Hi there, Sana Qadar here from ABC Radio National's mental health podcast All In The Mind.

We talk to a lot of experts on All in the Mind such as psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists and psychiatrists.

They share many insights with us, but sometimes I wonder what do these people do in their own lives to protect their mental health? What habits do they swear by? And what stresses them out most?

These are the kinds of questions we're asking in our new, mini, mid-week pod called Mind Hacks to get at the heart of what works and doesn't work for people.

In our first couple of episodes, we've heard from renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel (political polarisation is stressing her out) and cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson (he swears by the mental health benefits of saunas).

And if you want to hear more from Esther Perel, check out the episode on love in the age of AI – where she reveals she's just done her first couples therapy session with a man and his AI girlfriend.

She calls it a threshold moment: "Every few years, something enters your office that you know is new in society and therefore new in your office. It means you haven't had that conversation before."

"In 40 years of practice, I have had the first conversation on IVF and the first conversation on gay couples that were using surrogates … this was the same one with this young man and his AI girlfriend."

Catch you next month.

Sana

P.S. If you have other topics you'd like to hear more about on All In The Mind, or you want to suggest a guest expert for Mind Hacks, send us an email.

And if you — or someone you know — find any of the themes we touch on in this newsletter difficult, please reach out to services such as Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 or the Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.

All In The Mind is an exploration of the mental: the mind, brain and behaviour. It airs on Sundays at 1pm and is repeated on Mondays at 11am and Fridays at 2.30am on ABC Radio National. Listen for free on the ABC listen app.

You can find more mental-health-related content on ABC iview, and head to our dedicated page for articles.

Renowned psychotherapist, author, and speaker Esther Perel reflects on what’s changed in the decades she's worked as a relationship therapist; whether AI can be a helpful tool for therapy; and why we might be better off conceptualising AI companions as "transitional objects" instead.

What mental health advice would Esther Perel avoid at all costs? Find out in our first episode of Mind Hacks.

Cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson discusses the risk of cognitive atrophy when outsourcing to AI, and what we can do to be more adaptable and flexible at a time of so much uncertainty and change.

In this episode, cognitive neuroscientist Joel Pearson tells us how he manages his own stress.

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Radicalisation expert turned federal minister Anne Aly says reaching out to people susceptible to extremism and helping them reconnect to their communities is essential.