Tag: exercise

How to Use Tension in a Productive Way

Photo by Monica Leonardi

We tend to want to eliminate completely built-up stress, either through activities that clear our mind, such as meditation or exercise, or through activities that give us pleasure at the expense of our long-term wellbeing – drinking, stress eating etc. Focusing on tension release without accounting for the long-term impact of how we do it creates a bigger negative impact in the long run than the immediate positive effect.

Experiencing tension is a good opportunity to pause and understanding what led us to this moment. Is it frustration with our own decisions or some things that are outside of our control. Once we understand the root cause, we can empower ourselves to change the way we react to situations. Reactions are natural, but they are also specific to each individual. We react based on what we perceive as normal. A broader example is how some cultures celebrate death, while others celebrate the birth of a child. Our values are specific to us.

Tension is our body and brain reacting to events throughout the day and storing a sense of alertness that cannot be maintained for a long period of time. Managing tension is a life skill that allows us to clear out the clouds and see the sky clearly. Under a clear sky we are more likely to stick to our path than in semi-darkness. Also, seeing more friends than threats in people will attract more kindness.

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Forcing Yourself to Listen

Photo by Ed Leszczynskl

The default mode of our brains to generate thoughts that seem more interesting than the present moment robs us from the present moment. This can happen due to lack of sleep or energy, or just out of habit. Everything has a fix, while the first two can be addressed through lifestyle choices (exercising, diet, sleep), habit creation requires more effort.

Benefits of listening

  • you’ll feel knowledgeable, you’ll have an insight into another person’s thought process that otherwise is challenging to grasp
  • helps connecting and building relationships
  • it reveals assumptions and validates perceptions
  • it challenges our mind into thinking differently

The reality is as diverse as the number of minds and heart populating it. Listening to languages we understanding and beyond that will give us more and more information about the world. Listening is much more valuable than talking. Listening allows strategies to form, while talking gifts information to others.

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How to Manage Social Isolation

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic

Working from home, being housebound due to health conditions or self-isolation to meet deadlines can cause strain on our emotional wellbeing. Our lives get enriched through human interaction and the lack of it might go unnoticed only for that long.

One of the main issues with not changing the environment we are in is that we don’t realize how fast time passes. Losing track of time doing things that don’t benefit us is worse if we have no one around to look for advice or get support from.

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of the time that you need to spend on your on:

  • set the top two priorities for the day
  • create a plan of how to meet them
  • reward yourself with human interaction – plan a call or text/email someone
  • plan a short exercise routine
  • create a ‘feeling low kit’ with all the essentials and set a timer on how long you’re allowing yourself to feel low for

Even when we choose loneliness, it can be daunting. Reach out to people, check in on them and open up as much as you feel comfortable. The conversation around mental health has only just started and social isolation goes beyond the statistics.

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Help Your Body Overcome Tiredness

Photo by Cris Saur

Feeling sleepy and lacking energy can be reflective of our mental and emotional wellbeing, our diet or of how active we are.

Apathy is a sign that we need a change in our life and if we don’t know what or how to change our circumstances, it’s a sign that we need to ask for help. Our diet can slow us down or increase our chances of success.

The irony comes with being active. The more we engage in physical activities, the more effort we can put in. By increasing our endurance we give ourselves a chance to feeling healthier. Exercise and depression don’t see eye to eye and although it’s not always easy going for a walk or doing an exercise routine, it definitely help us overcome tiredness.

By working out we get more restful sleep. That perfect holiday you envision where you don’t get to leave the bed for a whole week is not design to make anyone happy but the hotel owner.

Own up to your choices, put in gradual, constant effort and rip off gradual, constant benefits.

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Envisioning What’s Challenging as Easy

Photo by Pablo Lancaster Jones

People do it all the time. They compare themselves to others in ways that don’t benefit them: based on the results. We all want faster cars, more money, expensive items of all sorts that make us feel wealthy. What we don’t necessarily want is to go through the processes that will get us there.

Processes are what enables growth. I am aware of daily practices that will allow me to grow: meditation, exercise, waking up early, but until recently I struggled to see them as easy/doable processes. Until today, when I managed to wake up on time to work on side projects. What changed? Two things.

  1. Other people wake up early consistently because they need to. I identified my want as an absolute need to get on top of my work.
  2. Start the day with something that I enjoy doing. In my case and in the present moment this for me means reading fiction.

Did I achieve everything I think I could have in the given amount of time? Not yet. But what comes first is building discipline.

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Using Social Media Positively for Your Mental Health

We often think of mental health issues as being the result of great challenges in life, but that’s not always the case. We live in a time where Western societies thrive and all the basics needs of people in developed countries are catered for.

Many of us don’t seem to have figured out what’s next after the layer of basic comfort is being covered. Throw the distractions of the online environment in the mix – news, social media, forums – and we fail to address what we can do in the present moment to look after our wellbeing.

Passive Behaviour Leads to Depression

Intentions are great when weaponized through actions. In other words, keeping ideas in your head and not going through with them is detrimental to your mental health.

Exercise stimulates the release of happy chemicals in your brain – endorphins and dopamine to name a few. So all that time you spend using social media and thinking of what you should do, how you should behave brings zero value in your life unless you actually do it.

Use social media as a trigger for what you want to achieve. You can have a glance at people who are doing well in an area of life you want to thrive in and take one good, actionable idea from them. One tiny change – 7 minutes abs, 2 minutes stretch every morning, one jog around the block – can give you a glimpse of happiness that you’ll then find the determination to maintain it. You are stronger than you think you are.

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