Lisa Bollow Integrated Life Project

10/07/2026

Here's to all the therapists who have had enough time to eat something and go to the bathroom!

You're Killing IT!

Send a message to learn more

09/01/2026

It is a discussion I have with clients ... (and my husband ;-) )

I’m a neurologist, not a marriage counselor, so take this advice strictly in the spirit in which it is intended.

If the person next to you snores, tosses, steals the covers, or otherwise turns eight hours in bed into five hours of actual sleep, sleeping separately may occasionally be the healthier choice.

Restorative sleep supports memory consolidation, metabolic regulation, immune function, and the brain’s housekeeping processes.

Your relationship can survive a night apart from time to time. Your brain would very much appreciate its eight hours.

07/26/2026

Don’t measure your worth by someone else’s silence. ~ Lisa

07/17/2026

Deep sleep may do more than support memory, it may also help the brain recalibrate emotion overnight.

A recent study of cognitively healthy adults over age 65 found that lower slow-wave activity during non-REM sleep was associated with greater anxiety the following day.

Reduced deep sleep also appeared to account for part of the relationship between brain aging and next-day anxiety.

This matters because anxiety consumes cognitive resources.

Heightened vigilance, worry, and emotional reactivity can reduce the capacity available for attention, decision-making, communication, and flexible thinking.

In clinical practice, I assess more than total sleep hours. Sleep continuity, apnea, pain, alcohol, medications, irregular timing, and untreated insomnia can all interfere with restorative sleep.

In my work with high-performing individuals, we also examine how disrupted sleep and physiological stress tax the cognitive capacity needed to lead and function effectively.

The research does not yet prove that increasing slow-wave sleep will reduce anxiety—but it reinforces an important point: sleep quality is part of emotional regulation and cognitive performance.

🤓 Read the full article in the first comment below.

07/06/2026

Capacity is often misunderstood.

We tend to think of capacity as time.

How much can I fit in?
How much can I produce?
How many clients, meetings, posts, decisions, launches, conversations, and responsibilities can I manage?

But capacity is not just a calendar issue.

Capacity is also neurological.
Emotional.
Physiological.
Relational.
Identity-based.

It is the amount of demand your system can hold while still having access to clarity, creativity, discernment, connection, and follow-through.

This is why growth can feel so personal.

You may be ready for more opportunity, more visibility, more revenue, or more leadership, but your nervous system may still be learning how to hold the weight of being seen, evaluated, needed, trusted, or responsible at a higher level.

When capacity is stretched, we often call it procrastination, avoidance, inconsistency, or self-sabotage.

But sometimes, it is not a character flaw.

Sometimes it is a capacity signal.

The work is not always to push harder.

Sometimes the work is to build the internal structure to hold what you are asking yourself to carry.

07/02/2026

If you feel stuck in repeating patterns of behavior and have tried to think your way out of those patterns, then you know it's not a thinking problem.

You don't lack motivation for change.
You don't lack ability.
You don't (usually) lack insight.

Patterns that have been activated by trauma become an entrenched nervous system issue as much as they are behavior-based.

My encouragement today is to quiet the mind and listen to your body.
..

07/02/2026

I’m gearing up for a day of clients. I glanced over and realized that I will definitely be well hydrated 🙂

05/05/2026

During my own mental health reset this week in Hawaii, I am paying more attention to the beautiful nature around me. .

05/04/2026

Taking my own mental health break for a week in Hawaii. Clinician, don’t underestimate the power of pause in your own life.

04/16/2026

The brain is not separate from the body ... makes sense, right?

Historically, medicine and therapeutic interventions have often approached mental health in ways that underemphasize how deeply the brain and emotional well-being are connected to the rest of the body.

A developing brain depends on stable energy, hydration, micronutrients, amino acids, fatty acids, and a broader physiological environment that supports regulation rather than strain. Adolescence is a period of rapid growth, ongoing brain development, and increased emotional vulnerability. Tucker et al. (2025) describe adolescence as a critical developmental window and a key period for prevention. That does not mean one processed snack causes anxiety. It does not mean complex life situations can be solved by adding blueberries or fish oil.

What the literature and lived experiences do support is this:

Repeated dietary patterns may either support or strain a child’s developing nervous system over time. That is one reason the strongest message in this research is not “find the right supplement.”

Pay attention to the patterns.

The pattern matters more than using the “right” product.

https://integratedlifeproject.substack.com/p/what-we-feed-the-brain-matters