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Health and well-being jigsaw puzzle

Updated: Jul 12


Jigsaw puzzle


I believe health and well-being is a jigsaw puzzle which consists of many pieces. I recommend assessing your jigsaw puzzle at any point in life however I believe this is especially important for women in the menopausal transition. I have followed this approach and found it helpful.


I suggest taking time to honestly look at the various jigsaw puzzle pieces (described below) then choose one (or two) piece(s) with highest potential gain that you are willing to work on. You may recognise a piece that you are not in a position to tackle at this moment - alcohol is a common piece in my experience that is identified. Congratulate yourself for this insight and set aside until you are ready to approach this piece.


I am a perfectionist by nature however in my life aiming for perfection has sometimes led to disappointment and restricted my growth therefore instead my aim is to develop a jigsaw puzzle piece with


conscientiousness, curiosity, gratitude, kindness and patience


then incorporating that piece into my daily life. Personally (and in my experience of helping others) I have found this often leads to physical and/ or psychological benefits which encourages the individual to work on other pieces. When the time is right the jigsaw puzzle can be re-assessed and another piece can be chosen. These are some of the pieces I have identified - can you think of anymore?


🧩 Hormones

Hormones (for those who cannot or don't want to start HRT take comfort that this is only one piece in the jigsaw puzzle) Dr Sarah Ball & Dr Carys Sonnenberg provide helpful information.

🧩 How we breathe matters.

Symptoms that can be related to breathing inefficiently are: if you are struggling to maintain nasal breathing whilst awake, asleep and moving, have noisy breathing whilst sleeping, excessive breathlessness during movement and/ or feeling anxious. I promote the aware, assess, action approach. Click to download a document to help you explore if your unconscious breathing is helping or hindering your health and well-being:

🧩 Sleep:

🧩 What we eat

🧩 When we eat

Listen to Dr Chatterjee's conversation with Professor Satchin Panda discussing when we eat influences our circadian rhythm.

🧩 What we drink

Dose and timing of caffeine, sugary drinks, drinks containing sweeteners, alcohol. The conversation between Dr Chatterjee and Dr Robert Lustig discussing 'The Bitter Truth About Sugar' has reshaped my drink choices. I now recognise I was a sweetener addict when I discovered how hard it was to cut sweeteners out of my life. Emma Gilmour's website has lots of information on changing the relationship with alcohol)

🧩 Kindness 

Kindness (to self and others) - can help you thrive. Read my kindness blog co-created with Dr Sarah Ball exploring the work of David Hamilton (kindness scientist)

🧩 Gratitude

 My daily gratitude has been very powerful for me and I have shared my knowledge in a free Brain & Body Boost Challenge

🧩 Circadian (24-hour) rhythm

Listen to Dr Chatterjee's conversation with Professor Russell Foster discussing the new science of the body clock and how it influences your sleep and health.

🧩Strength training

Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. Maintaining muscle strength is very important for reducing falls, osteoporosis and dementia. Click to read Jane Wake's excellent blog

🧩Joy of movement, Yoga, Pilates

Our reward system and expression of joy is stimulated by movement. Joy feeds hopefulness. Movement stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which helps nerve survival and growth. Be inspired by Dr Kelly McGonigal to find joy in movement,  Dinah Siman in Pilates and Yoga with Adriene.

🧩Balance

Research is increasingly suggesting balance is a marker of longevity. Consider starting to experiment brushing your teeth on one leg. If that gets too easy you could trying briefly closing your eyes. Be safe - ensure you don't fall over.

🧩Stress

🧩Sensuality

Sexual activity reduces risk of heart attack & stroke in addition to improving flexibility in the autonomic nervous system and can be developed with or without a sexual partner. Neuropsychologist Donald Hebb famously said that “Cells that fire together, wire together” which describes the concept of neuroplasticity. The genital nerve pathway gets weaker if it isn't used. Genitourinary syndrome of the menopause can be treated. Samantha Evans is an ex-NHS nurse who provides lots of great advice as @samtalkssex on Instagram.

🧩Moving efficiently

Is the way you are moving helping your health & well-being? I have changed the way I move after listening to the conversations between Dr Chatterjee and Helen Hall - first conversation, second conversation, third conversation.

🧩Spirituality

Exploring spirituality is a deeply personal journey focused on finding meaning, purpose, and connection to something larger than yourself.

🧩Sense of purpose

 Read, watch, attend events that fit with your core values. Dr Chatterjee has a selection of podcasts exploring purpose and happiness.

🧩Connection with others

Dr Chatterjee explores the 'Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World' with Dr Vivek Murthy

🧩Creative activities

In this context I mean an activity that we find hard but we are willing to improve. Significant positive changes occur in the brain as a consequence.

🧩Calming activities

Such as being in nature, meditation, yoga, calming music, mindfulness etc strengthens the Vagus nerve which helps control excess inflammation, blood pressure and a vast array of crucial bodily functions.

🧩Getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable

Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can help you become more resilient. Over time I have become more comfort with being uncomfortable which has helped me grow as a person.

🧩Deliberate cold exposure

The conversation between Dr Chatterjee and Dr Susanna Søberg discussing the 'New Science of Cold Exposure: Reduce Stress, Boost Immunity & Increase Resilience' completely changed my perspective. I now understand deliberate cold exposure releases positive neurotransmitters, utilises white fat, improves healthy brown fat, blood glucose control and immune system. Dr Søberg says cold can be reasonably defined as less than 15 degrees Celsius, or 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and benefits can still occur with just exposing a body part. I encourage you to listen before making a choice if you want to explore this piece.

🧩Deliberate heat exposure

Listen to the conversation between Professor Andrew Huberman and Dr. Susanna Søberg discussing 'How to Use Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Your Health'

🧩Playfulness

Ability to play is key for cognition and hopefulness. I am currently exploring my playfulness jigsaw 🧩 piece by roller skating. I am reigniting the feeling of freedom and flow from my youth on my new pair of roller skates. As a child I used to experience awe watching others skate effortlessly backwards. I am hopeful one day I may be able to skate backwards. I was only able to move to this 🧩 piece after working on how we breathe matters, strength training, joy of movement, balance, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

🧩Healing past trauma

The conversation between Dr Chatterjee and Dr Bessel van der Kolk discussing 'How Trauma Impacts Your Physical Health & How To Heal From It' is informative, helpful and I have seen how it has helped many of my patients.


Helpful podcasts that focus on root cause, preventive approach to health and well-being


Feel Better, Live More by Dr Rangan Chatterjee


In my perimenopause I started by addressing my hormones (by commencing HRT) and how I was breathing as I had become a perimenopausal snorer. The improvement I felt led me to work on others pieces that either I had less to gain or I was actively avoiding (e.g. strength training). Over a number of years I have developed lots of pieces in my jigsaw puzzle which has helped my health and well-being.


What pieces have you worked on and which are you considering working on?



My third-party recommendations come from a place of good intention to help you as a starting point when considering developing a jigsaw piece. I have no financial affiliation to the individuals mentioned in this blog and I am not responsible for their content they provide.

2 Comments

Dr Louise Oliver
Dr Louise Oliver
Apr 15, 2024

Thank you for reading my blog and your kind words 🙏 Enjoy exploring a puzzle piece with conscientiousness, curiosity, gratitude, kindness and patience to yourself 😊

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gltss2022
Apr 14, 2024

Hi Louise, a great blog post! I am looking forward to exploring this post further by accessing the links and thinking about my jigsaw puzzle pieces even further. 🤩

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