INSIGHTS

ACTIONABLE SCIENCE FROM Dr. WELLS’ NEWSLETTER

 
Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

How to Activate Metacognition & Strategic Thinking

Taking time to reflect and strategize is key to achieving sustainable and healthy high-performance. Practicing metacognition—thinking about how you think—helps shift the mind from reactive to strategic mode. Leveraging alpha brainwaves, which are created when we are learning and reflecting, is an effective way to activate metacognition, which helps to elevate our decision-making and planning abilities.

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Practice Response-Ability

In moments of stress, our instinctive reactions can sometimes worsen situations or create unintended outcomes. Building response-ability—the ability to consciously choose responses instead of reacting automatically—can help maintain better relationships, enhance performance in the moment, and improve our ability to do the right thing in times of challenge. Ultimately, developing this skill empowers us to navigate challenges with a thoughtful and intentional mindset.

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Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

From Threat to Challenge

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but how we perceive and respond to it can make all the difference. By shifting from seeing stress as a "threat" to viewing it as a "challenge," we can transform our stress response, using it to fuel healthy high performance. This mindset shift empowers us to meet difficulties with progress (no matter how small that progress is), thereby creating opportunities for growth and learning.

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Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

Breathe for Focus and Concentration

Research increasingly shows that one of the most effective tools for regaining focus is right under our noses—our breath. Intentional breathing not only calms the mind but also boosts concentration by directly influencing brain chemistry and attention-related neural networks. This article explores how specific breathing practices can sharpen concentration and how the science of breath impacts our focus.

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Practicing Mindfulness with Breathwork

One of the most accessible tools to anchor ourselves in the present moment is our breath. Mindful breathing helps bring attention back to the here and now, reducing stress and enhancing focus.

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How Mindful Breathing Can Us Relax

Learning to use breath as a tool can unlock a sense of peace and balance, even in the face of stress. The science behind breathwork reveals why certain breathing techniques can shift the nervous system into a calm state, activating the body’s natural “rest and digest” mechanisms.

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Breathe to Restore Calm, Elevate Your Energy, and Get in the Zone

Breathing is the most natural action we do. Conscious breathing practices can help us calm down, increase our energy levels, and even enter “the zone”—a state of optimal performance where we feel focused, present, and capable of our best work. This article explores the science of breathing to manage stress, elevate energy, and access peak performance.

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Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

Managing Stress and Anxiety through Breathwork

Stress and anxiety have become a pervasive part of modern life, often pushing our nervous systems into overdrive. From work pressures to personal challenges, these stressors can create a chronic fight-or-flight response, impairing physical and mental health. Fortunately, there’s a simple yet powerful solution: breathwork. By leveraging breathing techniques, we can counteract the stress response and restore balance.

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How Physical Activity Sparks Happiness

Physical activity is not only essential for physical health but also plays a powerful role in enhancing mental well-being and happiness. Research highlights that movement can directly stimulate feelings of joy, energy, and emotional resilience. This article explores how moving our bodies in joyful ways can lead to lasting happiness and well-being, focusing on the science behind the connection between physical activity and emotional health.

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The Healing Power of Outdoor Exercise

Given many of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, reconnecting with nature is more crucial than ever for mental, physical, and emotional health. Moving outdoors offers a unique combination of physical exercise and natural therapy, engaging the body’s parasympathetic nervous system—our “rest and digest” response—while providing an escape from the constant digital stimuli that keep us in a stress state. Exercising in natural surroundings, often referred to as "green exercise," can activate powerful stress recovery mechanisms that help us feel calmer, more focused, and energized​​.

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Using Exercise to Enter a Flow State

Experiencing “flow”—a state of deep focus, calm, and optimal performance—feels like unlocking a higher level of existence. Athletes, artists, and professionals describe flow as being “in the zone,” where time slows, actions feel effortless, and the mind is fully absorbed in the task at hand. Regular movement, particularly activities that challenge but don’t overwhelm, can help us access this ideal performance state and improve both our mental and physical well-being.

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How Your Mitochondria Boost Your Energy

Feeling energized is deeply rooted in the body’s cellular processes, especially the function of our mitochondria. Often called the “powerhouses” of cells, mitochondria generate the energy required for every action, from thinking and breathing to running and lifting.

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Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

How Physical Activity Deepens Focus & BDNF

Exercise not only benefits the body but also significantly enhances brain function, in part due to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein, often called “fertilizer for the brain,” helps strengthen neurons, supports neuroplasticity, and plays a vital role in enhancing our ability to focus and concentrate.

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Greg Wells PhD Greg Wells PhD

Exercises to calm Your stress response

Mindful movement offers a powerful tool for managing stress and enhancing overall well-being. By understanding and addressing our body’s natural stress response through mindful movement, we can cultivate calm, increase focus, and foster calm.

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