Joel Frank Of Duality Psychological Services On Lifestyle Habits Supporting Cognitive Well-Being
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Learn to Breathe: As widely discussed as it is, breathwork and effective breathing techniques are invaluable immediate actions a person can take to promote cognitive well-being. When a person is stressed, their breathing can become shallow. The overall oxygen intake can be less while stressed or dysregulated. This means the mind and the body are not getting the oxygen needed to function optimally. At suboptimal oxygen levels, a person may experience anxiety, emotional dysregulation, vision and hearing difficulties, attention and concentration struggles, difficulties forming new memories and recalling old memories, and struggle to complete daily tasks. Through effective breathing strategies, a person can work towards restoring their cognitive abilities when stressed by restoring the necessary oxygen levels the mind and body require.
In a world inundated with distractions, constant connectivity, and a plethora of information, our cognitive well-being has never been more crucial. Amidst the clamor, how do we nurture our minds, keep our focus sharp, and cultivate habits that promote mental clarity? The right lifestyle habits can be the cornerstone to maintaining and even enhancing our cognitive abilities, ensuring not just longevity but also the quality of our mental faculties. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Joel Frank.
Dr. Joel Frank is a licensed clinical psychologist and owner at Duality Psychological Services from Los Angeles, California, with over a decade of experience in the mental health and neuropsychological fields. Throughout his professional career, Dr. Frank has worked across many clinical and research settings helping individuals better understand their cognitive functioning and developing treatment protocols for maintaining and rehabilitating cognitive abilities. He has found profound success in and draws enjoyment from working with people to regain balance and power in their lives, both cognitively and psychologically.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up in suburban Chicago, Illinois, in an amazingly diverse neighborhood with individuals from all walks of life. From an early age, I have been fascinated with people and their stories. During my younger years, I remember being very curious about how people developed into those I interacted with. What led them to have particular perspectives, beliefs, and behaviors? As I got older, I began tailoring my education and experiences in psychology and mental health, specifically with individuals seeking asylum in the United States. Once the time came to start my graduate education officially, I leapt into the mental health field and never looked back. Since then, the goals of my practice, Duality Psychological Services, have been to help individuals understand their current circumstances and regain balance and power in their lives, both cognitively and psychologically.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
One of the books that had the most significant impact on my life, personally and professionally, is Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Frankl’s memoir details his experiences in Nazi-run concentration camps during World War II. As horrific and destitute as those experiences were, Frankl utilizes awe-inspiring amounts of resilience and reflective abilities to evaluate both his personal reactions and the environments in which he existed. The particular portion that sticks with me even today is the belief that in the face of profound powerlessness, people still can maintain power in their lives. Frankl explains that even when placed in the seemingly most powerless of positions, such as in a concentration camp, people still retain the power to choose how they react to circumstances.
Let’s now talk about lifestyle habits that support cognitive well-being. Are there specific foods or diets that have been scientifically shown to enhance cognitive functions?
While I am not a dietician, there is a lot of research on diet and gut health’s influence on mental well-being and cognitive functioning. For example, fluctuations in blood sugar or inadequate nourishment can significantly disrupt cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, and emotional regulation. However, I would defer to a registered dietician for more specifics.
What are your thoughts on the importance of movement and exercise in the context of cognitive decline? How do different forms of exercise, such as aerobic vs. strength training, influence cognitive well-being?
One of my five favorite tips when discussing cognitive functioning is the importance of movement and exercise in the relationship between cognitive well-being and decline. The cardiovascular system is so vital to overall bodily functioning and brain health that dysfunction and disruption to this system can have profound implications for current and future cognitive well-being. The short-term evidence of an impaired circulatory system can manifest symptoms such as memory troubles, attention difficulties, physical pain that can also disrupt cognitive functioning, slow processing speed, and emotional dysregulation. Future implications of a poorly functioning circulatory system can lead to a plethora of mental health ailments such as anxiety and depression but also can increase the risk of developing certain conditions like vascular dementia.
Can mindfulness practices or meditation offer measurable benefits to cognitive health?
Practicing mindfulness can be a very strong tool for promoting healthy cognitive functioning. One of the immediate benefits of mindfulness is drawing the person to the present moment and creating awareness of how they are doing mentally and physically. Mindfulness practices can help lower stress levels by promoting a present focus and awareness of themselves. Notably, when a person is stressed, the physical energy they use while experiencing stress can take away from their overall energy stores for that particular day. The stress can also preoccupy their thoughts and functional abilities. By using mindfulness practices to reduce stress levels, the energy the person would have devoted to being stressed can instead be allocated toward cognitive skills. An excellent example of how stress can interfere with cognitive abilities is with attention. It can be challenging for a person to adequately attend to situations if they are preoccupied with thinking about what they are stressed about. Therefore their attentional abilities can be hindered. By decreasing stress levels, a person’s attentional abilities can appear stronger solely because they are no longer impacted by the mind’s preoccupation with a stressor.
How does the quality and quantity of sleep correlate with cognitive performance and long-term brain health?
Developing a healthy sleep schedule is another of my favorite tips for promoting cognitive well-being. When a person does not sleep well and feel rested the next day, they may experience various cognitive difficulties. For example, sleep-deprived individuals may struggle with memory, attention, concentration, processing abilities, emotional regulation, and problems forming thoughts and sentences. For these reasons, it is imperative to establish a quality sleep routine to promote healthy daily cognitive functioning. I discuss more tips for establishing a quality sleep routine among my five favorite lifestyle habits that proactively support cognitive well-being.
How do social connections and interpersonal relationships influence our cognitive well-being?
Social connections and interpersonal relationships help promote healthy cognitive abilities because socializing helps individuals practice many different cognitive and functional skills. During conversations, a person is utilizing skills such as active listening and attention, language comprehension, social interpretation of nonverbal language, mentally formulating responses that are on topic and organized, expressing those thoughts verbally, remembering information both about the current conversation and the history of interacting with the individual they are socializing with, and regulating their mood and affect based on the current situation. The more a person practices the skills by socializing or comparable activities, the strength of these cognitive abilities can be maintained or increased. If an individual does not practice utilizing these cognitive abilities, their skill level for these abilities can diminish.
What role do lifelong learning and continuous mental stimulation play in maintaining optimal cognitive health?
Continuing to be a lifelong learner and engaging in mentally stimulating activities is a central strategy for maintaining cognitive abilities as people age. This, again, is one of my favorite lifestyle habits that proactively supports cognitive well-being. The adage is, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” This statement significantly aligns with cognitive abilities. By continuing to be an active lifelong learner and engaging in mentally stimulating tasks, a person can maintain their cognitive skills into the later years of life. More on this is discussed among my favorite lifestyle habits for supporting cognitive well-being.
What are your five favorite lifestyle habits that proactively support cognitive well-being?
1. Learn to Breathe: As widely discussed as it is, breathwork and effective breathing techniques are invaluable immediate actions a person can take to promote cognitive well-being. When a person is stressed, their breathing can become shallow. The overall oxygen intake can be less while stressed or dysregulated. This means the mind and the body are not getting the oxygen needed to function optimally. At suboptimal oxygen levels, a person may experience anxiety, emotional dysregulation, vision and hearing difficulties, attention and concentration struggles, difficulties forming new memories and recalling old memories, and struggle to complete daily tasks. Through effective breathing strategies, a person can work towards restoring their cognitive abilities when stressed by restoring the necessary oxygen levels the mind and body require.
One powerful breathwork strategy is called “box breathing.” This technique is best explained by imagining that one breath cycle traces the perimeter of a box. To utilize this strategy, a person would breathe in for four seconds, hold the breath in for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and hold the out-breath for four seconds. By concentrating on the breath timing, this technique not only cognitively distracts the person from a stressful situation but also helps restore the body’s natural oxygen levels. The goal of this technique is to continue utilizing this strategy for breath cycles until they feel more at ease both cognitively and physically.
2. Develop a Quality Sleep Routine: Getting a good night’s sleep can be one of the most significant make-or-break factors for cognitive functioning. Sleep allows individuals to recharge and recollect before the next day. It can be difficult to navigate daily challenges effectively when sleep is deprived. When people do not get adequate sleep or do not feel rested when they wake in the morning, they could experience more significant cognitive difficulties. For example, after a night of poor sleep, a person may experience struggles with memory, maintaining attention and concentration, difficulty comprehending people during conversations, word-finding struggles when trying to respond, lower frustration tolerance when managing daily stresses, and emotional dysregulation. Additionally, they could experience struggles with organizing, planning, and executing tasks.
Some valuable strategies when developing a healthy sleep hygiene routine are to dim the lights at least one hour before trying to fall asleep, avoid screens such as phones and television for an hour before trying to fall asleep, engage in activities that stimulate the mind such as reading, and completing nightly hygiene routines such as bathing. By constructing a consistent nightly sleep routine, engaging with the tasks in the routine sends signals to the body to prepare to fall asleep.
3. Develop an Exercise Schedule: The health of a person’s physical body can have massive implications on the health of a person’s mind and cognitive functioning. Engaging in regular physical activity promotes healthier cardiovascular and circulatory systems. These systems control how oxygen and other biological materials, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, move throughout the body. Participating in activities that promote healthy blood flow helps supply the body with valuable signals to keep it operating efficiently and effectively. When avenues of blood flow and oxygenation are impacted or impaired, a person may experience issues such as high blood pressure or be at an increased risk for strokes and dementia. These ailments could lead to problems such as increased anxiety or depression and impaired global cognitive functioning.
When developing an exercise schedule, consider participating in physical activities a few times a week, especially ones that raise the heart rate and promote healthy blood flow. To better understand what frequency and magnitude of physical activity to incorporate weekly, consult a primary care physician to establish a routine that best fits your current health and abilities.
4. Engage Your Brain: One of the best tips for proactively preserving cognitive abilities during aging is to engage in activities that utilize cognitive skills. These activities can include app-based brain games, Sudoku, chess, and other logic and memory games. These activities could also include developing new hobbies or taking classes. As individuals get older, their cognitive abilities naturally decline. Among the breadth of different cognitive skills, the ones that decline the quickest are the ones that are not used. For example, if a person does not engage in activities that require working memory, their ability to retain and manipulate information in their mind could be lessened more quickly than other frequently used cognitive skills.
5. Get a Neuropsychological Evaluation: Proactively getting a baseline neuropsychological evaluation could feel unnecessary for many people. But if a person gets into a car accident or sustains a head injury, having a baseline of how they were functioning before the incident is an invaluable tool for understanding how cognitive abilities have changed due to the incident. Not only can the baseline neuropsychological evaluation identify what cognitive domains could benefit from support before an incident, but having tangible evidence of how the person was before the incident offers treatment teams insight into how cognitive abilities have changed and in what ways to support them best.
Are there any proven techniques or habits that can help protect against age-related cognitive decline?
In addition to learning effective breath work techniques, establishing a quality sleep routine, developing a regular exercise program, engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, and preemptively getting a baseline neuropsychological evaluation, other proven techniques and habits that can help protect against age-related cognitive decline include eating a healthy diet, reducing or eliminating substance use, remaining a curious lifelong learner, and participating in talk therapy so to reduce stress levels and increase cognitive flexibility and adaptability.
In your professional or personal experience, what can be done to delay cognitive decline if the genetic predisposition is there?
Regarding genetic predispositions for ailments that can lead to cognitive decline, it is essential to understand that just because a person has a genetic predisposition does not mean they will develop the ailment for most genetic conditions. The most significant habits and steps a person can take to delay cognitive decline are to eat a healthy diet, engage in regular physical activity, find ways to minimize stress, remain curious, learn new things, and be open to new experiences. By participating in a physically and mentally healthy life, a person can delay the natural cognitive decline of aging and reduce their risk of developing a predisposed genetic condition.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
While there are many amazing people out there who I would be interested in meeting, Keanu Reeves is one individual I would love to talk with about mindset and life perspective. Beyond being a fantastic actor, he is an individual I admire due to his resiliency and humility. He has experienced significant adversities throughout his life but maintains a humble life while showing generosity and compassion for the people around him. Given how much he has been through, I highly respect that he still chooses to act with humility, compassion, and consideration for others. From my perspective, he epitomizes Viktor Frankl’s concepts of finding power in the face of adversity and recognizing that personal reactions are some of the few things we can truly control.
How can our readers follow you online?
For individuals wanting to follow me online, look me up on X @DualityPsych or Instagram @DualityPsychServices. Also, to learn more about healthy habits to maintain cognitive abilities, please feel free to contact me at www.DualityPsychServices.com.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
