Inside the Mind, Beyond the Desk

Decision Fatigue: Why Your Brain Feels Done Before the Day Begins How many decisions have you made before 9 a.m.? What to wear. What to eat. Where the missing school shoes are. Whether to answer that email now or later. By the time the day has properly started, your brain may already be running on empty. In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore decision fatigue, the mental...

Getting things done is not always about motivation or trying harder. For many people, the real challenge is starting, knowing where to begin, staying focused, and managing the overwhelm that can come with everyday tasks. In this episode, we explore task initiation, procrastination, planning, prioritising, and executive functioning through a psychology-informed lens. We look at why tasks can feel m...

Why does time seem to disappear, deadlines creep up unexpectedly, and even simple tasks take longer than planned? In this episode, we explore the reality of time management for neurodivergent adults and anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by competing demands. We unpack concepts such as time blindness, executive functioning, task initiation, procrastination, and the challenge of balancing priorit...

Working memory is the brain’s ability to hold information in mind long enough to use it. It helps us follow instructions, keep track of conversations, remember what we walked into a room to do, organise tasks, and connect one step to the next. In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , we explore working memory from a psychology and therapy-informed perspective. We look at what working...

Masking is not simply pretending. Often, it is a way of staying safe, fitting in, or avoiding judgement. But over time, constantly monitoring yourself can become exhausting. In this episode, we explore what masking is, why people do it, and the psychological cost of always “holding it together”. We look at masking through a therapy-informed lens, including neurodivergence, anxiety, emotional regul...

Why do some days feel manageable while others feel overwhelming, even when the demands look the same? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore sensory regulation and how the brain and nervous system respond to everyday demands. Sensory regulation refers to the ways our bodies and brains manage incomi...

What does psychological wellbeing actually mean in everyday life and work? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore the foundations of psychological wellbeing and why it matters more than ever in modern workplaces and daily life. Psychological wellbeing is often reduced to ideas of happiness or stres...

The Sensory Environment How much does the environment around us shape how we think, work and regulate ourselves? In this episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea explore the powerful role that sensory environments play in attention, wellbeing and performance. Many people underestimate how strongly factors such as li...

Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how human brains think, process information, regulate attention, and respond to the world around them. In this opening episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea introduce the concept of neurodiversity and explore what it means in everyday working life. Together, the...

Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how human brains think, process information, regulate attention, and respond to the world around them. In this opening episode of Inside the Mind: Beyond the Desk , Chartered Psychologist Karen Beckett and Occupational Therapist Dr Áine O’Dea introduce the concept of neurodiversity and explore what it means in everyday working life. Together, the...