Dr Alex Georgewouldn’t claim that walking saved his life – but he would say it changed it. “My parents didn’t have much [when I was young], but they invested all the money they had into a small farm in the countryside and restored it,” he says. “I spent my childhood walking through the fields, climbing trees, and playing around. So a few years ago, when I was going through a really tough time, I chose to reconnect with myself by”walkingevery day. I discovered that it was a straightforward yet truly life-changing encounter.
It is also the reason behind the former A&E physician’s popular podcast,Stompcast, which was introduced in 2022, is captured not in the bright environment of a studio, but amidst nature. He and his visitors walk together, with the noises of wildlife and weather audible in the background.
Occasionally, it’s challenging, and the weather might be chilly and wet. However, when individuals walk side by side, they tend to engage in a more relaxed dialogue, and ideally, listeners will go out and experience the strength I have felt through nature.
The science is clear: research indicates that your amygdala – the brain’s fear center – reduces in size when you spend moretime in nature. However, I don’t believe we require proof for this: being in nature is evidently significant for us. We were not created to remain indoors constantly.
Nothing is a quick fix,” he adds, “and anyone claiming otherwise… well, you should think twice about that. However, there aren’t many issues that get worse from taking walks, and if you can gain a small benefit from each minor action, it eventually leads to a significant impact.
Dr George and Stompcast reside in – and could serve as the remedy for – the current age ofpodcastguys, who advocate self-improvement without any compromise.
On Stompcast, there are discussions on wellness topics including breathwork and self-care practices, yet there are also guests like a neurobiologist and prominent autism researcher.Professor Gina Rippon, who explores the differences in how male and female brains are structured, andLucy Easthope, the UK’s leading disaster planner, on dealing with life’s most challenging times.
Dr. George’s interest in ways to live and experience improved well-being is also reflected in his latest publication,Am I Normal?It’s a compelling topic to consider at this time, given the rise in cases of neurodivergence and mental health issues. Dr George has emerged as a prominent figure in these fields following his ADHD diagnosis in 2022 at the age of 31, and subsequently being diagnosed with OCD last year. He is also currently undergoing evaluations for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
From the very first day at school, I was seen as mischievous,” he says. “Not because I was disrespectful, but I couldn’t focus, I lived in my own world and followed my instincts.” He started showing facial tics when he was 11, but his intelligence and academic performance were strong enough to get him into a medical degree at Exeter University, “No one said, ‘Oh, maybe this child’sgot something”we need to investigate.””
We are discussing December, when Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a review of ADHD care, resulting in a surge in media reports highlighting an “overdiagnosis” issue. “It is very clear that we don’t need an investigation into ‘overdiagnosis’,” says Dr George, referencing studies like one that showed only 0.3 per cent of individuals are diagnosed withADHD, even though the widely recognized actual rate is approximately 3 percent, and another study revealed that women with the condition pass away more than eight years sooner than those without it, whereas men die more than six years earlier.
You wouldn’t agree to it if it were a different issue causing people to die earlier, but ADHD is seen as a trivial matter, and people are unaware of how significant its impact truly is.has in people’s lives,” he says.
Diagnoses are important, he adds, as they provide “access to understanding why I am this way, how I am structured, what that signifies for my life, and the support I require to live it optimally. The majority of the advantages of a diagnosis stem from gaining a better understanding of oneself.”
This is the frustration, along with a longing to address the question he has pondered throughout his life, that drove him to write the book.
The concept is not about examining how individualscan be more “normalbut to consider how we can more effectively assist those who do not fit within the boundaries of ‘normality’.
To me, whether you are ‘normal’ or not is only significant if there’s conflict,” he states. “I’m definitely not normal since I use a hair dryer for three hours daily – it’s neurosensorially soothing for me. It’s an unusual habit, but it doesn’t matter. However, if I have a sensitivity or impulsiveness that’s so severe it’s impacting my life to the extent that I’m completely unhappy, that’s a source of conflict.
Dr. George also utilizes this opportunity to reconsider how society defines what is considered normal. “The main idea of the book is questioning how much of who I am is truly me and how much is influenced by the world around me? To what extent are the challenges I encounter in my life due to my own characteristics and behavior, as opposed to the issues created by the way the world functions?”
That covers examining the manner in whichalcohol is accepted(he has remained alcohol-free for over three years, likening the act of consuming alcohol with ADHD to “pouring petrol” onto his impulsive mind) and sorrow ignored – a sentiment he refused to accept when his younger brother, Llyr, passed away by suicide in 2020 at the age of 19.
“I felt that in the first year, the objective was to move past this, but then I had an insight: ‘Do I ever want to wake up and be okay with the fact that he is gone?’” he states. “If I reach 80, do I want to be saying, ‘I’m over it’? I don’t think so. I believe people attempt the impossible and end up making themselves unhappy.”
The book required three years to complete. “It wasn’t that it truly took that long, but rather because it was extremely challenging – it has been the most difficult task I’ve undertaken professionally outside of a hospital,”where it’s a matter of life and death,” he says.
There has been a significant amount of sorrow and irritation. I didn’t expect it to be this challenging, as I had already undergone considerable therapy and worked through many issues, but I hadn’t understood how deep these emotions ran.
I believe it’s a very authentic book, hoping in the best manner, where individuals recognize themselves in it, and it sparks a dialogue that contributes to repairing a flawed system.
Stompcastcan be found on all leading podcast platforms.Am I Normal?(Aster, £22) is released on Thursday