Earkick’s Post

Lovely Interacting with my psychology professor today regarding practical issues.. When asked - Why am I feeling so overwhelmed right now?" or "Why can't I seem to engage with this task?" These feelings can often be linked to our Window of Tolerance—a concept that helps us understand how we manage stress and emotions. 1. Within the Window: You’re in a state where you can handle stress effectively and remain focused. Tasks feel manageable, and your reactions are balanced. 2. Hyperarousal: If you’re feeling anxious or overly reactive, you might be outside your Window of Tolerance. Your stress responses are heightened, making everything seem more intense. 3. Hypoarousal: On the flip side, if you’re feeling disconnected or unmotivated, you might be in a state of hypoarousal. You’re withdrawing from stressors and struggling to engage. Understanding these states can help you develop strategies to stay balanced, improving both your emotional well-being and productivity. #Life #Lazy #Emotional #Engage #motivate #Window #wellbeing

How do you help someone get past a bad mood? Last week, I shared how to prevent, minimize, and recover from the negative emotional contagion you risk when your teammate is in a bad state. In today's post, let's go one step further. Let's reverse the direction of the emotional contagion and infuse your colleague with positive emotions, instead. Here are the highlights: What NOT to do: ‣ Downplay their negative feelings ‣ Rush to resolution ‣ Attempt to solve their problems ‣ Give advice Principles for a constructive approach • Emotions contain valuable information; view them as a puzzle.  • Suppressing emotions will cause worse issues than reappraising them. • The thoughts and stories they wrap around their emotions matter most. • Change the story, but don't invalidate the emotion itself. • It is overstepping to try to fix or solve someone else's problems. How to Help Make the space to reflect what you see and help them assess. Question their story and help them generate options to reframe. Move them forward with gentle questions like "Where from here?" Model more optimism with your tone, gestures, and body language. Sometimes, you might wish you had a magic wand to immediately transform someone's negative mood into a positive one. Sadly, no such tool exists. But what you have at your disposal is a magic mirror—a way to change a person's mood by projecting a face you want them to reflect.  Get the full story on the blog at lianedavey .com/blog #psychology #emotionalcontagion #teamwork

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗚𝗢 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧 💭 ▫️ Every day, our minds are flooded with a constant stream of thoughts, ranging from mundane daily tasks to deeper contemplations about life and the world around us. ▫️ According to research, the average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts per day, 95% of these thoughts are repetitive and 80% are negative. ▫️ This constant barrage of negative and repetitive thoughts can negatively impact mental health, happiness, and overall quality of life. Tʜɪꜱ ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅᴇꜱ ꜱɪx ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ɢᴏ ᴏꜰ ɪɴᴛʀᴜꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴏʀ ᴜɴʜᴇʟᴘꜰᴜʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ. Hᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴘᴘʟʏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢʏ ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ 👓 : 1. Don’t Judge Yourself > Why it helps: Judging yourself for having a thought reinforces it. When you accept the thought without judgment, it loses its grip. > How to apply: When an intrusive thought appears, calmly acknowledge it without labeling it as "bad" or "wrong." 2. Remind Yourself That the Thought Does Not Define You > Why it helps: Thoughts are just mental events, not facts. They don’t reflect your identity or worth. > How to apply: Practice separating yourself from the thought by saying, "I am noticing the thought that…" rather than "I am…" 3. Remember That Your Brain Is a Storyteller > Why it helps: Recognizing that your brain creates narratives to make sense of the world can help you detach from them. > How to apply: When a thought arises, ask, "Is this fact or just a story my brain is telling me?" If it's a story, thank your brain for trying to help and move on. 4. Replace the Thought With a More Compassionate One > Why it helps: Countering negativity with kindness helps reframe your mindset and fosters self-compassion. > How to apply: If the thought is self-critical, respond with something supportive. For example, replace “I always mess up” with “I’m doing my best, and it’s okay to make mistakes.” 5. Imagine the Thought on a Leaf Floating Down a River > Why it helps: Visualization allows you to let go of the thought rather than engaging with it. > How to apply: Close your eyes and picture the thought resting on a leaf. See it gently drifting away down a calm river. 6. Check in With Yourself to Assess Unmet Needs > Why it helps: Persistent thoughts might indicate an underlying emotional or physical need. > How to apply: Ask yourself, "What do I need right now? Rest? Connection? Validation?" Once identified, address those needs constructively. Aᴘᴀʀᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪx ꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢɪᴇꜱ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ, ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀꜰꜰɪʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ. Sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʙʏ ꜱᴀʏɪɴɢ, Tᴏᴅᴀʏ I ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ✍️🏻 : 1. Toxic thoughts and emotions, 2. Thoughts of revenge and unforgiveness, 3. Thoughts of envy and strife, 4. Unfruitful relationships, 5. Negative words I spoke about myself and others. 𝗜 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗜𝗧 𝗚𝗢 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗜 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 🩷, 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘, 🕊️ 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠 💭 #Thoughts #PositiveThinking #Affirmations

🔔 “𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤.” - 𝑆𝑤𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑏 Worrying can lead to anxiety by creating a negative cycle through a few key mechanisms ⬇ : ➡ 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔: When you worry, you constantly think about potential problems or possible negative outcomes, which keeps your mind in a state of alert and stress. This can trigger ⬇ ➡ 𝑷𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑺𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, and sweating, adding to your anxiety. Over time, worrying can overwhelm your mind through ⬇ ➡𝑪𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅: making it even harder to think clearly and solve problems. This mental overload can increase feelings of helplessness and anxiety, leading to⬇ ➡ 𝑨𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒔: You might start avoiding situations that you fear will cause you distress, which can limit your activities and opportunities, increasing anxiety about the unknown. This vicious spiral results in ⬇ ➡ 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈: Worrying reinforces negative thinking patterns, making it harder to break the cycle. The more you worry, the more you train your brain to focus on potential threats, leading you to prepare for threats that might not even exist, which can escalate into anxiety or further fuels ongoing anxiety. In summary, worrying creates a cycle of negative focus, physical stress, mental overload, avoidance behaviors, and reinforced negative thinking, all of which contribute to developing and maintaining anxiety. The good news is that this cycle can be broken with a combination of therapeutic techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to challenge and reframe negative thoughts and Sophrology to relax, reduce physical stress, stay present, and detach from worries. Start addressing worry's physical, psychological, and emotional components, sooner rather than later to improve your overall well-being. #mentalhealthawareness #workplacewellbeing #stressmanagement #sophrology #performanceanxiety #employeewellbeing #anxietyrelief #burnoutprevention #workreintegration #emotionalresilience #employeeengagement #staffretention #presenteism

We are not our behaviors. When we turn an unwanted behavior into a limiting decision, associating to our identity, it creates an internal program that sabotages us. I’m stupid. I’m ugly. I’m a loser. I’m not good enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not loved. I don’t deserve it. We run these beliefs and the self-talk fulfills the identity that we reinforce. We literally find and create evidence to make that statement true. As a result, we feel bad and emotions like anxiety, anger, sadness, hurt, guilt puts us into destructive patterns and constant stress. And not just any stress, but chronic stress. That’s why when we address the root cause of burnout, it’s making sure at deepest level, these limiting beliefs are processed and deactivated from our neurology. Then replaced with empowering beliefs we can identify with, and we will find and create the evidence and behaviors to fulfill those beliefs. 👇👇👇

When you think of anxiety, imagine an intricate, highly sophisticated communication system, known as your nervous system. When the experience of anxiety becomes overwhelming—think sweaty palms, rapid heart rate, inability to sleep because you can’t turn off your thoughts—that incredible system is in overdrive. It’s peaking. When it peaks on a chronic and pervasive basis, we're in trouble. Why? Because a peaking, overactive system is meant to last a few moments, not hours, days, months, and sometimes years. Evolution, or the divine, gifted us this system to keep us alive and alert enough to perform well. Yes, anxiety is related to peak performance. Zero anxiety means that you’re dead. So... The message here is that anxiety is a normal part of how our incredible nervous systems are designed to work. When there’s too much stress or trauma, the nervous system kicks in and activates. Over time, this is exhausting. So, anxiety is normal, but it’s also really hard. If it feels like “too much,” definitely see a professional. If it feels hard but not in the “too much” zone, you can still seek a professional. Either way, choose to normalize your experience and get the help and tools you need to support that incredible system within you. Happy Action Anxiety Day! Let’s take charge of our well-being. Tatijana Busic Psychology & Consulting #ActionAnxietyDay #MentalHealthAwareness #AnxietyAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #TakeAction #Wellbeing #Mindfulness #StressRelief #MentalWellness #SelfCare #EndTheStigma #AnxietySupport #MentalHealthSupport #MentalHealthAdvocate

🌟 How to Avoid Dwelling on Negativity While Solving Problems? 🌟 🧠 Often, when facing difficulties, we tend to focus on the negative aspects of the situation. This happens due to our instinctive drive for self-preservation: the brain tries to warn us of potential threats. 🤯 💡 But how can we avoid getting overwhelmed and maintain a positive mindset? ‼️ 10 Tips to Avoid Dwelling on Negativity: 1️⃣ Focus on solutions, not problems 🔄 Instead of dwelling on the problem, concentrate on finding solutions. 2️⃣ Practice gratitude 🙏 Write down three things you are grateful for every day. 3️⃣ Create a positive environment 👫 Surround yourself with people who support you and lift your spirits. 4️⃣ Use the “stop” technique 🛑 When you catch yourself having negative thoughts, mentally say “stop” and switch to something positive. 5️⃣ Meditate 🧘♀️ Meditation helps calm the mind and reduce stress levels. 6️⃣ Write down your thoughts ✍️ Keeping a journal helps you understand your emotions better and get rid of negative thoughts. 7️⃣ Engage in physical activity 🏃♂️ Exercise helps release endorphins, which improve your mood. 8️⃣ Set boundaries 🚧 Learn to say “no” and don’t take on unnecessary obligations. 9️⃣ Develop a sense of humor 😂 Laughter is a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood. 🔟 Seek professional help 🧑⚕️ If you feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out to a psychologist or therapist. 🫶 Remember, you are not alone in your struggle with negative thoughts. Keep a positive mindset and move forward! 🌟 ❓What methods do you use to cope with negative thoughts? Share in the comments! 🌟 #positivemindset #psychology #selfdevelopment #mentalhealth #motivation #stressfreelife #therapy #gratitude #positivethinking #healthylifestyle

Does anxiety feel like a tangled up set of Christmas tree lights in your mind? In "Unwinding Anxiety", sychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author, Judson Brewer, dismantles the complexity of anxiety to its basic parts to help the reader diminish the fear, frustration, anger, and stress that comes from anxiety and the unhealthy habits loops we can get caught up in. Some of the basic elements he discusses are: - trigger - habit - reward ... and how to rewire the unhealthy habits we take on that lead to anxiety and panic attacks. He also gets into the benefits of curiosity as a healthy offsetting solution. Moving from frustration and anxiety into curiosity.... 1. Stop and simply name the emotion. 2. Check to see how narrow or wide your eyes are. 3. Open your eyes wide and maybe add a "hhhmmm" as a way to jumpstart your curiosity. 4. Keep them open and wide for 10 seconds. This is my 58th book this year in my goal towards remaining a voracious student so I can be of maximum service to others. Listen to Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer MD PhD on Audible. https://lnkd.in/gfUd43zC

‼️ The most difficult thing during an economic downturn or any external setback is to keep your calm mind and respond adequately. For this, you need a solution-focused constructive mental state and a relaxed focus, which allows you and your team to spend time wisely. ➡️ Click to read the full blog post: https://lnkd.in/dy9Dc_JC #MentalState #CalmMind #BeTheCalmestPersonInTheRoom #MindHealth #MindHealthRevolution

Selfleadership and shadow work…🤔 ”Move on. Vibe alone. Heal in silence.” - unknown- Shadow work branches from psychologist Carl Jung’s idea of the shadow self: another way to describe the unconscious mind, which is responsible for human needs like eating, drinking, and avoiding pain. Jung described the shadow self as the more primal, less socialized version of the self — one that feels socially unacceptable emotions things like greed, laziness, and anger. Pushing the shadow self down might be your instinct. But studies show that suppressing your feelings can lead to more anxiety and decreased well-being. Instead, get in touch with all parts of who you are with shadow work. This work is crucial to your personal development journey because it provides insights into your reactions and behaviors. The idea behind shadow work isn’t to expose yourself to painful memories or feed into toxic traits. It’s about learning more about all parts of your personality, including positive traits and the things you want to work on. 3 tips for approaching this practice safely and productively: 1. Get a shadow work journal: Journaling is an excellent way to encourage self-reflection because it lets you put your thoughts in writing and work through them in real time. Using self-discovery questions, you can perform at-home shadow work exercises and reflect on the observations on the page. 2. Share your practice with a professional: Get the full benefits of shadow work by combining independent work with professional support. Share your desire to perform shadow work with a therapist or coach, who can help you explore the hidden parts of yourself with more guidance. They can help you reflect and set goals that bring you out of the shadows. 3. Avoid shaming yourself: Focus on self-acceptance while doing shadow work. This is an exploratory exercise aimed at fostering growth, not one that encourages shame or lowers your self-esteem. As you work, track negative sensations that come up in your body. If you feel uncomfortable, it may be time to take a break or ask a mental health professional for help. And if you sense you’re not prepared to do this work now, wait until you’re ready. There are lots of other ways to learn more about yourself. -betterup.com- #shadowwork #selfleadership #motivation #justintimeconsult.se Picture cred to Cozy Homes 📸