Dr Kristen Betts visited Maplewood at Newtown December 5 to present a talk entitled “Optimizing the Holidays: Brain Health, Memory, & Mindfulness.”

The interactive lesson was part of her “Mind, Brain, and Learning” Workshop Series that gave both Maplewood residents and others who attended resources on how to take care of their mental health during the holidays.

Dr Betts is Clinical Professor in the EdD Program in Educational Leadership & Management in the School of Education at Drexel University.

More than 50 people gathered in the lobby for the first of two programs scheduled that day, and each person received a packet of the slideshow presentation to utilize as a resource.

Following an opening icebreaker activity where everyone was encouraged to introduce themselves to their neighbors sitting near them, Dr Betts explained that being more social helps mitigate degeneration in the brain.

She emphasized that, like a snowflake, each person’s brain is unique and while brains may look similar from the outside, it is a person’s experiences that change it.

“Your brain is changing every day,” Dr Betts told the crowd. “By the time you leave this workshop today, your brain will not be the same.”

The changes occur due to neuroplasticity — meaning the brain continues to reform over a lifetime based on experience, learning, injury, and disease.

Defining The Brain

She engaged the audience in a variety of true and false questions about the brain where everyone was asked to hold up a paddle to show their answer.

Debunking misconceptions, Dr Betts explained that the brain is actually a three-pound organ, not a muscle, and that mindfulness is not meditation — it is being present and paying attention to thoughts and feelings.

The audience also got to participate in an exercise to showcase the brain’s ability to form connections and the power of memory.

She played a few seconds of popular songs and asked them how it made them feel. When “Frosty the Snowman” played, people said it reminded them of the holidays and of their childhood.

During the presentation, Dr Betts had the group participate in an online quiz about dementia and Alzheimer’s myths and facts. She recommends people quiz themselves about Alzheimer’s myths and facts by visiting webmd.com/alzheimers/rm-quiz-alzheimers-myths-facts.

She said that according to Harvard University, exercise, eating a Mediterranean diet, getting enough sleep, learning new things, and connecting socially have shown to lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Alternately, she said constant stress does not promote prevention.

Even though all stress a person faces is not bad, Dr Bett’s said that toxic stress — defined by her as “prolonged activation of the stress response; failure of the body to recover fully; [and] lack of caregiver support, reassurance, or emotional attachments” — can have a negative impact.

“It has a profound effect on the brain,” Dr Betts emphasized.

Holiday Stress

When asked what emotions people associate with the holidays, members of the crowd called out “happiness,” “sadness,” “being overwhelmed,” and a resounding response of feeling “stress.”

Dr Betts said that, according to Harvard University in 2018, only eight percent of people say they feel happier during the holiday season, but that 38 percent of people feel that stress increases.

Top stress triggers included family, high or unrealistic expectations, financial concerns, excessive eating, and holiday “noise.”

In addition to using exercise and meditation to alleviate stress, Dr Betts also recommends people optimize their holidays by acknowledging their feelings, connecting with people they trust, being present, planning ahead, and being realistic with their expectations.

Dr Betts also revealed that she will be leading a four-week series called the Science & Art of Changing the Brain, at Maplewood at Newtown on January 23, January 30, February 6, and February 13.

For information about Maplewood at Newtown, call 203-491-0988.