What is mindfulness?·       It’s a state of active, and open attention to the present. ·       Observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad. ·       To live in the moment and reawaken to the present, rather than dwelling on the past or looking forward to the future. Basically being “in the moment.”  Ways to practice mindfulness: ·      Meditation·      Listening wholeheartedly·      Observing your breathing, eating mindfully, walking mindfully, showering mindfully ·      Get lost in the flow of doing things you love ·      Setting an amount of time without devices/electronics, etc.  Benefits of mindfulness ·      Lowers stress, bolsters immune system·      Restores emotional balance, reduces anxiety, reduces depression·      Increases resilience·      Reduces physical pain, reduces fatigue ·      Improves sleep quality·      Improves concentration, uncovers your own blind spots ·      “Among its many benefits, mindfulness meditation has actually been proven to increase telomerase, the ‘caps’ at the end of our genes, which, in turn, can reduce cell damage and lengthen our lives.” (Firestone, Lisa “Benefits of Mindulness.”)  Tips for Listeners for Improving Mindfulness: ·      Take a minute to quiet your mind, if it’s not working, you need to practice some of the methods listed above. o   Keep a mindfulness log to track progress (can add it to your gratitude journal as well) ·      Try focusing on one thing at a time, or slowing down (put the devices down)  ·      Meditate, or just take 5 minutes to sit quietly and pay attention to your breathing·      Spend time in nature·      For work: Try following the 20/20/20 rule. o   Every 20 minutes, walk 20 feet away from your desk, for 20 seconds§  If you can’t do every 20 minutes, then do it for 60 minutes and walk 20-60 feet away from your desk for 60 seconds. §  Take time to stretch out during this time, this will also help your muscles and bones recover from sitting all day.  Sources: 1.     Firestone, Lisa. “Benefits of Mindfulness.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 6 Mar. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201303/benefits-mindfulness.2.     Young, Karen. “13 Different Ways to Practice Mindfulness - And the Difference It Can Make.” 13 Different Ways to Practice Mindfulness - And the Difference It Can Make -, 16 Jan. 2017, www.heysigmund.com/different-ways-to-practice-mindfulness/.3.     Mindworks Team Mindworks. “5 Ways to Improve Mindfulness: Mindworks.” Mindworks Meditation, 29 Oct. 2019, mindworks.org/blog/5-ways-improve-mindfulness/.

Vibe City Podcast

Mindfulness

** Disclaimer – The episode this week we used a different audio tool that caused a few audio issues, please bare with us as we have addressed them going forward. Thank you! ** Show Guest Ugo Eze: Instagram: @reachueTwitter: @reachuewebsite: ugoeze.com Email: reachue@gmail.comShort explanation of gratitude. ·      It is one of many positive emotions, and just might be the most important of all the positive emotions. ·      It focuses on what’s good in our lives and encourages us to be thankful for the things we already have that are not really to do with the materialistic world. ·      It is showing an appreciation for all the little things in life we otherwise take for granted.  What is the importance of gratitude? ·      It increases the ability to enjoy and appreciate the good in life and generates positive emotions both for self and to others. ·      It reduces materialism, which makes people more competent, and greatens the feelings of relatedness. o   Conversely, when you are materialistic, you feel less competent, less related, experience more negative emotions, and become more self-centered and arrogant.  Gratitude and its impacts on mental and physical health.·      Gratitude has been scientifically proven to help improve physical and mental health. ·      It also improves sleep quality particularly when you use a gratitude journal before bedtime and take 15 minutes to jot down things you are grateful for. ·      Gratitude improves self-esteem, and reduces aggression and other negative behavior traits like envy, jealousy, frustration, resentment, etc. ·      There are studies that suggest gratitude also helps reduce stress and could play a major role in overcoming trauma. ·      Gratitude helps you connect better with your spirituality, and in turn with the universe, which then the universe uses to reward you with an abundance of blessings and positivity Tips for Listeners for Increasing Gratitude: ·      Keep a gratitude journalo   Write one thing or multiple things daily that you are grateful for (15 minutes before bedtime works wonders) ·      Take anything challenging or difficult, and write one thing positive about it, and place your focus on that·      Try using good manners more often, it’s not just something our parents taught us, it can literally open many doors for us to connect with the universe. o   Say “thank you” more and genuinely showing appreciation ·      Before the new year, write down all that you want to release on a piece of paper, and burn it or throw it in the trash (please do this as safely as possible, I am not encouraging pyrotechnics)·      Write down all the things you were grateful for this past year that you want to carry forward with you into the next. Keep that somewhere you can see it every day and add on to it as needed.  Sources: 1.     Demeter, Eric, and Tyler Huckabee. “Why Gratitude Is a Spiritual Discipline.” RELEVANT Magazine, 27 Nov. 2019, relevantmagazine.com/god/why-gratitude-spiritual-discipline/2.     BodySoulMindSpirit. “Home.” Body And SoulMind And Spirit, 9 Mar. 2011, bodysoulmind.net/spiritual-law-of-gratitude.

Forever Grateful w/ Special Guest Ugo Eze

What are affirmations? -       Affirmations in New Thought and New Age terminology refer primarily to the practice of positive thinking and self-empowerment—fostering a belief that "a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything." What is the percentage of people who actually reach their New Year Resolution? -       8% in 2018 reached goals, and 80% gave up by Feb. in 2018. (According to Forbes)  -       Common resolutions include: o   Quit smoking, quit drinking, lose weight, make more money, travel more-       Common successful habits of successful people: o   Meditation, reading, talking to universe, being thankful, prioritizing time, focusing on what you can control, following your intuition.  Why is it important to start your morning off correctly? -       Brain waves alpha cycle is 8 – 13 Hz (cycles per second) “Gateway to subconscious mind”-       Don’t click Snooze, make your bed, visualize your life, watch a motivational video, repeat affirmations (Steve jobs did it every day), keep a journal-       https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/291907 (First 20 minutes of your day sets you up for success)  How the “I AM” affirmations play a role in setting up your day and accomplishing your goals. -       How affirmations play a role and the statistics behind it:o   Aware-affirmation condition vs aware-choice condition §  People in the studies performed better when they were able to choose whether to affirm or not. §  Study showed choosing to self-affirm can help cope with daily threats that arise §  Optimism with illnesses like cancer has shown better health yields for patients with higher optimism levels than their counterparts with similar illnesses§  “Numerous studies highlight the thinking about self-preferences activates neural reward pathways.” §  “Self-affirmation would activate brain reward circuitry during functional MRI Studies.” (Dutcher JM et al, 2016) o   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/embodied-wellness/201704/affirm-or-not-affirm (Leena S. Guptha DO) o   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-affirmations-boost-performance_n_7079350 (Lindsay Holmes)-       Understanding the importance of positively affirming your thoughts for the day (recommend starting with 1-2 small attainable goal affirmations) -        Get rid of negative thoughts by changing them to questions instead of statements:o   Am I willing to do this before? o   When have I done this before? o   What’s the worst-case scenario? -       Focus on the progress not perfecting it. -       Try small new affirmations every day that help you work towards a bigger goal.  Why is it important to set small goals instead of lofty resolutions? -       Easier wins to build confidence on, and continue pace -       Using S.M.A.R.T principleo   Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-sensitive -       Writing down go

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