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Neuroplasticity: Better Your Brain with Positive Thinking

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When we think about how the brain develops, it may seem like common sense that development stops after childhood. We all grow up with the understanding that at around eighteen, our personality traits are set in stone, our learning ability slows down and we become ‘us’ for good. 

Traditional forms of therapy are built on this view, often characterising us as doomed to repeat patterns throughout our lives. But over the past thirty years, neuroplasticity has informed modern behavioural therapy and come to transform how we understand the brain.  

Get a fresh outlook with neuroplasticity!

The most popular form of modern therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), focuses on changing patterns of thought and behaviour through repetition – by tapping into neuroplasticity.

When we understand how neuroplasticity works, we can see that positive thinking isn’t just a buzzword. Our happiness, outlook and sense of self can change dramatically through how we choose to use our brains.  

Read Now: A Happy Diet: 9 Foods Proven to Lift Your Mood

What is Neuroplasticity? 

Something has plasticity when it can be bent, shaped and altered. Neuroplasticity describes the changeable nature of our brains. 

The building blocks of our brains are neurons, which connect to form neural pathways. These pathways pass information around the brain, constantly firing in different combinations. A pathway grows stronger when we use it more and weaker when we use it less, much like a muscle can grow stronger or waste away.

When we feel hopeful, neurons responsible for hope fire together and bond, creating a stronger pathway. So, the more we feel hopeful, the stronger that pathway grows and the more our brain will take that well-exercised route.  

Positive mental habits can guide us through life!

Positive Thinking – Not Just a Buzzword 

Positive thinking has a bad reputation with many as just a surface-level fix for problems. However, neuroplasticity and an understanding of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) show us that positive thinking has the right idea. 

Thanks to neuroplasticity, we know that the brain can make dramatic changes at any point in our lifetime if we change our environment and what we input enough.

Thinking positive thoughts alone is unlikely to create lasting change, especially if you’re coming from a rut, or a place of feeling stuck. Instead, creating a structure to exercise your brain in this way can produce visible effects and help you to persevere.  

Read Now: How to Uncover Inspiration

3 Ways to Think Positive

When done right, positive thinking can call on little-used neural pathways and form brand new connections, drastically changing our experience of life.  

Here are three ways to use positive thinking and neuroplasticity. 

1. Daily Gratitude  

Taking time daily to cultivate gratitude is an effective and short-term way to see a meaningful shift in mindset. Daily gratitude involves spending time listing aloud or preferably writing down the things you are grateful for.  

You should ideally do this once a day, either morning or night.  It can include big, sweeping statements about your life, or very small things like the pen you’re writing with. Begin each sentence with “I am grateful for”, for example: 

  • I am grateful for the dinner I ate this evening.
  • I am grateful for the sun coming out on my way home today.
  • I am grateful for the people in my life.
Expressing gratitude trains the brain to look for the good in life.

Spending time focusing on gratitude practices framing life in a positive light. It’s less about creating a well-written list that will stand the test of time, and more about spending time actively looking for the good around us.  

In time, expressing gratitude for life daily rewires the brain to place its focus on what makes us happy, rather than what’s not enough in our lives.  

2. Reframing Difficult Situations  

When faced with a problem, the best thing to do is to work out how to tackle it. Instead of jumping to negative dead-end conclusions, try to break down the problem at hand and perceive it in a manageable way. By doing so, the brain learns to creatively find answers and solutions.   

A great way of making difficult situations more manageable is to try interpreting them in a different way. For example, instead of becoming frustrated when your route home is delayed, you could choose to focus instead on how you have more time to listen to that new podcast you’ve been meaning to tune into. Or perhaps you could take a different route home and experience something new.  

The more we can adopt an optimistic approach to our everyday problems, the better. With practice, you’ll find that your brain is less likely to go down negative pathways in the future. 

Read Now: How to Get Out of a Funk

3. Repeating Positive Affirmations  

A positive affirmation is a phrase you can say to yourself to remind yourself of your value and ability. Positive affirmations move your thinking along a neural pathway connected to a positive feeling such as hope, self-belief or love, and strengthen these pathways. 

They are both useful to repeat when you find yourself agreeing with negative thoughts about yourself, and when you are feeling confident and optimistic, in order to reinforce this outlook. 

In order for an affirmation to work, the brain has to really believe it, and this means tailoring affirmations to apply to your experience rather than something generic. Here are some tips to find personal affirmations that your brain truly believes:   

Boost your mindset with positive affirmations!
  • List a few of your good qualities – “I am…”  
  • Identify a problem you are facing, what qualities are needed to tackle it, and affirm that you have those qualities – “I can…”  
  • Think about something you’d like to achieve – “I will…”  

Read Now: How to Improve Your Productivity with Neuroplasticity

To Sum Up… 

Neuroplasticity brings the wonderful knowledge that far more is possible than we thought. The science of neuroplasticity shows us an optimistic view of human nature with a real sense of opportunity.  

By creating a structure around yourself that supports thinking and acting in joyful, positive ways, you can build a dynamic and happy brain able to take on any challenge. 

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Need help building new habits and making a change in your lifestyle? Feel free to reach out and contact us at Ceed today! 

4 Great Techniques to Boost Your Short-Term Memory

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The feeling is all too familiar – there’s something we need to remember, but it’s just out of reach. Perhaps we knew we’d need to remember it, maybe we even made a note of it, but today we can’t seem to conjure it to mind.

It’s proven that one day after learning something, 70% of the details are lost, with only a few key points still accessible off the top of our heads.

Recall details on the spot easily with memory techniques!

This can be a problem for efficiency at work, studying for exams and keeping on top of daily tasks. There’s nothing more frustrating than forgetting something vital right when we need it! 

However, if you feel “stuck” with a bad memory, there’s good news ahead! The following techniques can open a world of mental ‘storage’ previously unfamiliar to your brain, whether you want to:

  • Learn to give a flawless speech or pitch without notes
  • Remember the details of your to-do list
  • Generally optimise your efficiency when taking on new information.

Read Now: Mindfulness at Work: How to Increase Productivity

How Does Short-Term Memory Work? 

When we use our short-term memory, we hold a small amount of information in the mind so it is readily available for a short period.

Short-term memories are converted into the more useful long-term by a process called ‘encoding’. Techniques that really boost memory focus on this conversion from short- to long-term, finding ways to make information memorable and appealing to the brain so that it sticks. 

These techniques work for memories that last hours or days as needed, such as a shopping list, knowledge for an exam or the take away from a meeting.

Read Now: How to Improve Your Productivity with Neuroplasticity

Four Techniques for Improving Memory  

The following are some effective ways to remember anything, from your to-do list to the name of a new colleague, to the key points and flow of a speech you need to give.

  1. Chunking 

Short-term memory has a limited capacity. About seven items has been found to be the magic number we can hold in our head, readily available for recall. While this isn’t too flexible, we can embellish the list by adding items through “chunking”.

Group items to keep them in mind for longer!

You may have seen a waiter remember an order longer than seven items without jotting anything down. In this case, it’s likely they were “chunking” the items: three starters, four mains, four drinks, two side dishes. 

By finding similarities between items in a long list and categorising them, you’ll be able to hold far more information on the cusp of your mind.  

  1. Creating an Image 

Instead of remembering a word or phrase on its own, deeper processing occurs when we link new info to an existing network of information in our brain. This is how a mnemonic like ‘Never Eat Shredded Wheat’ to remember the compass works.

It might seem like you’re remembering two pieces of information instead of one, but memories with more connections to other memories are less likely to get lost or replaced.  

A way of connecting information that really catches the brain’s attention is creating an image in your mind. By visualising an image when saying a word, you are encoding information in two ways. You also connect to your visual-spatial network, one of the most important ways your brain processes the world.  

This can be used to remember just about anything including a list of unrelated items, such as a to-do list: 

  • Food shopping 
  • Get petrol 
  • Renew house insurance 
  • Send a birthday card.

You could combine these four items into one image: a can of petrol and a birthday card on a shelf in a supermarket, being browsed by an insurance broker. Sometimes the wackier the visual, the more memorable for your brain.  

A strong visual can make new info memorable!
  1. Creating a Story 

Another great way to build strong associations is by creating a story around new information. For something simple like a password, a descriptive sentence around the word can help your brain to embed the new information.

For example, if your password is ‘Frogleap85’, you could choose the sentence: “85 little frogs leap over the gurgling stream”. This creates a richer memory and stronger semantic connections. 

In a longer form, you could create a story to guide you through the points of a speech you need to give or a process you need to remember. Get as descriptive as you like and picture the story in your mind’s eye as you write and recall it.  

Getting creative when memorising something can help it stick! 
  1. Remembering Before Sleep 

In his TED talk on improving memory, Krishan Chahal explores how we can improve our overall memory by training the subconscious to pay attention. If every evening before sleep we try to recall what happened in our day, step by step from when our feet hit the ground in the morning, we can see remarkable changes in how much detail we remember.  

This is great for a regular activity which you find particularly hard to pay attention to, such as an uninteresting weekly training session or meeting. Before sleep, try recalling this period of the day in as much detail as possible.

This in turn programmes the mind to put your attention where it’s needed the most, so you can find yourself more engaged and attentive next time and take away everything you need. 

Read Now: 8 Quick and Small Changes to a Better Life

To Sum Up…

Feeling stuck with a “bad memory” doesn’t have to be a signed fate. By making stronger associations when memorising something, you can keep all kinds of information readily available at the surface of your brain. 

To truly help the brain, make sure you maintain a healthy diet and exercise, as well as seek out learning throughout your life. Neuroscientists agree that the most effective way of boosting memory and brain function is a healthy, engaged lifestyle.  

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Discover more about making lifestyle changes by contacting our life coaches at Ceed today.  

Why Rest is Important for Productivity 

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Rest is often regarded as a reward for hard work. It’s something many people skip in favour of working long hours, or only allowing for it when their workload permits. It’s easy to forget that rest is a biological need that shouldn’t be seen as optional.  

How to get better rest for productivity

In today’s late-capitalist society, so much of our daily lives centre around work - to the point where you feel unworthy of rest after a non-productive day. But rest is the body’s natural state. It’s the baseline we fall back to when you remove all external influence. So, rest shouldn’t just be a reward, it should be a given. No matter the level of productivity you’ve achieved, everyone should allow themselves regular rest.  

With proper restorative rest, you allow your mind and body to recover from periods of work. This has the beneficial result of greater productivity and a more balanced work lifestyle. But it’s important to remember that rest isn’t simply the absence of work, it must be a deliberate action so that you can reap the benefits.  

You must rest with intention. Don’t allow yourself to be consumed by the stressors of life, or to just idly scroll on social media – these don’t allow a proper restorative state of rest.   

Below are recommendations from Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s book  Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less on how to encourage productivity from your rest: 

Start an early morning routine    

By starting work early, you harness the period of time when your creativity is at its peak – straight after rest. This allows you to produce a higher quality of work and to tackle your most challenging work before you begin to flag as the day progresses.   

Stopping at the right time    

In today’s culture, many people default to working long continuous hours in an effort to be productive. However, this really just leads to stress, burnout and poor performance.   

A great way to be intentional in your rest is by being deliberate in where you choose to stop and take a break. The best time to do this is actually when you still have energy left and can see the next step in your plan. Many overstep this and only stop once they’ve exhausted all efforts, which can be detrimental to their productivity when they pick things back up.  

The reason for this is because by stopping when you know your next move you allow your brain to prepare while you take restorative rest. This can actually energise you for when you next resume work. As it eliminates the taxing task of discovering what needs to be done next, which can lead so many to dread working again after they’ve rested.   

Walking  

Walking can be a good way to intentionally rest as it removes all distractions and gets your body moving. It allows you to relax, increases the blood flow to your brain and increases creative thinking, all of which is vital for resting between work.   

A study from Stanford University tested divergent thinking in participants when walking or seated. It found a 60% increase in creative output from participants when walking. So, by implementing a daily walk into your routine you could greatly improve your creativity and problem-solving skills while at work.  

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Napping    

Napping is another key method of restorative rest that shouldn’t be overlooked. The National Sleep Foundation recommends up to thirty minutes of napping to restore alertness, enhance performance and reduce accidents in the workplace.   

Naps are a perfect way to restore depleted energy and combat the afternoon fatigue that so many experience during the workday.  

And with the work from home movement still going strong in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, more of us than ever have the ability to nap during the workday. Or for those that do still commute to the office, many companies, like Google and Ben & Jerry’s, have embraced the benefits of napping at work and offer nap spots to their employees.   

Sleep   

Of course, the ultimate form of rest is sleep, so it’s vital that you get a good night sleep. The health benefits of sleep are tenfold, and studies have found that poor sleep compromises memory, alertness, decision making and problem-solving. A lack of all of these things will have a direct detrimental impact on your productivity.  

Aim to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night so that your body can fully rest and your brain can enter slow-wave sleep, which restores brain function and increases energy and alertness the next day.  

While rest is without a doubt an important element for increased productivity, it’s essential to treat rest as an equal partner to work. Don’t just rest as a plan to be more productive. This mindset can be detrimental as you run the risk of avoiding true restorative rest as you’ll always be in work mode. Make sure to rest because it’s what your body needs!  

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For any more help on rest and productivity, contact us here over at Ceed. 

10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Mornings

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For a large number of us, the morning is spent struggling to get out of bed. Then, when we do manage to wake up, we’re groggy and grumpy. Are you someone who can’t shake the feeling of sluggishness, even if you’ve gotten enough sleep? Well, perhaps there’s a way to banish this morning fatigue and start the day with the energy you need. Here are “10 Ways to Make the Most out of Your Mornings”. 

1. Don’t hit snooze! 

Giving yourself a few extra minutes of sleep may seem like a good thing at the time. However, you’re probably doing more harm than good. Those few extra minutes actually tend to be low-quality, otherwise known as light sleep. This is because it’s not long enough for your body to go through another sleep cycle which tends to take around ninety minutes.  

Here’s a tip: Instead of hitting the snooze button, again and again, dozing off into fragmented sleep: try the ninety-minute sleep cycle hack by setting two alarms. Set one for ninety minutes before you want to wake up, and one for when you actually do.  This will enable you to sleep through a full sleep cycle, allowing yourself the time to let your body wake up.  

2. Drink a glass of water  

Drinking water as soon as you wake up spikes your energy levels physically and mentally. Medical research shows that dehydration can make you feel tired even when you’re rested. Even in mild cases, dehydration can trigger feelings of tiredness, changes in cognitive ability and mood disruptions. 

Here’s a tip: If you still can’t shake the morning grogginess, try upping your intake of water throughout the day.  

3. Eat a proper breakfast 

As much as we hate to admit it…our parents and teachers were right. Breakfast might actually be the most important meal of the day.  Eating a full nutritious breakfast will help you feel more energised throughout the day, setting you up for success right from the start.  

Research shows that skipping breakfast can negatively affect your energy and ability to pay attention during the day. Remember: food is fuel. 

Here’s a tip:  Trying to eat fatigue-fighting foods. These include lean proteins, whole grains, nuts and low sugar fruits.  Some quick options are: 

  • Cereal with fruit and yoghurt 
  • Scrambled eggs, toast and fruit 
  • Oatmeal with raisins 
  • Wholegrain toast with peanut butter and fruit 

4. Prepare the night before 

Mornings can be chaotic at the best of times, but preparing the night before can be a major step towards a productive morning routine and making the most out of your mornings. 

Eliminating these decisions being made in the morning can make them go smoother. Preparing the night before can include: 

  • Planning out next day’s tasks 
  • Laying out tomorrow’s clothes 
  • Knowing what you’re having for breakfast 
  • Having your laptop and briefcase ready and waiting by the door 

5. Get your body moving 

Set the simple goal of moving your body in some way in the morning. This will help get your blood flowing and give your body a natural boost of energy. Research has found that people who exercise during the day have more energy and a more positive outlook, both of which are critical to being productive.  

Here’s a tip: Stretch out your tired body with yoga. This will help reactivate your muscles and release energy-stimulating endorphins. Just twenty-five minutes of yoga in the morning will help boost energy levels and brain function.  

6. Write a to-do list for the day 

This may seem obvious, but writing out your responsibilities for the day can help you stay focused and productive. By taking a few minutes each morning to create a to-do list for the day, you can feel more accomplished and get a lot more done. There’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off a completed task on your list. 

Here’s a tip: Keep your list short. You might find yourself overwhelmed and if you don’t think you can pull it off, less committed to finishing it. 

7. Tidy up your home/workspace 

Rest assured; this does not call for a full-scale tidy up. However, a little morning clean can leave less room for stress for the rest of the day. It also makes a big difference to your ability to concentrate, therefore helping you stay productive for the rest of the day. 

Some ways to fit decluttering into your morning routine include: 

  • Cleaning out the fridge while your coffee brews 
  • Taking the rubbish out as you leave 
  • Get your dirty laundry together before a shower 
  • Making your bed as soon as you wake up 

8. Avoid having sugar before lunch 

Sugary items can lead to classic blood sugar spikes, and where there is a spike, there’s also a drop. This will leave you feeling drained. Try avoiding items like sweetened coffee drinks, pastries and sugary breakfast cereals. 

Here’s a tip: Keep whole foods, like fruits and nuts, on hand for easy access. 

9. Put on an outfit that makes you happy 

Many of us find joy in putting on a nice outfit. If a particular clothing item gets you in a good mood, then by all means, put it on! Researchers that study links between clothes, brain activity and productivity have long found that dressing up for work can improve your performance.  

Here’s a tip: Pick out your outfit the day before. This will make your morning less stressful. 

10. Get some Vitamin D 

Go outside! Absorbing vitamin D from the sun’s rays is a natural remedy for happiness. Go take advantage of it! Do this by going for a walk in the sun, or bask in the light from a window. This will energise you for the rest of the day. 

Here’s a tip: Consult a health professional about potentially taking Vitamin D supplements to help improve your mood and overall bodily health. 

Related Articles

For further advice from our professional lifestyle coaches, contact us at Ceed today! 

Can You Be Content and Happy as an Introvert?

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If you’re an introvert, you may find that daily life can sometimes be overwhelming and draining. 

That’s why performing your own self-care in order to soothe stress and keep your energy levels up is essential. 

For introverts, self-care is all about creating a healthy balance. This is done by acknowledging your need for time alone. It is important to learn how to prioritize your physical and mental wellbeing, despite your work responsibilities and social obligations. 

Studies show that extroverts come out ahead in feelings of contentment. However, there are many ways introverts can increase their happiness and improve their overall wellbeing. Here is An Introvert’s Guide to Wellbeing and Happiness. 

What Does Being an Introvert Mean? 

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), introverts usually tend towards the internal private world of one’s self and one’s inner thoughts and feelings.  They are typically more withdrawn, reserved, quiet and prefer working alone. 

Unlike extroverts, introverts obtain their energy from within. Highly stimulating situations with lots of social interaction are often draining for them. While introverts are generally likely to report lower levels of happiness than extroverts, this does not mean that introverts are unhappy. 

In a recent global study, it was found that 56.8% of people around the world prefer Introversion. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial to many of us with introverted tendencies to learn how to enhance our own happiness. Here are a few tips to help. 

How Introverts Can Increase Their Happiness and Improve Their Overall Wellbeing 

1. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to wind down and process 

Introverts are wired to process ideas and events deeply. This means introverts may feel very drained from a wide array of things. For example, a stressful day at work, a heated conversation with a significant other, or walking through a crowded space. Therefore, it is important for introverts to allow themselves time to wind down and recharge their energy. 

Allowing for time to unwind means introverts can fully comprehend what they have just experienced. It can lower their stimulation level to one that’s more comfortable and sustainable for them.  Without this downtime, introverts will likely find themselves feeling drained, irritable and even physically unwell.  

2. Embrace your introvert strengths 

Introverts possess a lot of strengths that are often understated. The more extroverted among us are often described positively as outgoing, energetic and bubbly, whereas introverts are associated with being shy and being antisocial. However, introverted behaviour does have many benefits. 

Introverts tend to be better problem solvers, perform better academically, display stronger regulation of their behaviour, and are less likely to take risks that may cause them harm.   Furthermore, the association of introversion with being shy and antisocial is simplistic and untrue. 

Many introverts may feel confident and at ease around people, however, they require more alone time to balance out the energy they spend in social situations. There are many popular myths in existence surrounding introverts, however, most of them are easily debunked. Remember, being an introvert is not a bad thing, so embrace your introvert strengths! 

3. Have meaningful conversations 

Small talk is a skill many introverts have to force themselves to learn. How was your weekend? What’s new with you? How’s the family?  However, this doesn’t mean introverts don’t try to avoid it. By definition, introverts are individuals who get easily worn out by socializing. Many introverts crave deep meaningful conversations rather than surface-level small talk. 

With their limited “people” energy, introverts have little desire to spend it on gossip or talking about the weather. Introverts need something more. Whether it’s diving deep into someone’s interests or their relationships with questions like, what’s your philosophy in life? What’s one thing you would like to change about yourself? How are you a different person today than you were ten years ago? 

Not every conversation has to be soul-searching or deep, but without those raw intimate moments, introverts can feel unhappy.  

4. Give yourself space to deep dive into your hobbies and interests 

Having time alone to focus on your hobbies and interests is extremely important for introverts. It allows them to recharge their batteries. Sometimes we just need to relax and pamper ourselves. Remember to schedule a time to indulge in activities you find rejuvenating: whether it’s binge-watching your favourite TV show, reading a captivating book, or just having a relaxing bath. 

Doing so will allow you to enter an energising state of flow in which you are fully immersed in an activity and enjoying the process. This is extremely important for many introverts because, without this energising state of flow, they won’t feel happy.  

5. Surround yourself with people who understand that you need time alone 

For introverts, socialising is all about dosage. Therefore, we need the friends and loved ones in our lives to understand that sometimes, or even quite often, we need time alone. Make sure to communicate to people what you need. 

“I need some time to be alone” doesn’t mean “I don’t want to spend time with you”. It means that you want to take care of yourself so that you can enjoy the time you spend together. Surrounding yourself with people that understand you need some time alone will give you the support you need to live your best life. 

6. Don’t try to be someone you’re not 

There’s no doubt that some of us enjoy our own company and prefer indulging in solitary activities such as writing or reading. However, a fair degree of social programming and other societal expectations can make this seem unnatural to others. 

Don’t try to be someone that society or other people want you to be. Listen to your inner voice. Embrace your introversion. Extroverts and introverts can learn much from one another. Each personality type has its own unique character and skill. The world needs a combination of the two, so don’t try and be somebody you’re not, be somebody you are. 

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For further advice from our professional lifestyle coaches, contact us at Ceed today! 

How to Manage Your ‘Winter Blues’

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It’s that time again. The leaves are falling. The days are becoming shorter. The weather is growing colder. Here it is; the season of change. 

This time of year may be exciting for some; warm baths, pumpkin-spiced everything, cosying up by the fire and the fun of Christmas. However, for many of us, as we add more layers to our clothing, we also add layers of anxiety and distress. 

If your mental health is affected by seasonal change, you are not alone. It is common that as daylight slips away, so does a lot of our emotional wellbeing.  

While many of us recognise mild forms of seasonal blues that we feel during the autumn and winter months, some experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also commonly known as seasonal depression.  This is unsurprisingly found most commonly in regions farther from the equator (in cooler climates).  

Symptoms of seasonal depression include: 

  • Prolonged low mood 
  • Oversleeping 
  • Low energy and irritability 
  • Anxiety 
  • Body weight changes 
  • Withdrawal from social situations 
  • Difficulty concentrating 
  • Feelings of hopelessness

Remember, it’s normal to experience days when you just feel “down”. But if you notice that those feelings are continuing for days at a time with no motivation to do the things that you usually enjoy, it may be a good time to seek support.  

But for those of you who catch yourself fondly reminiscing of the warmer months and feel that you could benefit from some advice on how to cope with your winter blues – here are some top tips to help you get through it! 

If you miss the sunshine… 

… you’re not alone! 

Lack of sunlight is one of the most common difficulties people experience as the seasons transition from warm to cold. As the seasons change, so does our exposure to vitamin D. 

For optimum health we need to make sure we are receiving enough all year round. This is because vitamin D plays a vital role in activating the so-called happy hormone, serotonin. If you feel low or irritable, it could be a sign that you are deficient in vitamin D.  

TRY THIS: 

  • Go outside 
    Wherever possible, spend time in the natural daylight. This can include going for a daily walk or getting your daily coffee.  
  • Sit by a window 
    This could be applicable for a number of activities, such as working or reading by a  window.  
  • Visit a greenhouse or conservatory 
    If the cold, wet weather is putting you off spending time outside, this is a great compromise! 
  • Consider using Light Box Therapy 
    This involves using a special lamp called a light box for around thirty minutes to an hour each morning. This will simulate the sunlight that you’re missing during the darker winter months, increasing the production of serotonin whilst also decreasing the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel sleepy.  

If you miss being active… 

… it’s time to find enjoyable ways to get out and move your body during the cold-weather months! Don’t just huddle up by the fireplace. Get moving to start feeling your best!  

TRY THIS: 

  • Find a fun activity 
    As the seasons change, it may be time to explore new outdoor activities such as ice skating, sledding or hiking. 
  • Go for a walk in a shopping centre 
    If the cold is too much to bear, try finding indoor places to help you remain active such as a shopping centre. 
  • Workout at home 
    Exercising at home can be convenient AND fun! Even if you don’t have a home gym, you can find some free workout videos on YouTube. 
  • Bundle up and walk around the neighbourhood 
    Put on your thickest coat and enjoy the cold, brisk wind on your face. If you’re a dog person but unfortunately don’t have a dog, you could even ask your neighbour to take their furry friends for a walk to lighten your mood. 
  • Explore festivals, markets or other outdoor events in your area 
    This time of year has plenty to offer, like Christmas markets and food festivals. Be sure to take advantage of them! 

If you miss being social… 

…plan ahead and organise activities to fill that social calendar! 

Many of us will sympathise with the cold-weather hibernation struggle. As nice as it is to be wrapped up on the sofa watching an entire season of a Netflix show, this can be a recipe for social isolation. 

Socialising plays a huge role in our health and wellbeing. It brings us pleasure, helps us stay active and fights off feelings of withdrawal or isolation. However, many of us fail to fulfil our social needs in the cold days of winter.  

TRY THIS: 

  • Stay connected and socialise with friends and family 
    Keep it simple. Pick a day each week to meet for coffee, or just enjoy one hour each week catching up with them. A simple call or text will work just as well! 
  • Take a class or start a new hobby 
    Classes can offer a great escape during the cold months, whether it’s cooking, dancing or any other kind of class. Enrolling in a class is a great way of meeting new people and gaining new friends. 
  • Get involved 
    Getting involved in your local community is a great way of fulfilling your social needs. Lend a helping hand. Consider what you’re passionate about and find a local organisation that could use your talents and helpful hands.  

And finally… 

Try your best to have perspective. This may be hard when you’re feeling down, but it is important.  Remember, seasons change and transitions come and go. This doesn’t mean it will be easy but it won’t last forever. 

Autumn will come and go, as will winter. And spring will begin to peek its head out again, as will summer. And then we get to do it all over again, maybe this time with a bit more understanding, open-mindedness and practice. 

If you need any help managing any issues mentioned in this article, reach out to one of our life coaching experts by contacting us here at Ceed! 

How To Uncover Inspiration

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We’re all creative. It’s just human nature. Even if our hobbies and interests have nothing to do with a more artistic field, we find ourselves going about them and other tasks with a level of creativity applied. But, why? It could be that we’re having difficulty resolving a problem and need to think outside of the box. Or maybe we’re lacking motivation altogether to finish something. 

Inspiration is a driving force. It gets us going in the right direction. As said, what we have the inspiration for in the first place can vary, but without it, we wouldn’t reach our goals at all. We all experience a lack of inspiration at some point, and all we need is some encouragement in the right direction to get things moving. 

Here are five top tips on how to find inspiration in your life and get you back into your groove. 

Tip 1: Think about your vision

We all have a goal that we wish to reach when we set about accomplishing a particular task. And here’s the thing – even if we don’t have the inspiration, we know what it is we want to do. This is where you need to take a step back and ask yourself that exact question:  

“What do I want to do?” 

It’s not about what other people want you to accomplish. It’s what you want to accomplish and how you’re going to do so. No matter how small the task is, you’ll have a clear idea as to how it’s going to be finalised. You need to think about that closely. Is there something you’d do differently than everyone else? Do you feel as though another approach would be inferior to yours? Focus on that and let it be your incentive to get inspired. 

Tip 2: Take a look at your Idol

There’s always a source for our inspiration, and more often than not, it’s another person. Whether it’s a person who’d be considered a celebrity, a friend, or even a family member, you saw something in them that made you want to be just as good – if not better – than they are. Here’s the interesting part: how did they get to where they are today? 

You need to think about their journey to the present. What techniques did they use to accomplish their goals? What hardships did they face? Depending on what your interests and hobbies are, did they have to achieve what they wanted to do in a time when the technology or resources were not yet available? How did they do it? Did they need to think outside of the box? Who was their inspiration? You could perhaps look at them too to further your own inspiration. Are there any similarities between yourself, your idol, and their idol? 

Tip 3: Start reading more

It’s something that the majority of us can do. Sometimes as early as three years of age, we begin to read and whenever we see a word, we automatically understand what it says. The ability to read is absolutely essential, and it’s a key factor in helping you find your inspiration. 

Let’s say, to provide a couple of examples, you like writing or baking. For the former, you don’t know what to write, and with the latter, you don’t know what to bake. You’re all out of ideas. You’ve done everything before and don’t know what to do next. You’re finding that you’re craving for innovation. 

The best thing to do here is to read a book. Granted, you can find a lot of information on the web, but the information in books has been reviewed and checked before publication, so now you’ll know what is more reliable. Whether the book has pictures or not, it’ll definitely boost your imagination and, in return, your inspiration. 

If you like baking, you might come across a recipe you’ve never done before, or you can take a recipe or technique and adapt it in your own way. If you like writing, you can do what the author did, but with a different style or approach. Either way, you can try to imitate what they’ve done or try to improve it in your own way. 

Tip 4: Make mistakes to win!

We’ve all heard the term “nobody’s perfect”, so there’s no need to explain what it means. Not everyone accomplishes what they set out to do on their first try. How many times it can take varies and there is no definitive number of attempts. Whatever your goal is, it could maybe even take years to reach it successfully. 

Think – what did I do wrong? What can I do instead? Without making even a single mistake, we won’t know where we went wrong. Without that, we won’t know how to improve ourselves and grow. This will inspire us to avoid a repeat incident and to teach others the same technique. 

Tip 5: Don’t rush your goals

Now, you might be stuck on something work-related and have read that title thinking “but I have a deadline!”. The truth is you should never rush things. At all. 

It doesn’t matter what it is you lack inspiration for. If you rush your attempt to achieve your goal, you’re going to end up being disappointed because you fell short of your own expectations. What you accomplished never ended up becoming what you envisioned and the quality is not what you wanted it to be. You were too concerned with the thought that you’d never complete the task at hand at all and panicked. Your stress threw everything together with no thought whatsoever. 

To provide an example of why you shouldn’t rush things, look at video games. While some games might receive poor reviews because of the storyline, a lot of the time bad reviews will pinpoint issues with the gameplay itself, such as poorly designed mechanics, as well as bugs and glitches. 

This is often caused by improper playtesting to see if there are any issues, and if the game is rushed out for release without any tests, these problems can ruin the player’s experience. CEO of Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, has even famously proclaimed “a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad”. 

In short: As we said earlier, take a step back before you decide on what to do next. Never cobble things together in a blind hurry. 

These were just a small handful of ways for you to find inspiration. To learn more, contact us today at Ceed. 

A Guide to Handling Criticism

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“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful” – Proverbs 28:13 

“Everyone’s a critic.” There’s no doubt that we have heard these words being uttered at some point. When the word ‘critic’ springs to mind, we immediately assume people have a problem with someone or something and just want to complain. Believe it or not, this isn’t (always) the case. 

The overall concept of criticism is to provide feedback. It doesn’t matter where you are – a place of education, work, or even at home – you’re going to hear criticism of some sort from another person. You may feel taken back by the criticism you’ve received, especially if it’s sudden or you’ve been concentrating on a particular task or activity for so long that you are fully dedicated to. The important thing is how you respond to it, and some people don’t take it well. 

If you have difficulty handling any criticism that you’ve been given, then this article is for you. This guide, consisting of five tips, will provide you with advice to help you improve your habits and your mindset when faced with adversity. 

Control Your Reaction 

Your reaction to the criticism you may receive is absolutely vital. Even when you are not in a professional or work environment, you need to display maturity and professionalism. The worst thing you could do is respond poorly to what you’ve just been told, as this will unquestionably make you look bad and affect your reputation. 

After you’re informed of the criticism, take a deep breath and pause. Nine times out of ten, the criticism that’s carried out is constructive, not destructive. The person who issued it wants you to improve and they certainly do not view you as a terrible individual. They know that you can achieve greater things and had no intention of upsetting you. If the criticism genuinely was unanticipated, you may need some time to think about it (see the next point for more on this). 

It must also be noted that, even if you don’t verbally respond to what you’ve been told, your body language and facial expressions may unconsciously exhibit your reaction. By taking that deep breath and pausing, it can prevent those from happening, but there is a conscious response you can do to show that you are in control: smile. Even if it’s a false one, it shows that you’re motivated and can diffuse any tension that may have arisen between yourself and the critic. 

Deconstruct 

You may take some time to process what you’ve been told, so the best thing to do is to utilise deconstruction. This is a method of analysis that’s going to be very useful for you, especially when you have been provided with feedback. As the word implies, instead of constructing (I.e., creating) something, you are taking it apart to look at the finer details more closely. To help deconstruct what you’ve been told, you should be open-minded and ask specific questions relating to the criticism to improve yourself by understanding where you went wrong. 

As you do this, listen closely to your peer’s intentions – they may appear confrontational, but it could be them dealing with their own personal issues. Thus, this means they obviously don’t have anything against you personally. The key here is to evaluate it in a positive manner. You should also determine whether the criticism is constructive or destructive; if their tone implies the latter, you should tell them how their words are making you feel. If the person is of a higher authority, they may be trying to demean you. However, you mustn’t make any excuses or be defensive regardless of the way they’ve communicated with you. Keep it calm and be civilised. 

Don’t Take It Personally 

It can be very easy to take things personally. This stems from how some people see the work they do, professionally or not, as a part of who they are. The criticism is being directed at the work you’re doing, not yourself, so it’s important to separate yourself from your work. The errors that you might’ve created don’t reflect who you are as a human being. The critic sees you as their equal and only wants to help you improve, and you should use this opportunity to do so. 

Apologise and Be Gracious 

This may sound like an oddity, but depending on how badly things have occurred, an apology is important if a situation has gone awry. Apologising may be a difficult thing to do but it is key to showing empathy and that you can accept responsibility for your actions and are not avoiding doing so. 

Another thing you should also do when receiving criticism is showing that you appreciate your peer’s words. By being grateful to hear what they have to say, it will help you calm yourself in contrast to your prior reactions to previous criticisms so you can adapt to this new behaviour. Remember, it’s not just you who might be the uncomfortable one in this situation, as your peer might feel the same way having to issue it. You should be thankful for their honesty if they’re wishing to be constructive, while also making it clear that you’re going to use this opportunity to improve yourself not just in this instance, but for the future. 

Share It 

Talking is a very good way to relieve yourself of any worries or stresses you might have. You might be wondering if the criticism you’ve received is fully deserved or not, and if you’re normally rather sensitive, the best thing to do is to relay the words to another person for a second opinion. They could be another colleague, an advisor, or some form of mentor you have. Whether they agree with the criticism or not, it will provide you with closure and a sound mind, allowing you to determine where to go next. 

In Short 

It’s essential that you are careful with your reaction when you receive criticism, as a less than calm and civilised response shows a lack of professionalism that could affect your credibility. You need to listen closely to what you’ve been told and observe where you went wrong. You mustn’t take it on a personal level, as the work you do does not reflect who you are as a person. 

When responding to any critical feedback, you should apologise if it’s caused harm and be thankful that the person speaking to you was honest. Make it clear you’re going to use it to help you improve yourself for the future. If need be, share any criticism with someone you know to see if they agree with it, then decide where to go from there. 

Criticism exists. There’s no way to escape it. The only thing you can do is accept that it’ll always be there as a way to teach you on how to be better than before. We all want to improve. 

This article was thoroughly researched with the intent of helping those who wish to handle criticism better. These were only five tips, so if you wish to have more advice relating to this topic, contact us at Ceed today. 

How to Practice Active Listening

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How to Stay Engaged and Attentive During Conversation with Active Listening Techniques  

Active listening is an important skill to have when building relationships!

What is Active Listening? 

Being good at listening is vital to everyday life. People spend 70-80% of their day engaged in some form of communication, and 55% of that time is devoted to listening. Active listening is the practice of making a conscious effort to remain present in a conversation, to not only hear the words the other person is saying, but to process them fully, and understand them. Active listening involves applying certain techniques in order to stay focused and demonstrate your attention to the other person. 

Active listening not only benefits the speaker, who feels valued and respected by your genuine interest and attention, but it also benefits you, the listener, who will be more equipped to build relationships and answer their queries. Furthermore, active listening is a vital skill in the workplace, where it will help to decrease errors, problem solve, resolve conflicts and boost the likelihood of good workplace relationships.  

Used in every conversation, active listening will help you strengthen your relationships in all facets of your life and help you become a more considerate, approachable person. 

Benefits of Active Listening 

Work 

Actively listening to your superiors and colleagues at work will likely result in you becoming a better employee. When they set tasks and allocate work, utilising this method of listening will allow you to more accurately fulfil their brief and complete your work to a better standard.  

For instance, actively listening to feedback given about your work will enable you to quickly and responsively adapt your working practices to correct mistakes or improve productivity. Actively listening to colleagues will help build better working relationships, making everything in the office run that bit more smoothly. 

Furthermore, active listening will benefit you in job interviews, too. It will best prepare you to answer any questions posed in an intelligent, thoughtful way. Active listening is a skill your interviewer will be looking for, as it shows that you are an engaged, receptive employee. 

What are the day-to-day benefits of active listening?

Friendships and Romantic Relationships 

When meeting new people, active listening can be a valuable technique to employ. Showing the other person that you are engaged with their speaking can prompt them to speak more, or open up further, and foster a deeper connection. Due to this outcome, active listening can be a huge help in strengthening your relationships. It validates the speaker; your genuine engagement with them proves that they, and their words, have worth, and that you personally value them. This approach will go a long way to help in times of difficulty in a relationship. Problems will be easier to solve if you better understand the other person’s thoughts and feelings, and better understanding comes with better listening.  

Not only can active listening help generate better solutions to relationship problems, but it can itself be a solution; sometimes what the other person needs is to talk through their issues with a person they feel is genuinely listening and cares for them. 

Key Active Listening Techniques 

  • Look at the speaker directly. Not only will this demonstrate to the speaker that you are listening, but it will aid in focusing your attention on the speaker. This decreases the threat of visual distractions elsewhere. 
  • Don’t interrupt. This may seem obvious, but is often tempting if you feel like you have a valuable or necessary response. Particularly in the case of a disagreement, you may feel the need to interrupt to defend yourself, but waiting to respond until after the other person has finished a thought can go a long way in de-escalating conflict, and encourages them to be more receptive to your responses. 
  • Paraphrase and ask questions. Re-stating what the other person has just said demonstrates to them that you were listening, and hearing their own thoughts back can prompt them to clarify or correct anything they miscommunicated, avoiding future miscommunication issues. Asking open ended questions also verifies to them that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say, and in answering them they can help clarify points for you. 
  • Use non-verbal behaviour. Observing the speaker’s non-verbal behaviour (e.g. tone of voice, body language, facial expressions) can give further insight into their true feelings, and prompt you on how to respond appropriately. Practicing good non-verbal behaviour like nodding to show agreement or not crossing your arms to show openness also go a long way in demonstrating active listening. Something as simple as smiling at something funny is proof and validation to the speaker that you are actively listening. 
Understanding the ways to communicate active listening to others is vital.

Things to Avoid 

Some bad listening practices, and things to avoid when trying to actively listen, are: 

  • Rushing the speaker to the conclusion of a thought. Rushing the speaker will not only invalidate them, and cause them to believe you aren’t interested in their side of the conversation, but may also cause them to become frustrated, and close down or become distant as a result. 
  • ’Story topping’, in which you try to one-up or outdo the speaker by insinuating your related experiences are more important or more extreme, or flipping the conversational focus to yourself when this is inappropriate. For example, saying things like ‘that reminds me of the time when I…’ before acknowledging the speaker’s experiences or ‘that’s not as bad as when I…’, which disregards or diminishes the speaker’s own problems. 
  • Asking the questions about unimportant, minor details, rather than focusing on the big picture of what the speaker is trying to convey. It devalues what the speaker is saying and detracts from the point/s they are making. 
  • Fidgeting. Fidgeting in any capacity may cause the speaker to believe you aren’t giving them your full attention, and it may even actively distract you from listening as well as you could. 

Encouraging Active Listening 

What about when you’re the one speaking? Everyone wants to feel like they’re being heard, so how can you promote the active listening in your conversational partner? 
 

Being an active listener yourself, and leading by example, is the best method of encouragement. Showing the other person your genuine interest, and making them feel they are being genuinely heard will encourage them to do the same for you. Active listening fosters a better relationship between conversational partners, and believing yourself to be in a good relationship will foster a genuine interest in the other person and their thoughts.  

In cases when the other person isn’t actively listening to you, despite your own efforts, it can help to introduce topics of shared interest. The other person will more likely actively listen to you if they are engaged in the topic of conversation.  

Actively listening to others encourages them to do the same for you!

Summary 

Active listening is vital to healthy, useful and interesting conversations. Employing active listening in your everyday conversations; be it at home, at work, or out and about, can encourage a deepening of your relationships, and a better understanding of those you come into contact with.  

As highlighted in this article, some active listening techniques include good eye contact, open body language, patience, paraphrasing, and the asking of questions. Bad active listening practices include fidgeting, ‘story topping’ and rushing the speaker to a conclusion. Practicing active listening encourages your conversational partners to do the same, further enriching your relationships and interactions. Actively listening during disagreements can help in finding solutions, and in itself can be part of a solution, as it demonstrates empathy and understanding. It better equips you to answer questions and complete set tasks. 


For further advice from our professional lifestyle coaches, contact us at Ceed! 

4 Effective Ways to Clear Your Mind of Stress

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In the modern day, many people face different kinds of overwhelming triggers. This leads to stress, which puts a lot of tension on people and causes them to overthink about past or future events. In a survey undertaken by Statista, 79% of respondents experienced stress at work – this is the most common type of stress. 

If you have experienced this kind of stress, you may have noticed that the same thoughts repeat in your mind constantly, causing an endless loop of increased worry. This can be detrimental to your mental health.  

Feeling stressed? Here are some tips to help you clear your mind!

Not only is this mindset not helpful in resolving the problem at hand, but it also interferes with healthy practices that help create internal peace, such as calming sleep.  

When your mind doesn’t seem to be running as smoothly as possible, these 4 revitalizing methods could perhaps help resolve your dilemma or at least work towards a convenient solution.  

1. Go for A Run Or Walk 

You may already be familiar with the so-called ‘runner’s high’ – this is when your endorphins kick in and you feel like you’re floating through the air rather than thumping the street. 

Before these endorphins take effect, your attention will be completely focused on the activity you’re engaged in. It will consume your attention and release other thoughts in your mind. By focusing on only one thing, you are creating a clean slate for your mind.  

If running is too intense for you, then go for a walk! Walking is a great exercise for when you need to clear your mind and thoughts. Going out and feeling the fresh air will clear your senses and pave the way for any negative thoughts or worries to dissipate.  

Getting a breath of fresh air can help you relieve stress!

2. Put Pen to Paper 

When your mind is full of stressful thoughts, it’s not always easy to label them and determine the cause of discomfort. If you have ever written in a diary, you may already know that writing down your thoughts usually makes them easier to explore. Writing is a common remedy used to relieve stress and overthinking. 

Sometimes, mindfulness is achieved through an experience or expressing an emotion. Expressing yourself on paper can make your experience more meaningful and help you get rid of worries and anxiety. Furthermore, journaling can also come in handy when you’re trying to recall a particular thing, as you can look back at your diary for past reference.  

Simply set aside a certain amount of time for writing every day to cleanse your mind regularly.  

3. Meditate from Time to Time 

At first, meditation will make your thoughts run wild. The act of sitting still and doing nothing highlights thoughts that won’t stop. But, in a similar way to how writing allows you to reflect, meditation creates a space among your thoughts so that you can pay less attention to everything that goes through your mind. 

By using meditative breathing techniques, you will help keep your conscious calm, which will slow down your thoughts.  This can eliminate stress, allow you to think more clearly, see the bigger picture, and help reduce the likelihood of future stress. 

4. Talk to A Friend 

Talking to a friend about your struggles, difficulties, and potential solutions is a great way to reduce stress. Many times, we are so intertwined with work and commitments that we put unnecessary pressure on ourselves.  

Simply talking about things can make situations more transparent and will reveal that things are not as bad as you initially thought. Processing your problems with an empathetic friend can be a healthy distraction and a highly effective coping method.  

But even if you choose not to disclose your troubles, the simple act of getting together with a friend can be useful on clearing your mind. 

Reaching out to your friends can give you a platform to release your stress.

In addition, if you know that you have someone who will always support you, you will be more confident in dealing with any situation.

Final Saying

Overall, mental health is very important to our quality of life. Integrating these activities into your everyday life will certainly work wonders for clearing your mind. So, when you’re faced with any challenges, you’ll know some little tricks to calm your mind and improve your focus. 

At Ceed, we know the importance of managing stress. That’s why we have specialised life coaches who can help you clear your mind and alleviate your stress. Visit our website to find out more. 

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