Toxic productivity is the outsized desire for productivity at all times and at the expense of our other priorities, from family life to hobbies.If we’re constantly working while rarely engaging in hobbies, which allow us the opportunity to destress, we can see how easily it is to eventually stop doing everything all together.<ul><li>Toxic productivity inevitably also leads us to feeling burnt out. By working ourselves to the point of exhaustion we eventually lose our will to do simple everyday things like texting someone back or cooking a meal. </li></ul>

Toxic Productivity

<ol><li>Inability to turn off: We feel unable to shut off work-related tasks to rest, enjoy hobbies, or spend time with friends and family.</li><li>Guilt about productivity: We feel guilty about not getting enough work done, even when we are completing a reasonable amount of work-related tasks. </li><li>Problems with health or personal relationships: We begin to experience issues with our health or personal relationships due to the above issues. Significant others may feel they are getting less of our time or attention than work. </li></ol>

Sign If We're Suffering From Toxic Productivity

<ol><li>Set realistic goals, adjust as needed</li><li>REST is not for the week, take breaks</li><li>Get some accountability</li><li>Define clearer work-life boundaries</li><li>Meditate to clear our head</li></ol>

How To Heal Toxic Productivity

Leave work feeling satisfied with what you’ve accomplished, with help of a few “productivity hacks”.

books

Books

problemsolving

Problem Solving

health

Health

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

Productivity Hacks

“I almost ended up working and doing more than in my usual office days, because I felt so anxious about losing that sense of stability. I became really frantic and obsessive,” ~ Clare

Toxic productivity causes dedicated individuals to bite off more than they can chew in order to climb a career ladder that doesn't exist.

productivity

Productivity

career

Career

mentalhealth

Mental Health

How Much Is Too Much: The Dangers of Toxic Productivity

Emotional intelligence is important in various aspects of our life such as relationships, career, mental health, and decision making.

Emotional Intelligence in Our Lives

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they're telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. It also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.

Emotional Intelligence

Whether you like it or not, being older doesn't mean you are emotionally intelligent. Someone younger than you can be more emotionally intelligent than you.

Age Does Not Mean Emotional Intelligence

Self- Awareness ( the ability to understand and check your state of emotion)Self-Regulation ( the ability to regulate or control your emotions and impulses)Optimism ( the ability to think of the best)Empathy ( the ability to understand others)Social Skills ( the ability to communicate, work together and socialize)

Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

* Be more open and accepting of others perspectives and needs.* Be aware of your thoughts and feelings when talking with others.* Examine how you react to stressful situations.* Be optimistic.* Be humble. ( Humility leads to greatness)* Maintain your overall health ( Eat a healthy diet, do exercise and maintain your mental health)

How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

If you feel like you can't control your emotions at times and you face moments of intense sadness, hopelessness and mental breakdowns, talk to a professional as quickly as possible.

An Advice

Find out what emotional intelligence is, and learn how you can develop yours.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

The Notion of Emotional Intelligence

Many artists and creative professionals find themselves feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and even paralyzed when they cannot meet their work’s mental and physical demands. Stress is a natural part of life, but it can also be detrimental to your health and creativity if not appropriately managed. In this blog post, I will discuss how stress impacts our mental state and our creativity levels and share some tips on managing stress so you can continue being productive despite it.

Artists and stress

Stress is all around us every day. Getting caught in traffic, rush hour, dealing with difficult customers at work, screaming children, barking dogs, and demanding bosses; are examples of chronic stress. The stress we experience as creative artists would be considered a combination of chronic and acute stress because we are constantly dealing with deadlines, mental blocks, and other stressors that threaten our creativity levels. But on top of those self-imposed stressors, a creative professional may also have to deal with high levels of uncertainty in a competitive field.

Two types of stress

Stress can cause mental disorders because it impacts the neurotransmitters responsible for relaying messages between the brain and other body parts. For example, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates moods, and cortisol is known as the stress hormone. When we experience prolonged periods of high levels of these hormones in our system, they can disrupt mental health.

Mental health and stress

Physical health is also negatively impacted by stress. According to the Harvard Medical School, Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity are all associated with unusually high stress levels in the body leading to adverse health consequences.

Physical health and stress

The psychological side effects of too little stress might also be harmful to us as creative professionals. It’s vital to understand that stress isn’t always negative. <a class="idea-content-link" href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you/">Research shows </a>

Good stress

<ol><li>Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly</li><li>Spend Time with Family Members & Close Friends</li><li>Practice Yoga</li><li>Mindfulness Activities</li><li>Belly Breathing Technique for Stress Reduction</li><li>Avoid Excessive Alcohol or Substance Use</li><li>Affirmations and Positive Self Talk</li><li>Laugh More</li><li>Get Plenty of Sleep</li><li>Keep a Gratitude List</li></ol>

Ways to de-stress

The right amount of stress can improve performance and health and is especially beneficial for improving brain function. Too much or too little will have negative consequences on both your mood and physical well-being, so you need to find your “sweet spot.” So, what do you need to manage stress as a creative professional?

Find your sweet spot

"Finding ways to cope with stress and avoid overwhelm is an individual journey and, luckily, there’s no shortage of research-backed strategies available. Try them out and see which ones help you lower stress while also remaining activated and creatively productive."

Dana P. Rowe

Many artists and creative professionals feel overwhelmed and paralyzed when they cannot meet their work’s mental and physical demands.

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

creativity

Creativity

Managing Stress and Making Art

Research by psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that there are two basic <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-mindset-2795025">mindsets</a> that influence how people think about themselves and their abilities: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.<ul><li>People who possess a fixed mindset believe that things such as <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/theories-of-intelligence-2795035">intelligence</a> are static and unchangeable. They tend to give up more easily in the face of a challenge.</li><li>Those who have a growth mindset, feel that they can change, grow, and learn through effort. People who believe that they are capable of growth are more likely to achieve success.</li></ul>

1. Build a Growth Mindset

<ul><li>Believe that your efforts matter. Rather than thinking their abilities are fixed or stuck, people who have a growth mindset believe that effort and hard work can lead to meaningful growth.</li><li>Learn new skills. When faced with a challenge, they look for ways to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to overcome and triumph.</li><li>View failures as learning experiences. People with growth mindsets don't believe that failure is a reflection of their abilities. Instead, they view it as a valuable source of experience from which they can learn and improve. </li></ul>

What can you do to build a growth mindset?

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand, utilize, and reason with emotions.To improve your emotional intelligence:<ul><li>Pay attention to your own emotions. Focus on identifying what you are feeling and what is causing those feelings.</li><li>Manage your emotions. Step back and try to view things with an impartial eye. Avoid bottling up or repressing your feelings, but look for healthy and appropriate ways of dealing with what you are feeling.</li><li>Listen to others. This not only involves hearing what they are saying, but also paying attention to nonverbal signals and body language.</li></ul>

2. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Mental toughness refers to the <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-resilience-2795059">resilience</a> to carry on and continue trying even in the face of obstacles. People who possess this mental strength see challenges as opportunities.What can you do to improve your mental toughness and increase your chances of being successful in life?<ul><li>Believe in yourself. Cut out negative self-talk and look for ways to stay positive and self-encouraging.</li><li>Keep trying.</li><li>Set goals.</li><li>Find support. Doing things alone can be difficult, but having a strong support system can make things easier.</li></ul>

3. Develop Mental Toughness

Strategies you can use to improve your willpower include:<ul><li>Distraction. For example, if you are trying to lose weight but are having a difficult time staying away from your favorite snacks, distracting yourself during your moments of weakness can be an effective way to avoid giving in to temptation.</li><li>Practice. Willpower is something you can build, but it takes time and effort. Start by making small goals. As you build your ability to use your willpower to achieve such small goals, you may find that your willpower is also stronger when working on much larger goals.</li></ul>

4. Strengthen Your Willpower

What can you do to boost your sense of intrinsic motivation?<ul><li>Challenge yourself. Pursuing a goal that is achievable, is a great way to increase motivation to succeed.</li><li>Stay curious. Look for things that grab your attention and that you would like to learn more about.</li><li>Take control. Look for ways that you can take an active role.</li><li>Don't fear competition. There might be other people out there trying to reach the same goals as you, but this doesn't mean that you should give up. Don't compare your progress or journey to anyone else's, but you can look to others for motivation and inspiration.</li></ul>

5. Focus on Intrinsic Motivations

If you are trying to learn how to be successful in life, consider what you can do to nurture these key traits:<ol><li>Conscientiousness. They consider the effects of their actions.</li><li>Accepting of Ambiguity. People with a great deal of potential for success are better able to accept this ambiguity.</li><li>Capable of Adjustment.</li><li>Courageous. The world's most successful people often exemplify great courage.</li><li>Curiosity. People who are successful tend to be curious about the world around them.</li><li>Competitiveness. Successful people are able to utilize competition to motivate, but avoid falling prey to jealousy.</li></ol>

6. Nurture Traits Linked to High Potential

How do we define success? There are many different tactics for how to be successful in life, but the strategy that works best for you may depend on your view of success itself.
There may not be a perfect combination of ingredients that can guarantee success, but there are some basic steps you can follow that can improve your chances of being successful in life, love, work, or whatever is important to you.

Find out about psychological strategies that can help you be successful in life, and learn the key habits of successful people.

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

6 Psychological Strategies for Success in Life

Does your internal monologue play out on a television, in an attic, as a bickering Italian couple – or is it entirely, blissfully silent?  Claudia, a sailor from Lichfield in her late 30s, is not Italian. She has never been to Italy. She has no Italian family or friends. And she has no idea why a belligerent Italian couple have taken over her inner voice, duking it out in Claudia’s brain while she sits back and listens.

Identifying your inner voice

In order to understand how the inner voice works, you need to understand how human thought translates into action. “Whenever we do any action, our brain makes a prediction of the sensory consequences of that action,” says Loevenbruck. Say you want to fetch a glass of water. “Your brain sends the appropriate motor signals to your hand, but it also generates a sensory prediction of the command,” she says. “Before you’ve even picked up the glass, your brain has made a prediction of what the motor command will do, which means you can correct for mistakes before you make an error.

How does the inner voice work?

Loevenbruck explains that, for the most part, we hear what she terms “inner language”. But not always. “You can have expanded and more condensed forms of inner speech,” she says. “People may experience them as abstract representations of language, without sound … some people say their inner voice is like a radio that’s on all day long. Other people don’t have a voice at all, or they speak in abstract symbols that don’t involve language.” Loevenbruck can’t explain why some people experience the inner voice differently: we are at the limits of neuroscience...

The concept of inner language

Does your internal monologue play out on a television, in an attic, as a bickering Italian couple – or is it entirely, blissfully silent?

habits

Habits

The last great mystery of the mind: meet the people who have unusual – or non-existent – inner voices

A lot of our headaches usually start with stress. Students have to sail through stress due to various reasons such as preparation stress, the stress of covering the vast syllabus, stress related to failure, and many more. You cannot move away from all this but you can surely control your stress level.

1.  Mental stress

Early Preparation: You must start preparing for any test or exam well in advance. Thus There wouldn’t be any stress pertaining to syllabus covering. Plan It Out: Be a planner freak if you wish to avoid headaches. Plan everything out by writing and studying according to the to-do lists. Do not fear studying: You must create your own routines and system to study. Try to make studying a fun activity by indulging in stationery, sticky notes, watching videos, and making colorful notes.

Avoid stress-related headaches

You also have headaches due to prolonged periods of studying. It leads to fatigue. <ul><li>Studying for a test and then not getting the desired result can also lead to frustrations that paves way for headaches. </li><li>Constantly thinking and studying can also lead to headaches. </li></ul>

2.  Fatigue and frustration

<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Preferred time slot for studying: Always aim to have a preferred time for studying when your energy levels are at a peak. Try to cover the most important topics at that time to avoid developing headaches. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Try Pomodoro method</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Take frequent breaks</li><li>Reset from a slump: Whenever you fail, try to analyze why you failed and then get back without having any frustrations. I know it hurts a lot, but get back into the Do-it mode! </li><li>Re-energize with energy-dense snacks</li></ol>

Avoid fatigue/frustration-related headaches

If your eyes water and you have headaches, maybe it’s time to get a checkup for your eyesight. To avoid this:<ul><li>Go for regular eye checkups and consult a doctor.</li><li>Read books for a distance of 25 cm. </li><li>Do not strain yourself by overstudying, it causes more pain. </li></ul>

3.  Weak eyesight

In today’s world when the entire world is going digital, this problem is inevitable. Staring at mobile phones and laptops can wreak havoc on your headaches.

4.  Increased screen time

<ol><li>Take breaks frequently and use the time to stretch your body and do some light yoga.  </li><li>Avoid sitting and working for a longer period of time. It is advisable to not sit for longer than 20-30 minutes if you are studying from your laptop.</li><li>If your preparation requires you to stare at a computer screen, then make sure that during breaks or free time, you do not use any type of technology or screen. </li></ol>

Avoid screen-related headaches

Often we don’t understand it but an incorrect posture also can lead to shoulder and headaches. It is advisable to maintain a good posture<a href="https://www.eazyprep.com/improve-your-studying-posture/"> </a>while studying.To avoid this:<ol><li>Don’t face downwards while studying</li><li>Keep your spine straight</li><li>Study at a desk or table</li></ol>

5.  Incorrect posture

Migraines are intense pain that occurs in the temples of the head, in the forehead, and also affect your shoulder and neck. There are mainly various triggers that lead to migraine pain. This type of pain can last up to hours and for some, it might be days. If you have an intense migraine, you might have to be injected with medicine to reduce it.

6.  Migraine related headache

<ul><li>Know the triggers: Some of the triggers can be chocolate, caffeine, any eating habit, or any stress-related issue. If you can detect the triggering factor, you can avoid it to reduce the migraine effect. </li><li>Avoid caffeine</li><li> Stay hydrated</li><li>Reduce stress: Reduce stress at all costs! Do meditation, journal your thoughts away, and reduce the stress. </li><li> Balanced lifestyle: Don’t just study but keep exercising and eat healthily. Have a positive attitude towards life.</li></ul>

Avoid migraine-related headaches

Headaches have become a regular occurrence for students and many of them feel vulnerable when dealing with this problem. Here are some steps you can take to avoid it!✨

Sick of getting headaches all the time? Here's everything you need to know to avoid headaches while studying.

education

Learning & Education

Everything You Need To Avoid Headaches While Studying - Eazyprep

When you take action based on emotion, you're doomed to suffer in life. Realizing that emotion has no rational way of thinking. Helps us overcome many years of suffering in life.We, human need emotion( to stay connected with fellow being) But, that don't mean that we will let it decide or rewrite our future. You see when we take action based on emotion, every things run in a reverse direction. Can you drive a car in reverse direction absolutely no because you have not trained your mind to drive a car that way.

Managing Emotion

You must be aware of your emotion. Being aware of your emotion helps better understand your emotion and it's working. And that, leads to better managing your emotion.Having no emotional feeling within us is also a problem, as because you'll lose interest in many things, especially angry, love, sadness and so on.The main thing is to keep it in balance. So, that our life can run smoothly.

Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to health and wellness that helps us tune into our body signals, break the cycle of chronic dieting and heal our relationship with food.<ul><li>Intuitive eaters give themselves unconditional permission to eat whatever they want without feeling guilty.</li></ul>Intuitive Eating is made up of ten core principles:<ol><li>Reject the diet mentality</li><li>Honor our hunger</li><li>Make peace with food</li><li>Challenge the food police</li><li>Respect our fullness</li><li>Discover the satisfaction factor</li><li>Honor our feelings without using food</li><li>Respect our body</li><li>Exercise—feel the difference</li><li>Honor our health with gentle nutrition</li></ol>

Intuitive Eating: Difference And The 10 Principles

<ul><li>Diet mentality is a false belief that diets for weight loss create health and happiness. </li><li>Diet mentality is the mean voice we hear over and over which categorizes food into good and bad or healthy and unhealthy. </li></ul>It is the voice that tells us ridiculous rules such as “no eating after 7pm”, “no carbs after lunch”, or “no dessert because we didn’t exercise”. Many people think this voice means they should have more control. Rather, this voice acts like a bully that keeps us from living our fullest life.

Diet Mentality

<ul><li>Step 1: Recognize and Acknowledge the Damage that Dieting Causes</li><li>Step 2: Be Aware of Diet Mentality Traits and Thinking</li><li>Step 3: Get Rid of the Dieter’s Tools</li><li>Step 4: Be Compassionate Towards Ourselves</li></ul>Biologically and psychologically, diets are set up to fail. But unlike diets, Intuitive Eating empowers us to become our own expert on what, how much and when to eat.So be kind and compassionate towards ourselves and others as we start to reject the diet mentality.

Start Practicing Reject The Diet Mentality

Are you ready to ditch diets forever? Discover all you need to know about 
the first principle of intuitive eating - rejecting diet mentality! Take 
control of your food life with guidance from dietitian nutritionist 
Kathleen Johnson!

philosophy

Philosophy

Intuitive Eating Principle 1 - Rejecting Diet Mentality — Halve Your Cake

True non-attachment is quite the opposite: it allows us to live in this world fully, without being attached to people, things or thoughts that create suffering.

Non-attachment 

Here are a few perspectives from major spiritual traditions on non-attachment.

🧿

The root of suffering is attachment

When we come to non-attachment, then we can understand the marvelous mystery of the universe: how it is intense activity and at the same time intense peace, how it is work every moment and rest every moment.

Consider the trees which allow the birds to perch and fly away without either inviting them to stay or desiring them never to depart. If your heart can be like this, you will be near to the Way.

He who is attached to things will suffer much.

Attach not thyself to anything unless in it thou seest the reality of God.

Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.

Non-attachment is not about being a cold or emotionally dead brick wall, instead, it’s about learning how to let go of the thoughts and emotions that create suffering. Once we can stop being so attached to our thoughts, we experience tremendous relief, <a href="https://lonerwolf.com/inner-peace/">inner peace </a>, and a pervading sense of joyful well-being.

What is Non-Attachment?

When we can simply allow life to unfold naturally without being attached to outcomes, beliefs, feelings or opinions, then we experience true non-attachment. Picture this process of detachment like being an ice cube that slowly melts down into a puddle of flowing water. Water, like the practice of non-attachment, flows with life effortlessly and peacefully, whereas ice cubes do not. The goal of non-attachment, therefore, is to become like water.

The Goal Of Non-attachment 

“Non-attachment” sounds a bit intimidating, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, most people tend to associate this spiritual phrase with being emotionally cold and unfeeling. But true non-attachment is quite the opposite: it is an ancient and sacred practice for finding and experiencing inner peace.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

communication

Communication

6 Ways to Practice Non-Attachment (and Find Inner Peace)

Anxiety 5, 4, 3, 2,1 is a mindfulness exercise used to cope with, lessen, and manage anxiety. This grounding technique can help increase awareness and decrease intrusive thoughts in moments of heightened anxiety, worry, or panic attacks.<ul><li>Deep, slow, and long breaths are our first priority for achieving a calm state before proceeding to the following steps.</li></ul>

A Grounding Technique For Anxiety

5: Acknowledge FIVE things we see around us. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in our surroundings.4: Acknowledge FOUR things we can touch around us. It could be our hair, a pillow, or the ground under our feet. 3: Acknowledge THREE things we hear. <ul><li>This could be any external sound. If we can hear our belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things we can hear outside of our body.</li></ul>2: Acknowledge TWO things we can smell: <ul><li>If at first we don’t feel like we can smell anything, simply try to sense the subtle fragrance of the air around us, or of our own skin.</li></ul>

The Method

1: Acknowledge ONE thing we can taste. What does the inside of our mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch?<ul><li>End this exercise with a long, deep breath.</li></ul>With these steps, we will be able to get the most out of the moment. Focusing on our senses will help us be more mindful, which will then help us accomplish our tasks and experience success.<ul><li>As a result, we can defeat our anxiety and feel in control of our life.</li></ul>

Lastly... 

The BHP blog has been created in an effort to share articles and information on improving your mental health and emotional well-being.

BHP Blog - Behavioral Health Partners (BHP)

Find 100+ Mental Health Tips & Facts - Curated from sources like Books, Podcasts, Articles - Insights by Real Users looking to share Insights on Mental Health