georgia cosgrave
Over half of Americans report feeling stressed on a daily basis. Stress has become so normalized across the population that most people are entirely unaware of just how harmful it can be to personal health. Stress contributes to disease, accelerates cognitive aging, and enlarges the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and other emotions. Biologically, your body’s response to stressful situations includes sending out certain hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that act as messengers to temporarily alter bodily processes. This includes accelerating your heart rate, decelerating digestion, and heightening alertness. While the brunt of this biological reaction is noticed during nerve-wracking moments like an unexpected cold call from a teacher or a surprise quiz, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the ramifications of stress may persist far beyond these moments.
To combat the harmful effects of stress, neuroscientists are pointing to mindfulness, defined as the practice of being fully present and aware of our external environment and our actions, while not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by external events. To shed light on this, JYI interviewed renowned neuroscientist Dr. Alexandra Fiocco, whose expertise lies at the intersection of mindfulness, stress, and cognitive aging. Dr. Fiocco currently does research at Stress and Healthy Aging Research (StAR) Lab and teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Her Background:
Dr. Fiocco’s fascination with psychopathology developed at a young age, when her mother, a clinical psychologist, would share her experiences with case studies at the dinner table.
“At a very young age I started to learn about human behavior and psychopathology,” Fiocco recounted. “I was quite inspired by the work that my mother was doing, so naturally I chose to pursue a BA in psychology with the intention of becoming a clinical psychologist.”
However, a pivotal moment emerged with her grandmother's Alzheimer's diagnosis, imbuing a keen interest in stress and cognitive aging, ultimately redirecting Fiocco's career trajectory toward the field of neuroscience.
After completing her undergraduate studies, Fiocco pursued graduate education at Carleton University, obtaining a master's degree in science and psychology before earning her Ph.D. in neuroscience at McGill University.
Her research interests in stress, cognitive aging, and mindfulness work harmoniously together.
“I see stress as the foundation of suffering,” said Fiocco. “Stress contributes to about 80% of disease, including cognitive impairments and dementia. It’s also known to accelerate the aging process ,” including the aging of our cells.
“On the other hand,” continued Fiocco, “I see mindfulness as a foundational tool to support health and well being.” In other words, stress accelerates aging and is the precursor to a majority of ailments, while mindfulness acts as an essential combatant.
How readers can be more mindful:
Dr. Fiocco’s research suggests that managing stress through mindfulness can slow down our aging process and improve cognitive health. However, many of us are unsure of how we can implement the practice into our lives.
Dr. Fiocco shared a few of her own personal practices to stay mindful. She does a 20-minute meditation daily, intentionally practices “mindful attitudes” (attitudes such as acceptance, non-judgement, patience, and compassion), and engages in behaviors that support her mind and body, including exercising three times a week, not smoking, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and following a healthy diet. She recognizes emotional regulation as the most important skill to develop equanimity.
Harmful habits that have been normalized:
Mindfulness, in addition to making healthy life choices, also details removing negative factors. Fiocco acknowledged numerous habits that are normalized in the general public, but are detrimental to mental health. She recognizes a poor diet as playing a crucial role in brain health: “many of us do not eat a healthy diet… there's a lot of research to support the idea that we really need to decrease our consumption of red meats and processed foods.”
Not only is what we consume in terms of nutrients important, but also what we consume in terms of media and in terms of the relationships in our life.
“Social media can be very unhealthy,” said Fiocco. She notes that engaging in self-criticism and self-shame “can have detrimental effects on our body and mind,” which is why we need to bring awareness to the impact social media consumption has on mental health.
Mindfulness at all ages:
Despite the need to develop emotional regulation skills “as early as possible,” as deemed by Dr. Fiocco, these tools are never formally taught. Luckily, mindfulness is a skill that can be developed at any age. In young children, teaching mindfulness has been shown to improve emotional regulation. However, “it is never too late to learn.” In her research, Dr. Fiocco has worked with participants as old as 80 years old who are learning the skill of mindfulness for the first time.
“Age really has nothing to do with it,” said Fiocco. “Of course, as we're older, we have to unlearn some of our unhealthy responsive patterns,” but regardless of age, mindfulness takes time and consistency to cultivate.
Fiocco compares learning mindfulness to learning any other skill, saying, “if you want to be a great pianist, you have to practice every day; same thing with mindfulness.”
As more people juggle the pressures of work, academic commitments, and personal relationships, the role of mindfulness becomes increasingly paramount. Whether it be a brisk walk outside or a quick meditation session, practicing mindfulness offers a much-deserved respite from the chaos of modern life.
References:
Bockmann, J.O. and Yu, S.Y. (2022). Using Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Support Self-regulation in Young Children: A Review of the Literature. Early Childhood Education Journal. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01333-2.
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