#also if this does not apply to you scroll past ty

[scuderia-hamilton]

my favourite brand of Carlos fans are the ones who post shit like "he was cast aside" "they didn't appreciate him & he was so loyal" "he gave everything to the team" and then proceed to quote 'You're On Your Own, Kid' by Taylor Swift 💀 when in reality all that happened was, his contract wasn't renewed and they even told him a year in advance, not every team does that. he was never alone btw, he's literally a nepo baby. and he's gonna be fine, he'll most definitely go to Audi, why do you act like he got banned from racing or something?? seriously get a grip omg. or the ones saying that he's gonna stop being a team player now. tell me when he started, cause i must've missed that part. he's still racing for Ferrari, he either follows orders or they put Schwartzman in the car. it's not rocket science. y'all put this made up image of this man on such a high pedestal it's concerning. he doesn't need to be protected, he's a 30 year old grown man. Ferrari's PR team made up this image of him and Charles being besties, when they're colleagues AT BEST. you being this attached to a made up friendship is an entirely you problem. this is still a sport, not a TV show or a boyband. drivers will change teams, this is how it works. and he's arguably, not a horrible driver, but some of you act like replacing him with THE Lewis Hamilton, the best driver of all time, is a downgrade. be fucking for real right now. y'all can talk when he has as many wins as Lewis has championships. or saying that they should've kept him instead of Charles, when Charles outperformed him (again) even though he was the only non-rbr driver to win a GP last season. Charles, despite that, still finished higher than him. i stayed silent for a long time, but the shit some of you are saying, is honestly disgusting. stop making up this false narrative that some of you are delusional enough to believe in. you don't have to be happy about the switch, but be decent about it. i draw the line at calling Lewis racial slurs and joking about Charles' family. you don't have to like them, but at least be respectful, even in your haterism. i can scroll past posts that criticize Lewis or Charles, but not when i see some of you doing shit like that. find some shame.

[legendofzoodles]

LU Character Design Analysis 8

In case you haven’t seen the previous posts yet, I’m doing this thing where I’m analysing and subsequently ranking all the designs of the chain in LU. I was going to do it 2 at a time, but I’ve got so much to say that I’m doing it one a time.

All the designs are really good, it was hard to come up with a decent ranking system that I was happy with and even harder to apply it. The numbers I scored them are subjective and any one of them can be debated.

Getting close to the top spot now...

2nd place: Legend

This design phenomenal. That’s it, that’s the intro. Scroll down to read about how great it is.

Pros: One look at this and you could say it’s a mess, and it is to an extent, but unlike Wild it not only looks amazing it all makes sense. This chaotic jumble of unconventional colours looks super unique and it makes him stand out the most amongst the chain. It does look a little silly (although that’s pretty subjective and I’d argue he looks great, hence the aesthetic score of 9) but this is Legend we’re talking about. He doesn’t give a fuck what others think! He’s a veteran who through years of experience is in possession numerous valuable and helpful items. Not only that, but he also knows their strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand and therefore knows exactly what to wear, what to use and when it’s best to do so.

Basically, don’t question his judgement. He’s the only one who can get away with not wearing trousers, armour and arm guards, because he’s decked out in numerous magic rings, bracelets and necklaces. In a sense he’s better protected than even Time. Why would he bother with bulky armour when he can wear comfortable easy to move in clothes and have his magic jewellery do its thing?

I know his design was mainly inspired by one game sprite, but can I just gush about what a great choice that was?! The dark green undershirt (underdress? Undertunic?) reflects his jaded and cynical personality. The fact that it has a hint of green in it implies that he was once naive and full of hope but with each adventure (one being much more traumatic than the others) a bit of that childish wonder was taken from him. This links him to Time, who also wears a very similar looking dark undershirt, except his is black.

So where Legend has a bit of innocence left and can maybe get back the part of himself that he’s locked away, Time on the other hand by now is too far gone.

The red tunic has gold accents on it, which seem frivolous and unnecessarily intricate at first, but the fact that they are so detailed ties in well with all the small pieces of gold jewellery he’s wearing. The sleeves of the tunic are very similar to Hyrule’s which is a cute nod to the fact that Hyrule is Legend’s successor. The deep maroon colour reflects his fiery and prickly temperament, but it’s a warm tone shows that at his core he’s a really nice person and is so outspoken because he cares. It also looks nice against the dark undershirt and contrasts the light blue hat nicely. Speaking of...

Yes! Finally! Ladies and Gentlemen, I am excited to present to you our first and only hat wearer of the chain! And it looks so good on him! It has a dark green strip, the same colour as the dark undershirt tying it nicely into the whole outfit and making sure it does feel out of place. I’m not sure why only Legend wears his hat- like sure he’s the veteran, he’s been doing this hero thing longer then any of them, but still.

The hat is iconic, other than the green tunic it helps distinguish Link from every other fantasy protagonist. Just imagine how much stranger the chain would look to others and how much they’d stand out if they all wore a variation of the hat.

His hair is another cool thing I like, it’s longer and straighter than most of the others, and is styled with a pretty edgy side part. I can easily see Legend running a bejewelled hand through the hair to push it out of his face. The pink streak is such a fun detail and a subtle nod to his Link to the Past sprite as well as being a not so subtle hint to the bunny incident. Also, the pink strip is echoed by the pink his gold bracelet. The hair looks a little bit spiky, again reflecting his prickly character.

His facial expressions do this too! The narrowed, slightly downwards slanted eyes give off the vibe of a worldy wise traveller who’s tired as hell but still goes along with the flow of adventure. I haven’t talked much about their facial expressions, but Legend makes some of the best faces in the comic hands down.

Another thing I haven’t talked about much is builds, and Legend’s slightly thinner frame compared to the other older members makes sense since he relies more on his items rather than natural abilities. Which arguably isn’t really a good thing because if he were ever stripped of those items then he’d be at a severe disadvantage.

The belt looks great, it’s simple and I like the gold add-ons it has (it’s probably another magic item). To be honest it looks like the most securely fastened belt out of the entire chain. Which is good because Legend’s tunic(s) are not only the longest of the chain but they’re flared too, so he needs that support or it’ll get in the way during combat.

He’s wearing the pegasus boots I think. I like the style, they look sturdy but the white wings and patterns make me believe they could easily propel you into the air.

Cons: I don’t really have anything bad to say about it.

If I was being really nitpicky I’d say that it would be best if he wore trousers, or leggings. That’s speaking purely practically and even then there’s not much reason to complain because again, this is Legend, he is not to be questioned. Aesthetically the bare legs work because of the long tunic and if the trousers were dark too his legs would be harder to spot. He is called Legend after all.

Maybe it would be better if he had arm guards and gloves too? Not for protection, but just to make holding his sword more comfortable. But that’s not a big deal.

Wishlist: My only wish would be more. I want more of this!

Legend is the sort of character to always switch up what he’s wearing to give himself the best advantage for different situations, so I’d love to see him constantly changing his outfit. Perhaps with different items, or changing the colour of his hat or sometimes wearing different earrings for a more subtle change.

As long as his silhouette is relatively unchanged, Jojo could go nuts coming up with more wacky outfits for him. Even if you’re depressed you can still be well dressed amirite?  

Score:

Aesthetic and visual score (/10): 9 Character representation score (/5): 5 Practicality score (/5): 4 Total (/20): 18

It’s simple yet it’s not simple. Kinda like Legend, who seems like one-note at first, but he’s actually got a lot going on underneath all the snark. And I’m here for that.

~~~

Thanks for reading! You know by now who’s number one, so for the last post of this list I’ll explain my top choice and briefly summarize my overall thoughts.

What modifications would you make to their designs? And do you agree with me or not? I’d love to know :)

Masterlist

9th place in the character design ranking

8th place

7th place

6th place

5th place

4th place

3rd place

1st place

Character analysis posts:

Hero of the Sky, Hero of Time, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Wild, Hero of Warriors

[luvdsc]

tag games ;

tagging :: @eggyukhei ; @jaemericano ; @aqiaquas ; @forehead-enthusiast ; @choerrypuffs ; @latetaektalk ; @winetae ; @taeyongtime ; @nochanchu 🌼

—

TAG GAME ONE

tagged by :: @njmin thank you, lovebug! ✨

— tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

omg ok it was april 2014, and I was procrastinating on homework and scrolling through youtube. shinee’s lucifer mv was recommended for some reason, and I was intrigued, so I clicked on it. From there, it just spiraled out of control. I was blown away like there’s this one dance move where they all lined up and taemin does this hand motion so fluidly and I was like “this is it.” More shinee mvs were recommended after I clicked that one, so I kept going and watching all the other ones until I watched them all. Their music is just so different and unique, like even after all this time, I can’t find another kpop group who mimics the music style of shinee. and all their solos are absolutely god tier, too!!! they really are gonna be my first and last kpop group. shinee withstood through my stan eras for other groups. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being their fan.

I also found snsd through shinee because their mvs were recommended after I clicked lucifer too. the first one I saw is the iconic gee. taeyeon stood out to me in those mvs. her voice is so distinct, and I’ve been a fan of her ever since. She didn’t have a solo then, but I searched up all her drama osts, song features, everything because I loved her voice so much even back then. so yeah, taeyeon and shinee will forever be my faves, and I love them a lot 💓

TAG GAME TWO

tagged by :: @latetaektalk thank you, linh !! 💖

rule :: answer the ten questions and write your own!

— how are you today?

I’m doing really good! I’m enjoying my summer, and my day is pretty lax. I’ve been facetiming friends, watching chopped, making banh bao with my mom, and doing my daily cardio ✨

— what book has had the biggest impact on your life?

the princess knight by cornelia funke. my elementary school did this thing where your parents can buy a book to donate to the school library under your name for your birthday. this was the book my sister chose for me when I was in kindergarten. I loved that book; I borrowed it so many times and kept rereading it. It’s a children’s picture book about a princess who secretly learns how to joust. the king tries to give her hand in marriage to the knight who wins the competition, but she defeats them all and chooses to marry the gardener’s son who she loves 💕

— what is something you think everybody should have done once in their life?

Travel. There’s just something so wonderful about going to a new place, whether that’s halfway across the world or just the town a few states over. It’s a lovely feeling embarking on an adventure to a place unknown to you where you can meet new people, try new foods even if it’s just a random dish at a restaurant you’ve never been to, and make memories with strangers that no one back home ever has to know about. There’s just something intriguing about being able to go somewhere else and be someone else for an hour or a day or a week before you return back home.

— what story are you the most proud of and why?

on my previous blog, I wrote a fic called the universe of us, and it’s 21k+ wc. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into that fic, and although I can’t read it now without cringing, I really am super proud of myself for pulling through and writing that. The concept of it was unique, in my opinion, and I would love to rewrite it someday! 💫

on this blog, I am most proud of the dumbing down of love. that fic is personal to me because it is literally comprised of my college experiences in written format and the characters embody my friends. I wrote that over the span of 3-4 nights, and that’s the fastest I’ve ever written a fic of that length. the words just flowed so easily for that fic, and the quesadilla scene was the first thing I wrote, and I’m quite proud of that scene!! 💓

— what has made you really happy recently?

I graduated uni!!!!! 💛💛

— what is the first thing you want to do after this whole pandemic is over and it’s safe to go out again?

I want to eat sushi LOL I haven’t had it in four months, and I’m craving it so badly.... I also want to go out with my friends again! I miss being able to see them everyday and our late night shenanigans ):

— if you had to make a soundtrack/playlist based on your life, how would you call it and which songs would you include?

honestly, these are just a bunch of my favorite songs throughout my entire life. some of them don’t relate to me personally, but I remember listening them on repeat, and I still know all the lyrics to them 💘

title: cue the soundtrack of my life

songs: complicated ⋆ avril lavigne ⋮ check yes, juliet ⋆ we the kings ⋮ the way i loved you ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ a daydream away ⋆ all time low ⋮ that’s what you get ⋆ paramore ⋮ i won’t give up ⋆ jason mraz ⋮ holy ground ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ lucifer ⋆ shinee ⋮ don’t go ⋆ exo m ⋮ 1000 years ⋆ shinee ⋮ breathe ⋆ taeyeon & jonghyun ⋮ coffee ⋆ bts ⋮ you are in love ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ walk you home ⋆ nct dream ⋮ i ⋆ taeyeon ⋮ tell me what to do ⋆ shinee ⋮ mad city ⋆ nct 127 ⋮ gravity ⋆ taeyeon ⋮ blueprint ⋆ stray kids

— what is your favourite breakfast food?

omg it’s this one dish that I order every time I go to the diner near my university, and it’s a smoked salmon eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce and hash browns 🤩🤩

— how did you get into writing and is it something you would like to do as your job?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, and my teachers sent me to the young authors’ faire every year from kindergarten to 8th grade. You don’t really get to write creative stories in class when you’re older though, and I stumbled upon fanfiction, and here we are. It’s not something I want to do as my job though. Writing is simply a fun pastime and hobby for me!! If I was forced to write or profit off of it, then that’d take fun out of it ):

— did you remember to drink enough water today?

yes, I did!! I make sure to drink 6-8 large cups of water a day :’) stay hydrated!!! 🤍

my questions for you:

what’s your favorite jelly bean flavor?

if you hated your child, what name would you give them?

do you pour cereal first or milk first?

do you like pineapple on your pizza?

if you could be a celebrity for the day, who would you be and why?

what are three dealbreakers for you in a relationship?

what’s your favorite word and why?

would you rather punch your ult bias in the face full force or lick the porta potty that hasn’t been cleaned after Coachella weekend?

which song(s) would you cut out from nct’s discography?

what’s the most unique/interesting food you’ve ever eaten?

TAG GAME THREE

tagged by :: @pwarkhans ty, sweetpea! 🌸

rule :: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

[beanfic]

New Roommates - Ch.7

Word Count: 1357

Warnings: Language and none!!

Author’s Note: Here is the last chapter of my YouAU! This was my entry for Kansas’ writing challenge!! Hopefully you enjoyed this series!!! 

“You actual piece of ass,” I mumbled to myself as the eyeliner I was trying to apply did not come out evenly. The right eye was perfect, the wing was the perfect length and flicked just the right amount. Every single time I tried to do the left eye and get it to match the right it would either end up too thick or at the wrong angle. I was about to just take it all off and not wear any eyeliner.

I was already stressed out about my first official date with Josh, and the frustration of the makeup was pushing me over the edge. I sucked in a deep breath and held it for ten seconds before letting it out slowly through my nose. I looked into my hazel eyes and as carefully as I could I tried to slowly attempt my left eye again.

“Yes,” I sighed in relief as it came out symmetrical to the other. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty dang close. I finished my eye makeup with a few swipes of mascara and finished with some highlighter and setting spray. 

My hair was straightened, which definitely meant it was a special occasion since I usually wore it natural, and a half up in a ponytail. I wore a white sweater tucked into a pair of dark wash girlfriend jeans and paired with my white Nikes. I finished it off with hoop earrings and a necklace that my Mom had given me. I looked casual but nice. Date casual, I guess?

I wanted to get a second opinion on my outfit but unfortunately for me, Kae was at work and the only person who was home right now was Tyler. I guess he was going to have to do. I waltzed over to his room and knocked on his bedroom door. He opened it pretty quicky and nodded as I stood in the doorframe.

“How do I look?” I asked. I spun in a tiny circle. 

“You look like you are ready to go on a date with my best friend!” he chucked. I shot him a glare. 

“C’mon, Ty! For real, is this nice enough?”

“Yes, Sav! You look great and I know Josh will love it. What are you guys doing anyway?” 

“He got us reservations at Benihana!”

Tyler clapped excitedly - I guess Kae was rubbing off on him - as he started to rant about how they make a train with the onions and smoke comes out of it. I was started to space off as I realized what I was doing. I was going on a date with my roommate.

“Hey, Tyler?” I interrupted him.

“Yeah?”

“Am I doing the right thing?”

“What do you mean?” Tyler backed up into his room and sat on the bed. He patted the seat next to him a few times, inviting me to join him.

“Like, I know how he is notorious for sleeping around and I just don’t want to be another girl to him. I don’t want to get hurt,” I admitted.

Tyler took in a deep breath, “Sav, I’m being a hundred percent honest right now but Josh really likes you. I haven’t seen him act the way about someone as he does to you in a long time. He has had serious girlfriends in the past who had screwed him over, which is why he is so hesitant about keeping a relationship, but the fact he wants to with you means that he is serious about it.”

“Really?” I smiled to myself.

“Yes, Sav! Plus it is almost as if you were made for him. Like, yes, you guys fight but also you both have the same sense of humor and complete each other? I don’t know how to describe it but Josh truly seems happier ever since you moved in.”

“Thank you, Tyler. This made me feel a lot better. I think I am going to go get a glass of water, do you want anything?” I asked but he shook his head. I thanked Tyler again for the little pep talk before heading out to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed the tub of filtered water and started to pour myself a glass as the front door opened.

“Sav!” Josh announced as he locked the door behind him. “You look beautiful.”

I could feel my cheeks blush. “Thank you, Josh.” 

“I know I am running a little bit late but just give me fifteen minutes to get ready!” He rushed down the hall towards his room. I sighed again as the feeling of anxiety filled my stomach. Maybe I would feel better if I talked to Josh directly with how I was feeling, and how scared I was.

I headed into his room and sat on his bed while he was in the bathroom getting changed. I tugged on a few strings that were hanging off of my sweater sleeve until Josh opened up the bathroom door. He must have not been expecting me because he ended up jumping at the sight of me.

“Sav!” Josh placed his hand over his heart as he caught his breath. “You scared me.”

I giggled, “I’m sorry! I just came here to talk.”

“Talk?” He raised his eyebrow.

“I’m just nervous, and scared,” I admitted. The word scared came out in a whisper.

“Why?” Josh’s eyes softened and walked over to where I was sitting on the bed. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to his body. “What’s up?”

“I just am afraid,” I exhaled deeply. “I’m afraid that I am just going to be another hookup, and I shouldn’t be dating my roommate, and you don’t feel the same way I do about you.”

“Sav, Sav, shh, it’s okay.” Josh turned so that he was facing me. “I went through a really bad breakup and those hookups were just used as a coping mechanism, a bad one at that. I’ll admit that, but the day I first met you I knew there was something special about you. I know it sounds so fucking cheesy but I swear there was a spark.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do, Sav! You’re beautiful, and you have this laugh that can light up an entire room. You and I have this connection, and I don’t only want to be your boyfriend, but your best friend too.” 

“I just don’t want to get hurt.” It was scary admitting that, but I needed to be open.

“I won’t, Sav. I won’t hurt you. You mean so much to me, and I know I messed up with trying to make you jealous but I just want to make you happy.” 

“This means a lot, Josh. I want to make you happy too.”

Josh leaned in and planted me a soft kiss on my forehead. “I should hurry up so we aren’t late.”

I nodded in agreement, “I’m ready so I guess I’m just waiting for you, slowpoke,” I teased. I scrolled through Tumblr while Josh did finishing touches on his outfit. He was wearing a nice black button-up shirt with skinny jeans. Fancy casual, as I like to call it. His cologne wafted through the room as he sprayed it, filling my nose with the familiar scent. 

“Ready to go?” he questioned. I answered with a smile and grabbed my purse. Josh let me play my music in the car, so I tortured him with some Panic! I found it funny since he knew Brendon personally. 

The dinner was very nice. Josh and I were able to talk to each other without the interruption of anyone else and share different life stories. Laughs were laughed and smiles were smiled while the food was being prepared in front of us. It was delicious, and I wish I had more of the fried rice, it was to die for.

“Thank you for the dinner date, Josh,” I said as we hopped back into his car. 

“Of course, so we doing this?” Josh asked.

“Doing what?”

“Dating as roommates?”

“I guess so,” I said with a smile on my face.

*****

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

[chelsmcd]

10 Years... 10 freakin years...

The end of a decade has come... Where does time go? How does it seemingly go by so quickly?  

How many of us can clearly remember 2010? Or, more accurately, the end of 2009 and getting ready to ring in the new year?  I can tell you, my life now, is definitely not where I thought it would be at this time 10 years ago.  To be honest, it took some serious thought to try and figure out all the things that have happened in the last 10 years, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look to Facebook for some help (thank you young Chelsea... for documenting almost EVERYTHING you did).

10 years ago... I was living in Pickering at my mom’s place, I think this was for “financial” reasons, but also, it was just easier.  I had only lived away for 4ish years, but was back under her roof, her rules (luckily I had very few rules... I still like to brag I was never given a curfew as a kid, there were only a couple of “Chelsea... this is too late to be coming home” run ins).  

10 years ago... I had no worries, no responsibilities, nothing tying me to anyone or anywhere.  I was, for all intents and purposes... very free, and a very free spirit.

9 years ago, I was working for a Trampoline company.  Insert all the bad dad jokes here: it was really up and down, we had bad days but we’d always rebound, yadda yadda yada.  I was also running my side hustle of working with a race car team (scroll through some old posts on here to find the videos I used to make... man... we had some good times! Some great friends have been made).

9 years ago, I was getting by, living life, earning a salary, hanging with friends and just doing whatever I wanted.  Life wasn’t challenging, but it also wasn’t overly fulfilling. I’m 3 years out of University, I’m doing OK, having fun.  But I wasn’t... genuinely happy.  Not with what I was doing anyway. I was young, I was, perhaps naive to what the world ahead of me held, but hey, these are my glory years... what does it matter anyway?  My biggest issue was paying my car insurance and having the right outfit for my next night out. 

8 years ago, I feel like I finally started my life.  Like I started, as an adult, and started making decisions based on what was right for me, and not necessarily cool and fun right now.  8 years ago, in 2011, I took a chance on me (at the encouragement of one unwaveringly supportive mom) - I moved to Cornwall to start in the radio world.  The fear in that move was rivaled by the excitement of what could be.  It wasn’t my first time living away (although this was the furthest), it wasn’t the first time being responsible for paying rent (and thankfully, this was the cheapest), it wasn’t the first time for a lot of things - but it was the first time I felt like I was finally choosing me and my path over what was convenient.  It turned out to be where my life, and I’d say my career path really began.  This was the first dive into media - where I would get a chance to be ‘on air’ - those words still hold weight for me.  Being... ON... AIR.  Someone saw something in me, and while it was maybe 3 times per hour over 3 hours x 2 days a week... it was SOMETHING!  

While I didn’t know it... that decision 8 years ago, led to some major moves 7 years ago.  When I moved again, to a place that would steal my heart.

7 years ago, I moved to Kingston and started co-hosting the morning show there. Whoda thunk I’d be a morning show host? Buzz and I had an amazing couple of years together. While we were in very different spots in our career paths, I felt like any road bump I hit, he was there to offer support, guidance, and in some instances ride on through with me.  Buzz - I don’t know if you’ll read this, but thank you, thank you for being an ally, a friend, a mentor and all around great human.  I know this decade has had its ups and definitely its hardest moments no one would ever wish upon someone.  We don’t keep in touch as much as I thought we would, but I have so much respect for you and how you’ve handled the past few years specifically.  Your strength is inspiring.

6 years ago I started in sports “officially”.  Who knew how much this would impact my future? Who knew that would bring my back to Toronto (but that’s  a story for another year)?  As an in-arena host for a Junior Hockey Team... life was fun! I was on air doing the morning show during the week, napping, and hosting hockey games on the weekends.  Wahoo.  2013 - you were a good year.  You were also the year, and I’m sure anyone reading this that has been around for a while will remember, the #BTheFace contest?   2013 was the year I was one of 4 winners of the Mercedes.  The year we held an awesome party in a dealership in Vaughn where the roof literally caught fire, where I got to go behind the Scenes at Cats, where I got to check out Fashion Week and interview Jeanne Beker.. so many fun memories in 2013.  Maybe the best year of the decade?  May. Be.

5 years ago, I left morning radio, and took a risk on a start up gig, but now... on air ON CAMERA!! People would get to SEE ME!?! I’ve always kind of owned I love the spotlight... and this was no different.  This was a great year, from rapelling off buildings, to driving a poker boat, to joining the police at the shooting range (apparently I’m not too bad with a shotgun FYI), to baking cookies in a fire training facility - I experienced SO many fun things.  And let’s not forget skydiving?!  While I have some wonderful friends who I just hit it off with when I arrived in Kingston (ahem.. looking at you Andi), I think this was the year I also made some valuable friendships that have transcended some time.  Keenan... Andrew - you two are gems.  Absolute gems, and I’m so thankful we still keep in touch.  Heck, Keenan, I think for you, Skydiving changed your life path!!  Andrew - you got a mover out of it years later!  Guys - I am so grateful for your friendship and the memories we’ve had along the way.  Keen, I won’t go into any of the jokes or the memories.... because there truly are WAY to many (but.. like... jam jams).

4 years ago was a big one  - it’s when I admitted I no longer needed the spotlight and accepted the biggest change in the career, leaving media and stepping fulltime into sports.  I know some of my friends from elementary/high school still look at me and think “What are YOU doing in sports?”  - this is not me.  I was not athletic, I was not into sports, but hey... my passion for entertainment (as I later learned) is what brings me fulfillment each and every day. Also... ummm bought a house.  So there’s that (hello highwaisted, stretchy big girl pants).

3 years ago was probably my toughest year of the decade.  Both personally and professionally a lot of challenges, a lot of lessons learned and a year I believe I was happy to close the books on.  While I look back now and can find the silver lining of the person it helped shaped me to be, it was a tough year to live through, and it was a year that forced me to make some decisions and start making some changes so that...

2 years ago... I came back to Toronto.  To start full time in Football.  FOOTBALL!? Now, my dear grandma and great uncle were always Argos & Pinball fans, but for me, it wasn’t something I was passionate about.  Entertainment was the passion, and with a background in sales and game entertainment - I snagged a really neat role with the CFL.  A role that allowed me to travel across the country, a role that expanded my knowledge of sports, a role that helped me feel more fulfilled, more satisfied and see my own opportunity for growth.

While 2018 and 2019 have been busy with a few more nights spent in hotels, a few more pounds on the ol’ bod, a few new friends, a few new hobbies and a heck of a lot of growth, I’m looking forward to the new year.

As I flip the calendar - There are a few things I’m living this year, maybe this decade by... they include lessons I’ve learned on my own, some are advice from others - but all are, in my opinion, worth a moment of reflection.

1. Stay Humble, Hustle Hard : I always have a side hustle it seems.  This past summer I was working in Basketball to expand my skill set.  I don’t know that I will ever need to call upon it, but it’s another sport, another role, another area for growth.  It’s also opportunity for networking, building that professional base.  Not all hustling will be for financial reasons.  Sometimes - the hustle is going to be hard, challenging and require sacrifices... but sometimes, those big sacrifices have the biggest payoff (and sometimes, let’s just be honest, they don’t... but that’s OK too).

2. You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, use them in proportion : I’m a loud mouth, I talk a lot, we all know this, it is not a surprise.  A big lesson the past couple of years was to learn to sit down and listen.  I don’t need to be the first to speak, in fact, sometimes, just listening means you get to learn so much more.You get to hear everyone’s opinions, positions, points of view - and that may lend itself to inform your own position.  Nothing is wrong with not having all the answers right away.  For anyone a little younger, starting out in their career - I urge you to take this one to heart.  Do not confuse this with me suggesting you should not speak up in meetings - but I encourage you to listen a little longer before you do.

3. You’ll never regret the things you do, as much as the things you don’t : in other words, be glad you did something, don’t wish you had done it.  You can not go back and gain an experience once it’s gone.  This is the year for all the 20-20 vision jokes - but we all have 20/20 hindsight.. we all have those moments we wished we had seized, those moments we look back and say “ugh... if only...” I had said yes, I had more time, I knew then what I know now.  Carpe that diem.  Don’t let the world, your moments, your life pass you by. 

4. Settle for nothing less than you are worth : You get to choose what you bring into your life.  You choose your job (I assume you applied for it didn’t you?), you choose where you live, you choose who you are friends with.  YOU.  You are in control of what you bring into your life, how you are treated and how you treat others.  In the professional realm, the company will look out for their bottom line, you need to look out for yours. Be your own advocate. In the personal world, this could be a boyfriend/girlfriend, this could be friends, this could be where you spend your spare time, but you deserve nothing less than what you want to work for.  Don’t be a victim of your life.  Be the champion of it. 

Wake up. Choose to live your most fulfilling life, your most challenging life, your most rewarding life. Choose yourself. But remember - these are your choices, your responsibility to own, your effort to put forth. No one is lucky in life.  There are just those who work, and those who work harder.  I try to choose to be the latter.  It’s led to some great opportunities in life so far, and I hope for many more.

Happy New Year friends.  Cheers to 2020, cheers to a new decade - and cheers to the best self, we each get to choose.

[iheartseo]

alluring touch || calum hood

requested: yes

word count: 3.9k+

synopsis: fuckboy!calum was your roommate and even though he is the embodiment of arrogance and late night stands, indulging into his charm is pretty hard to resist.

warning: mentions/suggestions of sex, suggestions of oral sex, foreplay

a/n: just a heads up, this is a gay writing piece. there is no particular reason as to why i wrote it as a gay piece other than in the moment, it felt right to make it. sorry to the anon who requested this if this isn’t what you expected as i did tweak it a bit. if you want a part 2, i can TRY and make a part 2 with actual smut. credits to the gif owner.

inspired by ‘New Bae’ - Vic Mensa

masterlist // writing prompt list

There is something about him that made everyone crave him. I don’t know if it was his smirk that just seemed to be forever planted on his face, the way he licked his lips teasing whoever his next victim was; to let them know that he could do so much more than moisturise his lips with that tongue, the way his arms looked so strong yet so inviting that if he were to trap you between his body and the wall, you wouldn’t mind; or maybe it was his whiskey almost onyx eyes that ironically shined brighter than any star that reels the people in. I honestly don’t know, but I don’t blame the hopeless for falling into his trap. He certainty knows how to get them good.

His parents should’ve named him ‘Dick’ considering it suits him very well and that’s the only head he uses to think with, but no. That’s not his name at all. He has a rather strong, masculine name that people just love to moan out. They call him ‘God’, but he honestly just prefers ‘Calum’, to make him seem more humble.

What a dick.

I rolled my eyes as I sat in our shared apartment, eating cereal on the couch, watching him escort the lovely and most likely closeted gay male, out the door. Once the door closed I cleared my throat, grabbing Calum’s attention.

“3rd guy this week, Calum and shit it is only Tuesday.” I said as Calum smirked at me.

“Wanna be the 4th?” he winked, strolling towards me before sitting down.

I scoffed in disgust as I rolled my eyes once more, getting up from my spot immediately after he sat down.

“Yeah how about no.” I answered, drinking the leftover milk from my cereal before putting it in the sink to wash later.

“Oh right, because you wouldn’t want to cheat on your little boyfriend, huh?” Calum said, stretching his arms over the entire couch back and letting his arms rest on top of them.

“Again… he is not my boyfriend.” I said with annoyance practically oozing from my response as I made him his usual cup of coffee. Calum liked his coffee the way he liked his men; super sweet, light and give him enough energy to be in control of everything. Calum and I have a weird love-hate dynamic between us. I hate him. He loves me. I criticise everything that he does. He constantly flirts with me. I make him coffee and he helps me study for my finals. It’s extremely odd, but it is how we work.

I carried his coffee mug with both of my hands as I steadily walked over to the couch, making sure not to spill a drop. As I slowly bend forward to put the coffee cup on the table, I felt his eyes staring into my behind. I looked over my shoulder and glared at him. However, he didn’t care that I just caught him checking out my ass, in fact it made him stare at it even more, adjusting his body slightly as his eyes trailed from my ass and finally meeting with my eyes.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Checking my ass out. There is more to me than just my ass, Calum.”

“Oh I know. There’s your pretty little mouth too and that tongue too.”

My jaw dropped as I quickly stood up straight, clearing my throat. A sudden heat rushed up to my face as I tried to calm down. Calum smirked as he sat up properly and leaned over to grab his coffee.

“Thanks for the coffee, Y/N.” Calum said, winking at me.

I looked at him, feeling completely shy and unsure how to come back from his comment. Like how the fuck do you respond to that? I ran my fingers through my hair and nodded my head before quickly walking to my room. I closed my bedroom door and letting out the breath that I wasn’t aware that I was holding in.

I took a few deep breaths in and out as I could feel my heart racing at an incredibly fast rate. After a few moments to myself, I jumped slightly as my phone lit up and started to beep, notifying me that I just received a new message. I walked over to my bed, flopping onto it as I grabbed my phone off the bedside table. I weakly smiled when I saw Ty’s name appear on my screen.

‘Morning beautiful. Hope you had a good breakfast. I’ll be at your apartment with hot coffee in 10? xx.’

I bit my lower lip as my cheeks started to heat up a little bit when he called me ‘beautiful.’ I couldn’t help but let out a little giggle as I began quickly typing a quick ‘okay. see you at my door.’ to him. Once it sent, I couldn’t help but re-read his morning text to me, especially the beautiful part.

Ty is this guy that I have been talking to for the past few months or so. We aren’t together or anything. He is just someone that I could mess around. We both agreed to see where this takes us and even though we aren’t exclusive, it seems like we are highly invested in each other despite the fact that every now and then, we would have a one night stand with a stranger. Would I date Ty? I am honestly not sure. I mean, Ty is incredibly good looking, but he isn’t your typical instagram model or the hot, mysterious urban street wearing guy. Ty is one of those guys who is somehow hot in his own way but yet he maintains his babyface, although he does have incredible legs and ass. But I don’t know if I would date him.

I got off my bed and began to get ready for the day. I threw a pair of tan chinos, a random pocket tee and my college hoodie over the top. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was completely horrendous but I couldn’t be bothered to style it. I just ran my fingers through it, making very little effort to fix it. I slipped on my beat up sneakers before grabbing my backpack and my phone.

I walked out of my room, checking my phone for any other notifications besides the one from Ty. As I was scrolling through instagram, I just felt compelled to look up and I saw Calum shirtless and also pant less. He was chilling in our apartment half naked with the only material on his body was his boxer briefs that accentuated his bludge extremely well, leaving very little to the imagination.

Calum turned his head away from the TV and looked at me.

“What? I don’t have any classes till like 12.” He said casually.

I tried to compose a sentence as I just stared at his body. Before I was about to say something, I heard a knock on the door. I groaned softly as I walked towards the door and opened it. Ty looked up and smiled at me.

“I come with gifts.” He said, holding up two coffee cups. I smiled as I only opened the door half way so Ty didn’t get to see Calum basically strolling through our shared apartment half naked and hopefully doesn’t get the wrong impression.

“Ty, you’re so sweet thank you.” I said, biting my lower lip gently. Ty just shrugged his shoulders as he kept his adorable smile on his face. I then saw his smile slowly fade away before he began biting the inside of his cheek. I furrowed my eyebrows at the change of his demeanour.

“Oh I was wondering who was at the door.” My face dropped when I felt Calum’s front pressed up against my back where I could clearly feel his bludge just ever so gently digging into my ass.

“Hey Calum…” Ty mumbled, trying not to feel awkward.

Calum leaned forward a bit, holding onto the top door framework, making himself look more broad and bigger than he typically is. He nodded his head towards Ty, slightly flexing his arms a bit to show dominance.

I turned around and looked at Calum.

“I’m gonna go to class with Ty. Don’t wait up for me.” I said, avoiding Calum’s undeniable gorgeous body. Calum looked down at me slightly; only slightly since we were almost the same height. “And for god’s sakes, put on some clothes.” I nagged, pushing him hard back into our apartment and quickly pulling the front door to a close.

Rolling my eyes quickly, I turned around and gave Ty an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about him.” I said, taking one of the coffee cups from his hands. Ty shook his head and gave me a small smile.

“It’s fine. It’s Calum…” he said. I nodded my head as I sipped on my coffee and we both walked out of my building and towards class.

My little alarm clock in the corner read 4:50pm and I felt Ty apply more weight onto mine as he hovered over me. I grabbed his face; pulling him in closer as his hands made their way down to my hips and making our crotches meet in the middle. We both moaned softly into each others mouths as my heart began to race.

Despite little pathetic air con being turned on, atmosphere in the room just got hotter and hotter with every single touch and kiss that Ty left on my body. I tilted my head back, letting my neck be exposed to Ty’s desperate kisses. I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of my clock.

“T-Ty… you got a class in like… 15 minutes.” I whispered.

“Shhh… fuck class. I rather study you and your body.” He whispered, tightening his grip onto my hips as I subconsciously grinded my hips against his. I pushed him away slightly as I took off my hoodie and my shirt before my grabby hands pulled his face back onto mine.

“N-No you should really get to class…” I mumbled against his lips. Ty chuckled as he kissed back.

“Really, baby? Cause your actions are saying that I shouldn’t.” he smirked, moving one of his hands to my ass and squeezing it hard.

My mind was completely clouded with nothing but kisses and Ty. All I could think about was Ty and how I just wanted him to take over my body. As Ty and I continued to make out heavily on my bed, my door just busted open randomly. Ty and I quickly stopped and sat up a bit as we faced the door.

“Oh… ummm.. sorry to interrupt, I thought you were home alone.”

I groaned as I lay back down on my bed, seeing that it was Calum who disturbed my fun.

“No, Cal. Definitely not alone.” I grumbled.

“Oh well.. I kinda need to talk to you in private soo… the dude has got to go.”

Ty immediately felt embarrassed as he adjusted himself quickly and threw his shirt back on.

“Uhhh… I’ll call you later, Y/N.” Ty said awkwardly as he quickly, however in a clumsy manner picked up all of his things and practically ran out of our apartment.

Calum watched him as he raised an eyebrow at the clumsy boy basically sprinting out of our apartment with a terribly noticeable hard-on, puffy lips and dishevelled hair. Calum turned his head and looked at me.

“Please tell me that is NOT the boyfriend.” He pleaded. I groaned as I sat up, not bothered to adjust myself as I threw a pillow at Calum’s face.

“Hey!”

“Okay 1) He is not my boyfriend. He is just someone I am seeing, 2) you fucken ruined my fun and 3) you didn’t have to be so rude.”

“Look darling, if you wanted fun, you could’ve just asked me. I would’ve given it to you so much better than that guy.”

I rolled my eyes as I got up from my bed and walked out of my room, now feeling in desperate need of water to calm myself down from the heated make out session.

“Honestly NOT funny, Calum.” I groaned, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

“Look I’m sorry! I genuinely didn’t know that you were in there with him!” Calum said, walking towards me.

I rolled my eyes once more as I turned my face, not to look at him.

“Oh come on don’t be like that.” Calum whined slightly. Calum walked closer to me as he gently held my chin, turning my head so my eyes met his.

“I said that I’m sorry.”

“Like you ever mean it.”

“I do mean it.”

Calum looked into my eyes with such sincerity that I have never witnessed from him before, which made me question… did he barge in on purpose or truly by accident?

“Why did you barge into my room, Calum?”

“Like I said, I needed to talk to you in private.”

“Well, we’re in private now, so talk.”

Calum opened his mouth slightly as he looked into my eyes. It was as if his eyes were pulling in my soul, drinking in very bit of my confidence to make me feel completely exposed and vulnerable, and yet somehow comforting at the same time. Again… I don’t know how he does it. I think it’s just apart of his nature; to be this… alluring.

I gulped as I looked into his eyes waiting for him to talk to me. His hand was still holding my chin as his eyes travelled down my face and down to my lips. I saw his Adam’s apple move as he moved in closer into my proximity, moving his hands down to my waist without first feeling every crevice of my body first.

“Calum…” I whispered, grabbing his attention.

He looked back up at me and the tension between us began to rise.

“Talk.” I whispered, almost mouthing the word to him.

“You don’t really… like… have a thing for him right?” Calum asked almost nervously, letting me get a small peak into his vulnerability.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the question as I held onto his arms.

“What do you mean, Cal?”

“I mean… I get that you would fuck the kid and everything but… You’re not actually gonna DATE him are you?”

I was taken back by his question, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Why does it matter to you if I date him? It’s not like I’m yours.”

“Yeah but I want you to be.”

My eyes widen at his response. Calum was just full off surprises today because I never really been this speechless in one day before, especially if the reason for me being speechless is Calum’s blunt honesty. I gulped as I looked at him in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on Y/N! For someone who is incredibly smart, you are pretty slow when it comes to social cues.”

He kept moving closer to me as he slipped his hands under my messy shirt, rubbing my skin gently whilst moving them up from my hips to my waist ever so slightly. I could feel his eyes pierce into my soul, as they would constantly flick between my eyes and my puffy lips.

“Look… I like you okay. I really like you… And I know I been sleeping around and shit, but honestly… As stupid and cliché as it sounds, I’ve been sleeping around less and less because of you. Yeah I slept with 3 guys already, but that is it for the week, because I don’t want to disappoint you. Weirdly enough, just being around you makes me a better person everyday.”

My heart just wanted to escape out of my chest by how fast it was beating at the moment. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Calum Thomas Hood even saw me in that light. Have I fantasized about him? Of course, but I will never admit that to his face.

“And honestly, I get jealous whenever I see you and Ty together. I mean seriously, Y/N. We both know that you can do better.”

“Oh really? Who is better than Ty?”

Calum narrowed his eyes on me when I finally spoke up. He moved both his hands up to my face before leaning and kissing me. I gasped into his mouth and he just took me in. He cradled my face in his hands as mine somehow found their place on his waist. The kiss was messy, slightly sloppy and hot. It was as if we just suddenly couldn’t get enough of each other.

“Me. I’m better.” Calum whispered in my ear as he began to leave kisses down my neck.

“C-Calum….”

“Yeah yeah I know. You got a ‘not boyfriend’ boyfriend thing going on with Ty, but just ditch the kid. You two may take a lot, but only in small amounts, like even I talk to you more.”

I knew he was just trying to make a jab, but he did hit the nail on the head pretty hard with that jab. I gulped as I looked down, avoiding to give into his truth.

“Wait… so I talked to you more than him? Seriously Y/N? I was just kidding but… Are you serious?”

“Oh shut up, Hood. What do you want me to say to you? That I have been deprived of human attention? An actual connection? Well I’m sorry, not everyone or even every stereotypical gay man just wants to fuck everything with a dick. Some people actually thrive off of connection and being in a relationship, so if me being in a half assed one with Ty gets me going, then I’m gonna keep it.”

I suddenly left my body being picked up and set onto the countertop. My eyes widen quickly as I held onto Calum’s shoulders, looking down at him in shock.

He gripped onto my waist so hard that I am sure that there will be bruises in a few hours. His eyes stared into mine as his plumped lips brushed against mine, teasing all of my senses and making me crave his touch, his kiss and everything else about him. Our breaths started to get heavier and began to mix with each other as we just stared at each other.

Calum trailed his hands down to my thighs, slowly inching his fingers up to my crotch. He leaned in closer to me, slightly opening his mouth and letting me see his tongue slightly poking out that I just couldn’t wait to taste.

“If you wanted a real connection, should’ve asked me months ago.” He whispered before kissing me hard once more. My hands found their place on his face as well as the back of his head. My fingers intertwined with his thick hair as his hands began to tease me, rubbing my predominant hard on through my pants.

As the kiss began to get more and more sloppy and messy as it progressed, the more I wanted him. Fuck me for falling into this state. Fuck me for falling into Calum’s alluring charm, but also… fuck me please, Calum…

“C-Calum… please… fuck me.” I whispered against his lips, gently biting on his bottom lip as I opened my eyes and looked at him with so much lust overflowing from my eyes.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

It was as if time was somehow slowing down and yet speeding up at the same time. I felt like we were going so slow, but the second I blinked, we were already on his bed with both of our shirts off. I sat directly on his hard on as we began to make out again on his bed, moving my hips back and forth. I could see why so many people talked about the sounds the Calum makes during sex; he sounded fucken divine and just hearing him whimper and moan egged me on to make those noises louder and louder.

I growled against his lips slightly as I began to kiss down his neck whilst trying to take off his pants. Calum held onto my hips and lifted mine up slightly so I could pull down his pants. I moved away from his neck and quickly pulled mine off as well. I groaned quietly as the sight of Calum lying under me with his lips swelled up and puffy, his chest moving up and down rapidly, his hair all messed up and his dick being confined in his tight boxer briefs and just begging to be released and touched. Calum Hood had never looked so sexy to me.

“Fuck, why do you look so hot all the damn time?!” I growled, pulling him in and kissing him hard again. I couldn’t control myself when I am around him. It was like we were both intoxicated and just needed to touch each other and be around each other for some relief.  “Baby boy, I could say the exact same thing for you.”

I whimpered at the pet name as Calum flipped us over and began to grind up against me. I gasped, tilting my head back as I gripped and pulling on his hair. Calum groaned against my neck as I felt him slightly gnawing at my neck and squeeze my ass hard within his hands.

“Baby… baby boy, fuck… I love hearing you moan. Moan louder for me so everyone knows how much of a little slut you are. Cause you are a little slut for me aren’t you, baby boy?” I whimpered slightly louder as I just wanted Calum’s lips back onto mine again. Calum pulled down both of our underwear and we both hissed slightly at both of our dicks being released from their cotton cages.

“Calum, I swear to god, if you don’t fuck me right now… I’m gonna kill you.” I said, biting my lower lip hard as I narrowed my eyes onto him.

Calum smirked at me as he wrapped his hand around my cock and quickly began to stroke it, taking me by surprised as I let out a sudden loud moan.

“You wanna fucken order me around again, Y/N? Or are you gonna be a good little boy for me and let me do this my way? Hmmm?”

He was taunting me, and belittling me… I fucken hated it when he did that, but right now… It was one of the hottest things he could’ve said me.

He noticed that I went silent and tried to avoid his gaze, not wanting to let him know that despite my stubborn nature, I wanted him to wreck me. The smirk on his face seemed to grow bigger as he leaned closer to my ear, slowing down his hand.

“Good boy…” he whispered. He left very light kisses all the way down my head as he began to gently stroke and play with the tip of my cock. I whimpered quietly, wanting more from him. He paid attention to every little detail, every single one of my movements and my breathing. He watched me closely, making sure that every time he touched me, squeezed me, spanked me or even choked me, that I was moaning his name every single time.

“Now… let’s see how many times I can wreck your pretty little hole and your gorgeous cock, baby boy.”

[dorothyd89]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

http://ift.tt/2oKP64J

http://ift.tt/2oS213q http://ift.tt/2pK7Bb3

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A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps published first on http://ift.tt/2kRppy7

[albertcaldwellne]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[joshuabradleyn]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[ruthellisneda]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[neilmillerne]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[almajonesnjna]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[johnclapperne]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

http://ift.tt/2p9Kp5T

[dorothyd89]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

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[dorothyd89]

A Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness: Be More Mindful With These Steps

This is an article from Team NF’s Mental Health Professional (and father of 3), Dan Schmidt. 

Ever heard of “living in the moment,” been told to “stop and smell the roses,” or to just “go with the flow”?

Nothing but a bunch of tired clichés, constantly reworded slightly to clog up our Instagram and Facebook feeds by old acquaintances and weird relatives, right?

Perhaps, but there may be much more to these trite sayings than we think.

Do you ever pause a video game in the middle of a crucial point or battle just so you can “gather your thoughts” and “calm your nerves”? Just silencing your mind and focusing for a brief moment can really help you out.

You may not know it, but in a situation like this, you’ve just practiced something called “mindfulness,” a mental technique which enables you to handle problems better and reduce stress through balancing your emotions and mind.

Mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, but is it simply a cleverly marketed fad fuelled by hashtags and dodgy life coaches, or something that can perhaps help us on our quest to level up our lives?

So, if you don’t mind (get it?), let’s find out.

What the hell is mindfulness?

As with many “new-age” practices, the concept of mindfulness has actually been around for thousands of years. For us humans, thinking is kind of our thing.

It’s an incredibly simple, yet challenging, mental technique adapted from Buddhist practice to now suit non-religious contexts. Some people assume it’s about clearing your head and thinking about thinking “NOTHING.”

It’s actually more about stepping back and hearing your thoughts without judgment with a relaxed, focused mind.

“So what actually is it?”

Basically, mindfulness is just being aware of what you are doing, when you are doing it, and becoming a master of your mind, rather than being controlled by your subconscious impulses.

Even as you’re skimming through this article, how many other things do you have rushing through your head right now?

Thinking about what to cook for dinner?

Weekend plans?

How you should be working instead?

Did you already check your email?

Where is Karen Formica?

Worrying about the future or dwelling on the past?

Our world and lives keep getting busier and more ‘urgent’ (thanks to our phones and the internet), and as a result, so do our minds. Our thoughts and feelings are constantly moving from one thing to the next without a moment’s rest.

In fact, did you know our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time?

That’s right, nearly half of our waking lives, we’ve got our minds on something else. Yeah, physically I’m reading the same freaking book to my kids for the 80th time, but I’m actually on auto-pilot thinking about my work deadlines. The next day I’m at work trying to meet those deadlines, but I’m now mentally planning the weekend with the kids.

It’s like that YouTube rabbithole we’ve all been down. You might have started searching for “how to do a push-up” and then all of a sudden it’s 2am and you’re watching an instructional video on how to ride a unicycle and you don’t even own a unicycle.

It’s like parts of our brain and bodies are at odds with the other parts.

If you want to level up your brain, spend better quality time with your loved ones, improve your work life, family life, and love life, it starts with developing mindfulness.

Don’t believe me? Ouch. That’s okay, I’ll give you the science because I’m nice like that.

Does mindfulness actually work?

“Will this practice actually achieve anything, or is this just another waste of time mixed with pseudoscience and inspirational instagram quotes?”

Great question – what kind of NF Rebel would you be if you weren’t also skeptical and demanding proof?!

A whole lot of evidence–based research has shown consistent, reliable, and reproducible results that mindfulness has a huge range of health and psychological benefits. It’s been around for ages and been a part of psychological therapies since the 70’s: there’s no denying it, it’s not going away anytime soon, and the benefits are astounding.

Supporting the brain’s capacity to stay focused on what you are doing, as you are doing it, can help you in so many ways, including:

Stress relief

Building resilience

Regulating mood

Overcoming addiction

Improving sleep

Managing depression and/or anxiety

Increasing focus, concentration and learning capacity

Reducing heart rate

Improving immunity

Boosting happiness

So, want a better quality of life, without having to spend anything, go anywhere, or really even do anything? Why not give mindfulness a shot if you haven’t already?

With a little bit of patience, regularly practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes each day can improve your happiness and help you better cope with whatever life throws at you (even if it’s a blue shell).

Practicing mindfulness regularly reminds us that underneath our troubling emotions and negative thoughts is a deep sense of calm, joy and peace.

Where is my mind?

Stop and take a moment, right now. Ask yourself, as the Pixies did: “Where is my mind?”

Focus on this moment in your life, right now. Be present. Take notice of your posture, your breathing, the font of the words you are reading. Let your thoughts about this moment come to you, and listen to them without judgment.

Just focus on what you are doing, and ONLY that thing, right now. Just do it for a few seconds.

Congratulations, you’ve now practiced mindfulness. INT + 1.

Incredibly simple, but when practicing it for more than a few moments, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. It’s like trying to herd monkeys hopped up on Mountain Dew, in a rainstorm, blindfolded.

At least, that’s what it’s like for me most of the time.

Think of it this way: As Jonathan Haidt puts it, you are a rider (your rational brain) atop an elephant (your emotional/subconscious side) – you do your best to guide the elephant and work with it, but it often does what it wants to do:

If you struggle with keeping your focus on something for more than a few seconds, you’re not alone. That device in your pocket is designed to distract you every 5 seconds, we’re in the age of RIGHT NOW and INSTANT, and every type of entertainment you need is within arm’s reach thanks to technology.

Here’s how you can start and develop your mindfulness practice, thanks to an amazing 80’s comedy.

Be the ball, Danny

Due to its simplicity, how one practices and gets the most out of mindfulness is really dependent on the individual. Some practice full-on meditation (more on that later), Nerd Fitness Yoga (or mindful movement), affirmations, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques or they simply find a quiet moment to themselves.

For me, whenever I have the time, or get stressed (which, with three young children, is more often than not), I get in touch with some advice from the sophisticated highbrow cinematic masterpiece, and my favorite movie of all time, Caddyshack:

Ty Webb, played by Chevy Chase, perfectly sums up mindfulness in a way I can understand with his golfer’s approach on Eastern Philosophy:

“Just relax. Stop thinking. Let things happen. Find your center. Be the ball.”

Just relax – Get comfortable and focus on your breathing.

Stop thinking – (Not completely) try to keep your thoughts from wandering away.

Let things happen – Let your thoughts come to you, and listen without judgment.

Listen to your mind. Be calm, fully aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Be the ball – Keep focused on the present moment.

For me, “be the ball” is all about staying focused on what I am doing, as I am doing it. Initially, “be the ball” just started with my golf game. Instead of overthinking my swing, I deliberately wouldn’t address the ball until I had cleared all thoughts from my head and JUST focused on the shot in front of me.

Over time, I started applying my “be the ball” concepts to other aspects of my life like study and work, and found it was an extremely powerful antidote to keep my easily distractible mind focused on what I needed to be doing.

When practiced regularly, I’ve found mindfulness brings more calm and focus into my insanely busy life, while also reducing stress and building efficiency.

Want a more direct benefit? You’ll eat less!

Studies have shown that people who eat mindlessly (while watching a movie or a TV show, scrolling through their phones, or playing a game) consume significantly MORE calories than people who just eat (meaning they are sitting at a table, eating food, and not doing anything else).

Me-di-tate, good times, c’mon!

“Deep inner sense of calm and peace? So, it’s like meditation, right? Like Dhalsim in Street Fighter?”

Well, kind of… Mindfulness is classified as a form of meditation, yes, but “meditation” is a large umbrella term that encompasses and broadly groups together a wide range of practices under one label, which is handy from a language perspective, but can become confusing when talking about specifics.

For example, if you met someone who said “I enjoy fitness,” does this mean they like running, lifting, walking, hiking, sports or pilates? Or, if you’re “really into gaming,” does this mean video games, tabletop, small Austrian villages, role-playing, or even gambling?

Meditation (which we’ve covered really well here at Nerd Fitness) is really broad, whereas mindfulness is quite specific. They are certainly complementary, and there is some overlap between the two, but I like to think of mindfulness almost as “gateway meditation” or “casual meditation.”

Many who start with mindfulness may go on to explore more about meditation if they’re looking to delve in even deeper, but others like myself are quite content with our mindful moments.

If someone asked me if I meditate, I’d say no. I don’t “meditate” in the traditional sense; I guess I’m channelling my inner Ron Swanson here.

I don’t own a special cushion or one of those cool little benches, I’m not an overly spiritual or religious person, I’m not keen on crossing my legs for lengthy periods, and the smell of incense just reminds me of being hungover in Thailand.

But do I regularly exercise my mind for psychological and physical benefit? Hell yeah. It’s easy, free, convenient, beneficial and I can even do it on a plane, train, or automobile.

Now I’m certainly not trying to downplay meditation as a whole here at all (shoutout to all our rad Druids), as it’s proven that meditation is extremely powerful. Just know that you don’t need to meditate to practice mindfulness.

There are many ways you can increase your mindfulness in day-to-day life. This could be through specific activities like yoga, golf (my favorite) and art, or even by just paying more attention during regular daily activities like reading, cooking, walking, driving, eating or something as basic doing the dishes.

Regardless of the activity, just remember, mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

Start being more mindful today!

Mindfulness is something that everyone can develop, and it’s something that anyone can try. I’m racking my brain right now to think of an actual decent reason not to at least try it and I’m coming up empty. The mind is like a muscle, and just like we exercise and eat healthy to keep our bodies fit, practicing mindfulness is a way of keeping our brain fit and healthy too.

Let’s not allow important life moments to get away from us. Mindfulness keeps us focused when we need to be, and the benefits are amazing. Best of all, you can start right freaking now! (Well, maybe finish reading this first.)

Start practicing today by being mindful:

Simply take a few deep breaths

Go for a walk outside

Choose a natural object from within your immediate environment and just focus on watching it for a minute or two

Start to levitate (kidding)

A good place to start: notice a flower, the clouds, a tree, anything…perhaps not the sun though:

Try not to do anything except notice the thing you are looking at. Look at it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Carefully study every aspect of its configuration and just become momentarily consumed by it.

If you haven’t done it before, it’s initially a very strange experience. I totally agree with those of you thinking that this sounds like a bunch of hippie crap (once again, sorry Druids), but it can really help your brain reboot and become more focused and aware.

Give it a few minutes each day to begin with, that’s all we ask.

I’m not going to promise you that it will totally change your world and solve all your problems. In fact, it probably won’t.

OR WILL IT?!!?!?

No, probably not.

But it will open up the opportunity to get a different perspective on what is happening in your life. We can’t change everything that happens in our life, but we can change how we think about it, and with a strong mind, doing that becomes much easier.

Mindfulness is also a really personal experience; it can’t be guided by a scripture or orders. It can be introduced to a person by another who can explain its purpose and intention, like I may be doing for you now, but no one can direct you how to practice. That’s entirely up to you. Just try anything for a week and let us know how it goes.

So what have you got to lose?

Mindfulness is a positive, practical, easy and scientifically proven technique. It’s amazingly self-empowering to be aware of your experiences and see them for what they actually are, rather than getting caught up in the story behind them, which can often lead to mental health issues. Mindfulness is about letting go of the past (much like Nerd Fitness’ “We don’t care where you came from…”), focusing on the here and now and not stressing about the future.

The Mindful Eating Challenge

My dear nerdy friend, go forth and be mindful. With mindfulness becoming more prevalent, there’s a bunch of great mindfulness apps with programs to follow if you’re looking for some extra guidance.

So give it a try: whether it’s through full-on meditation, a guided app, “be the ball,” or simply by taking a more mindful approach to everyday activities like eating, the practice of mindfulness really can actively improve your life.

To make this more practical and concrete, I’m going to issue you a challenge:

During your next meal (or snack), I want you to ONLY eat.

Not “eat AND [insert activity]. Just eat:

No watching TV while eating.

No scrolling through your phone while eating.

No reading a book while eating.

Focus on the food in front of you, the person across from you if you are eating with somebody, and think about each bite you take.

That’s it.

Now, depending on how often you “eat AND [activity],” this could be brutally difficult.

Making this ONE change – only allowing yourself to eat without doing something else – could have dramatically positive consequences on your health. If you’re a mindless snacker, you can only ‘eat my snack’ without surfing the internet or watching tv.

If you always eat your meals in front of the TV, turn it off, and focus on the food you’re consuming.

Gunga gulunga,

Dan

photo credit: JD Hancock: Pinky & The Brain, Milton CJ deep space homer, frederic.gombert: Is it Dark? is it Light ?, National Institutes of Health (NIH): Normal Human Brain, Sean Davis Gunga Gulunga, cplbasilisk dhalsim looking for a fight, ongushi MY FINDER 110: Fuzzy Monday

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