Today is WHO’s #WorldMentalHealthDay!

To honour the health of our minds, this week’s issue is slightly longer and more on nutritional neuroscience than our usual psychology reads. It is a tribute to all of us who is keeping our mental muscle strong so we can keep growing ourselves, and our businesses.

In the past few years my mental-health journey has been… colourful: having a child, pivoting the business, a cancer scare, ADHD diagnosis, relocating to a new continent. One major lesson for me was: before our minds are impacted by relational issues (trauma, abuse, neglect or drama), interpersonal struggles (avoidance, loneliness or even death anxiety), environmental stressors (air quality), or socioeconomic pressure (finances), so much comes down to the most basics of our biology changes - hormones, micronutrients, sleep, and physical activities.

In other words: it all comes back to brain chemistry.

To make our brains less vulnerable to anxiety and depression when life throws us under a bus, I thoroughly believe optimal brain function is the number one health practice to take seriously.

After childbirth I spent two years with brain fog, spiky ADHD symptoms, mild anxiety, sensory overload, mood swings and allergies. I started experimenting (food first, then supplements). It opened a new world of possibilities: the brain fog is gone, my mind went back to its positive self.

Below is the shortlist I don’t skip. For each point, we look at 1. The nutrition neuroscience behind how the nutrient relates to anxiety, depression, sleep & clarity, and 2. What you can do.

Let’s dive in.

Disclaimer: This is general information, not medical advice. If you’re pregnant/postpartum, have kidney/thyroid/autoimmune conditions, or take prescription meds, check with your clinician before starting any supplements.