siegel, Deb Dana, and Steven Porges, she explains how our nervous system's blueprint forms and governs our reactions, relationships, and behaviors throughout life. Mona emphasizes the importance of awareness, compassion, and the potential to remodel our blueprints for a more intentional and fulfilling life. She offers insights into how one's upbringing can shape stress responses and personal patterns, and discusses practical methods for recognizing and changing unhelpful patterns to live authentically.

00:00 Introduction to Nervous System Blueprints

01:54 Personal Stories

03:17 Understanding the Nervous System Blueprint

09:52 Influence of Early Experiences

20:54 Impact of Childhood on Adulthood

24:54 Changing Your Blueprint

29:29 Blueprints and Burnout in Healthcare

31:57 Final Thoughts and Reflection

If you would like to have help figuring out your own nervous system blueprint, check out this free guide here.

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Understanding Co-Regulation, it's a balancing act

In this episode of Burnout Solutions, Mona explores the concept of co-regulation, a biological and emotional process where one person's nervous system influences another. Mona discusses how co-regulation works, its importance from infancy through adulthood, and how we can use it to protect our own mental health while helping others regulate their emotions. She shares practical examples from healthcare settings and personal experiences, explaining the nuances of being regulated versus dysregulated. Mona also provides actionable co-regulation techniques and stress the importance of maintaining a regulated presence, especially for healthcare professionals and caregivers. The episode concludes with practical tips for self-regulation and the impact of co-regulation on improving our relationships and emotional well-being.

00:00 Introduction to Co-Regulation

02:25 Understanding Co-Regulation

03:37 Co-Regulation in Childhood

05:26 A Story from Labor and Delivery

07:29 Practical Tips for Co-Regulation

09:54 Challenges in Co-Regulation

14:29 Co-Regulation in Healthcare

17:24 Tools for Effective Co-Regulation

27:00 Strengthening Self-Regulation

29:54 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Understanding and Expanding Your Window of Tolerance

In this episode Mona delves into the concept of the window of tolerance and how it relates to stress management, emotional resilience, and preventing burnout. She explains how one's capacity to handle stress without feeling overwhelmed can be observed and expanded through various strategies. Mona shares personal experiences from her mountain biking adventures and professional background in healthcare to illustrate how individuals can increase their emotional and physical resilience. The episode also offers practical tips on recognizing when one is outside their window of tolerance and how to reclaim a state of regulation. The discussion includes insights on nervous system responses, coping mechanisms, and the importance of building inner resources to manage life's challenges more effectively.

00:00 Introduction: Understanding Overworking and Control

00:21 The Concept of Window of Tolerance

02:30 Exploring the Window of Tolerance

05:22 Temperature Analogy for Stress Management

08:46 Developing Your Window of Tolerance

11:41 Mountain Biking: A Personal Journey

15:48 Applying the FACES Acronym

17:34 Recognizing and Managing Stress Responses

30:01 Practical Tips for Expanding Your Window of Tolerance

34:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Your Free Graphic of ways to expand you window of tolerance can be found here.

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

The Good, the Bad and the Law of Stress

In this episode, Mona discusses the concept of stress and how not all stress is bad. She explains the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which posits that a moderate amount of stress can enhance performance, while too little or too much can be detrimental. Mona delves into types of stress, eustress, and distress, and provides practical tips on how to stay in the optimal performance zone by regulating stress levels. She also touches on the relationship between stress, the nervous system, and performance, offering insights on how to use stress as a tool for growth and achievement.

00:00 Introduction to Stress: The Good and the Bad

01:10 Understanding the Yerkes-Dodson Law

02:39 The Goldilocks Principle of Stress

05:29 Eustress: The Beneficial Stress

06:50 Distress: When Stress Becomes Harmful

08:27 Real-Life Examples of Distress

12:10 The Nervous System and Stress

14:42 Regulating Stress for Optimal Performance

18:44 Conclusion: Embracing Stress for Growth



To get your free graphic download of the Yerkes Dodson Law, click here.

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Stress- How Your Past Changes the Present

In this episode, Mona delves into the origins of stress and how our to-do lists are not the root cause. Instead, stress is often linked to past painful experiences that our brain and nervous system remember and interpret as threats. Mona explains how these past experiences create emotional and behavioral patterns that shape our current reactions, often leading to stress and burnout. She offers insights into how we can notice and name our emotions, practice self-regulation, and become the authors of new emotional and behavioral templates to reduce stress. Mona emphasizes the importance of retraining our brain and nervous system to manage stress more effectively.

00:00 Understanding Stress and To-Do Lists

01:17 Introduction and Podcast Appreciation

01:46 The Nature of Stress and Its Origins

02:20 The Neutrality of To-Do Lists

04:05 Past Painful Learning and Stress

08:06 Real-Life Examples of Stress Triggers

10:06 Behavioral Patterns and Stress Responses

16:26 Changing Stress Patterns

20:22 Final Thoughts and Summary

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Are you Overreacting? How Our Brain and Nervous System Shape Behavior

In this episode, host Mona dives into the science behind overreactions and how our brain and nervous system influence behavior under stress. She provides a mini anatomy lesson on different parts of the brain, such as the brainstem, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex, explaining their roles in processing stimuli and managing reactions. Mona also discusses the concepts of neuroception and interoception, and how our brain assesses safety and emotional responses before engaging logical thinking. She uses relatable examples to illustrate how stress can hijack our behavior and how awareness and practice can help retrain our nervous system to manage stress more effectively.

00:00 Introduction: Why Do We Overreact?

01:17 Understanding Stress and the Brain

03:19 Brain Development Explained

09:37 The Role of the Amygdala and Hippocampus

20:46 Practical Examples of Stress Responses

26:54 Conclusion: Managing Stress and Overreactions

Check out my group coaching course here.

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Rewiring Your Brain and Nervous System: Overcoming Unhelpful Patterns

In this episode, host Mona explores how our brain and nervous system, though well-meaning, often work against us based on past experiences. She compares this phenomenon to the game 'Saboteur,' where players unknowingly create paths leading away from their goals. Mona discusses common reactions such as overthinking, overworking, and shutting down, and explains how these are survival strategies rooted in our nervous system's misperception of danger. By understanding concepts like the polyvagal theory and neuroception, listeners can start recognizing unhelpful patterns like overworking, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. Mona also shares practical techniques for retraining the brain and nervous system through both top-down and bottom-up approaches, highlighting the importance of neuroplasticity in creating safer, healthier responses.

00:00 Introduction: Understanding Your Brain and Nervous System

01:32 The Saboteur Game: A Metaphor for Your Brain

03:43 Common Patterns of Self-Sabotage

07:49 Overworking: The Flight Response in Disguise

10:20 People Pleasing: The Fawn Response

11:26 Perfectionism: The Freeze and Flight Blend

14:15 Numbing and Avoiding: The Freeze Response

16:47 Rewriting Your Survival Manual

18:22 Practical Techniques for Nervous System Regulation

22:18 Conclusion: Embrace Change and Rewire Your System

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Polyvagal Theory- What the heck is it and why should I care?

In this episode, Mona introduces the Polyvagal Theory developed by Dr. Steven Porges, explaining how it provides a framework for understanding human behavior, emotions, and relationships through the lens of the nervous system. The theory, is described as a major personal and professional game changer, is broken down into accessible terms with a metaphor comparing the nervous system to a house. Key concepts such as the ventral vagal state, fight or flight, and dorsal vagal shutdown are explained, along with real-life examples of how these states manifest in everyday situations.

00:00 Introduction to Polyvagal Theory

03:13 Understanding the Nervous System

04:50 The Role of the Vagus Nerve

06:22 The House Metaphor for Nervous System States

11:20 Real-Life Examples of Nervous System Responses

15:07 Applying Polyvagal Theory in Daily Life

18:20 Conclusion and Next Steps

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com

Why Understanding Your Nervous System Matters

In this episode, Mona delves into the profound impact understanding the nervous system can have on personal and professional life. Mona shares her journey from feeling overwhelmed and burned out, despite outward success, to finding clarity and calm through studying the nervous system. The episode explains the basic functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, focusing on the crucial autonomic nervous system and its two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. Highlighting the concept of the polyvagal theory, Mona discusses how our nervous system is constantly scanning for safety or threat, influencing our emotions and behaviors. She offer insights into managing stress and retraining the nervous system to transition from protection mode to connection mode, ultimately fostering better relationships and personal well-being.

00:00 Introduction to the Nervous System

01:49 Personal Journey: From Success to Stress

03:39 Discovering the Brain and Nervous System

05:21 The Aha Moment: Understanding the Nervous System

06:45 Nervous System 101: How It Works

08:05 The Autonomic Nervous System: Fight or Flight

11:16 Polyvagal Theory: The Vagus Nerve

17:11 Practical Applications: Managing Stress and Burnout

18:40 Conclusion: Retraining Your Nervous System

To to find out more about how I can help your workplace or work with me one on one, please see www.monatippets.com