Why am I here?
Guidance and inspiration with a side-helping of fun from a psychologist with 35+ years of experience.
Who is Sarb?
I’m a psychologist, dad, and middle-aged mid-pack late-starting runner from London. I now live in Wellington, New Zealand, where I have been based for most of my adult life.
I’m also a writer, speaker and broadcaster with an insatiable curiosity about this human experience. I’m the author of the bestselling ‘Finding Calm: Managing Fear and Anxiety in an Uncertain World’; ‘The Little Book of Sleep‘, and ‘Steady: Keeping Calm in a World Gone Viral’. I’ve written for The Guardian, The Hill, Psychology Today, the Sunday Star-Times here in New Zealand, as well as numerous other podcasts and media appearances.
Tell me more.
News stories, social media, radio, podcasts, Netflix, Whatsapp…. All of it designed to keep our faces glued to our devices and our fingers clicking and scrolling, while real life unfolds just out of sight.
There’s growing evidence that the tools that keep us connected to the world are increasingly driving worry and anxiety, keeping us awake at night, fuelling disconnection and preventing us from enjoying the very things that make life rich and meaningful. And in a misinformation age, it can be hard to know where to look and who to trust.
It’s time to turn down the volume on the incessant noise and tune into meaningful signal that can inform, entertain and help you get the most out of life – no matter what the future holds.
I love to unpack why humans think and behave the way they do, and how you can be well and live well – no matter what happens next.
Each day, I scan the globe for intriguing, illuminating and inspiring ideas that could transform the way we do this thing called life. Then I curate the best insights from the fields of psychology, engineering, science, technology, history, sport, culture and the arts to create Noise Reduction. It’s your weekly dose of nourishing brain food with a dollop of perspective, delivered direct to your inbox and guaranteed to make you think.
Here are some reasons to consider subscribing.
You’re at the point where you’re looking back on your life so far, figuring out where to go next
You’re trying to optimise your mental and physical wellbeing but don’t have serious mental health or physical concerns
You are on your own fitness journey and you are interested in hearing about mine. My weapon of choice is running, but I have a few others to tell you about.
You’re busy and engaged with the news but you’re looking for summaries and interesting takes
You like trying new things, but not too far out of your comfort zone. Not at first anyway.
You’re into tech and new developments, but don’t live completely online. You’d like a navigator to help you with the shiny new stuff
You’re in popular culture: what to read, watch, listen to
You want to talk to like minded people who communicate in friendly ways and share tips along the way (I have a weekly thread for that community belonging we all crave)
You might even be a psychologist or counsellor interested in supporting your own wellbeing as well as your clients.
What will I get?
You’ll get a couple of posts a week from me, sometimes more.
Both free and paid members get my Noise Reduction curated newsletter once a week, full of guidance, inspiration and fun links, with a helping of perspective and / or tips from me too.
Both free and paid subscribers also get an invitation to contribute to a weekly thread sharing what we’ve been doing, and tips we have found that may be helpful to each other. I’ll also be joining in and setting a theme for each week too.
Paid members receive an exclusive extra letter called Optimise. Each ‘letter’ will summarise a recent research paper looking at lifestyle tweaks and their influence on our physical and / or psychological wellbeing, and how we might use those results in our own lives. I’ll include a note on how I’m using that research in my own life too.
Join me?
<a rel="me" href="https://mastodon.nz/@sarb">Mastodon</a>
