Tag: stress

Mental Lists

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Remember when you wrote down the first thought you had this morning? Great. Now write a post about it.

Every morning as I rush to turn the annoying noise of my alarm off—my brain turns on its autopilot. It instantly begins reviewing what happened yesterday and deciding on what needs to be done differently next time. Changes noted, my brain begins to make a mental list of today’s tasks. It is usually about this time my focused brain kicks in—broadening out the detail based on the overall days plan. Questions I ask myself:

  • What time do I need to leave the house by? I have a 1 1/2 hour commute  each way to work, so if I have a deadline I have to make sure I leave on time.
  • Am I going anywhere after work that requires me to pack an extra bag in the car as I won’t be coming home.
  • Have I got time to write, post and visit on my blog before leaving for work? Most days I make it happen.

Practical plans met, I go on to make my mental list for the day. What are my top to goals for today that if I do nothing else must get done? At least one usually pops straight to mind. I then consider the remaining things I am hoping to complete today and decide their order of priority. I am looking for my top 5 things to do each day. These will be my focus.

  • Two must be done—bigger or more important tasks first
  • Three hope to be done—simpler tasks

By limiting my tasks I focus on each day and not attempting to everything, I find I get more done. Sometimes I will  write down my mental list to give it more clarity and focus. My earlier post Hand Brain Connection will give you more information on this. Today I am off to a good start as I have completed one of my three simpler tasks—writing this blog post and visiting several sites in my blogging community—all before leaving for work.

Yes. Thanks to my mental lists it will be a great day. Hope you enjoy yours.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/first-light/

Fire Beware

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Your home is on fire. Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab?

In the Sydney bush fires of 1994 I had to do consider this in real life. All main highways into Sydney were cut off by bush fires and we lived on the northern end of the city. We overlooked a major bush gully that hadn’t had a bush fire through in 30 years so officials were very worried about what would happen if it caught alight.

My life has changed greatly since 1994 so what I would pack today is different to what I packed them although core items are the same. In 2015 my choices are:

  1. Formal documents that are difficult/unable to be replaced including passports, insurances, special awards, medical information.
  2. Camera bag which includes the USB’s of digital photos.
  3. My handbag which contains mobile phone, wallet, keys and other everyday essentials.
  4. My prepacked overnight bag containing a change of clothes, toiletries and sleeping device to make a difficult situation easier.
  5. My laptop and associated hard drives which hopefully will give me access to everything I want.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/burning-down-the-house/

Embrace The Ick

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Think of something that truly repulses you. Hold that thought until your skin squirms. Now, write a glowing puff piece about its amazing merits.

Fortunately for me I don’t have anything that truly repulses me. The closest I come to is anything requiring or pertaining to surgery. I am a mental health nurse not a general nurse, so anything greater than a bit of blood or a few stitches required, needs to be managed quickly. Then I hand the problem over to someone who knows what they are doing quickly and watch. Medical shows on television are usually always on at my dinner time and they are the worst— as for some reason, they like to show the gory details. I am brave however, and force myself to watch so I can learn something.

When I do need to deal with something icky, I breathe deeply and l keep in the present moment. By being mindful, I  get the job done quickly. I put on my professional hat and even if it is at home, I use the experience to improve my knowledge and embrace the ick—even if the knowledge I want to improve is a fascinating icky story to tell at a later date around a camp fire.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/embrace-the-ick/

Using My Brain

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Let’s assume we do, in fact, use only 10% of our brain. If you could unlock the remaining 90%, what would you do with it?

I am unsure I could cope with using 100% of my brain, although I do believe I use more than 10%. I have images of it constantly going and not giving me time to catch up. My brain sometimes seems full now, so how would using more of it change my life. Irrespective, I am up for the challenge and would like to further develop skills using the left and right sides of my brain as they are responsible for different things.

Left Side Brain Right Side Brain
Analytical Believes
Classic Music Big Picture
Control Can Be Absentminded
Critical Thinking Cat Lovers
Details Oriented Colour
Dog Lovers Creative Storyteller
Facts Creativity
Language Dreamer
Logic Emotions
Mathematics Fantasy & Mystery
Order Good at Arts
Organised Good at Sports
Past & Present Images
Patterns Imagination
Perception Intuition
Practical Listen to Music /TV While Studying
Prefers Verbal Instructions Passion
Rarely Absentminded Prefers Visual Instructions
Rational Present & Future
Reason Recognises Faces
Safe Risk Taking
Science Rock Music
Study In Silence Spatial Awareness
Structure Spontaneous & Unpredictable
Write Non-Fiction Thinks Better Lying Down
Write Fiction

 

Going through these lists, makes me realise I do use both sides of my brain. I am mostly a right brain person however, I use more of my left than I first thought. My goal is to develop my current skills further and see where they takes me. Afterall,

“Who knows, but you have to be in it to win it.”

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/brain-power/

Information Overload

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“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” — Gertrude Stein
Do you agree?

From my experience never a truer statement has been said. I am pretty good at processing information and controlling my chaos however, occasionally it takes over. During these times it is usually obvious to everyone by the mess around me. My desk reflects the state of my brain. And suddenly, I don’t make sense. I say and do stupid things. My natural calm disposition has melted away along with my common sense—I don’t think I am alone here either.

So, what do I do?

When I am suffering from information overload, I recognise it quickly. I don’t feel in control. I take myself to a quiet place—even the toilet ill do, stand tall and make big circles with my hands. This centres me and works well. I attribute it to the science behind Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk—Your body language shapes who you are. I love that fact that our mind gives us ways to control information overload—if we let it. Next time you find yourself suffering from information overload —give it a try.

2012-06-24 07.34.33

https://www.inspiringmax.com/change-your-body-position-change-your-life/

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/overload-alert/

Danger

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Tell us about the time you rescued someone else (person or animal) from a dangerous situation. What happened? How did you prevail?

When someone or something needs to be rescued, deal with stress or is in a dangerous situation, everyone has 3 alternatives. Depending on the choices made, our body responds differently allowing us to do what we required them to do.

  • Fight – Attack or do what is necessary to rescue
  • Flight – Run away
  • Fright – Stop and shut down

Fortunately, in my personal life I have never employed any of these options. In my professional life, as a mental health nurse, I have often triggered my fight response. Each time having a positive outcome. I love that by trusting our bodies they give us the ability to do what we need, without us thinking about it.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/daring-do/

Achieving My Dream

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What’s your next, most pressing deadline? Are you excited, stressed, or ambivalent about it? What’s the first thing you’d like to do once you’re done with it?

Goal

As I am currently on holiday in Canada, I don’t like to think about deadlines. Deadlines equal work. However, on my return to Australia I have a major deadline due. In 2015, I am self-publishing my book Inspiring Hope: How Eating Disorder Recovery Is Possible. It has taken me 5 years to write and now I am both excited and petrified, at taking the next step. Despite this, I am motivated and looking forward to seeing the final product.

The next step and my current deadline is to complete editing my manuscript and send it off to the publisher for review. My personal deadline for this is the end of March at the latest, although February would be better. The reason for the large variation is that I want to be able to minimise the stress and make it an enjoyable experience.

Once I am done with this deadline, I am sure I will become the pawn of the publisher as they take control of what I need to do next in preparation for publishing day. While I wait for these instructions however, I will have a glass or two of celebratory champagne.

Deadlines certainly help me in achieving my dream.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/in-due-time/

Change Your Body Position, Change Your Life.

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If I told you about some amazing new research from Harvard that anyone could use, would you? Researchers Amy Cuddy and Dana Carney found changing your body position for as little as two minutes alters the testosterone and cortisol levels in your brain. Known as Power Poses, these changes can be planned or automatic.

Testosterone is the hormone associated with dominance and confidence. Cortisol is the hormone that measures your reactiveness to stress. People with high cortisol and low testosterone levels have little or no confidence and are very reactive to stress. On the other hand, people with low cortisol levels and high testosterone levels, are confident and able to manage stress well. They respond to stress, rather than react to it. Power Poses change the way you interact with yourself and as a result, how you interact with others.

This research is very valuable science. If you choose to use it, it can change you outcomes and your life. Give it a try. Next time you need some support or extra power to get through a difficult situation, try changing your body position. Make yourself big for two minutes. Use the changes in your brain to help you face your situation.

Just as powerful for this research is being aware of your everyday body positions. If you are regularly making yourself small, even by default, remember you are changing your brains chemistry. Get into the habit of sitting up and looking up. Be mindful of your body positions and give yourself an advantage.