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The daily grind requires that we rest to reboot.
We can only plunge into the day with renewed intensity long enough until the batteries run out.
To get on with life and the business of living, we need to dream to sleep.
Quieted attention reawakens the brain state so we can make connections previously unmoored.
We wake up feeling fresh before wade into discomfort and vulnerability in the new day ahead once again.
Should you need further help in optimizing your daily life as it relates to sleep or other mental wellness matters, be sure to check out BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers access to thousands of online therapists that are specially trained to provide you with the highest standard of quality mental health care.
Said Henry David Thoreau, “Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
Walking boosts creativity. If you ever get stuck in a creative rut, science shows that you should go for a stroll to get your endorphins moving.
As learning scientist Marily Oppezzo notes in her TED presentation below, walking generates twice the ideas. Even if you walk and then sit, your mind will continue to generate novelty.
But you can’t just walk forever, nor should you run. You should discuss your ideas out loud; the good ones will stick around. If you really want to remember everything discussed, record the thinking session on your phone.
So, how do you walk and brainstorm?
Says Oppezzo:
Pick a problem/topic for brainstorm
Walk at a comfortable pace WHILE you are brainstorming
Generate as many ideas a you can
Speak and record your ideas
Cap your time
The chair-based lifestyle is not only killing us, but it’s also stifling good ideas. Go for a walk to freshen up your pattern of thinking.
“The psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer has a simple heuristic. Never ask the doctor what you should do. Ask him what he would do if he were in your place. You would be surprised at the difference.”
Get yourself a prescription to nature. It’ll improve your mental and physical health. That’s according to doctors in Scotland who are recommending that people in the Shetland Islands get outside more often.
The program outlines a recommended outside activity per month. For instance, in January you can create a windsock to grasp the full power of the wind. In March, one can “borrow a dog and take it for a walk.”
via tw
We belong in the wild, unmoored from the tyranny of our seats. When we disconnect and move outside, we connect with terra firma and reconnect with ourselves. Take your body and thoughts for a walk.
Luxury today and tomorrow will be defined by the ability to disconnect, to live a secret life where there’s no need to stay constantly connected for the sole purpose of a future job or fear of missing out.
Social media is a poor insurance policy. Except disconnecting is not the goal — moderation is.
An excess of anything will make you sick, your eyes roll and stomach turn. The culprits: beer, candy, coffee, tv, and screen opiates.
Drunk and unconscious, the dopamine on loop — you aren’t meant to pursue hedonism all the time. You need time to restore some willpower.
The connective power of the internet is uncanny. Mobile tech is too good to be true. But we don’t need to be a millionaire to stem its negative impact.
The key to unlocking hashtag heaven is to take a deliberate break every once in a while. Leave your phone behind or you’ll unconsciously use it.
We hear it all the time. Get up and go for a walk. It’s how Walt Whitman jogged the brain so he could keep generating writing ideas. Even Steve Jobs held walking meetings.
But now the science proves that taking a quick stroll reactivates the flow of blood to your brain.
Scientists at Liverpool’s John Moores University checked the blood flow of 15 active office workers in three phases: sitting for four periods of time, taking a break every half hour to walk 2 minutes, and walking on the treadmill for 8 minutes every 2 hours.
Scientists tracked the blood flow to their brains just before and during each walking break, as well as immediately after the four hours were over. They also rechecked people’s carbon dioxide levels during those times.
As they had expected, brain blood flow dropped when people sat for four continuous hours. The decline was small but noticeable by the end of the session.
It was equally apparent when people broke up their sitting after two hours, although blood flow rose during the actual walking break. It soon sank again, the ultrasound probes showed, and was lower at the end of that session than at its start.
But brain blood flow rose slightly when the four hours included frequent, two-minute walking breaks, the scientists found.
The results indicate that taking frequent short breaks is the best recommendation for sustaining a clear-thinking brain. So every half hour, take 2 minutes to hit up the bathroom, grab some water, circle around your desk, pretty much anything to get you out of your chair and your legs moving.
If you need a reminder or cue to get started, try the Pomodoro Technique or set your timer on an app like Focus@Will to ensure you’re getting the most out of your productivity when you’re sitting.
I must admit that taking breaks is hard, especially if you’re stuck on a conference call or forget that the ludic loop has kept you scrolling online for an hour. That’s when a foam cushion like this one comes in handy, along with the under the desk foot message. Sounds and maybe looks ridiculous but they work!
“To you, clerk, literary man, sedentary person, man of fortune, idler, the same advice. Up!”
I never sleep/because sleep is the cousin of death.
Nas, ‘New York State of Mind’
Everyone knows sleep is critical few people prioritize it. Some folks think it’s a badge of honor to get five hours a night. But your brain literally eats itself when you don’t sleep.
Sitting is the new smoking. While that claim may be a bit exaggerated, it is an effective reminder to remind ourselves to take our body for a walk.
The more than 360 joints inside our bodies are also ample evidence that we are built to stand up and move. And while more offices are including stand up desks and other mobility devices, the sedentary lifestyle still dominates.
Sitting for long periods of time reduces overall blood flow, particularly the oxygen that gets pushed via bloodstream through the lungs to the brain.
So, set yourself a reminder to get up every half hour and move around. But beware of text neck.
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Like most people, my brain starts to fizzle out between 2 and 3pm. According to science, this isn’t due to a lunch hangover but rather a part of our circadian rhythm.
To preempt the inevitable afternoon slothfulness, author Dan Pink proposes to take a nappuccino. He recommends that before you take your 20-minute nap (science shows that more than 20 minutes can make you feel drowsier), you should drink a cup of coffee.
The caffeine won’t fully engage in your bloodstream for about 25 minutes, so drink up right before you lie down.
The pre-nap caffeination will give you an extra boost when you wake up. Your brain will be sharper and more focused. You’ll also receive all the benefits of a nap: lower blood pressure and a stronger heart.
You can read more about the nappuccino productivity hack here.
For further tips on optimizing productivity levels and managing stress, be sure to check out the gamut of resources from BetterHelp, the largest online therapy & counseling platform in the world.
A recent study done by researchers at Tel Aviv University validates standing desks.
Not only is standing better for your health, it also strengthens your focus. This is because the stress of holding your posture improves selective attention.
The Stroop effect
The researchers had university students alternate between standing and sitting while testing their reaction time to a task of naming a color. The words printed behind the color either matched or conflicted the one in text (e.g., the word “blue” printed in red ink instead of blue ink).
Participants seemed to process congruent data — when the word and print color matched — at the same speed, or slightly slower, when they were sitting compared to when they were standing. But they processed incongruent data – when the word and print color did not match — more quickly when they were on their feet.
The study demonstrates that not all multitasking crimps productivity. In fact, overcompensating for the added stress on your feet sharpens your focus. As someone who just bought a standing desk myself (I highly recommend the Spark desk by Ergodriven for anyone starting out), I believe the studies to be true.
By engaging with my body, standing improves the selectivity of attention. I also use an anti-fatigue mat (check out the Topo by Ergodriven) to mix up my stances to avoid getting achy or tired.
Nevertheless, this latest study suggests that researchers consider other postures than sitting as part of their cognitive testing.
What if you woke up one day and had a brand new second hand that moved on its own?
This is what happened to Karen after she had brain surgery to help cure her epilepsy. After her operation, her left hand immediately took on a life of its own. For starters, it immediately began to unbutton her shirt on the hospital bed while the surgeon pleaded her to stop.
After she went home the hand started to do other things like slapping her, which reminded me of the self-beating Jim Carrey famously gives himself in the movie Liar Liar.
What caused her alien hand syndrome?
Apparently, the surgery had to split her brain and removed her Corpus callosum, which ties the left and right brain hemisphere together. Basically, the operation caused the opposing sides of her brain to switch roles.
Fortunately, Karen has come to appreciate the moral authority her left hand tries to impose on her decision-making. Any time she tries to smoke, for example, her left hand puts the cigarette out and even flicks the ashes around.
Karen’s come to appreciate the magic discipline of her hand. However, she still gets in a smoke or two. “I understand you want me to quit,” she tells her hand, “but cut the crap!”
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