The Fast From Noise: Women’s Mental Health in Lent w/ Dr. Robyn Middleton, PhD (Guest Co-Host Gavin McCort, RDN)

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian is joined by guest co-host Gavin McCort, RDN, & Dr. Robyn Middleton, PhD to explore women’s mental health during Lent... covering anxiety, burnout, stress, perfectionism, distraction, & how the Jesus Prayer restores peace in a noisy, overstimulated world.

It connects Orthodox spirituality with real-world mental health, including Robyn’s research on the Jesus Prayer, breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, & heart rate variability (HRV), along with her journey from healthcare administration & communication studies into the Orthodox Church.

Together, they unpack why Lent is not “wellness culture with incense,” but a season of repentance that exposes what is actually happening beneath the surface (mentally, physically, & spiritually). From smartphone addiction & scattered attention to productivity-driven identity & isolation, this conversation addresses the root causes of modern anxiety & how the Church offers real healing.

Robyn shares how stepping away from social media, entering into the life of the Church, & approaching Orthodoxy as a hospital, helped her find greater peace during the Fast.

The episode also covers:

• The Jesus Prayer & its effects on anxiety, the nervous system, & attention
• Why the Jesus Prayer is not a mantra or biohack
• Women’s mental load, burnout, & the pressure to “do it all”
• How productivity becomes a false identity
• Isolation, lockdown effects, & the need for real community
• The difference between struggle & harm during Lent
• How to practice sustainable prayer & fasting without burnout
• Why parish life, coffee hour, & embodied community matter for healing

If you’re struggling with anxiety, overwhelmed by stress, or trying to keep the Fast without burning out, this episode offers a grounded, Orthodox approach to restoring peace.

And if you’re a man listening, this conversation matters too... because the mental load in a home is either being shared or carried by one exhausted woman.

Sound Bytes:

• "Lent is not wellness culture with incense. It’s repentance."
• "We’re trying to solve identity problems at the level of behavior."
• "Your attention isn’t just distracted, it’s fractured."
• "Prayer is not something you perform, it’s something you enter into."
• "Struggle builds you. Harm breaks you."
• "The Church isn’t a performance, it’s a hospital."
• "Orthodoxy doesn’t just show you God... it shows you yourself."
• "Not perfectly, but faithfully."

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:29 Lent, Stress & the Body: Why This Matters

04:00 Meet Dr. Robyn Middleton

07:58 The Public Health Breakdown: A Turning Point

14:10 Finding Dr. Mike’s Thesis & Counterflow Connection

16:20 The Jesus Prayer Study: Science Meets Tradition

20:15 Prayer as Communication: Rewiring the Mind

24:22 Is the Jesus Prayer a Mantra? Misconceptions Explained

31:31 Robyn’s Work: Anxiety, Speech & the Nervous System

34:04 Hidden Coping Mechanisms That Increase Anxiety

38:31 Productivity Is Not Worth: The Trap Women Fall Into

40:05 Isolation, Lockdowns & Mental Health Fallout

44:56 Why Lent Exposes Anxiety & Inner Chaos

50:29 Struggle vs Harm: When Zeal Becomes Damage

53:04 Sustainable Prayer: Where to Actually Start

56:28 Stress & Communication: Why We Stop Listening

59:08 Community as Medicine: The Parish Model

01:04:06 The Orthodox Clergy Shortage

01:08:16 Final Word: Keep Showing Up in Lent

01:11:22 Outro

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