The effect of Seasons on the brain

Changing Seasons affect the Brain

“How are you?” and “Very well, thank you” are the phrases that usually begin our conversations. The next remark is almost certain to be about the weather. “It’s a lovely morning, isn’t it?”

As we have very little control over the weather, so it is with our mental health. The intricate connections between the environment, nature and ourselves is far from understood. We have all felt foggy, hot and cold and sometimes all at once, as our bodies are put to tests of temperature and our minds are challenged by ourselves and others.

20Peace, active for a year now, is an opportunity to sit quietly and reconnect with our inner world and with our natural surroundings. We certainly notice the changing seasons this way!

We also want to share Felice Jacka’s work with you, one of our outstanding presenters at our International Forum coming up in September. Felice shows that the way we feed our bodies fuels the mind and supports mental health. Eating what nature gives us according to the season is also a part of our beautiful lives.

I wish you all peace of mind and body.

~ Maria Halphen (Founder)

Felice Jacka - 'Perth in a Brainstorm' Forum Speaker

As the seasons change, we often look forward to particular foods becoming available; strawberries and asparagus in spring, tomatoes and basil in summer, apples or blueberries in autumn, squashes and root vegetables during the winter months. We all know that the quality of the foods we eat affects our physical health, but did you know that eating natural whole foods that support our gut health have been proven to support our mental health as well?

Felice Jacka’s work provides evidence that supports associations between diet quality and mental and brain health across the lifespan.

Read more on Felice's work

Felice Jacka full Bio

Brain Changer Book

The Philippe and Maria Halphen Prize applications are open

Je vous informe que l’appel à candidatures pour le prix Philippe et Maria Halphen 2022 a été mis en ligne sur le site Internet de l’Académie

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20Peace

Perth has started to roll into the cooler weather and the crew down at 20peace are almost ready to dust off their Ugg boots.
Cold exposure therapy has multiple benefits to the brain and our mental health, and what better way to expose yourself to the cooler than elements! With the seasonal changes we are still continuing to see more new faces on the beach, and at coffee afterwards on the orange crates. Join us in seeing in the new season, with beachside meditation, cold water exposure and as always; coffee and great chats.
"With the changing seasons, comes new beginnings".
Start with us
- Courtney Hanlon (20peace Coordinator)

More Information on 20Peace

'Perth in a Brainstorm' Forum

16^th- 18^th September 2022

Bringing great minds together: exploring basic science and body mind connection.
Face-to-face and online.

SYNERGIES

M4M - SYNERGIES is currently working in Western Australia and Switzerland. Visit SYNERGIES for further information on these projects.

Synergies Coordinator Needed - Use your superpowers to create an alliance of hope

If you’re a natural relationship builder with a passion for brain science and people in all their humanness we’d love to hear from you about joining our SYNERGIES team in Perth, Australia.

We need you to coordinate the meeting of our brain and behavioural science researchers (BBS) and People with Lived Experience (PLEX) and oversee the publishing of films to share their conversations online.

It’s important you can develop relationships with diverse stakeholders with sensitivity and authenticity, and having knowledge of academic and research environments is a big plus. You’ll also need experience coordinating meetings or events, as well as a basic understanding of storytelling through film.

This is a paid position with a commitment of around 8 hours a week; the hours are mostly flexible to suit you and our meeting research partners (both BBS and PLEX).

If this sounds like a fit for you, email Alynka at admin@meetingforminds.com to register your interest and get more information about the role and the SYNERGIES programme.

More Information

To: Mental Health Research Funders
Please complete the Lived Experience Involvement Survey

The survey will be active until midnight EDT April 24, 2022.
Please share with mental health research funders across your network.
The aim is to create a resource that will reveal practical insights for funders looking to step up their lived experience engagement.

Meeting for Minds are very excited to see the outcome of this research. We are committed to involving people with lived experience in all aspects of research, including the crucial aspect of funding. We have contributed to the International Association of Mental Health Research Funder’s (IAMHRF) Lived Experience Working Group’s opinion piece highlighting that key voices may not be reflected in funding choices

Thank you kindly for your collaboration and please do not hesitate to contact the IAMHRF Secretariat iamhrf@grahamboeckhfoundation.org if you have any difficulty accessing the survey. 

Lived Experience Opinion Piece

Take Part in the Survey

Get involved!

Please consider making a donation to our work so that we can expand our programmes and activities. Your contribution will help ensure that people with lived experience of mental illness are co-participants in the research that stands to benefit them.

Thank you so much - your support is vital to us!

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