#3 Brain Bite - Brain First Aid

We share a compact “brain first aid” kit for moments when emotions surge and focus slips. Breathwork, mindful noticing, growth mindset, self‑kindness, and asking for help form a fast sequence you can use to calm and reset.

• breathing as a brain band‑aid using 4‑4‑4 and belly breathing
• mindfulness as soothing cream through simple sensory noticing and short walks
• growth mindset as an ice pack to cool hot thoughts and reframe failure
• self‑kindness as a warm wrap to keep you in the game
• seeking help as the whistle when problems out scale your map
• practical sequence to move from overwhelm to action
• reference to Orlando Bettison’s My Brain First Aid

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Welcome to Brain Bites, your quick dose of
science and strategies for anunshakable brain.
I'm your host, Dr.
Kylie, and in the next fewminutes, you'll get a sharp
insight to feed your brain.
Alright, let's dig in.
It is important to learn what todo when your mind feels weird
and not quite you.

(00:24):
When emotions run wild and youwant to shout, you need
strategies to work things out.
When feelings erupt like a stormat sea, or anger grumbles fierce
and free.
Just like a first aid kit withits gentle care, different
strategies help your mindsrepair.

(00:45):
For every hurt, every emotionalstrain, there's something to
help us find peace again.
Let's learn about first aid forthe brain so we know how to
respond to emotional pain.
Breathing.
Deep breath is like a band-aidfor your brain.
It can help protect our mindsfrom feeling overwhelmed.

(01:07):
Think of breathing like aband-aid.
There are two differentstrategies of breathing
techniques that you can take alook into is one, the 444
breathing, and two, bellybreathing.
Mindfulness.
Think of it like soothing cream.
Listen to the breeze.

(01:27):
Feel the warms, feel the sun'swarmth on your face.
Notice a flower.
That's simple mindfulness.
Because mindfulness is payingattention to what is happening
right now.
It might be looking closely atthe details of a leaf or
listening to the sounds aroundyou.
Or like what I do during my day,my work day is I just take a

(01:49):
simple walk.
Can't be more than a hundredyards, but I do it barefooted.
Except for in the winter, Iguess.
Probably not wise.
It has been the summer, though,and now we're in the fall.
All right, the next strategy isgrowth mindset.
Using a growth mindset is likeusing an ice pack.
It helps us pause, rethink, andshift negative thoughts to more

(02:12):
powerful and productivethoughts.
It's about supporting yourselfand knowing that mistakes are a
part of learning.
When you know you can improvewith effort and practice, you
feel more able to get throughchallenges and challenges and
bounce back from failure.
A growth mindset is key.
No matter how old you are, nomatter what you're doing in
life.

(02:32):
Holy smokes, if I'm not, I wouldnot be able to do what I have
done the last 20 years, goingback to the beginning of
chiropractic school, if not fora growth mindset.
Self-awareness is like wrappingyourself in a warm bandage of
care.
Being kind and compassionate toourselves means treating

(02:53):
ourselves with the same kindnessand understanding that we would
do to a friend.
One of my favorite thoughtsabout this is when you think
about like the second greatestcommandment is to love your
neighbor as yourself.
You have to love yourself first.
Next, seeking help.

(03:14):
Seeking help when you're feelingdown is like using a whistle to
call out for help when you'relost.
When problems become too big oroverwhelming, asking for help
from someone we trust is a smartand helpful thing to do.
It is probably one of the mostdifficult things for me to do.
There are several strategies youcan use.

(03:35):
You may choose one or try a few,but these are your first aid
brain strategies.
They will help you cope withlife and feel peaceful again.
That comes from the book writtenby Orlando Bettison called My
Brain First Aid.
I didn't read word for word, butit was a cute little brain bite

(03:55):
to help us go back into thebasics to keep simple and to
just know we can breathe, we canask for help, we can be a little
bit more mindful.
And what was the other one?
Breathing.
Oh, mindful growth, the growthmindset and self kindness.
That was your quick brain bitetoday.
See you on the next episode.