Tag: skills

Mental- Health

Have you trained your brain today?

dianangelika0607

05/06/22

The brain is our most important organ, which allows us to interact with our environment. It regulates the psychological processes such as memory, attention, perception, emotion, language, thought, and learning.

Therefore, training our brain daily is essential, and there are different strategies to boost its performance.

Practicing new activities such as learning a new language, studying, or reading a book allows our brain to remain active and dynamic, which makes this new approach stimulate its function.

Another strategy is to exercise. Just as the body training to tone a muscle, in the same way doing physical activity stimulates our brain. When exercising, hormones such as dopamine, endorphin, oxytocin, and serotonin are released. They are responsible for sensations such as feeling pleasure or happiness. Hence exercise contributes not just to our physical health but also, it’s essential to our mental health.

Doing meditation and mindfulness is another way to keep the brain sharp. Seeking a state of consciousness and focusing our mind on the here and now facilitate reaching a complete state of concentration, stimulating attention, memory, perception, or thought abilities.

Establishing healthy relationships is essential to training the brain. We say that toxic relationships are not beneficial for our mental health. For that reason, it is vital to build networks that generate emotional stability. These relationships are not only about our close contacts with family, friends, or co-workers. It is when we consult information such as social networks. All extrinsic stimuli influence how our brain processes, internalize and subsequently extracts information.

Another way to keep our brain sharp is by doing puzzles, word searches, crosswords, sudoku, and other challenging activities that get the brain active. These hobbies are exceptionally functional for the elderly because they aim to train their brains in abilities such as memory. It is also a way to invest time in entertaining and stimulating activities.

Finally, having a healthy diet keeps our brain active and improves our internal processes such as memory and emotion regulation; thus, foods rich in vitamins or minerals help boost our mental skills.

Therefore, to train our brain, we can rely on different strategies and daily habits which aim at our physical and mental well-being. But is there a specific formula? My answer is negative; the important thing is finding the best strategy that helps each person to find their biopsychosocial well-being and balance.

DARR.

Community, knowledge, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success, Wellness

How To Overcome Negative Answers?

dianangelika0607

27/06/21

Have you found situations where the response that you get is “no”? How many times you’ve had face circumstances where things don’t go on your way? Or you have to change your mind and find a plan B.

People are in a constant search of goals and self-realization as it is posed in Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Theory: “In his quest to understand human motivation and the pursuit of happiness, he formulated a list of basic human needs that had to be fulfilled for maximum psychological health. Through his interviews and studies, he came to categorize a hierarchical list of needs that need to be fulfilled for increasing life satisfaction” (https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/abraham-maslow). Those needs are Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization.

Thus, people in their different states are searching to fulfill their aims, nevertheless, they don’t always achieve them easily. They need to deal with those challenges, frustrations, and negative answers that make their lives more complex and tough. For example, getting a job, walking into the University, traveling to a different country, or finding the love of our lives, they’re different circumstances that we don’t always get on the first attempt.

When we find these situations, people can take them as a challenge in their lives and search for different strategies or resources to cope with them; however, other people prefer to give up their objectives, and desisting due to they could be perceiving that this is the best and an easy way to face them.

Tolerance to frustration is a great ally in these cases and reinvention capacity too. Many times, we’re waiting for that important answer from the job that we want, the acceptance to study at a university, or other situations where the response isn’t that we wanted and all of our projects and perspectives fall like a house of cards because we couldn’t accomplish that goal as we wanted to do. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is lost, you just have to wait or do a different maneuver to get to your goal.   

Another point is “resilience” which “can be defined as reduced vulnerability to environmental risk experiences, the overcoming of stress or adversity, or a relatively good outcome despite the risk experiences” (Michael Rutter), In other words, when one door closes, another opens or every cloud has a silver lining. Many sayings have a relation with these situations and can give us motivation in those cases, then our role is to know how to play this game where we can go back and forth or face an intricate set of obstacles which we can find on our way but finally, they could become in opportunities in the future.

Perseverance, optimism, and constancy are elements that we can use in these situations and another important point is being surrounded by people who contribute to you, positive people who can give you a hand in those difficult times. Sadly, some people rejoice at our failures and when we have these types of people in our environment, the best thing is to get away from them. Toxic relationships aren’t healthy.

Not everything is lost, maybe we have to take more steps or walking across the long way but it doesn’t mean that we have a flop, contrary to this we’ve gained many lessons and we can learn from this the path that we decide to cross. Every day we can find new experiences, many times it’s good to think out of the box and take risks and never give up our purposes in the first attempt, we will always find solutions to hurdle those difficulties.

I know we can feel frustration, disappointment and rage since things aren’t always easy and we can’t avoid struggling with them, but the most important thing is to overcome those negative answers and belief in ourselves and our capacities to achieve our goals because after a storm comes a calm.

DARR.

Community, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success, Wellness

The Pursuit Of Happiness

dianangelika0607

09/04/21

The satisfaction a person feels when they reach a goal is a sensation which it’s hard to explain but it’s the reward after facing barriers and obstacles that they can find in their way. I remember the last scene of the movie “The pursuit of Happiness” where the protagonist characterized by Will Smith achieved his goal. After many failures and frustrations, some doors closed and losses like his job, relationship, home and stability, he could face those difficulties using different resources, perseverance and the desire to be a better man.

How many times have you been feeling like that guy? Sometimes we can lose hope and the wish to pursue that dream, things don’t go our way and we just need to roll with the punches. I know, this is a huge challenge and mostly these days, where we’re living a period totally unthinkable. The pandemic has unchained mental diseases, people have suffered from different disorders and behaviors like anxiety, increased levels of alcohol and drugs use for mentioning some of them. There are people more vulnerable than others on manifesting different conducts and in those cases it’s really important that the person has support networks. The ideal thing is that the person could be resilient like Chris Gardner, the main character of the movie that I mentioned above and who live difficult times but he could deal with them. However, not everyone counts with those skills and mental power therefore it’s important having into account social networks and other external helps. The success is having a balance between our thoughts and actions.

I’m aware that people have to face different problems and I can’t underestimate their issues, in my country there is this saying: “No one knows the thirst with which other drinks”. We have to be empathetic and try to put ourselves in the position of someone because life takes many turns and if we can help someone and give support, it’s welcome.

I would like to give you an advice in these difficult times. I’ve had moments where I would have liked to throw in the towel. The harshest situation which I had to deal was when my mom passed away in December 2019 and two months later the pandemic started, besides along my husband we had to face issues as immigrants which were not easy, then I had times of ups and downs; actually, right now not everything is perfect but I can tell you that things have improved a bunch and the way I chose as strategy was to reinvent myself. So, people can see themselves on the verge of the misfortune and one choice is to run away and falter but the other option is to cope with those difficult times, there is nothing more rewarding than feeling an immense satisfaction when managing to overcome an obstacle, it’s like Chris Gardner in the ending scene where he feels an extreme and powerful happiness after having struggled intensely.

Then, my buddies, I know life has challenges and we have to deal with hurdles but if you want to reach the peak of the mountain you have to prepare for that.  Finally, I want to wrap up with this quote by As Alistair MacLeond that I found totally inspiring: “No one has ever said that life is to be easy. Only that it’s to be lived”. What do you think? I would like to read you in the comments.

DARR.

 

Community, covid 19, Hobbies, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success, Wellness

How To Build Auto Motivation?

dianangelika0607

17/01/21

These days when we’ve been suffering from the inclemency and consequences from a ruthless virus and we’ve changed our perspective to see the world and also our projects, goals and dreams have had to wait or maybe we’ve had to take a step forward and change our mindset and perception of everything. Then, I ask myself: How are people facing this situation? Every individual is different and there are extrovert and introvert people. How people who used to do activities every day, socializing and interacting with others, suddenly they had to change their routines and follow the guideline “stay at home” and “curfew”?

Probably for some people to deal with this reality have been easier than others. However, it’s clear that the monotony and routine trigger different behaviors and on some occasion mental diseases and disorders.  

I have a friend who had Covid-19 and days after he developed bipolar disorder (he had a history of this disease). I don’t know if that was a consequence of the lockdown that he had to face or just a coincidence. Luckily, he’s now in rehabilitation and recovering slowly.    

Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining and just as there are wayward people whose actions go against the laws and rules on the other hand many people are creating strategies to motivate each other in a healthy way. For example, this week I watched a catchy video on YouTube called “The Wellerman” which is a sea shanty “a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany rhythmical labor on board large merchant sailing vessels”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_shanty.

“Nathan Evans, a 26-year-old postman and aspiring musician from outside Glasgow, is credited with having started the “ShantyTok” trend with his rousing rendition of Wellerman, posted in late December (…)

In the US and UK, Wellerman’s surprise popularity is being held up as evidence of the mental toll of months-long lockdown (…)  the Covid lockdowns have put millions of young [people] into a similar situation that young whalers were in 200 years ago: confined for the foreseeable future, often far from home, running out of necessities, always in risk of sudden death, and spending long hours with no communal activities to cheer them up.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/15/shantytok-how-a-19th-century-seafaring-epic-inspired-a-covid-generation

This hopeful song shows me another face in how people cope with their problems. This is the link to this addictive song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsurPg9Ckw

As well as that catchy song I have seen other resources which help people to be aware of their emotions and address the current crisis using some alternatives through activities like: dancing, painting, singing, cooking, doing exercise, reading or assisting to virtual courses to mentioned some of them. Personally, I have developed some habits like reading, cooking and doing exercise. I love to do spinning on my static bike, I just play a song which has flow and I do my routines, when I’m on my bike my mind flies and my endorphins are released. Of course, all of this depends on each person’s preferences, resources and interests.

My fellas, I recommend you to use your skills and resources, we are all different for sure, but using communication and talking about your feelings and thoughts. If you have access to the Internet take advantage of social media, there are value information that can help you to deal with this difficult period and finally, I always write about this point but I prefer to repeat it over and over again: use your social networks i.e., family, friends, coworkers, fellows, community, etc.

Last but not least, I want to dedicate this post to my friend AD and all people who had lost hope sometime in this difficult time. Well, I wrap up this write for today. Have a good one.

DARR.

Community, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success, Wellness

New Year’s Resolutions

dianangelika0607

10/01/21

Today is January 10th and it’s the first full week of 2021. So, time flies! And I want to ask you something: Do you have new year’s resolutions? Do you have some goals and targets for this new year?

I believe when the new year starts, we have enough motivation to begin something new like a project, maybe a diet or some physical training, perhaps to start a new course or studying a new language. Probably this year is different because it started with the challenge to face the situation of the pandemic and I know that it’s tough because we don’t have the same conditions as a normal year. Also, many of us had to deal with changes and losses last year left which entails that our emotions and motivations aren’t the same. However, from my perspective it’s really important to recharge our energy and make use of most of our skills and resources, also trying to acquire new habits and abilities with the purpose of shooting for the stars.

I believe that the barriers that people find in their ways to do something new can be from the environment but many times they are in their minds and the pretexts we use to justify our actions: “I don’t have time” and “I don’t have money” the two typical excuses that we have and I’m pretty sure that they can be true but many times it’s our mindset. Regarding to this I remember two important concepts which have relation with the previously written: Fixed mindset and Growing mindset: A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way, and success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence, an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard (…); A “growth mindset,” on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities. (https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/). Thus, those challenges and difficulties make the people have the thirst and enthusiasm to will something when they have a growing mindset and at the same the capacity to leave the comfort zone.

When people face something new there are insecurities in doing that, we feel fear of those stimuli which sometimes freeze us but at the same this anxiety drives us and moves us. Do you know that the word motivation is derived from the Latin word “movere”? Which means to move (Huber, 2006, p. 481). The word motivation gets its origin from the root word “motive” meaning the reason we do what we do (McLean, 2006). (http://motivationisfundamental.blogspot.com/p/motivation-relationship-to-learning.html).

Then, my advice is to start this new cycle with motivation and the best thoughts. Time is money and we have to take advantage of it, it’s better to regret what is done than what isn’t done. The most valuable approach is the way we take advantage of our time and the experiences that we have. So, which are your resolutions? Do you have a fixed mindset or growing mindset?

Finally, I want to share a link about this interesting topic of Fixed Mindset and Growing Mindset as a complement to my post:

Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives

Have a great day my friends!

DARR.

Community, covid 19, Cultures, Hobbies, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success

Tis The Season

dianangelika0607

27/11/20

It’s November and we’re close to the end of the year. This year has been something special with a lot of challenges, changes and learnings.

I was thinking that time flies and I remember the celebrations when I was child and I was with my cousins surrounding the Christmas tree and waiting for the gifts at midnight. Also, it was a pleasure to see the fireworks and to play with the sparkles and other pyrotechnic games. Enjoying the Christmas carols and eating buñuelos and natilla, traditional Colombian food during this season. It’s really remarkable how those celebrations strengthen family ties and show the value of having special people close to us. However, the circumstances can change and at the present with pandemic time those gatherings and encounters face to face are difficult. In my case, I have a family far away from me and I have to think that our Christmas will be virtual and it’s strange, isn’t it? This period of time is teaching us to be creative, resilient and with a tough mental capacity to face those situations. There are people who don’t care about this reality but to others it is important to be close to their beloveds due to their traditions or culture. Nonetheless, sometimes it is complicated to have what we want for example: the last iPhone, the beautiful dress from the store or the trip to that stunning beach, there are cases where we need to wait.

Sometimes I believe this is a period of reflection and some people say that is a message from nature or the environment, where we need to change our selfish, violent and give a damn attitude. I know there are people who don’t care about anything and they have the most incredible and odd behaviors. From time to time I watch the news and I believe that I’ve seen everything when suddenly I watch another incredible headline with weird histories and I say to myself “That’s why this is happening to us”. I know! Human behavior is really complex but our environment and reality can help to trigger mental diseases. By the way, I invite you to read my post called Mental Health in Pandemic time that has relation to this topic: https://dianix.news.blog/2020/10/31/mental-health-in-pandemic-time/?

Anyway, Christmas is a time of peace, love and reflection. This year we need to make the most out of it, 2020 has been a year which invites us to reflect a lot. It’s possible that some projects and goals that we had this year will need to wait but I’m sure that we developed other skills and achieved new targets.

I believe that everything has an explanation and if this is not the case then it has a lesson and this year is a period of teachings, adaptation, reinvent and meditation for sure.

Finally, I want to dedicate this post to the special people who I know: my dad, husband, relatives, friends and global citizens. I wish you the best today and always. Take care of yourself in this last season.   

DARR.