Deep Resilience
Melli O'Brien
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Top 10 Deep Resilience Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Deep Resilience episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Deep Resilience for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Deep Resilience episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Get Clear on Your Three Fundamentals to Thrive
Deep Resilience
03/13/23 • 11 min
Whether we’re juggling high-pressure careers, bustling families or the pressures of global uncertainty and constant technological change, stress has become a near-constant in most of our lives, and this can make prioritising self-care a real challenge. Even if we manage to carve out a moment here and there, guilt may creep up, and we start to see the things that bring us pleasure and peace as optional rather than fundamental to our wellbeing. With self-ca+re left on the backburner too often or for too long, we’re at risk of burnout, breakdown or even physical illness.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I discuss Dr. Marie Asberg’s concept of the Exhaustion Funnel and some warning signs you can look for to catch when you may be getting a little too close to its edge. I invite you to reflect on the things that nourish and energise you - time with loved ones, physical movement, a favourite hobby, you name it - and identify three fundamental activities or care tasks you can prioritise in daily life that allow you to grow, stay mindful and thrive.
Key links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com.
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course - https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
No One Is Normal
Deep Resilience
06/11/24 • 14 min
We all grow up with messaging about what’s “normal”: a normal family, a normal body, a normal life. We may not be conscious of it, but these ideas can linger in the backwaters of our minds and hinder our ability to live with agency and authenticity. The truth, though, is that the idea of “normal” is a myth, and constant striving to close the gap between the reality we live in and how we think things are supposed to be can breed shame and self-doubt, leaving us feeling isolated and unworthy.
In this episode of Deep Resilience, I share some “not-normal” aspects of myself that I once struggled with but now embrace. I invite you to identify the conflicts between who you are and your idea of who you’re supposed to be and bring them into the light. By breaking out of the tight box of “normal” and the judgments it imposes, you can step into your uninhibited self-expression and cultivate compassionate understanding, which can then be extended to others.
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
Get your free Deep Resilience Care Package: https://melliobrien.com/#deep-resilience-care-package
09/05/23 • 13 min
Depicted in artwork, literature and religious texts throughout history, envy has long been part of the human experience, but never quite like it is today. Social media grants us access to a constant stream of highly curated and filtered images of happiest and most successful moments of our peers and strangers alike. With all of this at our fingertips, we compare the best snapshots of their lives with the most mundane of ours, feeding a growing sense of inadequacy and disconnection from others and ourselves, accompanied by a complex mixture of longing and resentment, often tinged with shame.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I present two science-backed tips to transform your moments of envy into moments of strength, love and happiness. By reducing exposure to environments, habits and media that stoke the fires of envy within you and embracing Buddhism’s practice of sympathetic joy, you can retrain your mind to operate in ways that foster feelings of gratefulness, abundance, and joy instead of lack, bitterness and hostility.
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
Perfectionism is the Destroyer of Love
Deep Resilience
08/29/23 • 10 min
In the pursuit of perfection, we often view things through a lens of comparison, criticism, or judgment, hindering our ability to fully embrace and authentically love what’s in front of us. We do this to ourselves too, striving for perfection and judging ourselves against some standard or ideal self. This inner tension distorts our view of ourselves and others. We miss the beauty in imperfections, the inherent value of things as they are, and the genuine connections that come from unconditional acceptance. But there's an alternative mindset free of comparison or judgment, and this acceptance leads to love.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I touch on the wisdom of the Dalai Lama’s teachings on love and encourage you to shift from comparison to compassion. By letting go of perfectionism and deliberately switching to unconditional appreciation, you can ease tension, resentment and stress and make more space in your life for authentic wholehearted love to flourish
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
Make Great Decisions Quickly, Using This Incredible Tool
Deep Resilience
08/22/23 • 14 min
Every day, we make countless decisions that shape the direction and quality of our lives in one way or another. With each choice steering the course of our lives at each little juncture, no matter how great or small, their amassed weight has the potential to overwhelm. We’ve been given conflicting advice: “Trust your gut,” “Follow your heart,” or “Listen to your head,” yet another decision about how to approach making a decision. Thankfully, we don’t need to agonise over this one; we can use all three.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I explore the ancient teachings and modern neuroscience of the “three brains” and share an incredible tool for decision-making aligned with your values. Harnessing the power of the head, heart and gut, this five-step meditation technique helps integrate intellect, wisdom, and intuition for empowered choices.
Key Links:
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Head-Heart-Gut Check-In Meditation: https://mindfulness.com/guided-meditation/the-head-heart-gut-check-in?variant=17eb83d7-4bef-4387-b5c6-7674528a11cc
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
How to Tame Your Inner Critic
Deep Resilience
08/15/23 • 11 min
Living with someone who is constantly criticising, berating, and judging you is exhausting, demoralising and breeds a sense of tension and uneasiness within the home. The same can be said for what might be called our true home, the one we carry with us everywhere: our mind. Many of us endure constant feelings of unworthiness, stress and inner struggle fueled by a harsh inner critic, i.e., the worst roommate ever, a permanent tenant on a lease we never signed. We can’t kick them out. We can’t move out. So what do we do?
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I invite you to shift your inner dialogue and transform your inner critic into the kind and supportive roommate you deserve, returning your home to a place of safety, relaxation and rejuvenation. Through persistent training in self-compassion and a focus on befriending instead of berating yourself, you’ll discover greater ease, calm, motivation and vitality.
Key Links:
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Podcast: The Link Between Compassion and Success
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/mentally-stronger/id1637748876?i=1000617629337
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZouAxNZHUmC4bbhb0PMvn?si=ZPTyVpigQH670keKumKtPg
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
Unsubscribing From Your Thoughts
Deep Resilience
08/08/23 • 10 min
The power of the human mind is a double-edged sword. It enables us to plan, solve problems, create goals and work towards them, but its dark side tends to haunt our inner world with self-criticism, ruminations and worries. For many of us, that voice inside can become our own worst enemy, crushing our self-esteem and fuelling constant stress, negativity or anxiety. Thankfully, we don’t have to get caught up in distressing or harmful inner dialogue. We can choose to unsubscribe.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I explain how cognitive fusion causes us to mistake our thoughts for reality, giving them the power to dictate our actions and emotions. I share an ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) strategy that disempowers unhelpful and painful thoughts and, with regular practice, builds your capacity to unhook from them and bring more lightness, ease and joy into your days.
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood
Deep Resilience
08/01/23 • 10 min
We all have a natural yearning to be understood, but effective communication requires mutual understanding. In our efforts to convey our point of view or form the perfect response, we often miss the opportunity to see another perspective, and create a defensive environment that is ripe for misunderstandings, distrust and resentments. Steven Covey offers a valuable remedy in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - “seek first to understand, then to be understood" - but this can be harder than it sounds.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I break down Covey’s advice and demonstrate practical steps to promote more mindful, non-judgemental and deep listening. When we truly hear and seek to understand others, we set up the conditions for mutual trust, care and respect, making it more likely that, when it's our turn to speak, we’ll be afforded the same courtesy.
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
Shame vs Guilt
Deep Resilience
07/25/23 • 13 min
Shame and guilt, often used interchangeably, are different experiences with distinct effects. Guilt, the feeling we get when we’ve done something wrong, is adaptive and helpful, prompting discomfort when our actions contradict our values and facilitating self-reflection and restitution. Shame, on the other hand, is the feeling that we are what’s wrong, that we are unworthy, bad or broken. It offers no constructive or restorative path, instead opening a pit of self-deprecation and low self-esteem, with no ladder to climb out. This destructive force can lead to depression, anger and hurtful behaviour toward others, further feeding the shame cycle.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I help you distinguish the two feelings and delve into a potential source of persistent feelings of shame. I provide three pointers for healthier handling of both feelings, so you can foster healthier relationships with yourself and others and live in a way that promotes personal growth, happiness, and empowerment.
Key Links:
Melli O’Brien: https://melliobrien.com
The Mental Strength School: https://melliobrien.com/mental-strength-school/
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course: https://melliobrien.com/headstrong-program/
03/20/23 • 15 min
You’re probably familiar with the Buddha quote “Whatever one frequently ponders, that becomes the inclination of the mind,” a concept now backed by neuroscience. ‘Neuroplasticity’ refers to the ability of the mind to both form and transform neural pathways. One obvious example could be driving a car; eventually, the neural pathways grow so strong it becomes almost automatic. Similarly, when those neural pathways relate to anger, anxiety or otherwise negative thoughts, they too become hardwired. The good news is, with a bit of intentionality, we can actually rewire our minds to cultivate positivity and strength.
In this episode of Mentally Stronger, I highlight the fact that we are always training our minds and invite you to question whether your current practice is benefiting or hindering you. I explain how positive neuroplasticity training harnesses this and aids us to plant seeds of happiness and prune weeds of suffering in our mind’s garden. Finally, I give two ways to practise this in daily life to move closer towards the best, strongest version of yourself and away from entrenched negativity and doubt.
Melli O’Brien:
Join the waitlist for Headstrong, Melli's 8-week online training course:
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FAQ
How many episodes does Deep Resilience have?
Deep Resilience currently has 91 episodes available.
What topics does Deep Resilience cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Podcasts, Self-Improvement and Education.
What is the most popular episode on Deep Resilience?
The episode title 'Add More Spice To Your Life By Using The Habit Releaser' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Deep Resilience?
The average episode length on Deep Resilience is 12 minutes.
How often are episodes of Deep Resilience released?
Episodes of Deep Resilience are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Deep Resilience?
The first episode of Deep Resilience was released on Jul 26, 2022.
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