Skip to main content

Category Archives: Mindfulness

Older posts
Newer posts

Intentional Living: How Can it Benefit You?

Posted on by

The twenty-first century is a period of constant hustle culture. It can be difficult to focus on living a life that makes you happy. People spend every day just trying to make a living, and it can be easy to forget what matters most to us. 

Shape, square Description automatically generated
Intentional living encourages you to slow down and re-evaluate life!

There is a rising subculture of individuals who refuse to adhere to this mindset. They utilise mindful practices in order to slow down and live a life that fulfils them. This phenomenon is called intentional living.

What is Intentional Living? 

Contrary to popular belief, intentional living is not about giving everything up and abandoning the life you live in order to start from scratch. It’s choosing to live a more emotionally fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle that’s in line with your core values and beliefs. 

Intentional living is all about the why.  

In essence, it’s about being mindful of the choices you make and knowing why you made those choices. It is based on the concepts of perception and action. You first perceive and examine your actions and choices. Then, if you find you aren’t happy with them – you act and change them! 

Living intentionally can be done on any scale. For example, it can be about a big life and perception shift through the act of changing your career. On the other hand, it can also be about incrementally changing little things in your life to make you happier. It all depends on the person and what they specifically want to achieve.

How Can Intentional Living be Beneficial to Me?

Living more intentionally can be beneficial for your health and wellbeing. It can do this through many means. 

It can fundamentally improve your quality of life. Analysis shows that the happiest among us are those who seek to align their actions, words and behaviours with what’s meaningful to them. You are happier when you are doing things you believe in because it’s self-affirming and fulfilling.  

It can motivate you. Determining your goals is always the first step to achieving them. You create a deeper understanding of your goals by knowing what you want and why you want it. It allows you to know roughly what your life goals are and where you want to be. This means that you can plan and take steps to achieve your goals easier. 

Graphical user interface Description automatically generated with medium confidence
Intentional living helps you slow down and plan your goals!

It can make you grateful for what you have. Awareness of yourself and your actions can show you the good in your life. Or alternatively it can show you what you have achieved through your intentional changes and actions. According to a study by the Harvard Medical School, this is beneficial because gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. 

It stops you from living on autopilot. Living on autopilot means that you make decisions mindlessly in the moment that can have negative effects later. In a recent study, 96% of the participants surveyed said they were living life on autopilot. So, living intentionally can stop you from missing opportunities for growth. It can lead to more fulfilment in different aspects of your life: personal, professional, or financial.

How Can I Live More Intentionally?

Some large-scale changes you can make are: 

These big changes can seem a little overwhelming. Here are some everyday steps you can take: 

  • Make daily happiness a priority. Consciously take time out of every day to do something you enjoy. This can help you slow down a little from the bustle of everyday life. It makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something, even if it’s something small! 
  • Be mindful of the media you consume. Social media especially can lead to unhealthy comparisons, stress, and a sense of being overwhelmed. Consume media content at a pace you can realistically take and set boundaries. Protect your space online! 
  • Stop buying things you don’t need. Question your purchases! Ask yourself whether you need the item, or whether it is worth it to spend money on. It reduces your capacity for unnecessary material items and helps you save money! 

For more assistance and tips on how to live intentionally, contact one of our life coaches here at Ceed. 

The Pros and Cons of Manifestation

Posted on by

We all want to attract positive opportunity into our life. From new jobs to new relationships, the broadening of our horizons is rarely a bad thing. 

A picture containing text, vector graphics Description automatically generated
Manifestation encourages you to dream big!

A popular way of introducing positive things into our lives is through manifestation. Based on New Age philosophy, manifestation has become incredibly popular on social media. But what is manifestation? And is it dangerous? 

What is Manifestation? 

Manifestation is a concept that builds upon the laws of attraction. It is the idea that like attracts like, or that energy that you put out into the world returns to you. This is centred around thinking positive thoughts and affirmations to provide you with the things that you want. 

At its core, manifestation is about aligning yourself with what you want. Manifestation is often used for various things, such as: 

  • A new job, a promotion, or a career change 
  • More money or to become debt free 
  • New friends, a stronger relationship or better family connections 
  • A new or loving romantic relationship 

Depending on who you ask and their personal beliefs, there are many different types of manifestation. Some say that there’s no “right” way to manifest while others claim it won’t work if you don’t “connect to the spiritual world” first. 

For some people, manifestation is the basis for everything in their life. For others, it is simply a positive mindset to encourage them to live more intentionally. Much like anything in life, there are positives and negatives to the ideology of manifestation and the mindset behind it. 

What are the Cons of Manifestation? 

In its purest form, manifestation does not work. Positive thinking alone will not change your life or circumstances. You also have to physically put in the work alongside the thoughts or things will not happen.  

Just focusing on positive thinking may even have the opposite effect than expected. Studies show that often, positive thinking actually makes us more complacent and therefore less likely to muster the effort to achieve our goals.  

A picture containing text, vector graphics Description automatically generated
Manifesting your targets can bring up some obstacles!

Positive thoughts can, therefore, be great in the short term. It makes people feel good and like they are making moves towards their dreams. However, manifestation alone does not work, having a negative impact in the long term. 

The drive behind manifestation can easily become toxic. The ‘always positive’ mindset can be exhausting and stressful to some people. This can be detrimental to those with mental health issues, and even exacerbate existing conditions. 

Some people explain that if you are constantly being negative and feeling down, then you are going to attract and manifest negative energy. This can cause stress and anxiety in people who feel negative emotions. It can make you think that if something bad happens to you, it is your fault. That you ‘manifested it’ upon yourself – which simply isn’t true. 

Life cannot always be controlled. Manifestation can become an obsession – that everything in your life is determined on you and your mindset. You can limit yourself from reaching your full potential by relying so heavily on it alone.  

Saying you want something is half the battle. You must combine that with action in order to enact change. 

Are there any Pros of Manifestation? 

Like any affirmation, there are elements of manifestation that are good when applied to a balanced lifestyle. Using manifestation techniques can encourage people to work towards something personally fulfilling. 

This can help keep people motivated. The visualisation of your goals can keep you on track. This visualisation can be helpful when you out actions behind the affirmations. A prime example of this would be the adage of ‘dressing for the job you want’. 

It can benefit you to convert thought into action. Therapists suggest that the combination of intention, attention, and excitement about the future can positively impact mental health. The constant visualisation and adjustment of goals creates a level of mindfulness. This is beneficial for keeping in touch with your thoughts, feelings, and desires.   

A picture containing icon Description automatically generated
Manifesting a positive mindset can help you grow!

Keeping a healthily positive mindset can also bring other positive people into your life. This in turn can bring opportunity and can bring meaningful relationships to you as well. 

Conclusion 

The principles of manifestation and a positive mindset don’t work for everyone. It is important to tread lightly with any ideology you align with. Check in with yourself to make sure it works for you in a comfortable, uplifting way. 

It is crucial to view manifestation in a realistic way. Life is all about balance. Don’t rely on it wholeheartedly, as this can lead to negative repercussions.  

Remember that it is okay to have goals! But you have to put in the work to attain them. Without that work, a positive mindset is not enough to get you there. 

Here at Ceed, we are committed to helping you achieve your goals through whatever practice that works for you. Feel free to reach out and contact us here. 

5 Steps to Managing Stress at University

Posted on by

Depending on your course’s workload, your mental health and your other commitments, the stress of university life can sometimes feel unmanageable. The step from school or college to university comes with a huge increase in pressure, and you may feel ill-equipped, especially if you haven’t struggled in this way before.  

Being a university student comes with a lot of stress!

Stress can affect you negatively in a number of ways: 

  • Physically, stress can increase your heart rate, cause hyperventilation, shaking, faintness or excessive sweating and give you headaches or sickness.  
  • Behaviourally, stress can drive you to turn to harmful coping mechanisms, like excessive drink, drugs or bingeing/restricting food intake. Stress can also damage your ability to concentrate or socialise 
  • Psychologically, stress can cause fear, panic, or a feeling that something bad will happen. These reactions can be extreme and difficult to cope with.  

Whilst feelings of stress can feel overwhelming and isolating, you can be sure you aren’t alone. 45% of university students in the UK reported feeling stressed by their course. Feelings of stress are complex and varied, and often quite difficult to rid yourself of. However, knowing how to manage these feelings can be helpful in lessening their detrimental effects. 

Here are 5 ways you might find useful in coping with stress, allowing you to live your best university life! 

1. Breathing and De-escalation 

Panic attacks are sudden and overwhelming feelings of fear or panic. They may come with a number of intense physical symptoms of stress. If your stress has caused a panic attack, you will need an immediate coping solution, not the other, longer-term solutions this article discusses. 

To de-escalate (calm) your panic attack, try focusing on your breathing. It’s likely during a panic attack that you’re hyperventilating, so attempt to breathe deliberately slowly and deeply. Breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of four.  

Focusing on a single object in your surroundings can also help. Trace the object with your eyes, or describe its appearance to yourself. Alternatively, if you’re finding your surroundings too visually stimulating, it can help to close your eyes (as long as it is safe to do so).  

If it’s your surroundings’ noise that is too much, it may help to put on headphones and play a favourite calming song. Or, repeating a mantra, internally or externally, can be a good way to block out exacerbating noise. Simply saying something like “I’m going to be OK” over and over to yourself can have a reassuring and relaxing effect. 

If you are having a panic attack, it’s important to remind yourself that it will pass. Focusing on your breathing can help ground you. Either focusing deliberately on an object in your surroundings, or attempting to block out over-stimulating surroundings can focus your attention away from the panic enough to allow calm. 

2. Organisation / Planning 

Create a weekly plan to keep yourself on top of your schedule!

When it comes to longer-term strategies, planning and organising your time is the best way to ensure you’re dealing only with manageable chunks of work at a time.  

Creating a written schedule can help visualise your time and tasks with better clarity. Colour-coding might help this clarification further. Seeing your studies and assignments broken down into smaller tasks can lessen the feeling of your workload being insurmountable.  

Allot realistic portions of time for each of your tasks, and allow yourself breaks. Working without regular breaks can cause burnout and actually be counterproductive to effective study! It’s a generally advised rule to take a 15 minute break for every 1 hour of focused work you do, with a longer break every 4 or so hours. Allowing yourself rest between work will allow your batteries to recharge and enable you to focus better when you resume work. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of your assignments, scheduling your time and breaking work into small, manageable tasks can help. Taking breaks while studying is important to maintain concentration while working. 

3. Exercise, Diet and Sleep 

It’s well-touted advice that a balanced diet, regular exercise and a solid night’s sleep can positively impact your mental wellbeing. Being tired, lethargic and lacking nutrients isn’t conducive to productive work. However, this advice can sometimes feel steep; how do you fit in a full workout routine, home cooking and 8 hours sleep into a hectic student schedule? 

Exercise, a balanced diet and good sleep needn’t be added stressors, and can be achieved in simpler terms. Rather than feeling pressure to join a gym, exercise can come in the form of regular walks or some morning yoga in your bedroom. Even a brisk 10 minute dash to the grocery shop can help clear your head during a tough study session. 

If you can’t manage full home-cooked meals, try adding fruits and vegetables into your existing diet, or consider vitamin supplements. You could swap one fast-food meal a week for a quick, easy and cheap stir fry, and it doesn’t hurt to keep yourself well-hydrated with water. A balanced diet can reduce detrimental issues like mood swings and lightheadedness. 

Sleep can be an issue in student accommodation; flatmates might be up when you need rest. But with an-ever expanding library of white noise on youtube and sleep-inducing podcasts, neighbour noise can be fought against. Allowing yourself enough sleep each night can greatly improve your mood and days’ energy, so if stresses do appear you can be better prepared to deal with it! 

Getting whatever exercise, nutrients and sleep you can will allow your body and mind to be better prepared for both your work and your ability to handle stress. 

4. Socialise / Reach Out 

Socialisation can help you relax!

Social interaction can alleviate feelings of stress in numerous ways. Having fun at a social event like a party can distract from the stresses of university work, while attending a club or joining a society can increase positive feelings of belonging to your university and feeling at home. 

Humans are social creatures, proven to benefit greatly from human interaction; in positive social situations our brain produces dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Forging friendships can prove incredibly beneficial to our general health and wellness, and if we have a stronger foundation of health and wellness, we are more able to deal with stress. 

In stressful situations, reaching out to your friends can help in alleviating that stress. Talking your problems through with a mate helps, not just because ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, but in talking your issues through – putting them in words – you might be able to help yourself in working them out. 

If you feel like you don’t have any friends to talk to in times of stress, you can still seek out help! All universities will have some form of counselling available to you. External services like togetherall and Samaritans exist to support in times of crisis, too. 

Socialising can help relax and improve your quality of life whilst studying at university, so don’t skip an event you want to attend for more work! Friends can be there to support you through stress, and in times of crisis, contact your university counsellor. 

5. Treat Yourself With Kindness 

Most importantly, treat yourself with kindness!  

Remembering all the things you’ve already achieved at university – living on your own, managing your own money and workload, finding new friends, attending lectures and completing assignments to the best of your abilities – are all impressive feats! Don’t be hard on yourself, especially since you’re juggling so much, likely for the first time in your life!  

Reward yourself with an occasional small luxury purchase, a trip to a museum, a dance about your room to your favourite music – whatever makes you happy. You deserve understanding, forgiveness and kindness during your time at university, and those things should come from you as much as anybody. 

Don’t be too harsh on yourself!

In Summary 

Immediate de-escalation techniques like focused breathing can help during stress-induced panic attacks.  

For longer-term strategies, planning and compartmentalising can help in managing large workloads. A balanced diet, regular exercise and a good sleep schedule can best prepare your body and mind for dealing with stress, and having a good social support system can help in feeling less alone in your stress.  

Being kind to yourself, and practising good self-care, will help both prepare you for future stressors and heal after experiencing stress.  

If you need help keeping on top of your university schedule, Ceed might be able to help! Get in touch with one of our experts today.

Doomscrolling: Navigating Mental Health and Social Media

Posted on by

It is no secret that the way we consume news has changed. Over the last twenty years, digital media has developed rapidly. 3.96 billion people use social media worldwide in order to connect to the wider world. 

With this advent of social media, we now get the majority of our news from there. Statistics show that half of adults in the UK now use social media to keep up with the latest news. 

A picture containing text Description automatically generated
Social media is a key way to keep up with the latest news.

However, alongside the change in media consumption, the way in which we process news has also changed. Doomscrolling is a new, widespread way people are reading news online, and it is not healthy.

What is Doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling is the act of spending extended screen time scrolling through negative and often dystopian news. Doomscrolling has become particularly popular during the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is because it is often attributed to the compulsive need to try and get answers when we’re afraid. 

We live with a world of instant information at our fingertips thanks to the internet. Everything we need is readily accessible at the click of a button. 

This encourages people to do their own research on controversial and heavy topics, often leading them down a rabbit hole of negativity. It can often make the world seem a lot more dangerous than it is. This is due to not only the negative news topics, but often to the negative comments people leave on these topics. 

This constant need to find answers to things that scare us is an evolutionary habit. A psychiatry resident at Dalhousie University, Dr. Patricia Celan, explains that this is because we like to familiarize ourselves with dangers in order to gain a sense of preparedness and control.

Why is Doomscrolling Bad for your Mental Health?

While it may seem like innocent browsing at first, doomscrolling can actually have a very negative impact on your mental health. Increased consumption of negative news alone can have a negative effect on you. 

It can be addictive, and difficult to look away from. This can impact your mental health negatively because you can physically see the lack of positive news. It generates the feeling that there is no good in the world, which can cause feelings of anxiety and fear. 

We are naturally more attracted to negative news stories and headlines. This is due to a phenomenon called the negativity bias. Bad news gets more reactions at a quicker pace and sells better because people have a stronger psychological reaction to bad news. 

Icon Description automatically generated
Social media can affect your mental health.

Consuming so much negative content can often make people feel stressed, depressed, or isolated. Experts argues that these feelings doomscrolling cause can also disrupt your sleep and make your attentiveness and overall performance suffer the following day.

So, How Can I Avoid Doomscrolling?

There are a few methods you can use to try and stop yourself from doomscrolling. You can: 

Check in with yourself first. Don’t immediately jump on your phone when you wake up. Instead, go through your morning routine first. Give yourself time to face the world before you scroll through social media and check in with the news. 

Reduce your screen time. By actively and mindfully reducing the amount of time spent on your phone, you reduce the probability of coming into contact with overly negative news. Try setting a ‘screen-free’ time – for example, not using your phone after 8pm. 

Replace the activity with something else. Instead of giving in to the urge to scroll, try and do something else. You might read a book, do some exercise, or write in a journal. Filling your time with activities you find meaningful and worthwhile is a better use of your time than making yourself feel bad. 

Set times to go on social media. Hold yourself accountable. Give yourself fifteen minutes or so to scroll, and then stop when the time is up. This prevents you from spiralling into hours of screen time and negative news. The limited time also means you’re more likely to look at things that interest you, not just the ongoing news cycle.

Conclusion

Doomscrolling is a cycle that needs to be broken. People want to know more about bad news, so they seek it out.  

It is okay and understandable to feel overwhelmed by the state of the world. However, despite what you see online, the world isn’t all bad. The good is there, it’s just often hidden by the algorithm of popular news topics. 

It is important to actively check the way we interact with news and media online. Noticing our habits and behaviours is the best way to curb them, and not heap more stress onto ourselves. Remember – things are hard enough as it is without you doing this to yourselves! 

It can be difficult to learn good habits alone. Here at Ceed, we are committed to helping you improve your mental health. Take a look at how we can help here. 

Why Understanding Sleep is Crucial to Your Wellbeing

Posted on by

Something that everyone can universally agree on is that we all need a decent night’s sleep. Despite this fact, many people don’t realise how critical sleep truly is to our health and wellbeing. 

Trouble sleeping and lack of sleep is a widespread problem. According to the NHS, it’s a common problem thought to regularly affect around one in every three people in the UK. There are many instances that can cause this trouble sleeping. 

For example, stress is a main factor for people not being able to sleep. The hustle culture of the twenty first century constantly pressures people to be ‘always on’. This undeniably affects our ability to get quality rest and maintain a healthy sleep schedule.  

Icon Description automatically generated
Getting regular sleep can help improve your health!

While it can seem like a struggle, there are ways in which you can improve your sleep health in order to improve your wellbeing.

Why is sleep crucial to your wellbeing?

Sleep is essential to both personal health and daily function. Getting enough sleep is only part of the battle – getting quality sleep is just as important. Quality, deep, restful sleep is opportunity for the body to rest and reset. It is during this time that the body engages in recovery and readies you for the next day. 

Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can be incredibly detrimental to your health. It can: 

  • Affect your energy levels during the day, making you more lethargic and tired.  
  • Have a negative effect on your mood, making you anxious, depressed, or prone to stress.  
  • Lower your concentration, making it difficult to focus, make decisions or judge situations accurately. This makes every day actions such as driving very dangerous.  
  • Make you more likely to become ill, as lack of sleep can affect your immune system and your body’s ability to fight off illness.  
  • It has even been linked to studies showing that lack of sleep can increase the chance of serious illness. These include obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, poor mental health, and early death. 

Sleep is vital to an individual’s performance. It fundamentally affects the way that you function, and it can even be dangerous if you get too little.

So, How Much Sleep Should I Be Getting?

The amount of sleep that each person needs varies. No less than six hours a night is recommended, with the National Sleep Foundation guidelines advising that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.  

It is also generally agreed that the younger you are, the more sleep you need. This is because children have more physical and mental growth and development to do than adults. 

This guideline of time, however, is open to adaptation. Some people need more than is recommended, some less. This can be attributed to external factors, such as the job you have, how much exercise you do, or what your health is like. People who are more active need more rest, and people who are more sedentary may need less. 

A picture containing text, clock Description automatically generated
Getting the right amount of sleep is crucially important!

Surprisingly, there can be such a thing as too much sleep. Sleeping more than is necessary can have the same effects as sleeping too little. It is important to strike the right balance for yourself and understanding how much is too much for your lifestyle.

Tips on How to Improve Your Sleep

There are a few things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. You can: 

  • Consider your sleep environment – make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Make sure your mattress is comfortable and works for your body. Studies show that newer mattresses reduce back discomfort and in turn increased sleep quality. 
  • Improve your sleep hygiene – wash and change your bedding at least once every two weeks. Ensure you vacuum your bedroom carpet regularly to reduce allergens.  
  • Set a routine – by giving yourself a bedtime, you establish a habit. This makes it easier to fall and stay asleep because your body recognises that it is tired around the same times.   
  • Do calming exercises before sleeping – activities such as reading are relaxing and can make you tired. If you are an anxious person, journaling could also help. This can help rid your mind of stress and prepare you for sleep. 
  • Put your phone away before you begin your sleep routine – The blue light from our phone screens can negatively affect our sleep. It has been found that artificial light at the wrong time may disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep. Put your phone away one to two hours before you sleep in order to give your body a rest from it. 

Conclusion

When it comes to sleep, knowing yourself is crucial. Don’t be afraid to listen to your body and its needs. 

Sleep is the most easily neglected aspect of our health, so must be consciously improved on to become the most rested version of yourself. 

Here at Ceed, we are committed to helping you improve your life. If you’re looking to improve your sleep schedule, feel free to contact us today.  

5 Ways to Strengthen and Improve Your Relationship

Posted on by

Whether you have been dating your partner for six months or married for five years, relationships are based on commitment, mutual respect and diligence.  To say that your connection should be special is an understatement, and it would be a shame not to enrich it as much as you can.

All relationships go through phases. There will be good times and bad times. When you realize that your relationship is in trouble, try not to let it get you down. Great relationships don’t just happen; they take time and energy to find the right balance.

Although every relationship is different, there are some things you can do to ensure that you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

1. Set Targets Together 

We tend to do better as individuals when we have goals to achieve, and this also applies to relationships.  After children leave home and you spend multiple years together, your common goals may no longer seem clear.  

If you want to achieve both of your individual targets, you need to work together as a team. Communicating your goals to one another can help both new relationships and ones much further down the line. By communicating, you open the door to collaboration – you don’t have to work at your goals independently of one another.

Whether it’s going for promotions or achieving a healthier lifestyle, the love and support of your partner can help you get one step closer to your target. That’s not just through practical actions, but through passive encouragement.

Knowing each others goals and targets also helps you to see where you and your partner’s plans may align and could even open the door to mutual success.

2. Show Your Appreciation 

Being kind and compassionate to your partner should be a daily habit. Expressing loving thoughts can nourish the relationship by helping you and your partner remember what it is you treasure about each other. 

Some people need to be told “I love you” several times every day. Others need to have at least 20 minutes of one-on-one time each day. Sometimes a hug is enough for others. Learn to understand your partner’s love language and be generous with praise and affection. Letting your partner know that you’re grateful for their presence can help reduce some of the emotional load on the relationship.

3. Know That Disappointment Can Happen in Any Relationship 

When our expectations don’t match reality, disappointment occurs. There will always be differences in the expectations of two people. This means that disappointment can occur to some extent in all relationships. 

We tend to focus on the negative side, and then we use this “evidence” to reinforce the belief that our relationships are full of disappointment. Rather, it’s better to accept the occurrence of disappointment.  

Whether it is an aspect of your partner that you find difficult to understand or the two of you will never take a salsa class together, once you accept it, you will stop feeling bad about it. 

You can’t control everything, and sometimes we hurt the people we love, but it’s important to know that this happens to everyone. Overcoming these difficulties can help you feel better. 

Choose to focus on the part that meets your expectations and even brings you unexpected blessings. 

4. Learn to forgive  

When we disappoint and hurt each other emotionally, it’s often not because we want to. Clashes and arguments can happen in any relationship and it’s important to take time to reflect on how this affects your relationship. Your partner may do things, unintentionally, that strike a chord or hurt your feelings – try to understand why this happened. It’s important to know if it was accidental or deliberate – this can tell you a lot about a person.

If their intentions were good, and upsetting you was an accidental consequence of their actions, learning to forgive is extremely important. You can’t always stay hung up on every issue in your relationship. That being said, more serious issues require more considered thought. You shouldn’t stay in a relationship where you’re consistently upset or hurt by your partner.

Approach your issues with a measured head. In certain situations, forgiveness means promising to leave the wounds of the past behind to allow for new possibilities in the future.

5. Learn to Discuss and Let Go of the Past 

Many times, disputes in relationships are simply due to poor communication. If we listen and share more clearly, it can be easily resolved.  Also, when you talk about a problem, always try to find a solution. Bringing up old arguments without resolving them can create added complications, so you have to deal with these issues and put them to rest. 

If you continue to think about the past, this could be a sign that you’re not happy or prepared for the emotional toll of the relationship. In these circumstances, you should step back and think about it. What’s the root cause of the issue? Is it rational or a consequence of emotional baggage?

Remember, finding a solution can sometimes mean realizing that you both look at the problem differently and that you should respect the opinions of each other.

By focusing on the reasons for this recurring feeling, you will find clarity within yourself and what you want from your relationship with your partner.

To Conclude

Strong relationships don’t just happen. To build a thriving relationship with your partner, you have to put time and effort into it.  

Use these 5 tips above to start reinforcing your relationship immediately. After all, healthy relationships are an important part of living a good life. 

If you’re looking to strengthen your relationship, Ceed is here to help you! Speak to one of our life coaches to find out more. 

4 Mindful Ways to Help You Live in the Moment

Posted on by

‘Living in the Moment’ – we’re all familiar with this saying in one way or another. 

Whether you’ve heard it from your parents, your mentors, or even seen it on a t-shirt in a fast fashion store as an inspirational quote, surely, it must be used for a reason! 

Yet, we can’t help but dwell on the past, or anticipate what lies ahead of us in the future, so much so, that we can’t truly focus on enjoying the present moment. 

We unconsciously think about the future being far more important than where we are now.  

We seek happiness in the future, but when that future moment comes, we can’t stop thinking of what else awaits us outside of the present moment – that exact moment we were initially anticipating. 

“People live as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to some better point [in the future], which never arrives” 
 

Eckhart Tolle
Make the most of every moment now – you won’t regret it in the future!

Why Should You Strive to Live in the Present Moment?

Living in the present; the now; the moment, is the only place you are able to reach true happiness and inner peace. 

In order to create a more fulfilled and meaningful life, you’ll need to learn how to take charge of your mind and focus on the present moment, which like any habit or routine, takes time and practice.  

Insider has listed 15 ways in which living in the moment benefits your life such as, being able control your emotions better, increased productivity and developing successful habits. 

With only positive outcomes of being more present in your everyday life, why wouldn’t you want to make it a priority? 

Living in the moment can help you feel true happiness.

We’ve compiled 4 ways to help you to focus on the now, so that you can live a more fulfilled lifestyle:

How To Live in the Moment

  1. Celebrate the Small Things 

Usually, we only seem to use the word ‘celebrate’ for the big things in life: a birthday; a new family member; graduation; marriage and so on. 

But what about celebrating the smaller things? Let us explain: 

Have you ever had a really long and tiring day and decided to slip into a nice relaxing bubble bath? That’s exactly what we’re talking about – simplicity at its finest. 

Whether it’s the first sip of your morning coffee, the flowers on your kitchen table, or buying your favourite scented candle, begin to celebrate the smaller joys in life, just as much as you do with the bigger ones. 

Finding joy in the everyday ‘mundane’ will help you to live for the moments, not ponder your mind into the future hoping for a better and more exciting moment.  

By appreciating the smaller things, you’re able to feel happier and more gratified in every minute of every day. 

Don’t just focus on the finish line – think about the journey, too.
  1. Practice Mindfulness Daily 

Dedicate some of your time each day, specifically to practice mindfulness. It’s essential for you to practice being intentionally present often. 

You may feel that you’re already too busy to set aside any more additional time throughout your day.  

However, it depends on how much time you want/have to spare for mindfulness practice. It can be 3 minutes or 2 hours, it’s up to you – the most important thing is that you do it. 

You can do this anywhere, at any time, throughout your day, although, we suggest to start your day as you mean to go on. Practicing mindfulness in the morning will be most beneficial to help you become more aware of the present moment through the course of your day ahead. 

Here are some ways to practice mindfulness:

  • Meditation 
  • Yoga 
  • Journaling – writing your thoughts and feelings  
  • Gratitude activities – writing lists of what you’re grateful for in the present moment (health, wellbeing, finance, family etc.) 

Read now: Practising Yoga: Combating Mindfulness and Fitness for a Healthier Lifestyle

  1. Love Your Work 

When we say love your work, what we mean is, figure out how you spend the majority of your week or day. 

Whether that’s your career, or your studies, you need to be content with your everyday work. 

When looking at the work week statistics for the UK, we found that the average person works approximately 33.6 hours per week for full-time employment in 2020.  

If you don’t enjoy your work, that’s 20% of your week physically spent doing something you dislike, let alone considering the time spent thinking about the job and travelling to your job.  

If you’re the type of person who dreads Mondays and has to ‘soldier on’ through the work week just to get to the weekend for some enjoyment, then you need to realise you are wasting over 71% of your life thinking about, commuting to or actually doing the work (if you work 5 out of 7 days a week). 

Consider one of these two solutions: 

  • Find a better way to spend your time (find another job(s), or change your study path) 
  • Find something you do enjoy within your work/job (your colleagues, the opportunities etc.) 
     
Loving your work is a key part of enjoying your life!
  1. Screentime Detox 

I think you probably knew this one was coming, didn’t you? 

We’re all well aware that staying connecting to a device, such as a smart phone, or computer probably isn’t the best way to spend our whole lives, but why don’t be reduce it? 

Unfortunately, the cause for our high screentime is likely to be addiction. 

Addictions stops you from living life freely and essentially holds you hostage (figuratively).  By finding ways to cut down or detox on your screentime, will help you to focus on the moment you’re in, rather than being engorged into what’s happening on your device. 

Spend your time away from the screen and find enjoyment elsewhere – in the now. 

Read now: The Impact on Screen Addition on Health and Wellbeing

Final Thoughts

It’s incredibly easy to be wrapped up and distracted with the thousands of thoughts we have each day. 

It’s natural for your mind to wander into the past, or to the future, if you’re unaware of the importance of staying connected to the present moment. 
 
If you stick to these 4 daily mindfulness tips, you’ll realise that the benefits of living in the moment are well within your reach. Over time you’ll be able to see your outlook on life shift into happiness, gratitude and contentment. 

When you take the initiative to live in the moment, you’ll see that your outlook on life will transform greatly. 

Read now: Practising Mindfulness in Nature: Sticking to the Present Moment. 

At Ceed, we know how important it is to live a better life. That’s why we have specialised life coaches to help tailor a plan specifically to you, in order to help you live in the moment in your own life. Visit our website to find out more. 

How to Step into Your Growth Zone

Posted on by

When you’re in your comfort zone, you’re generally satisfied and comfortable with life as it is. The issue is, when we are satisfied, we are less likely to seek out new opportunities. Feeling comfortable makes us feel safe. But, if we really want to push ourselves, we sometimes have to give up the feeling of comfort.  

We previously spoke about the growth zone in our article 3 Reasons to Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Growth Zone. Now that we have a better understanding of what a growth zone is, you may be wondering how you can move from your comfort zone to your growth zone. This article will show you exactly how.

Identify your Fears

The comfort zone is formed around what we perceive to be safe. There are benefits to the comfort zone such as feelings of security and control. Plenty of people do work well here. The problem is that many of the things which would make us happy involve a level of fear or anxiety. 
 

The first step to leaving your comfort zone is to identify your fears. Very often our fears are rooted in the fear of failure or rejection. What limitations have you placed on yourself? What lies outside of this imaginary zone? What exactly are you afraid of? 

Being able to understand your fears allows you to understand your choices better. It helps you to stop and question what you are doing and why. Having a strong understanding will motivate you to move into the fear zone. 

The first step is to identify your fears.

Accept Failure

The fear zone is the step in between the comfort and the learning zone. “To reach this zone of fear and evolve successfully, you must learn to see failure as a stepping stone to success”. This is a necessary step because it allows you to build up the skills you need to ultimately grow. 

Failure is a natural part of life. It’s not a reflection of who you are but rather a process we all have to face in life. 

Everyone stumbles from time to time. You can find an alternative way to look at your failure. What are the lessons you can learn from this? What can you do to make sure it doesn’t happen next time? Asking yourself these questions will help you elevate into the learning zone.

Set Goals

Once you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve, it’s important to set clear goals for yourself. Goal setting enables you to build healthy habits. Having a clear plan and visualizing your goals makes them more attainable. 

Goal setting is a plan of action that helps you get from A to B. Think of a goal you have for yourself. Being able to identify every stage of that journey and what you need to get past each one makes the goal more attainable. 

This is why thinking of each zone helps supports your growth. By breaking down every step of your journey into the growth zone, you can see which habits aren’t helpful and make appropriate adjustments. It doesn’t matter how big or small and you don’t have to announce it to anyone; what matters is that you are gradually overcoming your fears. 

Setting goals is a great way to track your progress!

Stay Consistent

The final part is the most challenging – staying consistent. Now that you have set some goals, you can work on building a routine or schedule that supports them. Consistency is key! 
 

Achieving any goal requires repeating certain steps over and over again until you are successful. If you are used to being in your comfort zone, you may struggle to hold yourself accountable. It may take you a while to unlearn some of the habits that have been holding you back.  
 

You might try and fail the first time so try to remember that this is perfectly normal and you can keep trying until you get it right. If you need an incentive – why not give yourself a prize for when you complete it. You could also appoint a friend as an accountability partner to help keep you in check.

Breaking it Down

Let’s think of a common example to help break it down. You want to learn a new skill, for example, a foreign language. Below is an example of some thoughts you might have about the situation at each stage: 

Comfort Zone – I am fine not learning something new and sticking to what I know. 

Fear Zone – I’m afraid I won’t be good at this.  It will take forever to learn and I don’t have the time. What if my friends make fun of me? 

Learning Zone – I will create a weekly schedule to help me manage my time. How can I make this more achievable? What else can I give up to make more time for this? I understand that this won’t happen in a day. 

Growth Zone – Learning a new and useful skill helps me improve my prospects. This is an exciting opportunity to meet new people. This will help me achieve my full potential and find a new purpose. 

Try to understand what’s holding you back – overcoming that barrier will help you move forward!

Final Thoughts 

You should now hopefully have the tools to work towards your growth zone. Your goals can become more achievable if you use these tips to break them down.  

Identify what’s holding you back and use this to help you move forward. Accept that failure is a part of success. Set goals and create helpful habits that keep you consistent. 

Contact Ceed to learn more about how you can leave your comfort zone and grow into the person you’re meant to be! 

The Best Self-Help Advice We Can Give

Posted on by

If you’ve been on the internet longer than, let’s say, a couple of hours, then you’ll know it’s saturated with so-called self-help advice. Everybody wants to find that hidden gem, that top tip to transform your perspective and finally bring you the life you’ve been dreaming of.

What if we told you it’s easier than it sounds? Self-help isn’t about changing and shaping yourself into something based on what a stranger on the internet tells you, it’s about looking deep within, finding that inner sanctum and bringing it to the surface!

Nowadays, everyone is consumed by a desire to be unique and stand-out from the crowd – but if we’re all trying to stand-out, then nothing will change! Self-help isn’t about comparing yourself to those others in the crowd – think of your own growth relative to yourself. The only way to move forward is focus on what you can do for yourself.

Find your inner you – do what you can to make it happy!

Remember: you can’t help anyone else until you’ve helped yourself. That doesn’t mean: be selfish. It means you should evaluate your own growth – take a deeper look at where you’re at, why it makes you happy and why it doesn’t. Our aim is to find what causes that imbalance, to find out why you’re unsatisfied and help bring about a positive change.

So, here is some of the best self-help advice we can give you:

Focus on Yourself

The clue’s in the name: self-help.

In order to be satisfied with yourself, you have to know who you are and what you want. You have know what it takes to fulfil your own desire and make yourself feel good. You can’t find a remedy if you don’t know what ails you.

It’s also just much, much easier to fully accept, and be, yourself.

It’s a pretty common feeling to reach a certain age and look back on your life in a state of embarrassment. Remember your goth phase? Remember when you went all out to impress someone and failed? Compromising on who you are is part of the journey – but just be grateful to reach a point of self-reflection.

Having regrets is part of life – the important part is to take what you’ve experience, see what it teaches you about yourself and find the best way to be you.

Some Things Can’t Be Controlled

Maya Angelou once said: ‘You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them’. In short, you can’t change your experiences, you can only change how you react to them. By expecting that you can control situations, you allow yourself to believe you have some kind of quantifiable power.

Let that feeling go. If you hold in your mind a belief that you can control situations, you allow yourself to suffer when you inevitably fail. Accept that you have no control – you’ll be much happier for it.

You’ll feel less concerned that opportunities slip through your fingers and you’ll be more grateful when you grab one.

Failure is Normal

Success without failure is a privilege experienced by few. Even then, it sours the taste. Without failure, success has no real meaning. If you don’t know what you have to lose in order to win, have you really won?

Okay, that does sound a bit dramatic. What we’re trying to say is that failure isn’t the end. Failure just teaches you what you could have done better next time. Learn from it. Grow from it. The next time you experience the same situation you’ll have that memory of failure to remind you why you keep going.

If you give up when you experience, you might never know what it feels like to succeed. Listen to any industry leader – whether that be a tech giant or a sportsperson at the top of their game – they’ll tell you just how much they had to fail in order to get it right. You’re only failing because you’re not winning – yet.

When you start to succeed, you’ll look back at those moments and be grateful for the experience.

Failure can help you understand what success really means.

Be Grateful For Your Achievements

In ‘The Art of Happiness’, a novel written by Howard C. Cutler detailing a series of conversations with the Dalai Lama, Cutler details a psychological study involving a number of lottery winners and cancer victims. In the study, both groups – the recent lottery winners and the recently diagnosed cancer patients – were interviewed to determine their levels of happiness. As you can imagine, the lottery winners scored a much higher value due to their newfound financial success, compared to the cancer patient’s life-changing diagnosis.

A year later, the same groups were interviewed again. It may not surprise you, but the cancer patients not only had the biggest change in mind-frame, they also far outscored the initial scores of the lottery winners. The lottery winners, on the other hand, went back below their initial rates and even found themselves more unhappy than they had been before they’d found financial success.

The cancer patients learnt to appreciate what their life was – by finding themselves they understood what it meant to be grateful for the opportunities they did have. The lottery winners, on the other hand, had a taste of a life that inevitably leads to dissatisfaction.

Don’t rue the opportunities you missed, be grateful for the ones you did get.

Do it For You

Every self-help journey is designed for one person: yourself. As well as knowing yourself, you’ve got to appreciate yourself, too. Any change you make should be for your own benefit – you’re not doing this for anyone else!

The only person you need to impress is the one you look at in the mirror. A big part of any self-help journey is realising that you don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. Your priority should be making the right decision for yourself – don’t change yourself to fit in with another’s perception of who you should be. Instead, strive to be the best version of yourself.

Keep This In Mind

The takeaway we want you to keep in mind here is to prioritise your self. By putting yourself first, you give yourself the opportunity to grow – that doesn’t mean you should start being selfish, just to learn what you need about yourself to move in a positive direction.

Don’t let the thoughts of others cloud how you feel about yourself – give yourself credit for the position you’re in now and be grateful for every opportunity you’ve been fortunate enough to receive.

Finally, failure isn’t a bad thing. It teaches us what we should do right next time.

If you need help with your mindfulness, or just want some extra advice, get in touch with our experts to see how we might be able to help you!

Surprising Benefits of Exercise: Confidence and Creativity

Posted on by

It’s no secret that sitting for long periods negatively affects our physical health. We spend more and more time being inactive during our leisure time, staring at screens and working jobs that encourage sedentary behaviour. This routine can quickly become monotonous, leading us to feel uninspired and bored with our day to day lives. 

Exercise helps us keep our hearts and our bones strong, fight illness and disease. Exercise also positively affects our mental health, memory, learning alertness. There is even research suggesting improving our fitness can have very positive effects on our confidence and creativity. 

Just a little bit of exercise each day can have a significant improvement on how we feel. Aerobic exercise and exercises that incorporate mindfulness are very effective. However, if you enjoy higher intensity exercise, like HIT, you’re more than welcome to do that also. 

Neuroplasticity means the brain has ‘the ability to change and improve throughout a person’s lifetime, particularly when exposed to consistent, targeted exercise and engaging stimuli.’ Physical exercise is a great way to exercise your brain. So, if you want to increase confidence or creativity, consider getting active. 

Regular exercise can drastically improve your mood!

Confidence

 

Many people struggle with self-esteem and confidence issues. Sometimes, these issues are tied to your appearance and how you perceive your body. Social media is often linked to the rise in body image issues and society’s increasing obsession with appearance. 

Exercise is a great way to improve your confidence. This may seem unusual but working out can really change the way we feel and think. We know that it can positively affect our mental health and even increase workplace productivity. 

Over time, exercise allows you to strengthen and tone your body. Regular exercise gives you an improved physique. Seeing a noticeable difference in your physical appearance is a great way to raise your self-image. 

When you exercise, you are doing something good for yourself. This is something to be proud of! The simple act of creating an exercise routine and sticking to it can provide you with a sense of achievement. 

Physical activity has an almost immediate effect on your mood and lasting positive effects on your mental health. Consistent exercise can help reduce long-term feelings of anxiety and depression. Feeling good promotes feelings of self-confidence! 

Self-growth plays an important part in your happiness!

Creativity

There are many examples of creative people using exercise to boost their imagination. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau stated, “the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow – as if I had given vent to the stream at the lower end and consequently new fountains flowed into it at the upper”. Similarly, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche advised, “Sit as little as possible”.  
 

In 2013, the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience published a study looking at the impact of physical exercise on convergent and divergent thinking. In the study, researchers found that regular exercisers are more creative than their sedentary peers. 
 

Convergent thinking and divergent thinking are the two components of creative thought. Convergent thinking refers to being able to provide a single answer to a problem. Whereas, divergent thinking involves exploring many possible solutions for a problem. 

To determine whether there was an association between regular exercise and creative thought, researchers had 48 athletes (those who exercise 3 or more times a week) and 48 non-athletes (exercise less than 1 time per week) perform a test. The first task measured convergent thinking. Participants were asked to find an association between three unrelated words. For example, “time,” “hair,” and “stretch” are connected to the word “long”. 

The second task measured divergent thinking. Participants were asked to list as many possible uses for six common household items (for example, “pen,” “towel,” “bottle”). Researchers scored participants on flexibility, originality, fluency and elaboration. Researchers found that the regular exercisers did better on both tasks compared to those who didn’t regularly exercise. Overall, the study revealed that there was an association between exercise and creative thinking. 

Take time to evaluate who you are and how you can improve your mindset!

Our Conclusion 

Exercise has a surprising impact on our confidence and creativity. Moving around changes the way we think and in turn, promotes positive feelings. Positive feelings such as confidence, self-esteem and happiness can significantly improve our quality of life.  

If you want to boost your confidence and imagination, staying active is a healthy and fun way to do it. The best thing about regular exercise is you are not only strengthening your muscles, but also your mind! 

Ceed can help you understand the importance of healthy habits such as exercise. Feel free to explore our range of services here. 

Older posts
Newer posts

Learn More About Ceed

We’re on a mission to help every individual achieve their potential

    Copyright © 2024 Ceed | All Rights Reserved