In a world where people constantly chase material rewards, the art of giving presents a refreshing contrast. It’s an intimate activity that speaks volumes about human connections. This simple act has the potential to breed positivity, motivation, and endless inspiration in our lives and relationships.
Join us as we unravel ‘the beauty behind the bow’ and explore how presents are more than just mere possessions wrapped up in fancy paper.
Generosity is deeply rooted in many cultures. The act of giving a gift, regardless of its size or worth, holds a significant place in our interpersonal relationships.
It serves as a gentle reminder that someone cares, displaying kindness and consideration toward others. But its power penetrates deeper than just the surface.
Gifting elevates emotional well-being and relationship building on both ends – for the giver and the receiver.
There’s an undeniable magic in those moments of giving and receiving, where bonds are strengthened and hearts warmed.
5 Ways Gift Giving Can Spur Motivation and Inspiration
Gifts are small packages filled with big emotions – love, acknowledgment, gratitude, and inspiration. They can greatly influence the recipient’s life, perhaps in the same measure as the gift giver’s – in ways one might not have considered before.
Some ways through which gifting can ignite inspiration and motivation include:
1. Strengthening Bonds:
Gifts often signify acknowledgment of the recipient’s importance in the giver’s life. This sense of belonging to someone’s happiness circle naturally radiates positivity and motivation.
A great way to add that personalized touch would be to send love with birthday bouquet flowers that truly resonate with their personal style or preference.
2. Igniting Feelings of Appreciation:
Receiving a thoughtful gift can make you feel special and appreciated. Recognition for your efforts or milestones stimulates motivation, fueling you toward achieving even more.
3. Empowering Creativity:
Quirky or unique gifts can spark creative juices amongst the recipients. For example, a DIY paint kit or a beautifully crafted journal can induce an urge to explore that untapped artistic terrain.
4. Building Resilience through Incremental Success:
When you give a gift as a reinforcement or reward, you’re basically helping the recipient to keep striving towards achieving set goals.
Consider how rewarding them with a new book after they’ve completed a challenging task can be an excellent incentive, maintaining their momentum and enthusiasm.
5. Infusing Positivity and Encouragement:
Personalized gifts from you become representations of your belief in the recipient. They’ll look at these tokens of faith regularly, reminding them of your confidence in their abilities.
Reflect on the last time your thoughtful gesture made an impact on someone – how did it inspire motivation within them?
6. Fostering Altruism and Empathy:
Gift-giving has the remarkable ability to nurture altruistic tendencies and empathy in both the giver and the receiver. When individuals engage in the act of selecting, wrapping, and presenting a gift, they tap into their empathetic nature, considering the recipient’s preferences and emotions.
This process reinforces the importance of understanding and caring for others, ultimately promoting a more compassionate and altruistic society.
7. Strengthening Cultural and Social Bonds:
Gifts are not only tokens of personal affection but also significant elements of cultural and social rituals. They play a pivotal role in celebrating festivals, ceremonies, and special occasions across diverse cultures.
These shared gift-giving traditions not only deepen cultural bonds but also facilitate social cohesion by bringing people together in the spirit of generosity and camaraderie. Understanding and participating in these traditions can lead to a richer appreciation of one’s own culture and a greater sense of unity within a community.
Why Gifts Are More Than Just Material Objects
Gifts are often more than what meets the eye – they are symbols of love, gratitude, and affection. A nicely wrapped present is a physical embodiment of the giver’s thoughts and feelings toward you, a tangible reflection of their effort and eagerness to bring joy into your life.
Moreover, gifts can capture significant moments or milestones in the recipient’s life, sparking nostalgia whenever revisited. They create lasting memories that touch our hearts far beyond their material existence.
At times, even the simplest of gifts could hold extraordinary sentimental value that outweighs any price tag.
The Psychological Advantage of Gift-Giving
The act of giving extends benefits not only to the receiver but also enriches you, the giver. It fosters a sense of satisfaction knowing you’ve brought joy to someone’s life.
Psychologically, it caters to your innate need for social connection, cultivating positive feelings of generosity and empathy within you.
It tends to bring out the best in human nature, amplifying our capacities for kindness and altruism. Truly, gifting is as enriching an experience for the giver as it is delighting for the receiver.
Gifts That Keep on Giving: Exploring Long-Term Benefits
The impact of a well-considered gift often transcends the initial moment of exchange. A book could introduce someone to a new passion, and it becomes an enduring source of knowledge for them.
Similarly, a fitness tracker might motivate healthier lifestyle choices, ensuring long-standing benefits for the recipient’s health.
Tactfully chosen gifts not only generate immediate happiness but can also contribute to long-term positive changes in one’s life, truly embodying the concept of gifts that keep on giving.
The Act of Reciprocity: How Gifting Fosters Positive Relationships
Gift-giving isn’t a one-way street. It fosters a cycle of kindness, building bridges and strengthening bonds. Every time you give someone a present, it enhances feelings of affection and appreciation, encouraging them to reciprocate these positive emotions. This mutual exchange fuels the growth and depth of your relationships.
As we wrap up this exploration of gifting’s impact, remember that the essence of a gift lies in its intention, not its price tag. Each present you give carries your affection and good wishes, potentially sparking motivation and inspiration. So next time you put a bow on a box, know that you’re also giving joy, love, and maybe even a new perspective. Happy giving!
Becoming more mindful is a lifelong adventure. There are always more profound ways to connect with yourself, like understanding your inner child. Learning the difference between being childlike and being childish is crucial to finding peace in childlike thinking. Once you can tell those two things apart, you’ll experience the benefits of thinking like a child as part of your mindfulness practices.
What Is Childish Thinking?
Young kids don’t have the maturity to think like a grownup. They act based on automatic emotional reactions and physical needs like hunger cues. It might mean they find intense joy in tiny things, such as finding a caterpillar in the backyard. Childish thinking also fosters emotional explosions, impulsivity, blaming and a need for constant attention.
Retaining childish thinking throughout your life may also keep your emotional maturity from developing. It doesn’t create room for emotional complexities like another person’s perspectives, feelings or needs. However, adults need improved emotional maturity to foster their psychological well-being.
What Is Childlike Thinking?
Childlike thinking is taking the positive aspects of a young person’s perspective to increase your daily joy. It might mean trying not to overthink things, not being afraid to ask for help or looking for ways to have more fun wherever you go.
The benefits of thinking like a child complement anyone trying to live more mindfully. It requires being in touch with your needs and emphasizing strategies that boost your happiness. Adults easily get overwhelmed with responsibilities. Childlike thinking engages your senses, monitors your emotions and creates more joy by embracing each moment’s full potential.
Pros and Cons of Thinking Like a Child
If you’re interested in thinking like a child to improve your mindfulness journey, read about the pros and cons of this fascinating perspective. You’ll understand how it could help your quality of life and which pitfalls to avoid as your inner child becomes more prominent.
Pro: You’ll Create New Definitions of Joy
Kids look for fun in everything. They imagine grocery carts as race cars and create imaginary friends when they feel lonely. One of the many benefits of thinking like a child is opening your mind to finding new ways of having fun.
Instead of limiting yourself to adult activities like going out with friends, you might explore playful activities like recreational sports or group hobbies. Trying different versions of playtime in adulthood improves your socialization, which decreases your risk of psychological conditions like depression.
You might also find an undiscovered passion for specific hobbies. Maybe you want to follow the spark of joy you feel when seeing birds, which turns you into a birdwatcher. You’ll enrich your life by finding happiness anywhere with the perspective of childlike wonder.
Con: Childlike and Childish Thinking Seem Similar to Many People
People might not understand what you’re trying to do when you explain your purposeful childlike thinking process. They may even judge you for it. Trying something new is much more challenging if the people in your life don’t understand your commitment. Give them time to see how this approach to mindful daily experience improves your quality of life.
Pro: You’ll Embrace Living in the Moment
Young kids don’t have a reason to plan very far into the future. They might imagine what they’ll do after school, but otherwise, childhood is all about living in the moment. Mindfulness works the same way. Merging the two perspectives may revolutionize your mindful approach to your daily life.
Think about what it means for a child to feel happy. They can feel happy almost anywhere, given the right conditions. If they’re on the school playground and their kickball pops, young kids might imagine their arms as airplane wings and race each other around the field.
Adults lose this ability when they feel driven to always achieve things, gain more wealth or purchase the latest clothes. Childlike thinking means being content in each moment, as much as you possibly can. It might begin with letting yourself relax so your creativity can take over. Practicing contentment daily will make it feel more instinctive with time.
Con: It Might Accidentally Start Unhealthy Habits
Your sense of childlike awe at a box of mac and cheese doesn’t mean you should eat that mac and cheese for every meal. There’s a difference between indulging your inner child and taking your childlike thinking too far.
Use your adult skills to find the best balance for yourself. Instead of living your kindergarten dream of watching TV all day, you might give yourself an extra hour of TV time before bed. Your ten-year-old self might have wanted to spend all your money on toys, but now you’re old enough to stay within your spending limits while occasionally making more fun purchases.
The difference between being childlike and being childish is remaining responsible in situations like these. Indulging in the occasional childhood dream can be healthy if you also take care of yourself and maintain your responsibilities.
Pro: You’ll Foster More Empathy
Kids are curious about almost everything. They have so much to learn, which is partially what fuels their sense of awe. If you’re becoming more curious in your pursuit of childlike thinking, you won’t just become more mindful of the wonders around you.
Curiosity also increases a person’s empathy by putting them into another person’s perspective. Empathy helps people make better social connections and deeper relationships. Experts estimate that 20% of the global population is highly sensitive, so they naturally have more empathy without trying. Childlike thinking helps people with less sensitive nervous systems foster the same empathic abilities.
Con: It Might Feel Uncomfortable at First
If you’ve spent adulthood outrunning your childhood or feel embarrassed by your younger self, childlike thought patterns might feel uncomfortable. Letting your inner child inspire some of your adult decisions or experiences is the opposite of trying to grow up as fast as possible. Talk with a therapist if your discomfort feels unmanageable. They can help you work through potential things blocking you from enjoying a childlike approach to your mindful lifestyle.
Add Childlike Wonder to Your Life
Once people learn the difference between being childlike and being childish, childlike thinking becomes much more appealing. See if you experience these benefits by practicing things like curiosity, empathy, a sense of awe and contentment. They make it easier to embrace every moment, leading to more fulfilling mindful lifestyles.
Have you ever wondered what the future of our planet looks like? With climate change and global warming already impacting our lives, it’s more important than ever to take action. The good news is, you can make a significant difference with small, everyday choices. Living an eco-friendly lifestyle isn’t just about banning plastic straws—it’s about making thoughtful decisions that collectively have a big impact on the environment. Here are some simple, effective tips to help you get started on your eco-friendly journey.
1. Embrace Recycling
Recycling is one of the easiest ways to start living sustainably. Every time you shop, look for products with minimal packaging. Instead of using single-use items, opt for products that can be reused or recycled. For instance, bring your own coffee mug for refills at cafés instead of using disposable cups. Separate your recyclables—paper, cans, and plastics—into designated bins. By doing this, you help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and conserve natural resources.
Recycling can be a fun and educational activity for the whole family. Teach your kids about the importance of recycling and involve them in sorting and disposing of recyclables. This not only helps the environment but also instills eco-friendly habits in the next generation.
2. Ditch Single-Use Plastics
Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives, from grocery bags to water bottles. Unfortunately, plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges we face today. To cut down on plastic use, switch to canvas bags for shopping and avoid disposable cups, straws, and wipes. These simple swaps can greatly reduce your plastic footprint and prevent harmful plastics from polluting our oceans and landscapes.
Invest in reusable items such as metal straws, glass containers, and stainless steel water bottles. These items are durable, eco-friendly, and can save you money in the long run. By making these small changes, you set a positive example for others and contribute to a cleaner planet.
3. Proper Waste Disposal
Littering is a major problem that pollutes our environment and creates unsightly surroundings. Make it a habit to always use trash cans and encourage others to do the same. Proper waste disposal keeps our streets clean and prevents harmful pollutants from entering our ecosystems.
Organize community clean-up events to tackle litter in your neighborhood. These events not only improve the environment but also foster a sense of community and responsibility among participants. Together, we can make a significant impact on reducing litter and promoting a cleaner, healthier environment.
4. Save Electricity
Conserving energy is crucial for reducing your carbon footprint. Many of us are guilty of leaving lights, TVs, and chargers on when they’re not in use. This simple habit not only wastes energy but also increases your electricity bill. By turning off lights and unplugging devices when they’re not needed, you can save energy and reduce your carbon footprint.
Consider investing in energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. These products use less energy and can significantly reduce your household’s energy consumption. Additionally, using natural light during the day and insulating your home can further reduce your reliance on electricity and lower your energy costs.
5. Choose Local and Seasonal Foods
Eating locally grown, seasonal foods reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting goods from far away. Fresh, local produce is often more nutritious and supports local farmers. Plus, seasonal foods are grown without the need for artificial environments, making them a more sustainable choice.
Visit your local farmers’ market to find fresh, seasonal produce. Not only will you be supporting local agriculture, but you’ll also discover new fruits and vegetables that you might not find in a regular grocery store. Incorporating these fresh, seasonal items into your diet can improve your health and contribute to a more sustainable food system.
6. Be Water-Wise
Saving water is essential for sustainable living. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, fix leaks promptly, and consider collecting rainwater for gardening. Small steps like these can conserve a significant amount of water over time, helping to preserve this precious resource.
Installing water-efficient fixtures such as low-flow showerheads and faucets can further reduce your water consumption. Additionally, using drought-resistant plants in your garden can minimize the need for watering and create a beautiful, sustainable landscape.
7. Reduce Food Waste
Plan your meals to avoid over-purchasing and wasting food. Use leftovers creatively or turn them into compost to enrich your garden soil. Reducing food waste not only conserves resources but also helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organic matter.
Start a compost bin in your backyard or even a small compost container in your kitchen. Composting is an excellent way to recycle organic waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your plants. By reducing food waste, you can save money, reduce your environmental impact, and contribute to a healthier ecosystem.
8. Travel Sustainably
Whenever possible, walk or bike instead of driving. Use public transportation and carpool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These choices not only benefit the environment but also improve your physical health and save money on fuel.
Consider incorporating eco-friendly transportation options into your daily routine. For instance, you can use a bicycle for short trips, take public transit to work, or organize a carpool with colleagues. These small changes can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and promote a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.
Educate and Inspire
Sharing what you learn about eco-friendly living with others can amplify your impact. Educating friends and family about sustainable living can encourage collective action and foster a community of environmentally conscious individuals. The more people who join in, the greater the difference we can make.
Host eco-friendly workshops or discussion groups to spread awareness and share tips on sustainable living. Social media is also a powerful tool for promoting eco-friendly practices and inspiring others to take action. By sharing your journey and encouraging others to make small changes, you can help create a ripple effect that leads to a more sustainable future.
By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you can start living more sustainably and contribute to a healthier planet. Ready to dive deeper into eco-friendly living? Discover more tips and insights at Yuvaap’s blog. Together, we can create a better future for our planet and future generations.
Local restaurants are great opportunities to enjoy good food, but they’re not your only option for a pleasant meal. Dining alfresco can improve your wellness when you’re not in the mood to cook. It all depends on where you choose to eat.
Learn more about the benefits of alfresco dining to see if it would help you reach your personal wellness goals or have an even better time during your next meal. You might even save extra cash by avoiding a busy restaurant.
What Is Alfresco Dining?
Alfresco dining is a term that incorporates multiple ways to eat outside. Different cultures sit outdoors during various meals, like dining on breakfast while the sun rises or sipping tea in the afternoon breeze. There’s no wrong way to have an alfresco meal. As long as you have something tasty to eat outside, you’re participating in a beloved culinary tradition.
Benefits of Alfresco Dining
There are numerous benefits of alfresco dining, even if it’s your first time trying it. Learn how this dining style can support your comprehensive well-being so you can look forward to your next meal with even more excitement.
1. You’ll Fortify Your Immune System
Getting outdoors isn’t just a nice change of pace. It also makes your immune system stronger. Research shows that nature exposure decreases cellular inflammation, allowing your immune system to function more efficiently. That initial deep breath you take after stepping outside isn’t just your stress slipping away. It’s also your immune system getting stronger.
Try dining alfresco in the early fall to stay healthier during peak flu seasons. You won’t have to worry about sweating in any summer heat or getting sick after visiting your favorite restaurant during its busiest hours. It’s the perfect time to bring a big blanket to your local park and enjoy a picnic while the leaves drift from the treetops around you.
2. You’ll Gain More Space for Socializing
If you frequent restaurants often, you’ve likely sat down in an overcrowded venue more than once. It’s never fun trying to have a conversation with someone while you’re competing with the volume of other diners and the kitchen. Alfresco dining areas help people spread out over an open-air space for a quieter meal.
You may even get to access bigger tables so more of your loved ones can join you. See if any of your local parks or a nearby reservoir has covered picnic tables. You could reserve that space online to accommodate all of your favorite people. Public parks often let groups reserve their dining spaces for free because you’ve already paid for them with your local taxes.
Socializing is an important part of your comprehensive wellness because it prevents feelings of isolation, so it’s something to consider if you want to improve that aspect of your daily life.
3. You Could Try New Foods
You know what to expect when you open a menu from a restaurant you visit frequently. Dining outdoors, like hosting a cookout, gives you the opportunity to try something entirely different. Explore potential new recipes you could share with your loved ones while you gather in your backyard around a grill, outdoor pizza oven or campfire.
If you’re not in the mood to cook, you could always order a to-go meal from a restaurant. Venues often create custom outdoor menus for people dining outside or ordering to-go.
See if your favorite spots offer an exclusive menu with new drink or meal options. You might get a brand-new culinary experience while enjoying your order at your favorite outdoor getaway.
4. You’ll Get a New Environment
Sometimes, a change of pace is nice. You could always eat at your usual booth, but why not experience a meal outside? You’ll get a different experience, which might make your breakfast, lunch or dinner even more relaxing.
Ask your loved ones to join you and experience your town in a different way. It might just scratch the mental itch that’s making you wish you could take a vacation. You might dine together in a downtown gazebo or a public garden with picnic benches. You’ll spend time in a new environment and may leave feeling more refreshed than if you’d chosen an indoor spot to eat.
5. You’ll Enjoy More Vitamin D
Vitamin supplements aren’t the only way to get the minerals your body needs to thrive. You can also sit outside. As you bask in the sunshine, your skin absorbs it and starts making more vitamin D. It’s an all-natural way to improve your vitamin intake without purchasing costly supplements.
Remember, your body doesn’t just need vitamin D to support its daily functions. The natural hormone also helps your body absorb calcium more efficiently, so the dairy in your meal will better support your bones if you try eating outside. It’s another way to care for your body’s overall wellness without significant changes in your daily routine.
6. Your Brain May Work More Efficiently
Researchers found that people who spend their time in poor indoor air quality live with adverse cognitive effects like poorer memory, perception and attention. Air quality deteriorates when people crowd into a room and a kitchen produces smoke nearby.
Dining alfresco can improve your well-being by ensuring your brain thrives in an outdoor area with better-ventilated air quality. Search local social media groups to find where people enjoy taking their food. You might discover a quiet lakeside park or recently renovated arts garden where you’ll support your brain health while dining on your favorite foods.
Utilizing a public space could also cut down on your spending. Bring food from home to a free park and you won’t have to pay extra for restaurant fees or tips.
7. You’ll Feel More Relaxed
Think about how relaxed you typically feel in a crowded restaurant. Everyone’s trying to talk over each other, the kitchen’s making constant noise and there’s likely music playing in the background. In addition to the visual stimulation of servers rushing around the venue, a restaurant can be overwhelming to the senses.
Eating outside creates a much more relaxed environment for any meal. You’ll get to feel the breeze, listen to birds and enjoy pleasant weather. It’s much easier to feel relaxed while dining alfresco than when you’re eating inside. Your comprehensive wellness will feel much more balanced when your meals happen in stress-free spaces.
8. You May Enjoy Better Sleep
Sitting down for an outdoor meal might not seem connected to your sleep routine, but it could be a crucial way to improve your nightly rest. When researchers studied people who spent more time either outside or indoors, the people who never got outside slept for shorter periods and even dealt with chronic insomnia.
Finding time to go outside is challenging if you have a busy schedule. You might not have time to add a long walk to your routine, but you can always find a place to sit outside while you eat. You could enjoy a meal on your back porch, apartment balcony or rooftop community space if you live in a condo building.
Curating a better schedule to support your nightly rest is part of improving your sleep quality through long-term habit changes. Even a small change like dining alfresco could help you get deeper sleep every night.
Try Dining Alfresco for Your Well-Being
You might feel more inclined to try eating outside once you learn the benefits of alfresco dining. Whether you want to sleep better, change your routine or enjoy something new from a different menu, you’ll improve your wellness by trying something new. See if you can find a new place to eat outside in your town while the weather is nice. You’ll have an incredible experience whether you dine by yourself or with loved ones.
For far too long, humans have considered themselves separate from nature. However, you and everyone else are an integral part of the larger planet Earth ecosystem, a whole globe teeming with life. You can see this dynamic at work in how time spent in Mother Nature heals, providing physiological perks and psychological benefits.
What can you hope to gain by reconnecting with the natural world? Here are eight benefits of nature and how it impacts your well-being.
How Does Nature Impact Our Well-Being?
Nature impacts human well-being in every way — physical, mental and the ethereal emotional/spiritual realm. Far from separate divisions, these aspects of self work together to create your total health portrait. A positive mental outlook helps overcome physical ailments. Conversely, modifying your diet, exercising, and managing stress promotes mental clarity and emotional resilience.
The Physiological Effects of Spending Time in Nature
Time spent outdoors helps your body make natural vitamin D. This nutrient is crucial for bone health and a strong immune response. Furthermore, evidence suggests that a deficiency can lead to depression-like symptoms.
Vitamin D production isn’t the only physical benefit of getting outdoors. Trees and plants emit phytoncides, chemicals that stimulate your immune response when you inhale them. Researchers found higher levels of vital immune cells among forest bathers. This benefit of nature to humans also does double duty. You know your mood decreases when you get sick, and missing a day or two of work can put some people behind on rent, increasing stress.
Psychological Benefits of Being in Nature
The psychological benefits of nature to humans go beyond feeling less depressed and anxious due to fewer physical issues. They also boost your mental health in the following eight ways.
1. Eases Stress
One of the easiest and best ways to bust stress is to go for a brief, mindful walk in nature. A simple stroll as you gaze at a beautiful vista slows you down enough to think, to become responsive instead of reactive in dealing with life’s stressors. It’s also sustainable, creates no emissions and doesn’t cost a dime.
The next time you feel overwhelmed, try a five-minute mindful walk outdoors if the weather permits. Mindfully tune into what it does to your mood and attitude.
2. Improves Focus and Concentration
Using the above trick during a hectic workday could lead to a more productive afternoon. A recent study on university staff members during the pandemic indicated that spending time outdoors protected them against some of the crisis’s adverse effects, particularly in improved mental health. The result was so profound that the study suggested alternative working arrangements in such areas.
Earlier research indicated that simply gazing at pictures of nature increased focus and concentration. A 2022 study backs this assertion. Participants viewed various scenes while hooked to an EEG, performing a cognitive task after each image series. Analysis of the EEG reading showed nature scenes increased alpha wave activity. These waves are associated with mental readiness, concentration and focus.
3. May Reduce Dementia Risk
Dementia may strike with aging, but the habits you acquire when you are younger influence your risk. A recent study suggests that spending more time outside may lower your chances of missing much of your golden years thanks to this disease. It also prevents the anxiety and depression that accompany memory loss.
Researchers examined 62 million Medicare beneficiaries surrounded by natural vegetation, park cover or blue space cover. Those in natural green environments were less likely to become hospitalized from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias or Parkinson’s disease, which also affects the central nervous system.
4. Encourages Social Interaction
Social interaction is a critical component of mental health. Loneliness can kill, increasing the chances of all-cause mortality. Unfortunately, many people become more isolated with age, as loved ones pass away and adult children move to different locations.
Getting outdoors encourages social interaction. Studies of dog walkers show they are three times more likely to know their neighbour’s than those without a pet. They also felt safer, a benefit that extended to those without four-legged friends, as these strolls provide more time for people to interact with their neighbours and recognize unusual or suspicious behaviour.
You don’t have to adopt a pup if your lease says, “No dogs allowed.” However, going for a daily outdoor walk without Fido in tow introduces you to your neighbours and opens doors to friendship. Most pet owners are friendly folks, anxious to say hello to a smiling face and receive compliments on their companions. From there, asking if they’d like to get tea sometime is a natural segue.
5. May Ease Schizophrenia Symptoms
Schizophrenia is more common than many people suspect, as the stigma prevents patients from sharing information about their diagnosis with folks outside of their immediate family.
This condition affects your amygdala, a part of the brain associated with instinctive and motivational behaviours and your fight-or-flight response. Recent research suggests that a one-hour walk in nature decreased amygdala activity in patients with schizophrenia and depression.
6. Reduces Anxiety
Anxiety may be the pandemic nobody discusses. Although rates of this mental disorder and depression climbed 25% during the recent pandemic, little subsequent increase in resources followed. That means many people with these conditions struggle alone, relying only on holistic interventions for help.
Spending time in nature eases stress, which often exacerbates depression by keeping your cortisol levels high. This hormone picks up where adrenaline leaves off but contributes to mental and physical health issues by raising inflammation levels.
Stress can also create a negative feedback loop. The initial stressor slightly elevates your blood pressure and heart rate, and your body interprets this speed-up as evidence for further panic, making you anxious. Getting outdoors interrupts this cycle and lowers your cortisol levels, helping you find relief.
7. Decreases Depression
Go outside on the next sunny day and lift your face to the sun. Mindfully explore your mood. Did you get a boost?
Getting outside, especially while doing an exercise like walking, stimulates several neurotransmitters associated with a positive mood. For example, dopamine increases. This “reward” chemical makes you feel good, reinforcing your desire to repeat a given behaviour. Fortunately, unlike alcohol or drugs, going outside won’t result in harmful side effects like addiction — although you might find it harder to stay indoors.
8. Provides a Sense of Connection
One reason for the increase in mental health disorders in recent years is how disconnected people feel from each other, society at large and something bigger than themselves. Many fall into “drone mode” — they go to work, come home and eat, sleep and then do it all again, all while having nagging doubts about whether the effort is worth it. As a result, they become despondent.
Going outside reminds you that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself. You are a part of this world, an integral part of the system. When you feel at one with life, finding purpose and seeing how your contribution affects the whole is easier.
The Benefits of Nature to Humans
Nature impacts human well-being in several positive ways. While it heals the physical self, its effects might be most profound on your psyche.
Step outside and enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors. Mother Nature never charges a copay, and the results could leave you feeling better and more at peace with yourself.
We are living in an era where technology and industries have come together and created societies of wide range of luxuries and conveniences to make our life easier in order to achieve our full potential. However, unless we are aware of how and why we choose different choices, we will be stuck within this circle of luxury that would control our lives.
Internet has allowed us to access unlimited number of choices, opportunities, potentials and possibilities. For instance, an aspiring young woman in her early twenties could use internet not only to meet new people, enjoy movies, or games, but also discover her path, skills and potentials by opening up to different ideologies and deep readings in different subjects; the key to build upon the way of becoming an influential entrepreneur in creating social change and improving the lives of many people. Hence, the internet is not only a tool to build up networks of meeting new people and enjoying different choices but it also paves the way to empowerment and social change making a better future.
On the other hand, the overly use of internet could lead to insecure attachment to the virtual world creating a whole reality in this virtual world, thus resulting in introversion and a lack of social skills, health or physical problems caused by the lack of movement and exercise and an excessive misuse of computer or video games. This may cause to limit learning the skills and abilities gained through experience, practice and active engagement in daily life that teaches us how to be human and deal with people and situations.
Finally, the urge to access the fastest and finest internet and other luxurious services makes people from the upper class run in the endless loop of constantly changing or upgrading their phones to the latest versions released in the market. This may convert them into highly consuming societies that are distracted and occupied by dedicating their money earned from work to buy unneeded products; they may fail to realize the most important things in life that really makes them strong and independent, such as quality time with family and friends, exploring life with its variety of different experiences, such as travelling, experimenting with new things, defying fears, coming out of the comfort zone every once in a while and understanding the meaning of life. All this is meant to help in one’s personal development psychologically, spiritually and physically. Yet, in order to allow this dimension to emerge into one’s life, one needs to become aware of the daily consumption of luxury choices made and opt for more meaningful choices instead which requires constant self-observation and discipline. In fact, it’s a daily practice that needs a strong decision and commitment, but that ultimately allows to become more and more available to those genuine moments of a true search within, a true life meaning.
Everything begins with a simple step. How about joining a free 42-day self-development program? Daily meditation and mindfulness practice could be a good way to start clearing out the unnecessary clutter to give rise to more truth, love and meaning. Thus, we no longer allow luxuries and conveniences control our lives; we become masters of our own mind and life.
Sometimes when mentioning to friends or some people that I meditate, they usually ask back: “So, basically what you do is thinking of nothing, isn’t it?”. Actually, meditation is relatively more complex than that, at least in my eyes – not literally. There are already many books on different meditation types, techniques, etc. In this brief text, you will not find that — however, you’ll read on a more casual daily-basis approach.
Meditation will flourish in you
Meditation is an everyday time for finding peace within oneself, allowing the silence to do its job, and coming back to the roots of your inner self. There is a great deal of inner wisdom there.
To meditate, like with most things in life, it is necessary to have a proper technique (which is quite different from sleeping or not thinking about anything). They are nevertheless great ways of relaxing yourself.
It is also crucial to find the right guidance, and I would say that it is necessary to develop the habit (meditation requires consistency and effort). If I may add — to even create and practice different behavioral patterns in your life repertoire. It will significantly support your practice.
Once you have that, meditation will eventually flourish in you, as a well-planted and adequately watered seed, with care, love, and patience.
A daily reminder of what truly matters
In his book Meditations, the Roman Emperor Marco Aurelio referred to the concept of inner calmness, writing about the Inner fortress. For me, practicing meditation adds the sense of being peaceful within a limitless core.
To assemble it, the practice is necessary, the right intention plus commitment within yourself, and the world around you. Then, with lovely patience, nurturing, and doing, the real bosom eventually and progressively comes.
Meditation is a daily reminder of what truly matters, a practice that supports a clearer view, thinking, and feeling. Those will bring more understanding, better decision making, and peace inside.
This is just the beginning of why it is worth doing meditation with happy devotion. The good news is that everyone with willingness can do it.
Not only can exercise help you live a longer life, but it also helps you thrive and develop that important lust for life. It can boost your psychological and emotional functioning, as well as your productivity and interpersonal connections. It also boosts your cardiovascular and muscular health by warding off a variety of diseases.
Weight Control
Physical activity can assist you in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise, in addition to a balanced diet, is critical for weight loss and management. To maintain a healthy weight, the calories you consume must be less or equal to the energy you utilize. Physical exercise can also assist your body in controlling blood sugar and insulin levels. This can lower your chances of developing metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes.
Reduce the Risk of Disease
Exercise strengthens the heart and promotes healthy circulation. The increase in blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body and this can help you avoid heart disease, various cancers, and a variety of chronic disorders. Physical exercise helps lower your blood pressure and keeps your muscle strength and balance in check while relieving joint stiffness and discomfort.
Supplements can complement your exercise program and aid you in taking your health to another level; they have many of the properties of steroids without the associated androgenic side effects and other physical and mental health benefits as noted in this guide.
Improves Mental Health
Researchers have shown a substantial correlation between exercise and a sense of wellbeing. The chemicals released in your body during exercise can help you deal with stress and reduce your risk of developing depression. For this reason, physical exercise enriches your life by helping you to combat mental illness. Exercise can provide a goal and take your mind off the stresses of daily life.
As you become older, it’s important to maintain your mental skills and abilities (like reasoning and recalling). Exercise causes your body to produce proteins and other natural chemicals that aid the brain’s structure and functioning and that can keep your wits sharp. It also improves healthy lung function, which is a trait shared by people who retain their mental sharpness as they get older. While all forms of physical activity can help you maintain your mental alertness and sharpness, several studies have revealed that regular aerobic exercise can assist you to improve your cognitive performance.
Strengthens the Body
Regular exercise can aid in the development of strong bones in children and teenagers, and it can also help reduce bone density degeneration that happens with age later in life. Staying active allows older folks to maintain cardiovascular fitness, metabolism, and muscle function at levels comparable to those of much younger people. This in turn reduces the risks of injury and falling.
Promotes Healthy Sleep Habits
Physical exercise can significantly improve the quality of your sleep. Regular physical exercise has three major sleep benefits. Not only does it help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep longer, but it also results in you waking up less during the night (and then struggling to go back to sleep). For healthy individuals, exercise seems to be the only known way to improve the duration of quality sleep they obtain, which is critical for your body’s renewal and repair.
The best news is that it’s never too late to start. Anyone can easily include more physical activity into their daily routine by starting slowly. Not only will you feel better and have more purpose and drive, but you will most likely live longer too.
Relaxation is not only about peace of mind or about enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body as well. Relaxation techniques can indeed help you cope with everyday stress and even with stress related to various health problems, such as heart diseases and pain.
Whether your stress is building out of control or you’ve already got it tamed, you can benefit from various relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques are free or sometimes low cost, pose little risk, and can be done almost anywhere.
Explore these simple relaxation techniques and get moving on de-stressing your life and improving your holistic health. Relaxation techniques can help you reduce stress symptoms and indeed help you enjoy a better quality of life, especially if you have an illness.
The benefits of relaxation techniques are as follows:
Slowing down heart rate
Lowering the blood pressure
Slowing the breathing rate
Improving the digestion
Maintenance of normal blood sugar levels
Reduction in activity of stress hormones
Increase in blood flow to major muscles
Reduction in muscle tension and chronic pain
Improvement in concentration and mood
Improvement in sleep quality
Lowering down fatigue
Reduction in anger and frustration
Boost in confidence to handle problems
To get the most of it, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as, positive thinking, finding humour, problem-solving, time management, exercising, getting good enough sleep, and reaching out to the support family and friends.
Forms of relaxation techniques
Health professionals namely complementary health practitioners, doctors and even psychotherapists can teach various relaxation techniques. But if your preference is towards self learning, then you can go for that as well.
In general, the relaxation techniques involve refocusing your attention on something calming and increasing your awareness towards your body. It does not matter which relaxation technique you choose. What matters is that you try to practice relaxation regularly in order to reap its benefits.
As you learn and practice relaxation techniques, you become more aware of muscle tension and other physical sensations of stress as well. Once you know what the stress response feels like, you can make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique as soon as you start to feel the stress symptoms. This can prevent stress from going out of control.
Please remember that relaxation techniques are skills. As with any skill, even your ability to relax improves with enough practice. Be patient with yourself. Do not let your effort to practice relaxation techniques become yet another stressor for you. If say one relaxation technique does not work for you, try another technique. If none of your efforts at stress reduction seem to work, talk to your doctor about other options to be explored.
Do bear in mind that certain people, especially those with serious psychological issues and a history of abuse, may experience some feelings of emotional discomfort during relaxation techniques. Although this happens to be rare, if you experience emotional discomfort during relaxation techniques, stop what you’re doing and consider talking to your doctor or mental health provider.
Following are eight relaxation techniques that can help you evoke the relaxation response and reduce stress in return:
1. Breath focussing to be done. In this simple, powerful technique, you take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you breathe, you slowly disengage your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations. Breath focus can be helpful for people with eating disorders to help them focus on their bodies in a far more positive way. However, this very technique may not be appropriate for those with health problems as it does make breathing difficult for us, such as respiratory ailments or heart failure.
2. Body scan to be followed. This technique blends breath focus with progressive muscle relaxation. After a few minutes spent on deep breathing, you focus on one part of the body or group of muscles at a time and mentally releasing any physical tension you feel out there. A body scan can definitely help boost your awareness of the mind-body connection. If you have had a recent surgery that affects your body image or have other difficulties with body image, this technique may be less helpful for you.
3. Guided imagery to be noticed. For this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or even experiences in your mind to help you relax and then focus. You can find free apps and online recordings of calming scenes—just make sure to choose imagery you find soothing and that has some personal significance. Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who keep having intrusive thoughts or even find it hard to conjure up mental images.
4. Mindfulness meditation technique. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind’s attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or even the future. This form of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. It may be helpful for people with anxiety, depression, and more so pain.
5. Yoga, tai chi, and qigong to get going. These three ancient arts combine rhythmic breathing with a series of postures or flowing movements. The physical aspects of such practices offer a mental focus that can help distract you from the racing thoughts. They can also enhance your flexibility and balance. If you are not normally active, have health problems, or a painful or disabling condition, these relaxation techniques might be far too challenging. Do check with your doctor before starting them.
6. Repetitive prayer. For this technique to be followed, you silently repeat a short prayer or phrase from a prayer while practicing on breath focus. This method may be especially appealing if religion or spirituality is quite meaningful to you.
7. Being in a natural setting reduces muscle tension. If you cannot get to some real live greenery, then sounds from nature, like waves crashing on the beach, or leaves rustling in the breeze have a restorative effect on our minds by physically altering the connections in our brains, reducing our fight-or-flight instinct as well. Getting outdoors allows us to connect to the physical beauty of our world that is the oceans, flowers, trees, wildlife, earth and tune into our senses, which can help alleviate negative emotions. Observing a sunset or sunrise allows us to take the focus away from our own challenges.
8. Massage and other soothing activities. Lying down on a padded massage table, you can feel your stress melt away even before your therapist enters the room. The dim lights, calming aromatherapy scent, and soothing music encourage relaxation. Besides for feeling amazing, massage is accepted as a part of complementary and integrative medicine, which means that it’s often recommended along with the standard treatment for a range of health conditions, including anxiety and insomnia related to stress. Massage affects our body’s production and regulation of neurohormones, which in turn influences our behaviour and feelings of wellbeing. A therapist’s touch tends to elevate our body’s level of dopamine, which affects inspiration, joy and enthusiasm.
Rather than choosing just one technique, experts see which one works best for you. Try to practice it for at least 20 minutes a day, although even just a few minutes can be of help. The longer and the more often you practice the relaxation techniques, the greater the benefits and the more you can reduce stress.
Enjoy yourself
Going to the movies, gardening, playing a board game, or visiting a museum aren’t research-backed relaxation strategies, but if they bring you pleasure, that’s a good reason to do them as well. It’s no surprise to expect that you’ll feel more relaxed when you make time to pursue the activities you enjoy. At the very least, they’ll take your mind off whatever is making you anxious.
Our worried minds often distract us from scheduling things we enjoy in our day. But doing what we enjoy and absorbing invariably boosts our mood and encourages us to be present. It makes us feel better about ourselves and our life. This is really the whole reason for getting better at relaxing.
One way to break up any kind of tension is good deep breathing.
Is it really possible to get 100% of your work done faster and with better efficiency? Can you really finish your work around noon time when others are grabbing their next cup of coffee but you’re already shutting down your computer and enjoying the rest of your day?
In short, the answer is yes. You can get it all done and work faster if you want to. This is exactly what you are going to discover in this article.
There is no doubt that we all have only 24 hours a day, but if you can work faster and get things done quickly, you will have more time for other stuff in your life.
So here are the 7 techniques how you can deliver your work faster, with better efficiency, and without suffering the quality of your work:
1. Allocate a time frame for your task
No matter what kind of task you do, you need to allocate a time frame or a deadline for it.
If you don’t allocate a time frame, guess what will happen, you will take as long as possible to get the work done.
For example, if you need to write a report today, don’t leave the task open-ended without a time frame. Include a deadline for when you need to get the report done, say by 2 PM in the afternoon.
In business, there’s the Parkinson’s Law that states, “Work expands to fill the time allotted for it”. In other words, if you don’t allocate a time frame for when to get the work done, you will take as long as you can.
If you have 3 days to complete the project, you will take 3 days to do it. If you have 24 hours to get the work done, then you will deliver the work within 24 hours.
I found that this is true.
For instance, I write my blog post every Tuesday and Thursday. And when I include a deadline for what time I should deliver the post, I will take as long as I need. Sometimes, I started at about 10 AM, and finish my article at around 4 PM. That’s a long time. And usually, my articles are at least 3,000 words.
However, I will get my article done faster whenever I give myself a time frame, say by 2 PM I must deliver the article. And that’s exactly what I got by 2 PM.
When I give myself a time frame, I become more focused and I know exactly what kind of result I must deliver, and by what time.
This is why giving yourself a time frame on every major task is important.
When you don’t allocate a time frame for your task, the Parkinson’s Law will kick in and you will take as long as you need to get the work done.
2. End your day by 3 PM
I learned this technique from an article on Forbes when doing research on this topic. The author of the article, Siimon Reynolds suggested his readers act as if their workday ends by 11 AM and they must get everything done by then.
In my opinion, I believe that 11 AM is way too extreme. In my country, Malaysia, most people start their work from 9 AM to 6 PM. Hence, if you end your workday at 11 AM, you only work for 2 hours. And that’s a little too short.
Hence, I suggest you treat it as if your workday ends by 3 PM or 4 PM.
The key is to alter your mentality.
When you think you can work until 6 PM, usually, you will waste most of your morning on unnecessary or unimportant work.
Like what the article Siimon wrote in the article:
“The average person has done virtually nothing of consequence by 11 AM; they have chatted with their co-workers, checked their emails, grabbed a coffee, and perhaps planned their day. They then complain they don’t have enough time to get their job done.”
Therefore, change your thinking – act like you have to leave your office by 3 PM and you will have to get everything done before that.
When you shifted your mindset, things will work out differently. Suddenly, you don’t have so much time to waste. And you will work faster because you really want to get things done faster and leave earlier, don’t you?
3. Schedule your work before you start your day
Another important technique that helps you become a faster worker is to schedule your work before you start your day.
In other words, plan your day.
I know that things may not go according to your plan, but planning is still necessary.
When you go to the office without having a clear plan of what you need to do, first, you will waste your time thinking and scheduling work. Second, you become reactive and you respond to whatever that comes to you.
Successful people who accomplish extraordinary results in life plan their day, and most even plan their lives.
Like Sir Richard Branson. He said it in his blog post that one of the secrets to success is none other than having a to-do list.
“The act of writing your tasks and thoughts down is useful as it helps to make sense of your ideas and give you focus,” wrote Branson on his blog.
So don’t start your day without having a to-do list. It helps in knowing what you need to do so that you can waste no time and focus on getting the tasks done.
Of course, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself by writing down 20 or 50 things to do.
Most people only able to get 4 – 6 items done on a typical day. Thus, make sure you only schedule high-impact tasks that are really important to your to-do list.
Scrap the thinking that more is better. When it comes to being productive, the Pareto’s Rule is king. Do and focus on what is important. Don’t try to do everything because you can’t.
Here’s an interesting article you may want to read:
One of the most direct ways to get your work done faster and earlier is to wake up early. When you start your day early, you can get things done earlier and have more time for other things.
Here are some examples of successful people who wake up extremely early to get things done according to Huff Post:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of my favorite movie stars, wakes up and hit the gym for his routine workout by 4 AM each day.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square gets up at 5 AM to meditate and exercise before he gets into the office.
Richard Branson, the billionaire behind Virgin Group wakes up around 5:45 AM to exercise and have breakfast before he starts his day.
And the famous billionaire investor, Warren Buffett wakes up at 6.45 AM and starts his day by reading the newspaper.
And the list goes on and on.
Now, you don’t have to wake up as early as 5 AM if you don’t want to, but one thing you have to understand is that most successful people choose to wake up early so that they can kick-start their day in the right pace.
Imagine if you wake up late and you have to rush to the office. You don’t have time for a good shower or a healthy breakfast. You don’t spend quality time with your loved ones and you have to rush to the office because you’re late. How do you think your day will turn out? Not good.
As a blogger, I can wake up any time I want, but still, I choose to get up at 6.20 AM every day. I start my work between 9 to 10 AM. And I prefer to get up early so that I have plenty of time to prepare myself for the rest of the day.
I will read in the morning, schedule my work, make breakfast, and sometimes even send my wife to work.
So if you want to get your work done faster, get up early.
5. Take micro-breaks
This may sound contradicting, but trust me, taking micro-breaks throughout the day allows you to get your work done faster.
You have to understand that we’re not machines. We’re humans. And being a human, we all need rests to recharge our energy, motivation, and willpower.
If you always procrastinate, feeling exhausted at the end of your workday, or feel like you’re not making much progress even though you spend a lot of time on a task, it may be a sign you’re not taking enough breaks.
Research has proved that taking regular short breaks can boost our productivity throughout the day. Our energy and willpower work just like our mobile phone’s battery.
In the morning, if you have a good sleep the night before, your energy bar will be full at 100%. And as you start your day, get busy, and work on your stuff, you use your energy. So if you don’t take a break to recharge your battery, eventually, you will deplete it and feel exhausted.
When you lack the willpower, it will be difficult to focus on your task at hand. This is why taking micro-breaks is important. You constantly recharge yourself to maintain your productivity by refreshing your mind through breaks.
So how do you take micro-breaks? Here are some easy methods:
Taking a break once an hour.
There were studies showed that those who distract themselves for a break once an hour performs better than those who keep at it without taking a break.
Move your body.
As human beings, our bodies are not designed to sit around all day long. You need to move to increase your blood and oxygen flow. Hence, move your body or take a walk throughout the day.
Take a tea break.
We all know that tea can be good for us due to its antioxidants entities, but the act of taking time away from your work gives you time to slow down and refresh your mental energy.
And if you want to learn more about taking breaks, read my previous article:
Want to work faster? Then batch your similar tasks together. This is easy to understand, but most people don’t do it.
I used to jumble all my work together, but since a few months back, I started to follow Jack Dorsey’s “theme day” concept to approach my work.
Being a CEO to both Square and Twitter, Dorsey needs to be extremely productive in managing his time. So how does he keep up with his job? This is what he said on Forbes:
“The way I found that works for me is I theme my days. On Monday, at both companies, I focus on management and running the company…Tuesday is focused on product. Wednesday is focused on marketing and communications and growth. Thursday is focused on developers and partnerships. Friday is focused on the company and the culture and recruiting. Saturday I take off, I hike. Sunday is reflection, feedback, strategy, and getting ready for the week.”
The concept of daily themes is effective because when you do so, you are batching similar tasks together and get them all done at the same time.
As for me, on Tuesday and Thursday, which are my blogging day, I will write long-form content for my blog. Like writing this article right now, I devoted my entire day for content writing. And for Wednesday, I use this day for creating images for Pinterest and Facebook.
After applying this concept for about 2 months, I can say that I’m able to work faster because I can focus better.
When you allow yourself to focus on a task for long enough, you’re able to reach the ‘flow state’ where you can perform better. The flow state is exactly what we’re going to talk about in the next technique.
Therefore, combine your effort together. Batch similar tasks so that you can get them all done at the same time.
For instance, if you want to write content for your blog, don’t brainstorm to come up with just one title only. Generate all the content ideas together, say you can come up with a month’s worth of article titles.
And when you proceed to writing, focus on just the writing. Don’t switch from writing to creating images and then back to writing again.
If you want to get your work done faster with higher efficiency, focus on doing one thing until you get it done. Only then you switch to another task.
7. Enter your flow state
I bet there are times when you lost yourself in your work, so much so that you’re so focused at what you do and you don’t realize the time. And this is the flow state.
The concept of flow was first coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. And this is what he said about flow:
“I developed a theory of optimal experience based on the concept of flow—the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it”
In short, when you’re in the flow state, you are 100% focused on the task at hand. You will lose track of time and you will forget about the things that are happening around you.
More importantly, you become more creative, productive, and able to get your work done faster without sacrificing quality.
So how do you achieve the flow state? Here are a few suggestions:
1) Make sure there are no distractions.
You want to allow yourself to focus 100% on the task at hand and you don’t want to have interruptions that take away your attention.
Lock yourself in the room if necessary, switch off your phone, put on the headphones, and make sure you are not distracted because you’re hungry.
2) Do not multitask.
If you multitask, you are distracting yourself. While it may sound multitasking is a much better approach to getting things done, when it comes to productivity, nothing beats single-tasking.
Our brains just don’t function that way. We can’t focus on two things at the same time. We can do two things simultaneously, we just can’t focus on both at the same time. What really happens is in our brains is we’re constantly switching focus from one task to another.
This is why we can’t text someone while driving. We can’t read and talk to someone at the same time.
3) Allow yourself enough time to focus on the task.
Flow state will not come to you instantly. It takes time to get into it. You need to give yourself time to fully focus on a task and get into a flow state. It’s like warming up.
It can take minutes to enter a flow state. And whenever you are interrupted, you will have to restart again.
Practicing these 3 steps above can greatly increase your chances of entering a flow state.
Mindfulness meditation helps in boosting your flow too. When you are absolutely calmed, at the present, and focused, you can get your work done faster.
But I’m not an expert with mindfulness meditation. So if you want to learn, learn from the experts. And one of them is none other than Jason Stephenson.
