Podcast

Dr Sabina Brennan shares the science behind why people who are chronically ill are more likely to experience brain fog, which lifestyle factors can make it worse & what we can do to help.

Dr Sabina Brennan shares the science behind why people who are chronically ill are more likely to experience brain fog, which lifestyle factors can make it worse & what we can do to help.

Like many people living with chronic illness and chronic pain, brain fog is a normal (but bloody annoying) part of my daily life. Whilst I can talk about it subjectively, I never spent much time thinking about what brain fog actually is.

And that’s what we’re going to be exploring in today’s episode of The Rest Room.

I had the opportunity to talk to Dr Sabina Brennan, a neuroscientist and health psychologist, who is the author of the book Beating Brain Fog. Sabina shares some of the fascinating science behind what brain fog is, why people experience brain fog, and all the different ways brain fog can impact us. We’ll also explore what we can do to help.

Tanya Herasymova is one of the 2.5 million people who’ve fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on 24th February 2022. 

Tanya, who has a disability, has reached safety but says many disabled Ukrainians have been left behind, unable to leave. 

She talks about her own journey to safety as well as the work she’s doing with activist group Fight For Right which is working to provide evacuation assistance to disabled Ukrainians, and practical help and support for those who want to, or have no other choice but to stay.

A little while back, I stumbled across a teeny tiny book called Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence. I read the whole thing in one very short sitting, and then excitedly messaged my producer Philly telling her I must interview its author, Dr. Gavin Francis.

The book is a meditation on recovery and that’s what we’ll be exploring in the latest episode of The Rest Room podcast. If recovery doesn’t have to be about a total absence of ill health. What should we be thinking about?

We hear from Dr. Francis about what recovery means to him, what needs to change to give people the best chance of recovery and about how our society isn’t set up to allow people the time they need to recover. We also consider the roles fresh air, nature and our own beliefs play in our health and how you might start to reimagine or re-write your story when you live with a long-term condition. 

It definitely gave me a lot to think about.
Occupational Therapist Jo Southall shares her tips on how to introduce pacing into your life in a way that’s both manageable and sustainable.

In this episode, we’re talking about the dreaded ‘boom and bust’ cycle that many of us living with long-term conditions find ourselves in and most importantly, how to break it! We’ll also explore the importance of adapting your self-management to focus on what’s important to you, as well as confronting the fact that no matter what sometimes life just gets in the way. We’ll also talk about figuring out how to do stuff that you know will make you feel rubbish, no matter what…but maybe with some pacing tweaks could be more manageable.

Occupational Therapist Jo Southall shares her tips on how to introduce pacing into your life in a way that’s both manageable and sustainable.

Are you stuck in that “boom and bust” cycle of doing an activity, any activity, and then spending a week in bed recovering? Do you want to find a bit more balance in your life with chronic health problems? If so, this episode on pacing is for you.

Occupational Therapist Jo Southall shares her tips on how to introduce pacing into your life in a way that’s both manageable and sustainable.