A situation in which I would advise you stress a little bit more than I did.
Do you feel it creeping down your neck and tightening up your shoulders at the end (or worse - beginning) of a long day at work? Do you strive to avoid it at any cost, but still end up bogged down in its icy grips? Do you want to learn how to escape those grips like Walter Payton breaking though a weak tackle to reach the endzone?
I am talking about stress, of course. And in order to live the good life, I simply CANNOT have it sapping my energies like an internal parasite. It's time for a life-change. I am inviting you to join me for the ride (keep me updated as to your progress). The next few weeks of the weekly challenge are going to be devoted to how to hack your stress levels, with a particular task that will help you each week.
The first task is based on the fact that:
I am talking about stress, of course. And in order to live the good life, I simply CANNOT have it sapping my energies like an internal parasite. It's time for a life-change. I am inviting you to join me for the ride (keep me updated as to your progress). The next few weeks of the weekly challenge are going to be devoted to how to hack your stress levels, with a particular task that will help you each week.
The first task is based on the fact that:
"The fundamental characteristic of the human brain that makes learning and memory possible is its plasticity: the ability of the neurons to modify their connections to make certain neural circuits more efficient.
Efficient at what task? Usually, at expressing a new behaviour that is better adapted to the demands of our environment, and hence more likely to preserve our living organism and improve its chances of survival."
Interestingly enough, this same idea holds true for your own happiness, and you can use this trick to significantly reduce your stress levels, increase your motivation, and produce a cascade of positivity following you around at work or in life.
So what's required? Essentially 'training' your brain to be happy. Here is how I am going to do it (again, please join me and comment on your progress):
1. Every night before bed take 1 minute to write down three good things that happened during the day, and reflect on why they happened. As strange as it seems, this actually trains your brain to turn on 'happy.'
2. RAOK - Random Acts of Kindness. Try them out! It can be as small as complimenting the cashier at the grocery store, or as big as donating a day of work to Habitat for Humanity (or bigger of course).
3. Take a minute to look someone in the eye every day and thank them or complement them. Only once a day! You can find it in your heart to do this, and again it will be training your happiness!
So what's required? Essentially 'training' your brain to be happy. Here is how I am going to do it (again, please join me and comment on your progress):
1. Every night before bed take 1 minute to write down three good things that happened during the day, and reflect on why they happened. As strange as it seems, this actually trains your brain to turn on 'happy.'
2. RAOK - Random Acts of Kindness. Try them out! It can be as small as complimenting the cashier at the grocery store, or as big as donating a day of work to Habitat for Humanity (or bigger of course).
3. Take a minute to look someone in the eye every day and thank them or complement them. Only once a day! You can find it in your heart to do this, and again it will be training your happiness!
