Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

CAUTION: Contains swearing and themes of an adult nature.Today’s guest has a remarkable life story which includes addiction, mental health struggles, eating disorders, guilt, shame and so much more. Bryony Gordon is a prominent mental health campaigner, a journalist and a bestselling author. Bryony’s latest book, Let Down Your Hair, is a novel about social media, mental health, self-esteem and body image. She’s also recently released a Sunday Times bestseller, No Such Thing As Normal: What My Mental Illness Has Taught Me About Mental Wellness in paperback form. You may be familiar with Bryony from her Telegraph column, her many books, or her Mad World podcast. Perhaps you’re one of the 206,000 people who follow her updates on Instagram. Or, maybe you know her as the Founder of peer support group Mental Health Mates. Even if you’re new to Bryony and her work, you’re about to get to know her pretty well, thanks to her hallmark honesty and authenticity when it comes to telling her story. We begin this conversation by talking about Bryony’s experience of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. This condition is often misunderstood, with people reducing it to being ‘just’ about excessive tidiness or needing things in order. But Bryony shares the reality of the dark, obsessive thoughts that ruled her life from her early teens. She’s unflinchingly honest about how it led her into alcoholism, drug addiction and bulimia. We also talk about her surprising relationship with marathon running, her new-found commitment to exercise for how it makes her feel, not how it makes her look and the coping mechanisms she uses to deal with the negative voices inside her head. Although she would be the first to say she’s a ‘work in progress’ – as all of us are – Bryony passes on some real gems of practical advice and encouragement throughout this conversation which is fun, uplifting and inspiring.Trigger Warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and may not be suitable for everyone.Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.Thanks to our sponsors:https://www.vivobarefoot.com/livemorehttps://www.athleticgreens.com/livemorehttps://www.calm.com/livemoreShow notes https://drchatterjee.com/314DISCLAIMER: 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 with any questions you may. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

We are living in the middle of a stress epidemic - the World Health Organization calls stress ‘the health epidemic of the twenty-first century’.  But what can we do about it?Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 116 of the podcast with Dr. Tara Swart – neuroscientist, executive coach, and author of the best-selling book ‘The Source’.In this clip, she explains how to build micro-habits into your day that can increase your resilience to stress.Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemoreShow notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/116Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjeeFollow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjeeFollow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. 

When was the last time someone was kind to you – or you did something kind for someone else? I’m sure you won’t have to think back far to find a few examples. And that’s because the world is a much kinder place than we might think.  Today’s guest, Claudia Hammond, is an award-winning broadcaster, author, and psychology lecturer at the University of Sussex. In her latest book, The Keys to Kindness, she’s on a mission to encourage us to look out for the acts of kindness that are all around us.  In this conversation, she shares the results of the world’s largest in-depth study on kindness, and highlights the wide range of mental and physical health benefits for both giver and receiver. We talk about what kindness and compassion really mean, and the huge range of ways we can make a difference. We discuss the fears and obstacles that prevent people from being kind, how to overcome them, and why we should practice more kindness in relationships, as well as in the workplace. Among many other topics, we also look at unkindness on social media, why empathy is a skill you can learn, and how being kind to others starts with being kind to yourself. I sometimes think kindness has a PR problem. It’s something we see as a bit throwaway, undervaluing it at best, dismissing it as ‘soft’ at worst. But by bringing us the psychology and neuroscience on why kindness matters, Claudia provides a powerful call to action to notice and create more of it in daily life. I hope this conversation inspires you to rise to the challenge.Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore or https://fblm.supercast.com.Thanks to our sponsors:https://athleticgreens.com/livemorehttps://boncharge.com/livemorehttps://vivobarefoot.com/livemoreShow notes https://drchatterjee.com/312DISCLAIMER: 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.

Stress can affect every aspect of our lives – our jobs, relationships, sleep, and mental health. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 130 of the podcast with Dr. Deepak Chopra - someone who Time magazine has described as ‘one of the top heroes and icons of the century’.In this clip, Deepak shares some great practical tips and techniques to reduce stress and overwhelm and help us wake up to our true potential.Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemoreShow notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/130Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjeeFollow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjeeFollow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. 

Headaches, migraine, back, neck or joint pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia – they’re just some of the common causes of chronic pain, which is estimated to affect between a third to half of all UK adults.If you or someone close to you is one of them, you don’t need me to tell you it can be physically and emotionally draining. You probably feel like you’ve tried everything – so today’s podcast has the potential to be a life-changing listen for you. My guest is Dr Howard Schubiner, Director of the Mind Body Medicine Center in Michigan and author of Unlearn Your Pain: A 28-day Process to Reprogram Your Brain.Emerging neuroscience tells us our brains actually create what we experience in our bodies, through a process called predictive processing. Pain doesn’t come from the body part where it’s felt, it’s created by our brain, signalling that something needs attention. And as Howard explains, our emotions and stress activate the same pain centres in our brain as an injury. If you’ve ever had a broken heart and experienced chest pain? That’s what’s happening.The same thing occurs with chronic pain. In the vast majority of cases, there is no structural problem – such as injury, infection or a tumour – although of course these must be ruled out. Instead, your brain has created a neural pathway that remembers the pain and keeps you trapped in a vicious cycle. You fear the pain, that causes you stress, and the stress makes the pain real.And that is the absolute key here: it’s not ‘all in your head’, your pain is real. And there is something you can do about it. During this conversation, Howard reveals why the key is changing your narrative on pain. His revolutionary therapies – which you can easily access – have been proven to work not just with chronic pain but in other persistent conditions such as depression and anxiety, chronic fatigue and long Covid.We discuss the role healthcare practitioners can play in these conditions, through listening and empathy.Chronic pain isn’t a subject we’ve covered in depth on this podcast before, so I’m very pleased I have the chance to bring this important conversation to you. Howard is one of the leading researchers in this field and his work represents a game-changing, paradigm shift in thinking about how we approach this epidemic. I hope what you’ll take from this episode is that the power of your brain is immense, and that knowledge is power. I hope you enjoy listening.Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore or https://fblm.supercast.com.Thanks to our sponsors:https://athleticgreens.com/livemorehttps://boncharge.com/livemorehttps://vivobarefoot.com/livemoreShow notes https://drchatterjee.com/310DISCLAIMER: 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.

CAUTION: This podcast episode contains swearing.By doing this one simple habit each morning you could experience transformative effects in your life.Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.Today’s clip is from episode 220 of the podcast with the wonderful Mel Robbins.Mel is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world and, in this clip, she explains how to take control of your life with her ‘High 5 Habit’.Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemoreShow notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/220Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjeeFollow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjeeFollow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.