Mindful In May 2022 | Day 12 - Mind Life Project

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DAY 12: Dr Elise Bialylew interviews Anna Lembke

Video Objectives

In today's video, you'll learn:

The neuroscience of addiction (including social media addiction).
The role of dopamine and neuroscience of craving, desire and rewards.
Some tips on managing technology with kids.

About Anna Lembke

Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries. She sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organisations, has testified before various committees in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, keeps an active speaking calendar, and maintains a thriving clinical practice. Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, an instant New York Times bestseller, explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

Prefer to listen, rather than watch? Click the play button below.

Mind Life Project · Dr Elise Bialylew interviews Anna Lembke

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Click here to download the transcript for Dr Elise Bialylew's interview with Anna Lembke.[/accessally_has_any_tag]

Creating Space for anxiety meditation with Bodhipaksa

Bodhipaksa teaches meditation and Buddhism full-time through Wildmind, the online meditation center he founded in 2000. He also leads retreats and workshops around the world. He is known for his accessible and down-to-earth approach to practice. He’s the author of several books, the most recent of which were “This Difficult Thing of Being Human” and “A Year of Buddha’s Wisdom.” Born in Scotland, he now lives in New Hampshire and has two children and two dogs. You can learn more about his work at Wildmind (www.wildmind.org).

Bonus: This meditation is available for you to download and keep.

Download this meditation

Enjoy access to the Mindful in May meditation library here

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A MINDFUL WORK PRACTICE

Today I invite you to experiment with the mindful work practice below as a simple way to stay focused, manage overwhelm, and move from multi-tasking to mono-tasking in order to maximise your efficiency.

Choose one task that you will focus on during the set time period.

Get a plain piece of paper and pen and have them by your computer or workspace.
Set an intention to stay focused for your set period of time.
Set a timer for thirty minutes.
When you notice yourself getting distracted or feel an urge to move to another task (such as checking your email), simply note down the task or distraction on the paper and bring your attention back to the task. At the end of the thirty minutes, you can review your list and set your next priority.

For further time management and productivity hacks, consider downloading a Pomodoro app. The Pomodoro Technique was created in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, and it involves dividing your work time into twenty-five-minute increments of focused attention with regular breaks in between.

This technique helps bring more mindful awareness to the way we work, and supports efficiency and focus. There are several apps available to help you practise the Pomodoro Technique, and many of them free.