216. Mindset Matters: How Your Thoughts Shape Your Health and Success

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’m just not that kind of person,” or “I’ll never be able to change”? 

These are classic examples of a fixed mindset—a mental trap that keeps us from evolving. But here’s the exciting part: mindset is not set in stone!

Join Dr. Adrienne Youdim as she dives into the transformative power of mindset and how it shapes every aspect of our health, relationships, and professional success. In this episode, you'll learn about the science of neuroplasticity and practical strategies to cultivate a growth mindset that can enhance your life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with friends and family who might benefit from a deeper understanding of mindset and its impact on health!

What You'll Learn From This Episode:

• Understand the science of mindset: Discover how our thoughts shape our brain and body, and the concept of neuroplasticity that allows us to change at any age.
• Differentiate between fixed and growth mindsets: Learn the characteristics of each mindset and how they influence our ability to face challenges and achieve success.
• Reframe your thoughts: Explore the power of adding "yet" to your statements to open up possibilities for growth and change.
• Utilize stress as a performance enhancer: Understand how reframing stress can positively impact your health and resilience.
• Surround yourself with a growth-oriented community: Learn the importance of the people you spend time with and how their mindsets can influence your own.

"When you have a belief that you can do something, you're actually more likely to do that thing." — Dr. Adrienne Youdim

Ways that Dr. Adrienne Youdim Can Support You

1. Join the Monthly Free Mind-Body Workshops: Participate in engaging mind-body practices designed to help manage your stress response. Register here.
2. Sign Up for the Newsletter: Stay updated with valuable insights and resources by subscribing to the newsletter. Sign up here.
3. Freebie alert. Register for our monthly free MindBody Workshop and receive a downloadable guide on emotional labeling to help you manage your emotions effectively.

Connect with Dr. Adrienne Youdim

• Website :https://www.dradriennespeaks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dradrienneyoudim/

Transcript

Hello friends, and welcome back to the Health Bite podcast, the podcast where we explore the intersection of science, nutrition, health, and well-being in the pursuit of living well. I know from personal and professional experience that what supports your physical, mental, relational, and professional health is one and the same. 

And when we learn to truly nourish ourselves, we improve our health and level up every aspect of our lives. I'm your host, Dr. Adrienne Youdim, and today we are diving into something that determines how we feel, how we act, and ultimately, the quality of our lives. This one thing has the power to shape every aspect of our health, our relationships, and our professional success, and that is our mindset. And yet, so many of us are stuck in these thought patterns that limit us, whether we realize it or not. So I want to ask you to ask yourself, have you ever said something like this? Like, I'm just not that kind of person to, or I'll never be able to change, or this is just the way things are. I have, and I bet you have too. These are all examples of a fixed mindset, thought patterns that keep us from evolving and from growing. But the good news is that mindset isn't fixed. It can be trained It can be rewired. It can be worked just like a muscle. So in today's episode, we're going to talk about the science of mindset and how our thoughts shape not only our brain, but also our body. We're going to talk about how a growth mindset can improve our health, physical, mental, and emotional, and how we can use it to reduce our stress and boost our performance at work. We're going to discuss practical strategies to rewire your mindset for greater health and well-being and for success. And I want to start with this, which is the reality that this is ongoing work for all of us. Because the truth is that we are not living with either a fixed or a growth mindset all of the time, but we are always living in between. And we can learn to swing that pendulum towards healthier thought patterns. And on today's episode, I'm going to teach you how to do just that. So if you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated by habits you can't seem to change, this episode is for you. This episode is for us. So let's talk with And let's start with the science, because mindset is not just a nice idea that we read about in self-help books, but it's deeply rooted in neuroscience and in psychology. And again, I want to share some good news with you, which is that our brains are plastic, meaning they are moldable, changeable, and you can change that at any age and stage that you're at. In fact, there is a whole science behind this called neuroplasticity, and that is the brain's ability to rewire itself based on our experiences and based on our thought patterns. And again, this is rooted in the science. In fact, there was a study that was done in the Journal of Nature Neuroscience back in 2007, and it showed that even adults in their 70s can form new neural pathways. And how different is this sort of thinking then from what we were taught as parents And even as a medical student, I was taught that age zero through five is the most important time for brain development because that is the time in which our brains grow and create neural processes and pathways. And while that is an important informative time in our lives, that soundbite is just completely false because again, We can do this work all throughout midlife and even into our twilight years. So what this means is that no matter what your age, no matter what your past experiences, no matter what you feel is your set point, you can change. You can change the way you think. You can change the habits and the habitual processes that you've created in your life. and you can change the script from which you operate. So this whole adage of can't teach a dog old tricks, it's totally not true, as long as that dog is ready to play. And to me, this is such a inspiring way of thinking. because it gives us agency, it puts us in the driver's seat, and it lets us know that if we are willing to do the work, that we can change the things that limit us, that keep us playing small. So let's talk about some foundational stuff. Let's talk about definitions and What is exactly a fixed versus a growth mindset? Now, some of you, many of you are probably familiar with a researcher by the name of Carol Dweck. She wrote a seminal book called Mindset. She's a psychologist at Stanford. And she found through her research that people have generally two types of mindsets. One is a fixed mindset. And this is one in which we believe that our Abilities, our intelligence, and our habits are static. They are fixed. We were born with what we were born with, and we essentially can't change. And aside from that being super depressing, it's also pretty limiting to think that you get what you get and you don't get upset, that you have no agency in changing yourself, changing your patterns, and changing your life. And so those of us who live and operate from a fixed mindset, we operate from this limiting space. We avoid challenges because there's fear of failure. People with a fixed mindset, they tend to give up more easily because they essentially don't believe that they inherently can achieve growth in any way. So like, why try, right? If you think that you can't change, then why even try? And so you can see how that thinking takes us out of the game, takes us out from the opportunity in which we can change. Whereas those with a growth mindset, they see their abilities as adaptable, that it can be changed through work, through effort, they have a fundamental difference in the way they view failure, which is feedback. It is not a closed door, but it is a setback and it is information that can help us in learning and in trying new things in the future. And so it allows us to stay persistent in the face of inevitable setbacks. And research shows that people with a growth mindset, they're not only more successful in work and in school, but they also are more successful in health. They have lower levels of stress and of depression. And as we're going to talk about, they also can change their physiology in terms of physical health and wellbeing. And just as a side note here, How many of us inherently or intuitively know this? Like, how many of us teach this to our kids? We say things like, don't give up. You'll do better next time. Losing is not a sign of failure, right? And yet, how many of us get sideswiped by our own failures? I mean, personally, I think about myself. I am super ambitious. And I think I'm pretty successful, meaning I've managed to accomplish some of the things I've set out to do. And yet, I toggle between these two mindsets all the time. So what about the body? We've talked about what that does, what a fixed mindset can do to our thoughts and to our mind in terms of neuroplasticity. But what about the body? Knowing that there's a mind-body connection and knowing that our thoughts do affect our physical health. And again, this is something that is interesting to talk about as a physician because we are never taught this. We are never given the tools to use this for ourselves or in our work of healing our patients. And yet we know about the placebo effect. In fact, we use the placebo effect to diminish sometimes the power of certain drugs or therapeutic trials. But what is placebo? It's essentially saying that if you believe that a sugar pill can help you, that there are instances in which that sugar pill can actually help you in terms of your health and well-being. And numerous studies have shown that the placebo arm can do well in terms of symptoms of depression and anxiety, in things like hypertension even or managing blood pressure. So my question is, why don't we lean into the placebo effect instead of dismissing it and yeah, basically dismissing it or denying its validity? Why don't we talk about how we can use the power of placebo to be healthier, not only mentally, emotionally and psychologically, but also physically. And studies have shown this too. For example, a study that was published in Health Psychology in 2018 found that people who believe they have greater control over their health actually live longer, regardless of their actual health behaviors. That means you can be a smoker and a non-exerciser, but if you believe that you have control over your health, you have agency, then you actually live longer. And this reminds me of some data that I talked about in my book, Hungry for More. It was a researcher, an English researcher by the name of Dr. Mormont, and he showed how people who had more agency in their lives, even if they were doing menial work and menial labor, had a lower risk, not only of suicide, because they felt um, more valued in their work, but they actually had a lower risk of suffering and dying from a heart attack. That's pretty profound. Another study showed that people with a positive mindset towards aging lived an average of seven and a half years longer than those who had negative views or negative beliefs about aging. And so it really speaks to the power of the mind body connection. and the reality that what we believe does impact our biology. Your body is actually listening to your thoughts. So now that we know that our mindset shapes our body and our brain, can we talk about how we can use this concept to create shifts in our lives, little micro shifts that have the ability to change our lives in profound ways because they really do. And the first strategy I want to offer is just starting to incorporate the word yet. What is the power of yet? And again, I want to ask you to ask yourself, have you ever said something like, I can't lose weight or I'm not strong or I'll never be able to lift weights Adding the word yet changes everything. Saying, I can't lose weight yet, or better yet, I haven't been able to lose weight yet, or I have not tried, or I have not been successful in lifting heavy weights yet. Just adding that word signals to our mind and our body the possibility. And the power of possibility is so profound. And in fact, there was a study published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, that found that people who believe that they can improve their health are 58% more likely to adopt lasting healthy behaviors. So when you have a belief that you can do something, you're actually more likely to do that thing and you are more likely as a result to reap the benefits of doing that thing. And it's really just a matter of permission. Like if we give ourselves permission to do better, to improve, to evolve, then we actually will. This makes me think of a patient who I have in the office who's lost 150 pounds and is now doing CrossFit. This is somebody who is in her 50s and was never physically active in her life. And now she's powerlifting. I have another patient who's in her 70s. She came to me because she was having trouble walking to and from her car. She was having trouble doing her work because she had such bad osteoarthritis in her knee. that it limited her mobility. And now, she hikes six miles every weekend. And by the way, can I remind you that she's pushing 70 years old? So this shows you the profound power of believing in yourself, of believing that you can do something new, of rewriting the script, of changing the narrative, And when you have that belief, putting yourself in a position that you're actually capable of reaching these incredible minds, not only mindsets, but what's the word I'm looking for? Like hallmarks in your life, right? Like you can reach these incredible milestones. Thank you, that was the word I was looking for. You can reach incredible milestones by, by using the power of our belief, by using the power of a growth mindset. Our mindset can also have a huge impact on our stress. And how we reframe this, how we frame our stress, really changes everything. Because we often see stress as harmful. And I talk about it in my podcast all the time, the sympathetic nervous system, what that does to your cardiovascular system, to your immunity, right? But research shows that how we think about stress changes the effect the stress has on our body. So for example, they did a study at Harvard that showed that when they taught people how to view stress as a performance enhancer rather than a threat in their bodies, their bodies responded differently. They measured cortisol levels and found that cortisol levels were lower, their heart rates were better, they had improved focus, not to mention how that reframe impacts our resilience and our performance. So again, if you think about your stress as something that is there to guide you, something that is there to make you more alert and more ready and available to tackle that next challenge, that reframe not only changes your ability to tackle it kind of in your mind and in terms of performance, but also changes the way your body views that challenge. And that in turn has an impact on how your body responds. And I want to just take a side note away from performance, because we're going to go back to that in a second, but talk about kind of what's going on right now. There is so much stress in our world. And I've done episodes in the past about stress and parenting, how almost 50% of parents feel so overwhelmed by stress that they can't function. When we think about stress in our politics, stress in our world affairs, stress in financial or professional stability, like threat of losing a job. These stresses are so profound and we're like inundated by them. What if we had a reframe and how could we live differently? How could we protect ourselves, our minds and our bodies from the harmful effects of stress if we could adopt this reframe? And so going back to resilience and performance, The best leaders, the highest performers, share this ability to be resilient. Resilient and successful leaders, for that matter, are people who have experienced success all the flipping time. They are people who are so resilient that they can meet their setbacks and they can meet their failures with a standpoint of resilience, of being able to get up, dust yourself off, and stay in the game. And that ability to stay in the game, that reframe is where it's all about. In fact, they did a study of Fortune 500 CEOs, and they found that those CEOs who adopted the reframe of this growth mindset were more likely to recover from failure, and as a result, they were more likely to iterate, to innovate, and to achieve and sustain long-term success. Because anyone who has achieved any success in their life, you know that the first hurdle is achieving that success, right? But what happens the second that you do so? You're already worried about the next thing, right? About maintaining that success. knowing very well that we can't stay in that zone all of the time. And so being able to adopt this reframe allows us to not only be successful, but also to be in it for the longterm, to allow it to be durable. And so these individuals, they don't see challenges as roadblocks. They see them merely as stepping stones. So how do we do this in actuality? How do we change our mindset? Here are some powerful strategies. Number one is not only reframing your beliefs about what you can do, but reframing your negative thoughts. It requires awareness, which is catching yourself when you begin to think of yourself in limiting ways. Just be aware in that moment of what you're saying to yourself. Anytime you say, I'm not good at this, I want you to just stop, rewind the script, and reframe that phrase, maybe by saying, I'm not good at this yet, or even using positive words like, I am getting better at this. Trust me, this reframe actually creates neurobiological changes. It creates different pathways in that brain. Remember that neuroplasticity? And when exercised like a muscle over and over again, this new way of being, this growth mindset becomes supported and emboldened in the brain so that that becomes your new go-to. That becomes your automatic thought process. not a negative limiting belief. The second is to reframe your perspective in that moment to a growth mindset. Again, I am learning, I am improving, I am becoming better. And then remember that we also forget. So even though we know this intuitively, even though we are hearing this right now, and you might be saying like, OK, this is not rocket science. We forget to do it in the moment. So when you are feeling it, when you're remembering it, write it down. Write down these shifts, the kinds of words and phraseology that lands with you. Write down these shifts that can help to remind us so that we are better able to reinforce them. The second. is to challenge yourself. Remember the adage that growth happens outside of our comfort zone. So try something new. Try something uncomfortable every day, like, I don't know, take a cold shower, which is something that is, ugh, it sounds awful to me because I literally joke that my showers are like hot tea. Put yourself outside of your comfort zone. Be uncomfortable. Try a new workout. Start a new conversation. Put yourself in a position or a situation, professionally or socially, that you'd usually avoid. Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. And allow yourself to tolerate that discomfort and to make your way out on the other side. I remember, and I have to tell you, I used to be very, very shy. And I remember I used to force myself to raise my hand and to either make a comment or to ask an informed question at every meeting and every conference that I was at. It was my commitment to myself to sit at the table, as they say. But I realize now how that commitment way back when allowed me to grow into leadership positions and into public speaking. It was all about putting myself in small, uncomfortable situations repeatedly so that I would build that muscle of overcoming discomfort. So remember that small challenges like these can build your resilience. And the third is to surround yourself with people and environments in which a growth-oriented mindset thrives. Remember that people around you influence your mindset. They influence you. And remember what we may have shared with our kids, Don't hang around with, quote, the bad crowd, because we were worried that their influence would impact our children. And we were right. The same goes for us. The people that you surround yourself with influence your mindset. So seek out people who are encouraging, people who are learning themselves, people who engage in positive thinking, people who are not afraid of challenges, and who are persistent and who try to maintain resilience during difficult times. Surrounding ourselves with people like these actually rubs off on us. And yes, studies have shown that mindsets are contagious, just like we talked about emotions last week. Emotion is contagious and so is mindset. We absorb the attitude of the people that we choose to spend time with. So here's the truth. You are not stuck. Your brain is not fixed. Your health, your habits, your habitual behaviors, your success, these are all static, fluid, and changeable. So I challenge you this week to do one of several things. Notice a limiting thought and actively choose to reframe it. Or try something new, something that is outside of your comfort zone. And third, surround yourself with voices that inspire you and your growth. Put yourself in environments that are going to cultivate this mindset of growth, evolution, and resilience. Because your mindset, it is one of your most powerful tools. So let's use it. Let's capitalize on it. And if this episode resonated with you, if this message resonates with you, spread the message. Spread it by embodying it and actually trying to implement it in your day-to-day life and sharing it with the people around you. And if you want to dive deeper into all this stuff, connect with me on social or sign up for my newsletter in the show notes. I talk about this stuff. I marinate in this stuff all the time. not only because I use it professionally in the office with my patients and in my keynotes, but because I use it for myself. It is something that I actively work on every single day. I'd love if you would share this and my many resources with your friends, your peers, your family members, share this episode. And again, if you want to dive in deeper head over to my newsletter where you can find out more information about my free monthly MindBody course. I do this every month on Zoom. We do healing MindBody practices together and in community. And also you can learn more about my 8-week Resilient Minds program, a program that I've created to help leaders really live their best lives. to learn mind, body, skills, and practices to cultivate better health and well-being in their physical health, their mental and emotional health, relational health, and professional health. So I'm wishing you all a happy and healthy and nourishing week, mind, body, and soul. And I'll see you here again next week on Health Byte. Until then, bye now.