Finding the Flow

We complete our education and then dive into the workforce, but what do we do in-between that makes us happy? If your job/career fulfills your every imaginative thought and brings you joy, then you have turned your passion into your career. But if you have a job that doesn’t necessarily give you a sense of elation, then having outside hobbies becomes an important aspect to ones happiness. It’s easy to get caught up in a rut of perpetual monotony when you have work hours that don’t change and responsibilities that you must adhere to on a daily basis. That’s why freeing yourself from life’s various stressors and indulging in pastimes that bring you a sense of joy can be more beneficial than you think. A relatively new branch of psychology called, “positive psychology” studies what makes life worthwhile. In this branch of psychology, pleasures are said to be the activities that bring fun to life and can help with relaxation and allow enjoyment for a time period. If you’ve ever engaged in an activity where you are completely in tune with the task and have lost track of time, then you’ve probably been in a state of flow. The activity that positive psychologist refer to as “gratifications”, cause the person who’s engaged to feel removed from stress and reach a near meditative state. This might occur with a person painting a beautiful scene on canvas, an amateur chef cooking a gourmet meal, or a fishing enthusiast merely fishing in a sparkling lake. The activity that brings about these feelings is subjective, so find the one that brings joy into your life and find the flow!

Mindful Practices to De-Stress and Simplify Your Life!

August 1st starts “Simplify Your Life Week! It’s time to de-clutter, organize and take charge of the messy areas in your life. Time is a precious commodity to most Americans which means time management is an important concept to implement. Time management can be an effective tool to achieve more if the concentration is on the results and not just being busy. According to Elizabeth Scott M.S, an award winning blogger and author in health psychology, there are many ways that we can simplify our lives just by following a few simple principles. Scott suggests cutting superfluous activities from your schedule if you feel too overwhelmed. Although everything seems important in some respect (or else it wouldn’t be on your mind to get done), try to cut out things according to their priority level. Even if that means you might feel like you are going to disappoint people, making these sacrifices can help you develop a more manageable schedule. Another way to simplify your life is to multi-task, however the key is to know when to do it. A risk of multi-tasking can be poor cognitive performance, which makes sense since your focus is on multiple tasks and not centered on mastering one. A way to effectively multi-task, Scott suggests, is to pair one thought-intensive activity with a mostly physical one. An example of this would be walking on the treadmill while discussing plans with your significant other. If finances are a messy area in your life, focus on creating a system that works for you. Whether that be creating a monthly budget and sticking to it or switching from credit cards to charge card, which means you must pay the balance in full every month, find what works for you. Maybe tax time or warranties are an issue for you. In that case, consider creating a filing system that organizes your important warranties and receipts for deductible merchandise. An important area to focus on while you are striving to simplify your life is to live in the moment. If you are taking up space in your mind re-living past stress or worried about future stress you are not giving yourself the ability to fully engage and appreciate “the now”. Take in every moment and free up space in your mind to concentrate on the task at hand, chances are you’ll achieve more in less time. As many people can attest, if they’ve ever had a “nervous stomach” your thoughts can manifest and elicit a physical response. However, chronic stress can be much more detrimental to one’s health. So simplifying one’s life can not only benefit they’re cognitive state but also reward their health. For tips on meditation follow the link below. Remember this first week in August can be the month that you make lasting change that can affect your life forever! http://zenhabits.net/meditation-for-beginners-20-practical-tips-for-quieting-the-mind/