When was the last time you took a vacation? According to an article in the Washington Post, “Unlike every other industrialized nation, the United States has no mandatory paid vacation or holiday leave. Workers who have paid leave often don’t take it. And even when we take leave, many of us can’t leave work behind. The technology that lets us work anywhere, anytime, makes it hard to disconnect even when we’re supposed to.” (Miller, 2022) There are some very good reasons for taking vacations – even when the excuses we give for NOT taking time off are pushing at us:
Benefits of Travel
How to Reprogram Your Mind The mind is an activity and not a thing. It’s the language of your thought processes that is revealed through your action. To create a change in your self-image is through repetition of words, focus, and discipline. These mind activating ingredients apply to any mind changing process like convincing yourself that it is OK to take time off! Prior to embarking on changing the negative patterns that are embedded in your subconscious mind, ask yourself the following questions to bring clarity to what you are seeking:
References
Dan Brennan, M. (2021, October 21). How Travel Affects Mental Health. Retrieved from WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-travel-affects-mental-health Miller, K. L. (2022, April 7). Why Americans are bad at taking time off and how to get better at it. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/07/why-americans-dont-take-time-off-work/ Pullman, A. (2019). Reprogram Your Mind to Build Low Self-Esteem. In A. Pullman, Self Esteem and Your Unique Style of Fit (pp. 13-14). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. Why Vacations and Travel are Essential for Good Mental Health. (2022). Retrieved from UAB Medicine: https://www.uabmedicine.org/-/why-vacations-and-travel-are-essential-for-good-mental-health
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Much of the country has been experiencing extreme heat over the past few weeks. Hospital emergency room doctors are reporting increases in heat-related admissions, and fire departments are being kept busy putting out grass fires. There are other issues related to the heat besides the physical ones, however. Your mental health can be affected by the weather, either hot and sunny, or cold and dreary. In a study in 1983, researchers concluded, “Sunshine and happiness are undeniably related. Researchers have long noted what they call the ‘seasonal exacerbations of psychiatric symptoms:’ Mood is worse, and anxiety is higher when the weather turns colder and grayer.” (Brooks, 2021) So, does that mean in order to have good mental health we all need to move to more Southern, temperate climes? Not necessarily. Sure, an initial boost in mental health can be obtained when the weather is nice, but, as Brooks continues to say in his article, “Humans are generally bad at enjoying anything for very long before we become accustomed to it and return to our baseline happiness levels. Researchers warn that the thrill of good weather will wear off in relatively short order.” (Brooks, 2021) In fact, according to research published in an article in The Association for Psychological Science, people are more likely to become irritable and behave aggressively, or event violently, when exposed to excessive heat. Even controlling for factors like age, race and poverty, those cities in warmer regions tend to experience more violent crime than in those located in cooler regions. (Field, 2022) So, what can you do about this? In my book, Your Unique Style of Fit, I explain the process of creating a new belief, which can be applied to helping you work through the various emotional and mental reactions of extreme weather events. “Beliefs are the blueprint – the software – of the unconscious mind. Focus aligns the energy field of the brain, and repeated focus rewires the brain. In this way, belief becomes an anatomical reality. “Beliefs determine what we will or won’t do. What we believe – the meaning we feel certain will come from situations – determines how we behave and what we will do. “You are not ready for a thing until you believe you can acquire it. “Belief can be inscribed by affirmation or repeated instructions to the unconscious or subconscious mind. Repetition of affirmations to your unconscious mind is a powerful method of voluntary development of belief. Any thought that is repeatedly passed on to the unconscious mind is finally accepted. This is as true for wealth accumulation as it is for other consistent repetitions such as crime. (Pullman D. A., How Can You Create a New Belief?, 2019) No matter where you live, the weather will be a factor – cold, hot, or just right. Once you determine how you react to the vagaries in the atmosphere, you will be able to create your own beliefs to help you cope with them. Remember to get help when you need it, and to help others who need it. References
Brooks, A. (2021, November 4). What Winter-Haters Get Wrong. Retrieved from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/moving-weather-sun-happiness Field, B. (2022, April 3). How Weather Changes can Affect Your Mental Health. Retrieved from Verywell Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/how-weather-changes-can-affect-your-mental-health-5222029 Pullman, D. A. (2019). How Can You Create a New Belief? In D. A. Pullman, Your Unique Style of Fit (p. 17). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. Today is the Fourth of July – the day Americans celebrate the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. (Waldstreicher, 2022) It is, however, sometimes difficult to celebrate something if we truly don’t feel it. “Freedom is a state of mind, and in many ways, we unconsciously restrict it. Freedom is not something to be given by others. People are as free as they want to be. However, it is very easy to be un-free, and most of the time we do not even realize that we are limiting our own freedom.” (Gupta, 2020) There are ways to create our personal freedom as our world becomes chaotic. Defining what Freedom means to you is an important first step. My book, Your Unique Style of Fit, is a weight loss book, but the strategies discussed are applicable to other parts of your life, including finding your own freedom. “First, all humans have their own uniqueness and genetic makeup so finding freedom isn’t one size fit all. It is important to explore the inner workings of your mind to find your true authentic self. Second, it takes a certain amount of focus and determination to find freedom, so your mental attitude and self-confidence is imperative in finding your unique style of freedom.” (Pullman A. , Your Unique Style of Fit, 2019) With that said, let’s explore some ways you can find your own freedom. It’s important to think of Freedom in the context of your own personal world, not the world around you. Think about what is directly affecting you: your values, your money, and even your food. These are things you have some control over. Become more valuable, get handy, and discover your weak points. These are things that will directly impact the items in the previous paragraph. Becoming more valuable will make you more desirable at work, providing an opportunity to increase your salary. Becoming handy means things like growing a garden, building simple projects, learning to cook. Once you discover what your weak points are, you can work on strengthening them. Not everybody can do everything, but find the things you are good at and do them. Find the things you are not so good at, and improve your performance in those areas. Finding your own personal freedom will help you face the world in general. Things can get hectic in our larger lives, so sometimes it is important to draw inside, focus on what directly affects you and what you can directly affect. One of the best ways we can create our own personal freedoms is to spend time with ourselves and discover what it is that really makes us feel free. What can we control? What things can we set aside because we have no direct control over them? A final thought from my book, Unique Style of Fit: Life Favors the Brave. We live in a world of challenges that test all human beings’ emotional strengths daily. It’s our faith and belief in oneself whether we give up on life or face the situation. Life appears scary when we run away from the situation. The challenges get bigger when we are not prepared in life. References
Gupta, S. (2020, August 10). 5 Unconscious Ways We Limit Our Own Freedom. Retrieved from Deploy Yourself: https://www.deployyourself.com/deploy-yourself/5-unconscious-ways-we-limit-freedom/ Pullman, A. (2019). Your Unique Style of Fit. In A. Pullman, Your Unique Style of Fit (pp. 1-2). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. Waldstreicher, D. L. (2022, May 4). Independence Day. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Independence-Day-United-States-holiday |
AuthorI am a Performance Enhancement Specialist with a background in Emergency Psychiatric Medicine and Community Addiction. Archives
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