Ever wonder where the day went? It’s not uncommon to reach the late afternoon and marvel at why you didn’t gain more traction on your to-do list. That’s because the workstyle most of us use is reactive.Many of us are feeling overwhelmed, and remote working arrangements aren’t necessarily helping, because they increase the amount and forms of communication you must track. The challenge is our brain’s instinctual reaction to overwhelm.

Reactive Work Style

We have a hangover from our ancestors that doesn’t really work in the modern world. Anytime your ‘ancient’ brain perceives that something is more than you can handle, it sees it as a threat and triggers the stress response. Stress today is social stress, but it still sets off the automatic response of fight or flight.It’s possible to manage our thoughts so we’re not just reacting in panic mode all day long. Setting these boundaries will help you work in a more sustainable way.

More Work Is Stressful, Biologically

Part of your brain is always asking, “What’s wrong?” “How am I going to make it? “What’s next?” Self-inflicted stress is the frenzy and frazzles to get to the next item on the list.To get anything done during the workday with focused attention, you need to tap into your working memory. The human brain is limited to three or four thought chunks for only a few seconds.

Attention Management

Unfortunately, interruptions blow up working memory. We have the rise of what’s called ‘attention deficit trait. It’s not ADHD, but it mimics the same symptoms. Your attention span shrinks, you have a hard time staying on task, you flit from one thing to the next, and you have more time urgency because you’re falling behind.To regain your attention, calm your mind. Count backward from 100 to zero in your brain. Since we don’t do this every day, we have to pay attention to it. If your thoughts stray, just come back to the next number down the line. The exercise is relaxing and calming.

The Working Memory Is Always Stressed

Exercise is a good stress reducer because it brings your brain back to the centre. Or focus on your breath. It massively increases your attention. Deliberative breathing shuts down the acceleration of the stress response. It’s strongest in the immediate few minutes after the button gets pushed.We think because something’s in our head, we got to pay attention to it. We don’t. We can try to be thought-free, as hard as it sounds.

Focus On Your Breath

In order to have more attention, it’s important to set the terms of engagement with your devices. Disruptions erode your impulse control, and interruptions make anything you do seem more difficult and aggravating than it is. Humans are allowed to set the rules on the devices.The impulse control mechanism is located in a part of the executive attention function of the brain called effortful control. Interruptions shred it and make us self-distract and lose the ability to regulate impulsivity and stay on task. Managing interruptions, then, is key.

Interruption Management

Another boundary your brain needs is the ability to let things go in order to return to work. This is called “barking” management.Does your dog bark hours, days, months, or years after another dog walks past your yard? He drops the event as soon as it’s over like it never happened. But that’s not what humans do. We keep barking. We hang on to the event, and that’s what causes our stress—but we don’t have to.Hanging onto stress is rumination. We can play a big role in shutting down this ancient reflex by managing the thoughts in your brain.

Barking Management

We’re very verbal creatures, and a lot of words are flowing through our brains. They attach themselves in a random way. They fuse with thoughts, feelings, emotions, and moods in our brain and come out in the form of a thought.For example, if you have a confrontation with someone at work and your thoughts drive you to a conclusion that you can’t take it anymore, you’ll be worse off than you were because you’ve self-defined yourself as being in a bad state. Labelling your thoughts as thoughts separates you from knee-jerk, emotion-word fusings that hold you hostage to false beliefs.

Thought Labelling

We are not hard drives with hair.After two hours of time on task, the brain has to get off task to relieve strain and reboot.The brain needs daily, weekend, and vacation resets. Robinson says productivity goes up after 10-minute breaks, 20-minute breaks, and dramatically after a vacation. Recreation and relaxation also allow you to put away whatever you’ve been thinking about over and over and recover. If you don’t, you’ll come back to work the next day with the stress still there.

Refueling Management

So many of us feel overwhelmed. Setting boundaries allows you work in a more sustainable—and less reactive—way.

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Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

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Mental Health

These are the 4 boundaries your brain needs to feel less overwhelmed

It's okay to take a break once in a while it is essential. The human body is the greatest machine that was ever invented just like any hardworking piece of machinery we are vulnerable to overload, especially with the increasing abundance that we are consuming daily.So it's important to hit the refresh button after a hard day of work to ensure we stay at the top of our game.This is what I did in my burnout to keep myself sane.

Take A Break

Surrender to your burnout. Burnout might be a sign that you've been focusing on a difficult task or maybe you're headed in the wrong direction. This is an important time to STOP and refocus.Action steps :• Slow down • Get some sunlight to reenergize • Meditate ;focus on your breathing• Immerse yourself in nature and you'd be surprised how powerful it is to be in nature (something energizing about listening to and watching birds).• Take a walk (morning and/or afternoon to clear your head.• Take a nap or breaks between your work• Shut off all devices to remove unnecessary distractions.

Rest

Situate yourself in silence to let your mind wander and form new ideas and connections. Allow yourself to evaluate your situation without getting reactive.Action Steps :Be an observer of your thoughts.• Try to get ten minutes of solitude in the morning before diving into the chaos • Observe your thoughts, meditation also helps here in this regard.• Write down your thoughts without passing judgment just observe.• If you feel creative, sketch your thoughts on paper. • Try to get a few minutes before bed to reflect on your day.

Reflect

Recover your energy and get back into your work refocused. You are not doing anyone any favors by overworking yourself. it's best to take a break and dive back in with a fresh set of ideas rather than producing a lot of work that ends up disappointing you and your team.Quality always trumps quantity.

Reset

Feeling burnt out and looking for solutions? Try these out

BURNOUT 

People make snap judgements about who they think you are based on extremely subtle cues.That’s how it is, but we can take advantage of this aspect of human nature.Here are some small ‘superficial’ changes you can make to increase your perceived value, status and respectability:

Why Is This For You?

Just the tiniest shift by standing a little taller, sitting up, and injecting a sense of pride into your general demeanour will do two things. Firstly, people will sense the difference and associate you with higher status, even if there’s nothing else contributing to this idea. We’re still basically chimps in clothes. The leader of the pack walks tall and a little slower.

1. Straighten up your posture a fraction.

Ok, wise guy — I didn’t say don’t smile at all, so don’t give me shit for this. Also, this applies far more to men than women.A non-smiley man is mysterious and often sexy to ladies.Not the case for women.If you NEVER smile, however, regardless of sex, you just seem miserable and thus lower in social standing.However, if you’re sparing with your smiles, you actually come across as more authentic — they did studies on this.Plus, when you DO smile, its effect is magnified, which melts hearts.

2. Smile less.

You must look your best physically, given the cards you were dealt.I’m sorry that human nature is the way it is and things aren’t fair, but nature is not fair.There is a lot, however, we can do to improve our looks through losing that extra weight,, getting a haircut, fixing our teeth, and so on.Slovenly-looking schlubs are simply more likely to be viewed as lower status. If you take care of yourself others will take care of you.

3. Physical looks.

Talking and moving a fraction slower tells us this: you don’t rush for anyone; you’re comfortable in your skin and have faith that things will work out. Rushers are subservient to time. Slow movers have the world mould to their reality. The other advantage of this, beyond attracting attention as a high-value person, is that everything becomes easier. Rushing complicates, and it also puts others at ease.

4. Slower movements.

Whether we like it or not, an unironed shirt suggests you care less than the guy standing tall with an ironed shirt and clean shoes.Tidy up before you head out the door. Comb your knotted hair. Wash out the stains on your trousers.Tiny changes — major influence.

5. Sharpen up your clothing.

You needn’t be combative, critical or judgemental. I’m talking about being a little slower to agree with those you’re with.Give what people are saying some thought.Allow for some space in conversations.Be ok with silence.

6. Slower to agree.

It is implied through behaviour, mannerisms, and what isn’t said. True ‘high status’ isn’t a material thing at all — it’s far more to do with one’s character. The high-status individual cares more that they win while others are also winning. So they focus their attention on what’s good about other people and make a point of making others feel important. This is highly respectable. In this way, you can be broke but possess status through how you relate to people.

7. Rarely draw attention to self.

Why?Because leaders have the power to lift those around them; otherwise, they couldn’t make any impact.This is highly attractive and can take courage, especially when stressed.You will stand out when you can keep things light and motivate people to act, no matter the situation.

8. Stay Upbeat.

Here are some small ‘superficial’ changes you can make to increase your perceived value, status and respectability: Just the tiniest shift by standing a little taller, sitting up, and injecting a…

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Motivation & Inspiration

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Communication

8 behaviours that instantly increase your perceived value

At intoxicating levels, alcohol is a vasodilator (it causes blood vessels to relax and widen), but at even higher levels, it becomes a vasoconstrictor, shrinking the vessels and increasing blood pressure, exacerbating such conditions as migraine headaches and frostbite.

Is alcohol a vasodilator or vasoconstrictor?

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Health

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Science & Nature

What are the effects of alcohol on the brain?

Many things contribute to the way we define ourselves. Some we have no choice on, like where you’re born, while others we get to define, like an affiliation with a political party.We tend to think of the events of our past as something in the “no choice” category. They happened and we can’t change how it’s affected us, right? But what if you can change the way your past impacts your identity?From the foods we love to the situations that are uncomfortable, it’s all information we picked up through past experience.Past experiences become the lens through which we view life and ourselves.

How To Change The Way You See Your Past — And Reclaim Your Future

Explore the negative impacts of a past experience. Start by asking yourself how an experience has made you see yourself. Maybe getting bullied on the playground made you feel different from other people. Maybe you have a hard time expressing yourself now, or maybe you identify as having low self-esteem. You can’t change the events of the past, but you can tell yourself a different story about it. A story where you’re the hero. Look for ways you have grown from the experience. How have you taken that negative period from your past and made it into a strength?

Choose a New Perspective

Finding strengths you’ve picked up due to the past can sometimes feel a little like rewarding the person or people who created the negative situation — but it’s not. It’s not about appreciating the individual for their bad acts. It’s appreciating yourself for making lemonade out of the lemons you were handed. You don’t have to feel grateful for people who have hurt you.You get to feel strong for the ways you’ve improved, despite those bad actors.

You’re the hero of this story

This is not about denial or changing the facts. It’s okay to recognize the feelings that come up when thinking about difficult past events.At the same time, though, you can adopt a positive outlook about yourself as a result. This will encourage you to take on a new identity, one where you feel strong and confident. One where you see the skills you’ve learned and ways you’ve become a better version of yourself.The very act of putting the spotlight on the positive ways you’ve turned the past around is an act of control. You’re in charge of how you see yourself.

A change for the better 

The story we tell ourselves about who we are and how we are is a mindset. A mindset is a habitual perspective - a story we tell ourselves over and over. It is a way of seeing things. The good news is, habits are changeable. It just takes a little commitment. Your perspective of your identity is the foundation of your self-esteem. No matter how negatively a past experience has impacted you, the very fact that you’re still here makes you a survivor. Even if you struggle, your tenacity allows you to keep going.

Finding the better story

Here are some ways to uncover the positive elements of your story.List a few of the most pivotal moments from your past.Maybe you’re more compassionate and understanding toward others who are going through something similar. Perhaps, you’ve become more patient with people. You might be quick to make newcomers feel included because you grew up feeling shy. Or, maybe you’re a good listener because of something you’ve gone through.How have these experiences helped you appreciate things?Maybe you sought solace in nature or with animals and now you’re an animal lover or enjoy natural spaces.

Writing a new story of you

What strengths or skills have you developed as a result of those negative past events?Are you a good planner, as a result of growing up in a chaotic house? Maybe, you’re a natural peacekeeper due to feuding parents. What are some of the positive experiences from your past?Our built-in negativity bias puts the focus on the hard times. What positive experiences allowed you to grow and flourish in ways you’re still experiencing today?

Remember, it doesn’t mean you need to feel glad for past difficulties, especially if you were victimized. You’re not telling the person or circumstances that what happened is okay. Instead, you’re choosing to view yourself as a strong, resilient survivor. You’re turning lemons into lemonade, not for them, but for yourself.

Past Difficulties

“The old you is only a shadow of the reality which is the new you. The shadow is useless without its reality.”-Efrat Cybulkiewicz

Quote on the past

How to  Change the Way You View the Past - And Reclaim Your Future

Past Experiences Become The Lens Through Which We View Life And Ourselves. Here's How To Shift Them For A Brighter Future.

There’s a simple reason for that: as expressed by researchers for the Review of General Psychology, “If satisfaction and pleasure were permanent, there might be little incentive to continue seeking further benefits or advances.”In other words, feeling contented wasn’t good for the species.Our ancestors worked harder and strove further because they evolved to be perpetually perturbed, and so we remain today.

Why Are We Perpetually Restless And Unsatisfied?

Or, the 4 psychological factors that make satisfaction temporary.<ol><li>Boredom</li><li> Negativity Bias</li><li>Rumination</li><li>Hedonic Adaptation</li></ol>Taken together, these 4 components add up to a lot of dissatisfaction in life, even if our circumstances are truly great.As the author of one study explains, as “new goals continually capture one’s attention, one constantly strives to be happy without realizing that in the long run such efforts are futile.”Humans may be wired to pursue happiness, but we’re not too well equipped to experience it.

The 4 Components of Dissatisfaction

The lengths people will go to avoid boredom are shocking. Literally.A 2014 study published in Science observed participants who were asked to sit in a room and think for fifteen minutes. The room was empty except for a device that allowed participants to mildly but painfully electrocute themselves.“Why would anyone want to do that?” you might ask.The study demonstrated that people dislike being alone with their thoughts so much, they’ll prefer to do anything else, even if that activity is negative.

Dissatisfaction Factor #1: Boredom

It’s been defined as “a phenomenon in which negative events are more salient and demand attention more powerfully than neutral or positive events.”Such pessimism begins very early in life. Babies begin to show signs of negativity bias starting at just 7 months of age, suggesting this tendency is inborn. As the author of one study concluded, “It appears to be a basic, pervasive fact of psychology that bad is stronger than good.” Good things are nice, but bad things can kill you. That’s why we pay attention to the bad stuff first and remember it better.

Dissatisfaction Factor #2: Negativity Bias

If you’ve ever chewed on something that you did, or that someone did to you, over and over again, then you’ve experienced rumination, which is our tendency to keep thinking about bad experiences.This “passive comparison of one’s current situation with some unachieved standard,” can manifest in self-critical thoughts such as, “Why can’t I handle things better?”As one study notes, “By reflecting on what went wrong and how to rectify it, people may be able to discover sources of error or alternative strategies, ultimately leading to not repeating mistakes and possibly doing better in the future.”

Dissatisfaction Factor #3: Rumination

Hedonic adaptation is the tendency to quickly return to a baseline level of satisfaction no matter what happens to us in life and may be the cruelest of all 4 factors. Hedonic adaptation is Mother Nature’s bait-and-switch. All sorts of life events we think would make us happier actually don’t—or at least, not for long.As David Myers writes in The Pursuit Of Happiness, “Every desirable experience—passionate love, a spiritual high, the pleasure of a new possession, the exhilaration of success—is transitory.”

Dissatisfaction Factor #4: Hedonic Adaptation

Dissatisfaction is responsible for our species’ advancements, and if you never felt it, you’d be at a serious disadvantage. Discontent is not a reason to give up on success. Rather, it’s a reason to introduce the opportunity for frequent and meaningful victories into our lives. Every day is a chance to live according to our values, which Nir Eyal defines as “attributes of the person we want to be”. Living out our values means spending our time purposefully on the things that we decide are important.

Dissatisfaction Is Energy

We can live out our values—very concretely—if we build our values into our calendar. That “simply” means scheduling time for what matters most. By turning our values into time, we make sure we have time for traction. At the end of the day, we can look at what we intended to do, compare it to what we ended up doing, and celebrate our victory when we stayed on track.If you (still) find yourself feeling unhappy with life, that doesn’t mean you’ve been defeated.The takeaway here is that if you’re unhappy, you’re normal.

How We Can Live Out Our Values

The 18th century poet Samuel Johnson said, “My life is one long escape from myself.” Sounds “‘mad, bad and sad”? The truth is, we’re not wired to feel content or satisfied. Ever. Here’s the surprising psychology of why dissatisfaction is hardwired and why that’s a good thing.

Why are we perpetually restless and unsatisfied? The truth is, we’re not wired to feel content or satisfied. Here's why that's a good thing.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

Why We’re Never Going to Be Satisfied With Life

Coherence therapy, formerly known as depth-oriented brief therapy (DOBT), is a type of <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/psychotherapy-introduction-benefits/">psychotherapy</a> that derives from depth psychology, which refers to the study of the unconscious aspects of the human experience. Practitioners of coherence therapy believe that the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind have essential roles in a person’s psychological well-being. The treatment is based on neurobiological principles and constructivist theory (i.e., the theory that people construct their own knowledge) and is used to address a broad range of concerns.

Coherence Therapy: Description, Effectiveness, and Benefits

Coherence therapy, formerly known as depth-oriented brief therapy (DOBT), is a type of psychotherapy that derives from depth psychology, which refers to the study of the unconscious aspects of the human experience.

Coherence Therapy: Description, Effectiveness, and Benefits - The Human Condition

5 key insights from,Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age. by Carl Macri

Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age

We form early attachments that influence our future relationships; we make friends who influence what we watch, wear, and say; we work in groups that form societies; we stay connected to people we love for most of our lives.Humans are wired for social interactions. Our brains are endowed with networks of neurons that compel us to form strong attachments and social bonds. It is critical to have empathy and form strong social bonds. Mental health is under siege in the Digital Age.

1. Our brains are uniquely wired for social interactions.

As a result of spending so much time with our smartphones and a growing number of apps that penetrate nearly every aspect of our lives, we use media and technology as a mood regulator. We no longer tolerate boredom because we don’t have to—stimulation and reward are an arm’s reach away. Over time, online social media and other applications began displacing offline face-to-face interactions. This disrupts attachments with parents, weakens bonds with friends, and diminishes the full capacity of our prefrontal cortex as we become more distracted, divided, and depressed.

2. Beware of your smartphone.

The human brain goes through an impressive transformation from birth to adulthood and we have a pretty good understanding of how and when these changes occur. Can we use developmental neurobiology to inform our understanding of the impact mobile media consumption has on children and adults alike? The answer is yes.The seduction of media multitasking, the risks of constant social media comparisons, and an internet laden with advertising superstimuli are all designed to keep you coming back for more. This contributes to rising rates in adults of anxiety, depression, narcissism, and loneliness.

3. To manage the impact of smartphones, we need to think developmentally.

There are a lot of wonderful things about mobile media, information, and communication technology. But we are all walking around with an incredible amount of computational power with full access to the internet and a world of temptation and titillation in our pockets. Sometimes habits slip into addiction. It’s hard to tell with technology when this line has been crossed since it is so easy to hide unhealthy smartphone habits and their use is pervasive.“When you change your habits, you change your brain—it’s that simple.”

4. Not all tech habits are addictions, but all tech addictions start as habits.

There are many causes for worry about the corrosive effects of mobile media, information, and communication technology in our lives and brains. But there are also reasons to believe that we will create a common expectation that these technologies can and should support us, not divide and depress us. Humans are capable of positive change and there are signs that we will survive the threats of our many smartphone habits. Our incredibly adaptive brains will see us through the technology revolution of the Digital Age—a revolution that will likely accelerate.

5. There is hope for a future with tech-life balance.

There is a difference between surviving and thriving. We need to be more proactive than reactive in order to create a digital literacy for our children and a tech-life balance for ourselves. We need healthy brains functioning at their peak if we will have any chance of dealing with the many problems society faces. The same brain science that informs our understanding of the negative consequences of too much media consumption and unhealthy smartphone habits can also inform clear recommendations about how to move forward.

Surviving and Thriving

“Brains are tricky and adaptable organs. For all the ‘neuroplasticity’ allowing our brains to reconfigure themselves to the biases of our computers, we are just as neuroplastic in our ability to eventually recover and adapt.”-Douglas Rushkoff

Neuroplasticity Quote #1

“Because of the power of neuroplasticity, you can, in fact, reframe your world and rewire your brain so that you are more objective. You have the power to see things as they are so that you can respond thoughtfully, deliberately, and effectively to everything you experience.”-Elizabeth Thornton

Neuroplasticity Quote #2

Rewired: Protecting Your Brain In The Digital Age

Harvard neuroscientist Carl Marci shares 5 key insights from his new book, Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age.

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Society, Arts & Culture

Group therapy is an exposure-based large-group one-session treatment (LG-OST). It builds on the remarkable advances made in the development of highly effective cognitive-behavioural treatments (CBT) for various mental disorders. So-called ‘exposure strategies’ are at the heart of these approaches.

Getting Cured Of Phobias In One Day

Exposure therapy <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/381574">refers</a> to ‘repeated, systematic exposure to cues that are feared, avoided, or endured with dread’. Whether the therapy is delivered in vivo (ie, involving actual objects, events or situations), in sensu (ie, using the imagination – for example, to conjure traumatic memories or obsessional thoughts), or it’s interoceptive (ie, focused on the feared bodily sensations), it should provide the patients with new, anxiety-reducing and fear-relieving experiences that violate their fear-evoking expectancies.

Exposure Therapy

After an exposure treatment, between a half and two-thirds of patients are deemed to no longer suffer from an anxiety disorder or they show significant <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735815001178">improvement</a>. This is a blessing when considering the life-limiting, long-lasting, progressing and – as increased suicide rates among anxiety patients <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-018-0885-z">show</a> – sometimes even life-threatening character of these disorders.

Benefits Of The Exposure Treatment

Despite the promising initial findings, it remains to be proven whether LG-OST is a feasible and effective treatment for anxiety disorders beyond phobias. Moreover, the ‘best’ therapist-to-patient ratio still needs to be calibrated. And most importantly, LG-OST effectiveness needs to be improved further, because not all participants benefited to the desired extent. The cost- and resource-saving aspect of LG-OST, however, is obvious.

A Lot Of Work To Do

A single-session, exposure-based treatment for large groups could help bring evidence-based psychotherapy to the masses

Strength in numbers: group therapy can beat phobias in a day | Psyche Ideas

Anxiety, anger and distress create rapid breathing as a "fight or flight" response to increase oxygen in our system.A calm nervous system creates slow, deep, relaxed breathing to supply the required oxygen to the system, using least effort. The oxygen requirement is much less compared to what is needed for fight/flight.

Emotion affects Breath

A study was conducted asking people to breathe in particular "patterns" and they were asked to report the associated feeling.Surprisingly, what they reported corresponded to the right emotion, even though they weren't aware of the patterns.

Breath affects Emotion

Breathing is not just about oxygen, it's also how we receive odors which contain important sensory information.When we encounter a rotten smell like decomposting eggs or a dead rat, we automatically start to breathe fast and shallow. This is because our body is trying to invoke the 'flight' response so that we move away from this potential threat (bacteria or nearby predators).On the other hand, scents like roses or fresh bread leads to slow, long breaths (inviting you near the smell).

Breath responds to Smells

One study analyzed 9,500 people watching 16 different films, from rom coms to horror, and looked at the air composition throughout the film.Suspenseful moments showed upticks in CO2 and isoprene, a chemical associated with the tensing of muscles. Isn't that fascinating?

Suspense = CO2

Understanding this bi-directional relationship can be really helpful. Try this simple exercise.<ul><li>Be aware of your emotions throughout the day: while working, going out or watching a movie.</li><li>Observe your breath, does it differ with emotion (angry, happy, stressed, irritated)?</li></ul> With practice, you can consistently be aware of your emotions and breath. <ul><li>When you notice an undesirable emotion, consciously change your breathing pattern (slow, deep, effortless) and verify if this alters your emotion in any way.</li></ul>

Breath <=> Emotion

The relationship between Emotions & Breath. How can you use this understanding for your benefit?

Every time somebody tells you to slow down your breathing, or asks if you're upset because you're huffing like a pug, they're tapping into decades of research about the link between human respiration and emotion — and it turns out that it goes…

Hack your emotions (using breath) 

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