This is episode 4 of a 4-part special series on mental health with Stanford and Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Paul Conti, M.D. Dr. Conti explains what true self-care is and how our mental health benefits from specific self-care and introspection practices — much in the same way that our physical health benefits from certain exercise and nutrition habits. He describes how the foundation of mental health is an understanding of one’s own mind and the specific questions to ask in order to explore the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves. He describes how this process can be done either on our own, through journaling, meditation and structured thought, or in therapy with the help of a licensed professional. He also explains how unprocessed trauma can short-circuit the process and how to prevent that, and the role of friendships and other relational support systems in the journey of self-exploration for mental health. People of all ages and those with and without self-introspection and therapy experience ought to benefit from the information in this episode. #HubermanLab #Science #MentalHealth Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Dr. Paul Conti Website: https://drpaulconti.com Pacific Premier Group: https://pacificpremiergroup.com Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic: How Trauma Works and How We Can Heal From It: https://amzlink.to/az01KBLaUX3m6 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-paul-m-conti-845074216 Resources Guest Series | Dr. Paul Conti: How to Understand & Assess Your Mental Health (Episode 1): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-paul-conti-how-to-understand-and-assess-your-mental-health Guest Series | Dr. Paul Conti: How to Improve Your Mental Health (Episode 2): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-paul-conti-how-to-improve-your-mental-health Guest Series | Dr. Paul Conti: How to Build and Maintain Healthy Relationships (Episode 3): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-paul-conti-how-to-build-and-maintain-healthy-relationships The Iceberg Model: https://bit.ly/3LDNCn1 Pillars of Mental Health: https://bit.ly/48y0cOo Timestamps 00:00:00 Self Care 00:02:37 Sponsors: BetterHelp & Waking Up 00:05:34 What is Self-Care?, Foundation, Self-Understanding 00:13:18 Life Narratives 00:15:24 Journaling, Self-Inquiry & Therapy 00:24:41 Unconscious Mind, Salience & Journaling; Panic Attacks 00:28:20 Self-Inquiry; Grief & Death 00:33:23 Sponsor: AG1 00:34:39 Self-Harm, Hopelessness & Therapy 00:37:27 Apprehension of Unconscious Mind Exploration 00:42:34 Mental Health Map: Cupboards, Agency & Gratitude, Generative Drive 00:54:18 Structure of Self, Unconscious Mind, Abscess Analogy 01:01:57 Exploring the Unconscious Mind, Curiosity, “Question the Givens” 01:10:48 Conscious Mind Exploration; Self Curiosity, Busyness 01:19:20 Exploring Defense Mechanisms, Character Structure 01:24:54 Self & Character Structure, “Tending the Garden” 01:32:45 Function of Self Cupboards 01:35:50 Self-Awareness Exploration, Mirror Meditation 01:38:34 Defense Mechanisms in Action & Self-Inquiry, Patterns 01:47:15 Salience Exploration, Grounding Meditation 01:52:37 Behavior & Self-Reflection; Phantom Driver Analogy 02:00:14 Self & Strivings; Empowerment & Humility 02:09:07 Challenges in Certain Life Domains 02:17:49 Friendships & Support, Social Media 02:23:50 Anger & Self-Care 02:34:18 Self-Care & Challenges 02:38:43 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.