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Healing Spices And Herbs

Adding spices and fresh herbs to your food is not only a great way for how to increase flavors but also add in surprising health benefits where each spice offers something unique.

Here today we are discussing some spices such as cinnamon and turmeric whose health benefits perhaps you have heard about but also talking about some less often herbs or spices which have actually often times in history been used for a variety of medical purposes and healing remedies.

I am excited to share these with you and to inspire you to implement some of these species into your own cooking of daily lives and see if you feel a difference.

Hope you enjoy :)

My intention: Present to you an array of different spices that you can add into your diet and tell you about the surprising ways in which they can benefit your health, be it mental or physical.

SPICES AND HERBS WITH HEALTH BENEFITS


CINNAMON

If I had to pick a favorite spice, it would probably be cinnamon. I genuinely eat it every day as part of my breakfast, and I find its health benefits especially intriguing. I’ve previously written about cinnamon here, so feel free to check that out if you want to learn more.

The main active compound in cinnamon is cinnamaldehyde, which not only gives cinnamon its distinct aroma but also provides powerful antioxidant properties. These properties help reduce inflammation in the body and can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood.

One scientifically proven benefit of cinnamon is its ability to regulate blood sugar levels. It does this by slowing down the breakdown of carbohydrates in the digestive tract and improving insulin sensitivity in our cells. Overall, this effect helps lower fasting blood sugar levels, making cinnamon a valuable spice for people with diabetes.


TURMERIC

Turmeric is a well-known spice that has been used for centuries in various parts of Asia, both in cooking and for therapeutic purposes.

The key component responsible for turmeric’s health benefits is curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation in the body. It combats oxidative damage, which is a significant factor in many diseases and accelerates aging. By reducing oxidative stress, curcumin may lower the risk of developing inflammation-related diseases.

Beyond its anti-inflammatory effects, turmeric is also being studied for its potential to combat neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, as well as heart disease, arthritis, and even cancer.

While more research is needed to confirm these effects, early findings suggest that turmeric may have widespread health applications in the future.

I have also before written about turmeric and its health benefits, so if you are further interested in that, you can find more information about turmerics health benefits here.


PARSLEY

Parsley is an herb that originates from the Mediterranean region and is exceptionally high in vitamins A, K, and C.

Some evidence suggests that regularly incorporating raw parsley into your diet can have positive effects on blood sugar regulation. Additionally, parsley’s high carotenoid and vitamin C antioxidant content may benefit heart health by reducing several risk factors for heart disease, such as lowering chronic inflammation and decreasing levels of LDL cholesterol. By helping reduce blood pressure, parsley can also improve kidney function, as shown in a rat study where treated rats exhibited lower excretion of calcium and proteins and an increase in urinary pH.

The high vitamin K content, along with its richness in potassium and magnesium, may also make parsley beneficial for promoting good bone health.



CORIANDER

Coriander, a herb that visually resembles parsley but tastes completely different, has been used for centuries in various countries around the world for culinary purposes.

Coriander seeds, along with its extracts and oils, contain the key compound linalool, which has been shown to effectively lower blood sugar, possibly by enhancing enzyme activity involved in removing sugar from the bloodstream.

Additionally, coriander and its extracts are rich in antioxidants, which not only help reduce inflammation in the body but also have anticancer, immune-boosting, and neuroprotective effects.

Coriander also benefits heart health by lowering high blood pressure and reducing LDL cholesterol, both of which are primary risk factors for heart disease. Because of its potent flavor, coriander encourages people to use less salt in cooking, further promoting heart health.

Beyond blood sugar management and heart-boosting properties, coriander may also support brain health by potentially protecting against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Lastly, for individuals with IBS or other digestive discomforts, coriander seeds can promote healthier digestion, reducing abdominal pain, bloating, and overall post-meal discomfort.



PEPPERMINT

Peppermint is a popular herb that is actually a hybrid of water mint and spearmint, containing the active compound menthol. The essential oils in peppermint, which give it its distinctive smell, have been shown to ease an upset stomach and reduce digestive bloating by relaxing various muscles in the digestive tract. This can be particularly helpful for individuals suffering from IBS.

Peppermint’s sharp, menthol-based scent is also effective in alleviating nausea and has been shown to help relieve headaches. Aromatherapy using peppermint can promote clearer thinking and uplift your mood.

If you’re sick and experiencing nasal congestion, peppermint’s antimicrobial properties can help fight off the common cold and clear away mucus buildup in the sinuses, making it easier to breathe. Additionally, peppermint acts as a bronchodilator, widening the air passages in the lungs and improving airflow.

Lastly, peppermint has potential antibacterial effects. Peppermint oil, in particular, has been found to be effective in preventing the growth of bacteria such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus, helping protect against various infections.



SAGE

Sage is a herb belonging to the same family as oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme, and it has been used worldwide for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

Sage is rich in antioxidants, containing various plant polyphenols such as caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, and ellagic acid. These antioxidants have potent anti-inflammatory properties, may help prevent the progression of cancer, and offer neuroprotective benefits.

A small-scale study found that drinking 300 ml of sage tea twice per day significantly increased blood levels of antioxidants and reduced LDL cholesterol levels.

Sage also has considerable antibacterial properties, making it useful for maintaining oral hygiene and protecting against microbes that promote dental plaque.

Research has also explored the link between sage consumption and Alzheimer's disease. One cause of Alzheimer’s is a decrease in acetylcholine levels, and sage has been shown to inhibit the breakdown of this neurotransmitter.



GINGER

Ginger root, which grows underground, is a popular spice widely used throughout Asia and has a long history in traditional medicine.

Ginger has been found to be highly effective in alleviating various forms of nausea, including morning sickness during pregnancy, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and motion sickness.

Additionally, this spicy root possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to help manage pain, with effects comparable to ibuprofen.

Lastly, due to its potent antioxidant profile, ginger has demonstrated anticancer effects, such as slowing down the growth of cancer cells, promoting their cell death, and interfering with activator proteins involved in signaling pathways related to cancer.

You can find a previous article of mine on ginger here.


ROSEMARRY

This popular herb contains the active ingredient rosmarinic acid, which gives rosemary its potent anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to combat oxidative stress in the body. By reducing inflammation, rosemary helps protect against the development of many chronic diseases.

Research suggests that rosemary may improve mental health, with studies proposing its potential benefits in managing depression, reducing stress, enhancing concentration, and boosting mood.

Regular consumption of rosemary supplements has also been linked to improved memory and learning ability, although further research is needed to confirm these effects.

Another active compound in rosemary, carnosic acid, has shown promising benefits for brain health. It may help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and be effective in the prevention of epilepsy and seizures. However, these effects have so far only been demonstrated in animal studies.


CARDAMMOM

Cardamom, a spice derived from the seeds of plants in the ginger family, offers numerous health benefits thanks to its rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It supports digestive health by alleviating symptoms like bloating, gas, and indigestion, and may also help prevent ulcers by protecting the stomach lining.

Cardamom is also beneficial for heart health, with studies suggesting it may lower blood pressure and improve circulation. Its antioxidant compounds help reduce oxidative stress, which can support overall metabolic health and boost immunity.

Additionally, cardamom’s antimicrobial properties may aid in fighting infections and improving oral health by reducing bad breath and preventing cavities. Some research also suggests that it may help regulate blood sugar levels, making it a valuable addition for those with metabolic concerns. Incorporating cardamom into your diet not only provides a range of health benefits but also adds a unique and aromatic flavor to foods and beverages

REFFERENCES

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Seasonal Fall Superfoods To Fuel You Through The Cold Season

October has arrived, and with it, the crisp air of autumn! While summer has bid its farewell, October brings its own charm — trees ablaze with vibrant colors, cozy evenings spent indoors, and the faint scent of winter on the horizon.

As comforting and nostalgic as October can be, it's also a time when many of us catch colds or come down with seasonal flu. With that in mind, today’s blog post will focus on how we can use the seasonal bounty of fall foods to boost our immune health and overall well-being.

Hope you enjoy :)

My intention: Present you a couple of fall based superfoods which pack impressive nutritional profiles to keep your health and immunity in check this autumn season.

FALL SUPER FOODS

Pumpkin

  • Pumpkin is a well-known fall food staple. This squash vegetable contains an impressive amount of vitamin A alongside a rich antioxidant profile, making it ideal for reducing the risk of various chronic diseases, such as cancer and eye conditions exacerbated by oxidative stress from a diet lacking in antioxidants. I have previously written on the topic of antioxidants and oxidative stress, and you can read more about it here.

  • Due to its high vitamin A content, as well as relatively high levels of vitamin E, iron, and folate, pumpkin has been shown to positively impact the immune system. In addition to immune health, vitamin A plays a crucial role in promoting good eye health. Pumpkin is also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two compounds linked to lower risks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.


Sweet Potatoes

  • Sweet potatoes now come in a variety of forms, sizes, and colors. They are not limited to just orange but can also be white or purple.

  • All sweet potato varieties are rich in a multitude of nutrients, namely vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, copper, antioxidants, vitamin B6, and, importantly, fiber.

  • Due to their high fiber content, sweet potatoes positively affect gut health by feeding beneficial gut bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids. These acids reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Additionally, fiber is essential for maintaining regular bowel movements, contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

  • Some research has focused on purple sweet potatoes, which are high in a specific antioxidant known as anthocyanins. These have been shown to slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells in vitro.

  • Similar to pumpkins, orange sweet potatoes, which are rich in vitamin A, have been shown to positively influence immune health and promote good eye health.

Beetroot

  • Beets have been cultivated and used in cuisine for a long time. As a root vegetable, they boast an impressive nutrient profile, being high in vitamin B6, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and fiber.

  • Additionally, beets are naturally high in nitrate compounds, which effectively regulate blood pressure. Our bodies convert nitrates into nitric oxide, a chemical messenger that signals the cells in our arteries to relax and widen, thereby lowering blood pressure.

  • Due to their nitrate content, beets have also been suggested to enhance physical performance during high-intensity endurance exercise by reducing the oxygen demands of mitochondria, which produce ATP, the primary energy currency of our cells.

Cinnamon

  • I have previously written a comprehensive article on the health benefits of cinnamon, which you can find here. In brief, cinnamon is incredibly high in antioxidants, such as polyphenols, which protect our cells from oxidative damage and reduce inflammation.

  • Some studies have shown that regular consumption of cinnamon can have positive effects on heart health by lowering levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and blood sugar, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

  • Cinnamon has also been linked to improved blood sugar control by potentially enhancing insulin sensitivity, which helps combat diabetes caused by insulin resistance. It may also reduce the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream after meals by interfering with digestive enzymes that slow the breakdown of carbohydrates. Several studies suggest that cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugar levels.


Cranberries

  • Cranberries, a berry closely related to blueberries, bilberries, and lingonberries, are most commonly consumed as cranberry juice or dried cranberries due to their tart taste.

  • Cranberries are especially rich in A-type proanthocyanidins, compounds that play a protective role against urinary tract infections (UTIs).

  • This same compound has also been linked to protection against stomach cancer and ulcers, which are most commonly caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. A-type proanthocyanidins can prevent these bacteria from attaching to the lining of the stomach.

Brussels Sprouts

  • Brussels sprouts belong to the Brassicaceae vegetable family, closely related to kale, cauliflower, and mustard greens.

  • These sprouts are very high in vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, plant fibers, and antioxidants.

  • Vitamin K is vital for proper blood clotting, while fiber benefits the gut microbiome by maintaining regular bowel movements and stabilizing blood sugar levels.

  • With their impressive antioxidant and vitamin C content, Brussels sprouts also help reduce inflammation-related diseases and assist the body in absorbing non-heme iron (plant-based iron sources).

SOURCES

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Making The Best Of Your Time At University

They often say that university is the best time of your life, but in reality its not the act of going to university itself that can make that be the best time of your life but its more about how you actually spend those years of your life and what you make out of it.

For this reason I wanted to take the time today to give you some advice if you are a student, for how to really take the most advantage of your years spent at university and how to best use those years not only for setting up a good foundation for the further years of your life but also how to make it as enjoyable and memorable of an experience as possible.

Hope you enjoy this one :)

My intention: Give you some practical advice on how I think you can ensure that your years at university are spent well and will be remembered well :)

MAXIMISING YOUR TIME AT UNIVERSITY

Taking Advantage of Freshers Week

  • If your university organizes a freshers week, it can be extremely beneficial to attend. It not only makes it easier to assimilate into your new environment by meeting people right from the start but also provides a direct opportunity to ask questions and familiarize yourself with the layout of your academic surroundings.

Introducing Yourself to New People

  • Often, the only thing stopping you from making new friends is the reluctance or fear of taking the first step to introduce yourself to someone new. By overcoming that hesitation, you might forge a valuable friendship that could last for years. If you don’t try, you’ll never know what could happen.

Learning How to Study Effectively

  • As a student, learning and studying will occupy a significant portion of your time. By investing in learning how to study efficiently, you can master a crucial life skill that will make learning more enjoyable and effective. You will not only manage your time better but also ensure that you retain previously learned information, making the entire process more productive.

Saying Yes to More Things

  • University is a time full of unique opportunities and experiences. To make the most of it, stay open to new possibilities by saying "yes" more often. By being open to new experiences, you’ll meet new people, have more fun, and create valuable memories and friendships that can last a lifetime.

Establishing Good Relationships with Your Tutors

  • Building good relationships with your tutors and professors can benefit you in many ways. Showing interest in their work or enjoying their teaching style not only creates an enjoyable rapport but also opens the door to new opportunities, like receiving valuable contacts or being introduced to useful information or resources.

Being Open to Traveling or Studying Abroad

  • During your time as a student, you may receive opportunities for studying abroad, internships, or travel. Even if you aren’t initially interested, give them some thought. These experiences often provide invaluable learning opportunities and expose you to new cultures and experiences that are priceless.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

  • Stepping out of your comfort zone is important at all stages of life, but it’s particularly essential during your university years. These formative years are when you’re often at your most agile, active, and healthy, making it the ideal time to push your boundaries and accelerate your personal growth.

Attending Career Weeks

  • If your university organizes career weeks or other career-related events, consider attending them. They offer a glimpse into potential career paths and give you the chance to meet insightful people and learn about the skills and qualifications needed for different professions.

Joining a Society

  • Joining a society can be a great way to develop a hobby, contribute to a cause, or meet new people. Especially for first-year students, societies can be an excellent way to integrate into university life, expand your social circle, and gain valuable experiences.

Speaking Up and Asking Questions

  • One of your main objectives as a student is to learn as much as possible. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, whether they are related to your studies or general life inquiries. Chances are, if you have a question, others do too, and it can create a shared learning experience. Asking questions costs nothing but can provide invaluable insights.

Taking on Leadership Roles

  • University is a great time to develop your leadership skills. Whether through clubs, organizations, or projects, learning how to lead, motivate, and coordinate groups can be immensely valuable in your future career. When given the opportunity to take charge, embrace it as a chance to grow and learn.

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The social guide to university: making friends and keeping them for long term

INTRODUCTION


Making friends at university can be both exciting and intimidating. For many students, university represents a fresh start—an opportunity to meet new people, expand social circles, and create meaningful connections that can last a lifetime. But on the other hand, it’s also easy to feel overwhelmed in such a large, diverse environment.

In this post, we'll explore practical strategies to help you make more friends during your time at university and explain why building these relationships is crucial not only for your social life but also for your academic success and overall well-being. From boosting your confidence to creating a support network, the friendships you form during this time can shape your entire university experience, not to mention that you can gain life long friends during this process.

My intention: Today I want to give you 15 useful tips on how to find making friends at university an easier and more enjoyable experience as well as how to maintain these friends in the long run

15 WAYS OF MAKING NEW FRIENDS AT UNIVERSITY



  • Engage with classmates: When you start a course at university, make an effort to talk to others in the same classes. You'll likely see them regularly, so why not take the opportunity to get to know them better?

  • Study in communal spaces: Studying in public areas of your school is a great way to meet new people. Many students are there to either socialize or study, providing plenty of chances to strike up a conversation and perhaps even collaborate on schoolwork.

  • Join student organizations: If you’re new to university, consider joining a club or society. It’s a great way to meet people with shared interests and learn more about how the university functions.

  • Volunteer: Volunteering is another excellent way to meet like-minded people while working together on meaningful projects, even if it’s not something everyone is initially drawn to.

  • Attend classes regularly: Going to your classes and lectures isn’t just beneficial academically but also offers a chance to meet peers and form friendships.

  • Participate in school events: Take advantage of any events or social gatherings organized by your school. These are great opportunities to meet new people and broaden your social circle.

  • Connect with dorm mates: If you're living in a dorm, take the time to get to know the people on your floor or in your building. You never know who you might meet or the friendships you could form.

  • Attend Freshers' Week: If your university has a Freshers' Week, make the most of it! It’s a fantastic way to get acquainted with your university, socialize, and meet new people early on.

  • Consider a part-time job: Working part-time, whether on or off campus, is not only a good way to gain work experience and earn money but also a great way to make new friends.

  • Join extracurricular activities: Participating in hobbies, clubs, or extracurriculars that match your interests can help you meet people with similar passions and form lasting friendships.

  • Be approachable: A simple smile and open body language can make a big difference. Many of us unintentionally look unapproachable by focusing on screens or not smiling. Make eye contact and stay present—it encourages others to start a conversation.

  • Hang out in common areas: University and dorm common areas offer excellent opportunities to meet others, so take advantage of these spaces to connect with fellow students.

  • Take the initiative: Sometimes, all it takes is for you to make the first move. Introduce yourself, ask someone to join an activity, or suggest meeting up. Even if they say no, many times people will be receptive and appreciate the invitation.

  • Say yes to social opportunities: Often, we miss social opportunities simply by turning them down. Be open to saying "yes" more often. While it’s important not to overextend yourself, being more receptive can help strengthen your social network.

  • Join or start a group chat: Being part of a group chat is a great way to stay informed about social events and gatherings. If one doesn’t exist, consider starting one yourself to create more opportunities for socializing.

HOW TO KEEP CLOSE TIES WITH YOUR FRIENDS AFTERWARDS

  • Accept that you can't be best friends with everyone: After university, it's important to identify who your closest friends are—the ones you trust and feel most comfortable with. These are the relationships you’ll want to prioritize and invest your time in. While you can maintain friendships with others, it’s natural that you won’t remain close to everyone in the long run, and that’s perfectly okay. People grow and change, and friendships evolve as part of that process.

  • Make time for your friends: Regularly catching up with your friends, whether weekly, monthly, or every few months, shows that you value the relationship. This could be through text messages, long phone calls, or meeting in person if possible. By making time for your friends, you demonstrate that you genuinely care about them, which in turn strengthens your bond.

  • Bond over shared interests: If you and your friend share common interests or hobbies, use them as a way to stay connected. Whether it’s scheduling a jog together if you're both into fitness, or attending a concert of an artist you both enjoy, engaging in mutual activities can deepen your connection and create lasting memories.

  • Be accountability partners: Friends can serve as excellent sources of accountability when working towards goals or trying to maintain positive habits. Whether it’s encouraging each other during tough times or pushing each other to stay consistent with a routine, having someone you trust for support can be invaluable.

  • Be fully present when you're together: Especially if you don’t see your friend often, it’s crucial to be fully present during your time together. Put away distractions like phones and really focus on enjoying quality time, creating a deeper connection and more meaningful memories.

  • Be an attentive listener: Beyond just spending time with your friends, active listening is key. Show genuine interest in what they’re sharing and engage thoughtfully in the conversation. This makes your friend feel heard and valued, strengthening your relationship.

  • Be your authentic self: Your friends value you for who you are, so it's important to always be your true self around them. Whether you’re spending time together or pursuing separate interests, maintaining your authenticity will help build stronger, more genuine connections.

  • Foster open and honest communication: Practicing open and honest conversations allows for greater trust and deeper connections. When you share vulnerably, you invite your friend to do the same, and this mutual openness strengthens the bond between you.

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Optimize Your Studying: Best Study Methods And Tips That Really Work

As a student, you spend a lot of your time behind books, in classes, or just in general learning things and studying, which is exactly why it can be incredibly useful to look into how you can make your studying more efficient in order to get the most out of the time you spend studying.

Below I have compiled a couple of ideas, some advice on how to set up your study environment to ensure an organized and focused space, then going into the best study techniques as backed up by science and lastly finishing up with some additional practical advice on how to approach your studies in the best way.

I hope that for those of you who are still in school or studying something, this will be useful because who doesn't want to make sure that their time spent studying is being used effectively?

My intention: Present you with the best advice on how to set up your study environment, on how to approach your studies, and which study methods are actually scientifically proven to work best.

SETTING UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT

How successful your studiying will turn out to be, is largely dependant on the desing of your environment in which you study.

Here are some things to consider in terms of how to best arrnage your study space and also to ensure you will be well rested and be able to focus well:

  • Sleeping well: It goes without saying, but making the time to sleep well is absolutely essential for your studies. Try to aim for a good 8 hours of sleep each night and to try and get up at a decently early time to ensure that you are able to make proper use out of your day and better handle with whatever schedule changes may occur.

  • Removing all distractions: Distractions nowadays come in many forms, raging from digital notifications and sounds to distracting objects or activities within our field of view. So make sure that before you start studying or tackling a piece of work, to remove such objects or digital temptations o ensure that your focus can be at its peak.

  • Changing your study environment: For some people it works well to always be studying or working in the same envirment, but sometimes when you find yourself loosing focus or motivation to study, one of the best things can be to change your study scenry. Consider perhaps working in someplace new, like a library, a coworking space, a local cafe. Experiment what works for you and see in what environment, wether it be busy, noise or quiet, you work best in.

  • Stick with what environment works for you: Similarly, if you know that you always focus well in a certain environment, it makes a lot of sense to continue studying there and make the best use of it. Often why this happens is that through habitation, our brains become used to associating a certain environment with a specific function, such as studying., which means that as soon as we enter that environment, we automatically transition into a productive work mindset.

  • Noise environment: Some people study best when accompanied by music but sometimes, depending on the kind of material you are studying, that may not be the most effecitve approach, where sometimes silence really is the best choice or pehraps even nature based sounds such as waves or the rain could be helpful too. Once again, experimentation is improtant here so that you can figure out what sticks best for you.

  • Healthy snacks: Studying is energetically intensive for your brain, especially since you are asked to think and concentrate, so having some snacks on hand for during your studying or during your study breaks is very useful. Instead of opting for highly processed snacks of foods with a lot of refined sugars, opt for more natural varieties that will still provide you with ample energy but will not come with the unpleasant sugar crashes that are often associated with highly processed foods. Some examples of healthy snacks options include any piece of fruit, trail mix, a yoghurt mixes with your toppings of choice, a smoothie, dipping raw vegetables into dips such as humous or a nut butter paired with jam on a piece of bread

BEST STUDY METHODS

Active Recall and Retrieval Practice

  • Retrieval is the process of recalling information you've previously learned. It's an active process that requires effort and thought to remember specific information. By doing so, you strengthen the neural connections to that memory, making it easier to recall in the future. Retrieval methods are excellent for transferring information into your long-term memory and improving future recall.

  • Here are some ways to practice active recall:

    • Practice tests: Self-designed quizzes or online tests are great for assessing your understanding and recall of a topic.

    • Flashcards: These are physical or digital cards with a question on one side and the answer on the other. Try answering the question before checking the answer to test your recall.

Having A Revision Plan

  • Having a revision plan ensures you'll cover all tested materials in time without rushing. It keeps you on track by outlining what you'll study and when, making the whole process more efficient.

  • Revision plans are also super effective because they enable spaced repetition: reviewing specific content at scheduled intervals, such as every few days or on a set day each week. By revisiting the same material multiple times with gaps between reviews, you enhance retention even more than with active recall alone.

  • As your knowledge strengthens, the intervals between review sessions can gradually increase. This progressive spacing aligns with your improving retention, optimizing your study efficiency over time.

Summarizing Key Concepts And Ideas

  • This method, often referred to as "brain dumping," involves writing down everything you can remember about a specific topic after studying a set of materials.

  • It's helpful to formulate several subtopics within your larger topic to aid in the recall process. You'll likely be surprised by how much you can remember. Often, recalling one specific process, fact, or concept triggers the memory of related concepts, creating a domino effect. This technique is another example of active recall. First, you study the information, then close all your books or materials and use only your memory to recite the information you've learned.

Practice Teaching What You Learn

  • Once you feel confident with a piece of content and have a solid understanding of it, one of the best ways to further strengthen your grasp is to adopt the role of a teacher.

  • Try explaining what you've learned to someone else, whether they're familiar with the subject or completely new to it. In the latter case, it might be even more beneficial, as they'll likely ask additional questions. This process helps you expand your own understanding and adds depth to your knowledge.

  • Teaching what you know is highly beneficial because it encourages you to present the material in your own words and simplify complex concepts. This approach makes it easier for you to understand and grasp the essential elements of what you're studying and explaining.

The SQ3R Technique

The SQ3R technique is a revision method that enhances your reading comprehension and maximizes retention of the material you're studying. The name is an acronym for the five-step revision process:

  • Survey: Before diving into a larger text from a book, article, or textbook, skim through the sections to identify main headings, subheadings, images, and other standout features. This provides a structured framework for your study.

  • Question: For each identified section, formulate questions that relate to the chapter's content. Consider what you already know about the topic and what information you expect the section to provide or clarify.

  • Read: Go through each section while keeping your formulated questions in mind. Actively seek answers to these questions as you read the material.

  • Recite: After reading a section, recall the main points in your own words. Identify the key content and the questions you were able to answer.

  • Review: Once you've completed all sections of a chapter or longer piece of text, review the material you've gathered. Connect ideas between different sections and quiz yourself with short questions to test your understanding and recall of the content.

The Feyman technique

  • The Feynman technique revolves around explaining a study concept in the simplest way possible to someone else, particularly using your own words.

  • After explaining a concept, reflect on which parts you could have clarified or simplified further. Identify areas for improvement in your explanation. Avoid complex jargon and instead break down what you're studying into the simplest possible language. This approach enhances both your understanding and that of the person you're explaining it to.

The Leitner System

  • The Leitner system uses flashcards and spaced repetition to enhance your studies.

  • To begin, create a stack of flashcards and place them all in a box labeled "Box 1." Review the flashcards, moving correct ones to "Box 2" and keeping incorrect ones in Box 1. Repeat this process with Box 2, moving the correct cards to the next box.

  • Eventually, you'll have several boxes of flashcards. The box number determines your review frequency:

    • Box 1: Daily (least understood material)

    • Box 2: Every other day

    • Box 3: Every 4 days

    • Box 4: Every 9 days

    • Box 5: Every 2 weeks (best-understood material)

Mind Mapping

  • Mind mapping is practiced by many students as a revision technique since it allows you to connect many different concepts and pieces of information and to see how they overlap or link together. Essentially, it allows you to form a bigger picture of what you are learning and to summarize what you have learned in a concise manner.

  • Additionally, you can add further visual aids like diagrams or graphs to help with your retention and use color-coding or various written symbols to represent different things during your study process.

Exercising Before Studying

  • Getting in some movement before your studying helps with fighting fatigue and keeping your brain alert. Additionally, by reoxygenating your brain and blood, exercise is able to help with cognition and memory retention as well as reducing stress levels which makes it easier for you to remain calm and properly be able to process information and thus benefit more from your studying.

  • Additionally, exercise helps with enhancing your sleep quality which again helps with your memory retention and making you feel more rested and energized for the upcoming day.

Studying Before Bed

  • Some new research is coming out to show that it is more beneficial to study before going to sleep as opposed to studying in the morning. In some cases, this may be true because at night when you are sleeping, your brain is still going through the information you have taken in and processing it to make sense out of it. This makes it easier to recall this information at a later time and helps with consolidating the information into your long-term memory.

  • However, if you find that in the evenings you get too tired to properly study and be able to read and understand information, then studying in the morning will likely be more beneficial for you. Try both approaches and see which one works best for you.

EXTRA TIPS ON HOW TO APPROACH YOUR STUDIES

Now that you have your environment properly set up and are familiar with what are the best techniques for studying, I wanted to add in a couple of other important tips to help you make your studies both more enjoyable and more effective overall.

  • Prioritize your tasks: All of us have different things to do of varying difficulties and importance, so take a moment to consider everything you have to do in a day or week and rank it based on its difficulty, how long it will take you and how urgent it is to get done. Tasks that are both highest in priority, most difficult, and will take the longest to finish, are the ones that you should realistically tackle first and everything else can wait for after. Additionally, don’t try to aim to get a million different things done in one day, but even if you just get one or two really important things done in a day that is already a successful day.

  • Keeping organized: By keeping your study space organized both physically and digitally you will be able to focus much better as you will be distracted less in general and you will find it much easier to find exactly what you need for a given task and thus keep a clearer head during your work.

  • Taking regular breaks: To expect yourself to study for hours on end and to do so with a good degree of focus and productivity is very unrealistic. Instead, aim to take a break every 30-60 minutes of work in order to recharge and move your body or to talk to a colleague or friend. This will help you step back from your work and with that, gain a new perspective on it helping you to solve some issues which you had previously encountered. On this note, also take the opportunity to reward yourself when after finishing a successful unit of work or time spent focusing, such as calling up a friend, grabbing a snack, going out on a walk for some fresh air or just relaxing with some music or entertainment.

  • Studying with others: For some people it can work great, both as a source of motivation and accountability, to study together with other people. For others, this is not the best approach since it can often be too distracting or you just end up talking and not doing anything really productive with your time. So identify whether this is something that would work for your studies and see with what kinds of people you are able to work best with. In group scenarios, aim to help each other with your work and content, to quiz each other and go through areas of difficulty, along side keeping each other accountable with your time and intentions of the study session.

  • Pomodoro technique: This is a focus tool that is commonly used by people today where the purpose is to set yourself a timer for which you will focus, as for example 30 minutes, and then to afterward set a time for a 5-10 minute break. This method of working and focusing you then repeat over however many sessions you need or are able to focus on. During the time which your focus timer is running, really make an effort to commit to the content and to put away all potential distractions and obstacles to your focus to really make the best of the time you choose to spend studying

  • Ask for help and ask questions: During your studies and academic journey, you will inevitably encounter topics or concepts that perhaps are not directly clear or understandable to you, so in those instances, one of the best, albeit not easiest, things you can do is to make an effort to ask for help about whatever you are struggling with. This is not easy to do as it is not easiest to admit that you need help with something or that you don’t understand something fully, but it is 100x better than not asking and in the end still being confused about a piece of content.

  • Attending class when possible: On a similar note to the previous one, try to attend as many in-person classes and lectures as possible which will give you opportunities to ask any questions you may have or to discuss during class hours your findings or areas of concern with the material. Even if you find that you understand everything with the content and don’t really have anything urgent to ask, it is still helpful to come as someone else in the room might raise a question you didn't know you were also unfamiliar with or even better, you might be in the position to be able to help explain a concept to someone who perhaps struggles with a topic you understand well.

  • Avoid multitasking: This is another common piece of advice concerning any type of work really, where a lot of research has shown that by alternating between different kinds of work, we use up a lot more of our mental capacities since it takes us some time to get into a flow state once we switch tasks. Multitasking is not only energy-draining but inevitably also worsens our focus since we are scatting our attention over several different pieces of work which overall worsens the quality of our work. A better approach is to instead either approach each task one by one or to group your tasks in terms of how similar the kind of work is (batching) and to then do each task category one by one, again helping to keep your attention more concentrated.

  • Effective note taking: Taking effective notes is not an easy task since the best kind of note taking is when you intake a certain piece of information and rephrase it in your own way of understanding it and to then make a note of that. The point of note-taking isn't to copy-paste large chunks of text, all of which you may not even understand in the end, but to paraphrase a certain idea in terms of how it makes the most sense for you. Focus on making your notes concise and also draw out structures or ideas since pictures a great way for telling something in an efficient manner.

REFERENCES

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

Your Guide To Setting Academic Goals As A Student

With the back to school season right around the corner, I thought it would be useful to spend some time reflecting on how to best set goals for yourself as a student, especially when it comes to your academic performance. Of course, everyone wants a good outcome in their academics, and setting functional and well-rounded goals are a great way to achieve that.

Of course, these guidelines can be applied to other kinds of goals you want to set such as for example your health goals or financial goals for yourself, but today I wanted to specifically highlight how to best set academic goals for yourself.

I hope you enjoy this one and that you find it useful in your own academic success :)

My intention today: Introduce to you a set of guidelines that you can use for setting up your own set of functional academic goals.

WHY SET GOALS ANYWAYS?

I know there is a lot of talk nowadays about setting goals so whats the big deal?

Well, the main advantage of setting goals is that it gives you something to shoot for and a general direction to head in. It provides you with a well-reasoned and realistic way of approaching something which you want to get better in.

Goals encourage you to focus better and as a result, because you know in which direction you are heading, you are able to make better decisions. Additionally, setting high-quality goals keeps you focused and highly motivated because you know what you are working towards but fundamentally, also why.

I also want to stress that I don’t think its best to be extremely fixated on purely your goals but the idea is more to keep them at the back of your mind while your main focus should be your journey and the process. The goal is there to merely inform you of what direction you are going in, but your process and daily effort are what is key and what will actually get you to that destination.

HOW TO SET GOALS AS A STUDENT

Determine What You Want To Get Better At

The first step concerning the creation of your academic goals concerns the “what”.

It is all about actually asking yourself which area or what specifically you want to get better at which directly links with what are your current areas of weakness. So spend a couple of minutes thinking about what is an area of perhaps your studies which you consider to not be so strong. Here it is important to realize that areas which we want to work on do not only have to strictly concern the content of what we study but could also very well have to do with our study-related habits or even lifestyle changes that we want to make that will help us out on our academic journey.

Another useful recommendation when deciding what area you want to work on is making the distinction between what is in your control and what falls outside that domain.

For example, perhaps the subject of chemistry is your weakest academic area so you would like to improve your understanding of it. In line with this, you might set a goal that goes along the lines of “I want my end-of-year chemistry exam grade to be X”, and while these kinds of destination-based goals are alright, it is better to set goals that are focused on the process and the daily input, such as “I would like to spend 20 minutes each day revising topic X for chemistry”. This is because in the latter example, we have much more control over our goal and in the first example, the goal that we get in the end is yes, partially in our control, but partially also dependent upon other external factors which we can’t really influence. So keep this in mind, when figuring out what specifically you would like to get better at

Finding Your Why

Once you know what area of weakness you want to work on, it is crucial to consider your why - why do you want to work on this specific area of weakness?

This reason is entirely your own and will form the basis of your motivation and drive to keep going in those times where it may get hard or difficult. Your why gives you a reason and a purpose for doing what you do and for wanting to go after the goals you want to reach. There is no right or wrong answer here remember, only what feels right to you.

Some examples of wanting to improve in an academic setting ay include opening up further studying or career-related options later on, to prove to yourself how much you are capable of or enhancing your growth as an individual.

Creating A Functional Plan

Now that you have identified your what and your why, it is time to consider the how factors, meaning how exactly do you plan on reaching your desired goals.

A plan is there to keep you organized in your goal attainment but to also keep you consistent and on track. It makes the process of reaching your goals much easier because you already have a written out plan that just has to be followed through instead of wasting more time and energy into deciding what you will do, how you will do it and when.

A plan in this case often comes in the form of a revision planner to keep you on track with your studies but it can also include other things such as lifestyle habits you want to do on a weekly basis that will help your academics out or creating a functional series of reminders to help keep you accountable with your plan.

What kind of plan you end up devising and coming up with to reach those goals that you set yourself is entirely up to you, you just want to make sure that in the process of creating such a plan, you are being both realistic with it and adding in some room for flexibility within your plan.

Following Your Plan

Now that you have devised a plan for how you are going to reach your goals, it is simply time to put it to the test.

Try following your plant to the best of your ability for a week or two and see if you have to make any changes to it. Is it too rigid? Have you stretched yourself out too thin? Is the method you have chosen to reach your goal not effective? How could you make it better?

In order to keep yourself both accountable and more motivated in the process of getting to your goals, it helps to track your progress or to want to improve on something together with a friend or group of friends which can help keep you accountable and on track. Alongside all of this, you always want to keep in the back of your mind why you are doing what you do to make sure you are still heading in the right direction.

Lastly, remember that it is all a trial and error and that life is not perfect at the end of the day so don’t be too hard on yourself if maybe if some days don’t go exactly the way you wanted or planned out for them to go. The goal is to just try your best and giving your best effort is already much more than enough. That is all that really matters in the end :)

Try out these steps and let me know about your experiences with them :)

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Lifestyle Taya Bregant Lifestyle Taya Bregant

Best Skills And Habits To Have As A Student

Back to school season is here which is why I have dedicated the month of October to exactly that: Helping you settle back in into a functional and enjoyable school routine and making sure that you both learn the most in this period and also make a lot of memories and fun of course.

As part of this larger theme, we will first begin today with exploring what are some of the best general skills and habits which students can have in empowering their academic lives as much as their personal lives and priorities because both are important.

For ease of understanding, I have divided these skills and habits into 5 separate categories, namely habits and skills benefiting you studies, your health, your finances a as student, your social life as well as your personal growth, which we cant neglect.

As a student myself, I hope that you are able to pull out something useful from todays topic and that as a student it is able to help you out during your years of studies

My intention today: Provide you with a practical and useful breakdown of the best skills and habits which you can work on building as a student to help you both in your studies and person life.

THE BEST SKILLS AND HABITS

CATEGORY 1: STUDIES

Following a revision plan

One way to make your revision as efficient as possible is to make a plan for how you aim to approach your studies, namely what you will be revising when, and for how long. This ensures that you have adequate time to cover all content and that you will be well prepared for when the exam comes around. Additionally, I would really recommend making an effort to revise even just a little bit every day because effort really does build up to results. It doesn't have to be a lot, but even just making an effort of 10–20 minutes of revising a topic you have previously covered can have a massive boost in your memory and retention of that knowledge which doesn't only help with preparing you for exams but helps you remember something for the rest of your life, not just school.

Revising with active recall

Active recall is the process or study method by which you actively test yourself on a piece of material by trying to remember and recall what the answer or solution to a certain question was. This is much more effective than just rereading a set of notes or highlighting because, in those instances, your brain isn't very actively involved in trying to remember information. So instead, approach your learning as a set of quiz questions to enhance your studies with.

Efficient note-taking

Often times the mistake we make while taking notes from class or reading materials is that we either simply write down too much or that we plainly copy and paste information which leaves us with barely remembering anything. Instead, try to first always inform yourself of what information will actually be tested and is absolutely crucial for you to know. Then for the actual note-taking, first reread a section of some literature and then extract the relevant parts and put it into your own words. It also helps to add in diagrams or visual representations since sometimes it is easier or more efficient to draw something than to explain it in words.

Fine-tune your focus

As a student when you have a lot going on in your life with different priorities and things asking for your time and energy, it is super important to be able to find periods of deep focus, especially when it comes to your studies. Identify in what kind of environment you work and focus best: is it a quiet room? A bustling coffee shop? Do you work best alone or study in groups? Is your best focus at night or is it in the morning? All of these things impact your ability to focus so play around a bit and see with what you are most productive.

Asking as many questions as possible

When you have the opportunity to ask something because you are curious about it or because there is something you don't understand about it, do it because you won't regret it. Maybe it will just be an interesting conversation with your professor but it might also open some other doors or opportunities you may previously didn't even foresee. Asking for help with something or admitting that maybe there is a topic you don't understand fully takes a lot of strength, but to be willing to step up and work on these weakness areas that you may have is one of the best skills to practice.

CATEGORY 2: HEALTH

Prioritizing good sleep

I know that sometimes, especially during your years spent as a student, it is hard to fit in consistent good quality sleep, but trying to make a regular effort of it can do wonders for your body and mind. Good sleep is absolutely essential for having proper energy the following day, in regulating your hormones, in helping your memory and also keeping your cardiovascular health in check among other things. I know that sometimes you just can't, sometimes you want to go out and party or stay up late with your friends which is totally understandable, but at least a couple days per week make an effort to sleep well.

Learning to cook

Learning to prepare some of your own meals as a student can both be very friendly towards your wallet but also towards your health since you have more control of what and how much you are eating. I know that it takes a bit more time and organization to fit in some cooking, but aim to have at least one meal prepared at home every day, whether it is a breakfast you enjoy in the morning or a satisfying and nutritious dinner you prepare later on in the day. Experiment with new recipes and ingredients, or try preparing a meal together with your friends to make it more fun.

Finding some sort of movement you enjoy

Keeping active is essential for our health but especially as a student, taking part in some form of exercise which you enjoy is both incredibly important for your health and well-being but also as a way of de-stressing and potentially socializing with your own friends or having some time for yourself. It doesn't matter what kind of movement you do, just let it be something you find enjoyable and that you can keep at least some level of consistency with.

Managing your stress levels

One of the best and vital skills that you practice as a student is to find ways of how to best deal with your stress, because there definitely will be periods of stress in your academic journey as well as later on in life. Some people de-stress through exercising as I mentioned above, some people do it by having a night out with their friends, or others do it by spending some time alone recharging or doing something they enjoy like doing something creative or reading. The choice is yours, the point is just that you find activities which relax you and that you can make use of them during any stressful periods.

Keeping your mental health in check

Sometimes throughout your studying journey, you will find moments that you struggle or that you need some support or assistance with something. In those moments it is crucial to be able to reach out to someone or some resource to be able to help yourself with what you are struggling with. Whether it is a conversation with a professor or a close friend on something that you don't understand or consulting with a parent or other resource for something that is worrying you. I acknowledge that it is not easy to ask for help about something but if it is costing you your happiness or other measures of wellbeing, then please do.


CATEGORY 3: PERSONAL GROWTH

Learning as much as you can

This applies especially while you are a student because it is literally your occupation to learn. However, the real goal is to actually never stop learning and to continuously approach life with the mindset of a student. Ask as many questions as interest you, educate yourself through books, videos, and podcasts, or attend lectures or class discussions. Pick up a new hobby or something you are interested in and you will see how much you will learn by doing something. Treat your ability to learn as a privilege and as something you get to do instead of it being something you have to do.


Keeping your hobbies around

Hobbies provide a great way to explore something else which you are interested in, to meet new people or as a method of de-stressing. There are many different kinds of hobbies, some active such as sports, some creative such as painting or drawing for example, or hobbies can even be something you enjoy from the activity itself such as reading or baking something sweet. Try to find some time every day or week to fit in some hobby or hobbies you enjoy and you will see how much more fulfillment you will add into your life.

Getting to know yourself

Your years spent as a student are some of the most vital and formative years of your life which will be a grounding for your life later on, such as what kind of career you want to pursue or what you enjoy doing with your time. So put some time aside each week to get to know yourself, namely, identifying what you value as a person, what your current priorities are, and what goals you are striving for are some great ways to start here.

Challenging yourself

Aim to challenge yourself every day or as frequently as possible because when you push yourself out of your comfort zone (even though it is hard or scary), is when you actually grow as a person and expand your limits of what you believe you are capable of doing. Identify what you spend most time doing each week or working on and for each of these activities, consider how you could challenge yourself to be 1% better by next week.

Cultivating a growth mindset

Without a doubt, there will be moments in our academic journey that we will feel discouraged, unmotivated or very judgmental of ourselves or feel that we are not enough, but the good news is that this can be overcome. A growth mindset is one which allows you to see your mistakes or setbacks as opportunities for you to learn and become better. Similarly, seeing other people succeed and win at something isn't an incentive for you to feel down about your own abilities or progress journey, but an opportunity for you to learn from them and have a person in your life by whom you are inspired. It is about a shift in perspective that enables you to overcome all sorts of personal obstacles you may be facing in a much more effective way.

CATEGORY 4: FINANCES


Budgeting and saving

Your years spent as a student are some of the best years to practice how to better handle and manage your money as well as for learning how to budget your expenses. Each month, depending on your income and average expenses, it's useful to determine budgets for how much you, for example, want to be spending on groceries, eating/drinking out, personal things, gifts, etc. This gives you a bit more peace of mind when it comes to your spending since you know how much you are able to spend instead of worrying whether you have gone over budget and then lost track of your spending.

Debt management

Some of us entering university do so by taking out a student loan which afterwards has to be paid back within a certain period of time. Depending on whether or not this applies to you, it is good for you to familiarize yourself with concepts such as interest rates applying to student loans for where you live and what are some methods now or later for how you could start making some money on the side to put towards repayment of these loans.

Smart spending

Nowadays there are many things in our environment that urge or invite us to spend our money alongside following trends and wanting to in general fit in with our friends or the world around us. To become smarter at spending your money, one way, as I discussed previously, is to learn about how to budget and save your money, but also to determine the reason why you want to buy what you want to buy. Is it because you are following a certain trend, because you want to fit in with your friends because you feel down or sad? Determine the reason and also consider whether you really need this item and will make good use out of it, instead of just impulsively buying whatever you like for no particular reason.

Financial literacy

The financial world around us is evolving every day, and with that, it is important to keep up with it. To begin with a better understanding of your finances and the financial institutions of this world, spend a little time each day or every week learning something new about this field. Perhaps check out a trustworthy website to explain to you how you can get a student credit card, educate yourself on student loans and scholarships, increase your knowledge of how to start investing your money when you are young, or even just learn new words when it comes to this domain. Every little piece of knowledge that you acquire can be of use here.

Investing

While it is true that the younger you start investing your money into some form of commodity, the larger your returns can be, it is also worthwhile to first consider how you will even approach such activity and to only experiment with as much money as you are also okay with potentially losing since there is always an element of risk involved here. This again comes to the element of learning and educating yourself on this topic before beginning, where nowadays you can find many videos or websites online to explain this to you or even diving into books, podcasts or webinars can be a great way of how to expand your understanding of this.

CATEGORY 5: SOCIAL

Making time for your friends

One of the best parts about your university experience or your time as a student in general, is the amount of opportunities you have to be able to make friends and meet new people, either through your academic institution, via any extracurricular activities you do or even just by going out and seeing who you meet. Having a close-knit group of friends or even just one close friend can have one of the biggest impacts on your well-being and happiness, so making an effort to introduce yourself to someone or to ask someone if they would like to do something together with you, can be one of the most worthwhile uses of your time.

Making time for your family

Of course the quality of time which you spend with your family can also not be underestimated, since they are usually the people who know you best and are there for you in times that you need support or someone to speak to. So in the case that you are studying somewhere away from you family, make an effort to keep in contact with them and to also make some time each month or year to spend time with them in person.

Keeping in touch with long-term friends

In my experience, especially when it comes to switching school environments or moving to a new country, there are of course moments for you to make new friends but it is also important to not neglect your past friends that you may have met in a previous stage of your life and if that friendship still resonates with you, to invest some time and energy into it. I am not saying that you have to keep in constant contact with everyone you meet, but with those people that you resonate with, staying in contact with them in the long term can be very worthwhile since you never know when your two paths might come together again in the future

Being a thoughtful friend

One of the qualities I admire most in friends and one which I also try to do a lot myself, is to be more of a thoughtful friend. For example when we try to surprise our friend for their birthday, when we make an effort to call or text them, or when we remember their favorite coffee order and get it for them. I really do believe that in the end, the accumulation of these small thoughtful actions can be extremely rewarding for ourselves and also for the person doing them, so it is a double sided win.

Finding moments to have fun and destress

Even though there most likely will be moments throughout your studies when you might be under pressure, nervous or stressed out about an exam, a project or a change in studying the location, it is key to be able to find moments in your day or week to de-stress yourself and to fit in moments for fun and leisure, however, those may look like to you. Oftentimes, we get so wrapped up in our own thoughts and heads that we make our problems appear bigger than they really are and end up spending so much energy stressing out about something that in the end wasn't that big of an issue after all but we just needed a change in our approach or mindset in it. So remember, to take things a little lighter and remember that no matter the situation, it will be okay and you will get through it.

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

How To: Building Your Ideal Morning Routine

How did you wake up today?

For many people, the first few minutes after waking involve hitting the snooze button several times. After finally getting up—often later than intended—they spend a dozen or more minutes scrolling through social media or responding to messages and notifications from the night before.

However, research suggests that starting your day in such a reactive state can have serious downsides. It affects not only your attitude towards the rest of your day but also your health and mental well-being.

Beginning your day as described above can worsen your mood from the start and unnecessarily stress your body and mind in that crucial first hour. This can lead to lethargy throughout the day, increased susceptibility to triggers, and a generally unfulfilling day—all because we didn't start our morning in an energizing and fulfilling way.

It's therefore important to build a morning routine—however long or simple—that works well for you and your lifestyle.

Everyone has different lives, time constraints, and duties, so naturally, not every routine will work for everyone. The key is to focus on those components you value and that make a big difference in your morning. Incorporate these into your mornings as regularly as you can. The goal is to make your routine functional, practical, and energizing for you.

My intention today: I want to provide you with a variety of ideas you can mix and match for your own morning routine, helping you truly elevate the start of your day according to your preferences and needs.

I hope you'll find something useful here to help you build a morning routine that will inspire and prepare you well for the day ahead.

15 IDEAS FOR WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR MORNING ROUTINE

  • Getting a good night of sleep the night before: Paradoxically, one of the best things you can do as part of your morning routine is to ensure you're getting a good night's sleep. This makes waking up at an earlier time much easier and helps you feel energized the following day.

  • Waking up early: Rising early allows you to get the most out of your day and enjoy some unrushed personal time before heading out.

  • Making your bed: This simple habit helps start your day off right. By making your bed first thing in the morning, you've already accomplished something worthwhile, which helps you tackle the rest of your daily tasks.

  • Movement: Incorporating some form of movement into your morning can be very helpful, waking up your body and stretching out any sore or tense spots. You don't necessarily need a rigorous workout; even a few effective stretches or a stroll around your neighborhood can be great options.

  • Eating a nutritious breakfast: While not everyone enjoys breakfast or makes time for it, if you're someone who does, including a nutritious meal in your morning routine can aid digestion and fill you with valuable energy and nutrients for the day.

  • Planning your day: Taking a few minutes in the morning to plan your day and set your intentions can have an incredible effect on your productivity. It helps you get more done efficiently and ensures you're approaching your day with the right attitude and mindset.

  • Making time for a hobby or creative pursuit: Another idea is to dedicate 10 or more minutes to a hobby you enjoy or a creative project you're working on. Many people find they're highly creative in the mornings, so if you can take advantage of this by fitting in some creative time, you might be surprised by how much you can learn or improve.

  • Spending some time outdoors: If possible, spend some time outside or get natural sun exposure in the morning. This can help give your body the cue to wake up naturally and allow you to get some fresh air.

  • Meditation: Many people find it helpful to dedicate a few minutes of their morning to some form of meditation. This can provide greater clarity of thought and help you approach your day in a more objective and calm state.

  • Connecting with loved ones or pets: Making time in the morning to talk with someone who means a lot to you—whether in person, over the phone, or via text—can add grounding value to your day. Similarly, if you have a pet, spending a few minutes with them can elevate your mood and make you feel more connected to the world around you.

  • Listening to a podcast or good music: Putting on music you enjoy or an interesting podcast can empower you to have a great day, spark new ideas or ambitions, and generally elevate your mood.

  • Drinking water: While it's important to drink water throughout the day, having 1-2 glasses in the morning ensures you rehydrate after a long night's sleep and helps boost your energy levels.

  • Not rushing: If possible, give yourself enough time in the morning to do everything you want without feeling rushed. A hurried state can add stress and put you in a bad mood.

  • Learning something new: Taking a few minutes in the morning to practice a skill or learn something new is always valuable. You might have less control over your schedule later in the day, so morning can be an ideal time for this. Expand your knowledge on a topic of interest by reading, solving a quiz, listening to an intriguing podcast, or watching an educational video.

  • Limiting screen time: Many people start their day by checking their phones and social media. However, this puts you in a reactive, almost autopilot mode, which isn't ideal for your self-esteem or motivation. Instead, try to completely avoid checking your phone and social media for at least the first 30 minutes after waking up. This gives your body proper time to wake up naturally, rather than immediately consuming media.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER


Now that you have some ideas for what to include in your morning routine, here are additional factors to consider for further refinement:

  • Amount of sleep you need to function best: This will determine the optimal times for you to wake up and go to sleep.

  • Your living situation: Your routines and daily flexibility will differ greatly depending on whether you live alone or have a family or others to care for. Determine when it makes the most sense to do each part of your morning routine based on your situation.

  • Breakfast: Not everyone enjoys or makes time for breakfast in the morning. Consider whether you want to include it in your routine and plan accordingly.

  • Getting ready: Realistically estimate how long it takes you to get ready in the morning—from waking up to leaving your home. Ensure your morning routine allows enough time for preparation to avoid constant rushing.

  • Time allocation: Consider how much time you want to dedicate to your morning routine from start to finish. This will allow you to perform everything you want in a relaxed manner while still keeping it time-efficient to fit your other daily obligations.

RESOURCES

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

These Are The Best Habits For Your Health And Career

I have written about habits many times before and for good reason.

Habits are founded on routine, which again is based on consistency, which I wrote about last week here. This month of August is all focused on the theme of building consistency and the power that lies behind functional routines.

The magical thing about habits is that once an activity becomes habitual, it is drastically easier to execute and perform since it's already part of our regular routine or repertoire. Habitual actions require much less willpower and discipline to keep up, meaning that if we keep up that activity, we can successfully start reaping the benefits coming from that activity.

The habits which I talk about below are not only extremely beneficial when practiced over a long course of time but are in a large sense also universally applicable in various areas of our life. These habits have been split into two categories: habits which are beneficial for your career or work life and habits which are foundational for keeping up good health.

My intention today: Discuss 20 different habits in relation to your work and health and to discover how such habits can transform your life if applied as a regular practice.

BEST HABITS FOR YOUR HEALTH

Quitting smoking

Smoking is a seriously harmful habit which, if done regularly, can drastically increase your chances of lung cancer, stroke, dental issues, and other respiratory-related breathing issues that can greatly hinder your quality of life. Even though, as a frequent smoker, one of the hardest decisions you can make for your own health is to quit smoking, it is surely one decision and lifestyle change that is bound to have the best lasting effects on your health and well-being.

Wearing sunscreen regularly

The daily use of sunscreen greatly helps in the prevention of the development of skin cancer and sunburn while also preventing premature aging of the skin. If you are less concerned about the appearance of your skin as you age, then it is recommended as the bare minimum to at least apply sunscreen during the months of highest sun exposure and UV intensity (on the warmest and hottest months with most sun exposure) instead of every day or on cloudier days. Otherwise, dermatologists recommend wearing sunscreen every day, even on less sunny days, and in those instances, using a lower SPF is sufficient. Some time ago, I previously wrote about the importance of wearing sunscreen, which you can read here.

Daily movement

The benefits associated with moving your body are plenty: from better cardiovascular health, joint health, flexibility, improvements in posture, and increasing your overall physical strength and endurance. It is super important to stress that movement comes in many forms and doesn't only include the standard exercising such as going to the gym and running. Please move your body in whatever way feels best to you, whether that is walking, dancing, climbing, swimming, cycling, etc., you name it. I have written about the importance of exercise previously here, so if you are interested, consider checking it out.

Limiting or avoiding alcohol

Although an occasional drink or glass of something will not be the end of the world, alcohol, if drunk in excess, can also greatly harm your health. Excessive drinking of alcohol can cause various cancers such as those of the mouth, throat, and breast, while also predisposing you to stroke, heart disease, and liver damage. While you can have fun while drinking alcohol and every so often is no problem, please do not overdo it. If you want to read more about how to keep a more moderate relationship with alcohol, I have also written about it here and its effects on the body.

Drinking more water

This is rather common advice nowadays, but sometimes we are simply so busy or out of touch with our bodies that we do not drink enough water throughout our day. The standard advice is to drink 2 liters of water per day, but of course, that depends on your age, activity level, and also the temperature of the climate where you live. Making an effort to drink more water, of course, keeps your body and the cells of your body properly hydrated (the osmotic balance in check), which helps with your body's metabolism and energy production, improving the healthiness and appearance of your skin as well as improving the functioning of your kidneys and bowel movements.

Practicing mindful eating

Mindful eating is a rather underrated habit; however, if practiced regularly and with attention, it can have extremely positive outcomes with your relationship with food and other aspects of your health. When we say mindful eating, we refer to eating that is done in a controlled and generally slower pace, where we pay attention to what we are actually eating in terms of its taste, texture, and flavor. This style of eating makes it easier for us to sense our hunger and fullness cues, which can aid in weight-loss goals while also directly improving your digestion and overall satisfaction with the food we eat. Here you can further see the importance of this style of eating.

Getting good quality sleep

It is no secret that sleep is critically important for our functioning and energy throughout the day, along with a myriad of other functions such as boosting memory, helping with your immune system, and being beneficial for your cardiovascular system. By ensuring that you have some sort of evening or sleep routine which works well for you, you make it much easier to ensure good sleep that night. If you would like to know specifically how to improve your sleep or what the benefits of sleeping are, click here.

Time for meditation and stillness

Finding a couple of minutes throughout your day for silence or quiet meditation can also have profound impacts on your health, both physically and mentally. A regular practice of meditation can help with your sleep, anxiety management, as well as improving your emotional intelligence and stress management. Although it is not the easiest habit to begin practicing, I have previously written a blog post with tips on how you can begin practicing meditation and how a sustained meditative practice can help with your well-being. You can find it here. Additionally, a rather underrated way to add value and peace into our lives is to try spending a couple of minutes in complete silence each day while we are awake. Oftentimes, in this busy and fast-paced world we live in, we are exposed to so many sounds and disturbances in our environment that it is hard to truly find the peace of mind to calm down and be able to think clearly. So whenever you can, as during a walk or the first couple of minutes when you wake up or before going to bed, try spending a bit of time in complete silence, even if at the start it is rather uncomfortable.

Adopting a morning routine

Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about the power behind routines, especially morning routines, and for good reason. Although many morning routines that you can nowadays find online are, for most people, completely unrealistic and far too complicated, instead a morning routine should be both enjoyable yet simple and practical enough for you to actually be able to do it more or less every morning. It doesn't have to be long or tiresome, just something that makes you feel good and makes the start of your day feel right and on track. Next week's post will be focused exactly on this topic of routines, why they are actually a fundamental part of our day, and some ideas for what you can include in your own morning routines.

Moments of self-care and time for yourself

Finding some time every day or every week dedicated just for yourself and your own needs is extremely important in the long run for your own personal growth and general well-being. Here I don't mean just time spent relaxing or booking a massage appointment (which if that is what time for you means, then by all means go for it), but I also mean time for you in a more broad sense where, for example, you could read up on a book or article you find fascinating to increase your understanding of a certain topic, or to spend a bit of time every week learning and practicing a new skill you are trying to acquire. All of these activities are extremely beneficial since, at the end of the day, knowledge, experiences, and skills are the raw fuel that fuels whatever you want to do and produce in life. I have also written on the importance of practicing self-care here.

BEST HABITS TO BOOST YOUR CAREER


Practicing deep focus

In a world with so many constant distractions and things to get done, it can be hard to get any proper work done throughout our day. This is why it is essential to be able to block out some time during our workdays where we can truly focus on the chosen tasks at hand and do some actual deep-focused work. Whenever you can, try to make time for work such as this, which will allow you to not only work more efficiently but also the work you produce will be of greater quality. One way to implement more moments of deep-focused work into your routine is to create distraction-free zones in your home which are only meant for focused work and where all other distracting devices will either be completely omitted or put onto silent mode. Similarly, removing as many possible notifications and other unplanned distractions from your environment is also an effective approach to this. Here you can read more about how you can improve your focus abilities

Learning something new every day

As a person, it is really important that we never stop learning and that we continue going through life with an almost childlike state of curiosity to drive us to learn and grow. As a rule of thumb, try to learn something new every day. It doesn't have to be a very big or challenging concept or skill, but in this way, you can day by day become better by 1% which can over time add up to major improvements and growth in your knowledge bank. You can learn such knowledge via reading or watching an interesting video or doing a course or even an in-person workshop for a more hands-on experience at something.

Planning your day in advance

The main advantage associated with planning your day in advance is that the following day when you begin your day, you already exactly know what you have set out to do in that day and waste no more time or precious mental energy to decide what you will dedicate that day to. We actually use a lot of mental energy for making very menial decisions throughout our everyday such as what will we wear, what task should we start first with, how will I get from place A to place B etc., so if we are able to put some energy into thinking this the day before, the following day flows much more easily and efficiently.

Setting daily or weekly goals

I am a big believer in setting goals and setting yourself a general direction in which you want to grow or improve. On a more long-term approach, it can be very useful to set more long-term goals such as goals you aim to achieve within a year, however what often helps to make reaching those larger goals is to set smaller goals on a weekly or daily basis that will get you towards those bigger goals. For example, it is a perfectly reasonable goal to want to save a certain amount of money within 3 months, so to achieve that, you can put a certain amount of money aside each week for example to bring you closer to your goal. Similarly, if you have a goal to lose some weight in the next couple of months, making a daily goal of doing some form of movement for 30 minutes a day can with consistency bring you closer to your goal

Prioritizing your tasks

This goes hand in hand with planning out your day, whereby it is always useful if possible to begin your work with the most difficult or time-consuming task first which will then make all other slightly easier tasks go through more easily. Additionally, it is also important to note that each day, pick out 1 or a maximum of 3 main things which you want to get done, which is far more realistic than picking 20 different things that you want to do but not fully finishing even one of them. Dedicate each day to the completion of something, whatever that may be, whether it is to finish something for a deadline or to take 3 hours in the evening for your family.

Journaling and time for reflection

Journaling or the act of writing out our plans, thoughts, or experiences can be extremely useful in many ways. In terms of your career, journaling about your current successes and goals and areas to improve on can be both very motivational as well as giving you a clearer overview of where you currently are on your journey and where you are heading towards. Making the time to look back on your past work and progress can also be very informative to see what mistakes you had done, what you can learn from them and how to prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future. Essentially, through the process of writing or journaling you are able to distill your thoughts and almost view your thoughts and emotions through a more objective third-person perspective.

Investing in your social life and relationships

I have written about this in one of my recent newsletters where I mentioned that one of the best investments you can make in our life and especially when it comes to your career, is to invest time into the current relationships you have and also in adding new people and new connections into your life. Relationships of all kinds, if functional and sustained, should have mutual effort and time having been invested from both sides to ensure that a trusting bond is built. A variety of strong yet diverse social connections in our life can make our life drastically more meaningful and of course more enjoyable, since at the end of the day, humans are social animals. This doesn't mean that you now need 100 friends, but even if you have a handful of people with whom you are close by with, those relationships can be extremely rewarding.

Expressing gratitude

Although it is rather seen as a cliché nowadays but by intentionally instilling the simple habit of stating a couple of things which you are really grateful for, it can have a very positive outlook on how you see the world. Similar to meditation, you become more in tune with your thoughts and emotions and are able to step back for a little before saying something. Additionally, through gratitude you can reflect on just how many amazing and positive experiences you are able to have in your everyday and by acknowledging them, you genuinely become a more positive person which can help in further attracting new people and opportunities into your life.

Asking for help when needed

Sometimes we have the stubborn mentality that the goal is to be completely self-sufficient and to need to be able to do everything completely by ourselves which could not be more false. Stepping out of your comfort zone to ask for help or to admit that you are still learning about something and would need a hand with it, will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run. Additionally, by becoming more vulnerable with someone about what you require support with, you not only improve your relationship with that person but also up a mutual support system because everyone needs a helping hand with something eventually - and that truly is a sign of strength.

Asking for feedback and critique

If we want to continue striving for growth and progress, it can be extremely beneficial to ask for constructive feedback and critique from someone in the field of what we are working on. When given critique or feedback from someone you trust on something you produce, you shouldn't be sad or angry at the person offering you the critique, but should instead be grateful and try to take into account their ideas or recommendations to further fuel your growth. The exposure to external opinions and viewpoints can be extremely healthy in letting you know what you can still add or improve on which can bring your work and ideas to a completely new level of greatness that could have never been achieved if you just settled with your own view of your own work.

I hope you found some of this advice useful :)

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

Building Consistency - Finding Something And Sticking To It

Everyone struggles with being consistent.

It is no easy task. Staying consistent doesn’t only entail starting something but requires exactly what it says: consistency. Some sort of rhythm or routine which allows us to perform an action on a regular basis.

While consistency is hard to cultivate and even harder to maintain, there are some ways which I talk about below, that can make this process easier for ourselves in the long term.

Before we get into discussing a more hands-on approach for how you can build your consistency through any activity that you want to pursue, I wanted to first also briefly touch upon how we can benefit from staying consistent with something in the long run and what actually are the main reasons for why we fall out of being consistent with something.

I hope you find something useful and worthwhile in today’s post :)

Today’s intention: Realize how a steady-paced consistency can benefit you in the long run and practical tested advice for how to keep consistent with something.

WHY IS CONSISTENCY IMPORTANT ANYWAYS?

Here it is important to firstly clarify, that you do not have to be consistent with every single activity that you do, but rather to focus your consistent energy and intention on an activity or set of activities which you would like to build consistency with in the long run.

What you decide that you want to become more consistent at will depend entirely on your personal goals and passions.

For example, if your goal is to improve your endurance and perhaps one day be able to run a marathon, a useful activity to become consistent at would be going on a daily run.

Similarly, if you have always dreamt of publishing some sort of written text or book, then adopting a daily routine of writing or scripting can directly benefit you towards getting closer to your goal.

Consistency or in other words, having a set yet functional routine when it comes to performing an activity (whatever that may be), is extremely impactful in the long run because over time instead of purely relying on motivation or willpower to get to doing that activity, it will bit by bit become a habit of common practice. Over time, the activity will be easier to perform and you will face less friction when it comes to getting started with it.

Now why is this useful?

By building consistency and discipline with a certain activity, you are able to become a prolific goal achiever.

You are able to grow and improve in your areas of weakness and with consistent practice, get closer to your goals in whatever area of your life they may lie in, whether it be health, finances, education, career, relationships or personal interests. With consistent practice you are able to sharpen your skills and expand your knowledge of something to new dimensions, while adopting strong and healthy habits to support you in the process.

In short, consistency is important because by being consistent you can improve at anything you wish to work on and reach the goals you set yourself at a much faster yet reliable rate. And best part is, it can be applied to any area of your life that you would like to work on.

SO WHY IS BEING CONSISTENT SO DIFFICULT THEN?

That's a good question.

A critical study within social psychology from 2009 found that on average, it took the participants of the study between 18 and 245 days to develop a daily habit of doing an activity in relation to eating, drinking or movement.

While this range is certainly quite large, suggesting that the different kinds of habits that we want to form will require different levels of input and consistency. For example, the goal of starting to drink at least 2 liters of water a day will most likely require a different level of effort and technique than when it comes to wanting to adopt a habit of exercising each day for 30 minutes.

This is one reason for why we often fail at being consistent with something.

The other reason is that before an activity becomes of habitual nature to us, it takes a lot of willpower and energy for us to motivate ourselves to perform the activity and this accumulated over a long spread of time can be energetically demanding, not to mention demanding of our attention span which at its best on average can hold between 10-15 minutes focus (Bradbury, 2016).

Biologically, our brain is built to prefer the path of least resistance which translates to performing the activity that requires least effort. Therefore if we really want to develop a steady routine at an activity, we have to do some careful planning to ensure that the process will be an enjoyable one for us, since the consistency itself will at least initially, require quite a lot of our energy.

Therefore to sum up, being consistent at something is difficult because some activities naturally take more effort and time for us to make them into a consistent habit and secondly, before we turn an activity into a habit, it requires of us a considerable energetic investment to get us to perform the activity.

HOW TO BUILD CONSISTENCY

Now let's talk about some practical advice on how we can become more consistent at something.

Here are some things which have worked well in my experience:

  1. Decide your what and why: The first step is to determine which activity you want to become more consistent and also fundamentally consider why you are choosing to focus on this activity in the first place. You want to make sure that this activity that you want to pursue in the long run is aligned with your goals, priorities as well as your values since this will at your core, be your main source of motivation for performing an activity, especially during the times when it might get hard to keep up the consistency.

  2. Building routines that work: To help with your transition from using willpower to building a functional habit, it is useful to build routines that will make this transition more effortless. For example, if you want to become more consistent with wearing sunscreen especially in the summer months, it can be useful to keep your sunscreen in a visible place in the bathroom and to apply it during your morning skincare routine. Similarly, if you would like to adopt the habit of reading each day, you can tie it to an activity which you currently already do such as reading during your morning breakfast or coffee.

  3. Find how to boost your motivation: In the initial stages before something becomes a habit, it is useful to look into ways to keep yourself motivated. One way of doing this is to measure your progress of performing the activity to show yourself that you can build consistency at something and to boost your esteem in a healthy encouraging way. A way to measure your progress could be to build a simple table like progress tracker or to have a calendar printed on your wall where you cross off a day or week of completing something.

  4. Create accountability: To further help you in keeping consistent with something, it is critical to also build a system of accountability to further keep yourself on check and to ensure you are moving in the right direction when it comes to building consistency. Ask a close friend or family member if they would be willing to be your accountability partner to remind you to do your stated activity and to check up on your progress. Alternatively, you can get a similar effect from various apps that allow you to digitally track your progress while offering you access to a wide community of users that can provide you with the needed accountability.

  5. Perfection isn't the aim: One last note which I wanted to emphasize is that in this process of habit and consistency building, we are not striving for perfection, meaning that if we occasionally miss a day or slightly fall off track, it is of no use to beat ourselves up about it. Instead, it is much more useful if we consider why we fell off track in the first place and to simply just pick ourselves up and start again. Not doing something for a day won't cause the world to end, so just give it another go. Doing your best is already enough.

REFERENCES

  • Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674

  • Bradbury, N. A. (2016). Attention span during lectures: 8 seconds, 10 minutes, or more? AJP Advances in Physiology Education, 40(4), 509–513. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00109.2016

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Lifestyle Taya Bregant Lifestyle Taya Bregant

20 Questions To Find Your Core Self

Building and uncovering your true sense of identity is one of the hardest yet most crucial things we can take our time to figure out.

Having this identity means that you, as a person, know yourself better in terms of what you want, what drives you, what aspects you want to grow, and where your goals lie. With this knowledge, you are much better able to steer and direct your actions, and thus your life path, in a way that aligns with the values and goals that you have clarified for yourself. In short, taking the time to know yourself ensures that you make more aligned choices and, in the end, live life in accordance with your true self and what feels right to you. You are living your own life for yourself, as opposed to following others' definitions of success or happiness.

It is not about becoming fully self-sufficient or completely independent from others, as interdependence is always beneficial and healthy. Rather, it is about having a comfortable and assured footing in who you are as a person and knowing what you truly stand for.

The questions below are timeless and can be used to navigate and shape your personal journey or exploration. These questions are in no specific order of importance and do not need to be answered in their written order. Spend some time pondering each question, noting what comes to mind, and identifying what resonates as true. There is no pressure of right or wrong answers here; the only correct answer is one that feels truthful and genuine to you.

CORE QUESTIONS

  1. Describe your current self in 3-5 words. Are you happy with that description, or would you like to change it in some way?

  2. What are your top 5 values as an individual, and are you living in accordance with those values?

  3. What are your top skills and strengths?

  4. What are you truly passionate about, and what makes you feel fully immersed?

  5. Which activities do you find fun and consider to be your hobbies or side interests?

  6. Are you more of an extrovert or introvert, and how could you organize your life so that it would better suit those needs?

  7. Who are your main inspirations and why?

  8. Which people in your life matter most to you, and how can you further nurture your relationship with them?

  9. What are some of your short and long-term goals in the following categories: Career/academics, health, relationships, finances, and spirituality.

  10. In which areas and how specifically would you like to grow or improve as an individual (Health, career, academics, spirituality, relationships, finances, etc.)?

  11. At what time of the day do you find that you function or work best, and what changes in your current lifestyle could you make to assist those preferences?

  12. Would you consider that you are managing your time well?

  13. What are some of your main fears or worries which are currently holding you back from exercising your true potential?

  14. What are you ashamed of or feel insecure about?

  15. Do you concern yourself a lot with how others view you or think of you?

  16. What were some of your biggest mistakes that you’ve made, and what were you able to learn from them?

  17. Up to this date, what are some of your proudest accomplishments and also some of the biggest failures?

  18. Since one year ago, how have you changed or grown as a person?

  19. If you continued going down your current path, where do you imagine yourself in 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years?

  20. How do you want people to remember you? What kind of impression do you want to leave behind?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope that you find these questions useful and that you find them helpful in your journey of personal discovery and growth. You can always return back to these questions whenever you feel that you have fallen slightly out of touch or out of alignment with yourself and in doing so will make sure to get yourself back on the right path once again.

Thank you for taking your time to read this 😊

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

People Skills: Why They Matter

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SKILLS?

Most of us have probably come across the term “people skills,” but what is actually meant by this?

People skills, also known as soft or interpersonal skills, refer to skills, attributes, and competencies which allow us to work and cooperate well with others. These skills are all about how we interact with one another and how we communicate and exchange our ideas and thoughts in social circles.

Since being able to work and interact with others is an integral part of our lives, whether it be in school or in career settings, people skills are extremely important in both everyday life and also for your career or personal ambitions.

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

So now that we know what people skills are, what are, in practical terms, the main reasons for why they are important:

  • They are essential for building relationships.

  • Make up the foundation of a well-functioning team.

  • They minimize social conflict and misunderstandings between people.

  • Enable you to influence people's ideas and views.

  • Being able to effectively advance your career by building useful connections.

WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS?

  • Effective communication: Being able to communicate well is essential in getting along with others, persuading them, as well as establishing clear boundaries and expectations.

  • Having patience with others: Although some of us are more patient than others, patience is key to maintaining a sense of level-headedness and calm, which further facilitates the building of enjoyable relationships without immediately going after short-term rewards.

  • Emotionally regulating yourself: This concerns being able to keep yourself calm and collected, as well as knowing when to speak up and when to hold back your thoughts and words at appropriate timing. It means being able to properly react to criticisms and effectively deliver critique as well.

  • Showing empathy: Empathy is essential for trying to understand the emotional state of someone else to the best of our ability, allowing us to relate better to others, be more vulnerable with them, and show genuine interest in the other person. All of these contribute to making the relationship stronger.

  • Having active listening skills: Have you ever listened to someone but not truly heard what they were saying? This is because listening and truly actively listening to what someone is saying are two different things. Active listening means that you let the person fully finish their thoughts, and only once they finish, you first reiterate what they have said to make sure you have fully understood them, and only then do you offer them your own perspective.

  • Being able to persuade others: Persuasion is quite a complex skill in itself, but it is heavily based on empathy and understanding the other person's motives and wants. If you are able to blend in valuable social skills such as being a good communicator and listener, you are much more able to persuade others and even negotiate with them.

  • Showing interest in others: People love it when we show interest in their ideas, beliefs, or daily activities. This is not to say we should only be talking about the other person, but showing interest in others can make a great start for a new friendship. If you show interest in someone, the other person is much more likely to reciprocate that back.

  • Having a good sense of humor: Humor is a very effective way to loosen up tense situations and make yourself more approachable to others, as everyone appreciates a laugh here and there. Laughter shows people that you are fun to be around and that there are other aspects than work with which people can relate to you.

  • Maintaining honesty: Honesty is an integral part of building long-lasting trusting relationships. It can result in positive compounding effects since if people see you are able to uphold a genuine relationship, that will attract more people towards you.

  • Leadership roles and abilities: There will most likely be times in our lives where we have to take up some sort of leadership roles. Leadership, in itself, is very much a soft people skill that encompasses many different kinds of skills such as assertiveness, listening, clear communication, empathy, and being able to coordinate and organize people well in groups.

  • Having good manners: This is rather a basic but often forgotten consideration, involving doing simple things such as saying please and thank you or being truly present when someone is talking to you or helping someone out when they clearly need a quick helping hand. These small gestures can be incredibly helpful in accelerating your own relationships and add an element of respect to daily social interaction.

HOW TO DEVELOP THESE SKILLS

When it comes to building and strengthening people skills, it is most effective to go into the world and simply practice than, for example, to approach it from a more theoretical standpoint, such as reading a book.

Below are a couple of ideas for how you can sharpen your own people skills:

  • Taking part in more team projects where you have to actively practice good listening and communication skills, as well as leadership roles.

  • Taking an (online) course or workshop with other people whom you can practice these key skills with.

  • Talking to someone new at your school or workplace.

  • Keeping the above-mentioned essential people skills in mind when interacting with people you already know.

  • Asking people who know you well for how they think you could improve your communication or empathy skills.

  • Becoming more aware of your non-verbal way of interacting with people, such as the type of body language which you use.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, having a solid set of people skills is essential for being able to properly work well with other people, whether it be in a school or professional setting. It is also a skill which is becoming increasingly more needed and valued due to the incorporation of more technology into our daily lives, where practicing these foundational people skills can add a much-needed aspect of humanness into our daily lives as well as building valuable and trusting relationships in the process.

Go out and strike up a conversation with someone new.

Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and work on these skills because they most likely will be more universally and timelessly, applicable than you can imagine.

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Nutrition Taya Bregant Nutrition Taya Bregant

Clean Eating: The Good & Bad Side

Clean eating has once just been a nutrition related buzzword, but is now recognized as a social media fueled lifestyle. It is a hot topic of discussion among the conversation in the wellness world, however there is also a large lack of proper evidence and regulations when it comes to the term, which is what makes it potentially dangerous since it can be miss-used easily.

In this article I wanted to take a look first into what makes up a “clean eating” diet, what are the upsides of this kind of eating as well as what are some negative and potentially dangerous aspects of clean eating which have to be considered

I hope that with this article I can shed some light and help your understanding on this topic and use it to expand your awareness and knowledge on this topic

Enjoy 😊

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING?

With how prevalent the term “clean eating” has become, one would think that it carries a formally governmentally regulated definition; however, that is not the case.

Because of a lack of this formal definition, “clean eating” means slightly different things to different individuals, which is why it is also easy for it to get mixed up with other diet-related terms where this misinformation can rapidly spread through consumers.

In general, a diet that follows a “clean eating” pattern should follow the following principles:

  • Eating foods which are as close to their natural state as possible

  • Opting for organic foods when possible

  • Choosing foods which are minimally processed, termed as “natural” and which do not contain minimal chemical additives and preservatives (choosing foods which have as short of an ingredients list as possible)

Ideally, this kind of eating encourages eating whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats while at the same time limiting consumption of highly processed snacks, foods, and drinks.

Additionally, to many people, clean eating is associated with terms such as plant-based, grass-fed, sugar-free, or gluten-free.

A study published in 2020 took a look into how US adolescents and young adults viewed the term “clean eating,” where the findings showed overall that this demographic has a high level of awareness of the use of this term and also have an overall positive attitude towards this way of eating. Specifically, it showed that:

  • 55% of the 1266 respondents said that they have previously heard of the term “clean eating,” which most commonly done via social media and their peers.

  • 71% of respondents noted that they view “clean eating” as a healthy approach to eating, while 6% of responses said it was “unhealthy,” and 18% claimed it had both positive and negative aspects.

  • 40% of the participants said that they related “clean eating” with “non-processed” or “whole foods,” and 13% linked it with “non-GMO” products and “organic” farming.

  • A considerable percentage (41%) expressed that they would probably try this eating approach themselves, where this attitude was higher among female respondents than male.

.

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT?

In theory, the principle of “clean eating” sounds good and healthy, since we are all generally told to eat a diet which is high in predominantly whole foods that are rich in high-quality nutrients, while reducing our energy intake from highly processed and industrialized foods which have a high content of refined sugars, salt, and harmful fats.

This kind of approach can, in the main part, lead us to living an overall healthy lifestyle while promoting various aspects of our health and helping with weight management.

There is a current lack of research that focuses on the specific relationship between “clean eating” and the impact it has on our health; however, there are many studies which endorse the view that consumption of plenty of whole foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, lean meats, and high-quality fat sources can promote general health and well-being while preventing many chronic diseases.

AND THE BAD SIDE?

So far, “clean eating” sounds like a rather good and healthful approach to our eating, but are there any downsides associated with it?

The main issue lies in the idea that as soon as you start using or following the term “clean,” it implies that some foods are “clean” while others are “dirty,” which creates this sharp dichotomy between good and bad foods.

Viewing what you eat as bad and good can cause many people to become preoccupied with what they are eating, to the point where it becomes very time-consuming and damaging to their mental health and later on, even to their physical health.

People who promote strict “clean eating” often advise to avoid and cut out all instances and sources of any sort of added sugars, high salt foods, foods that are high in processed fats and snacks, and ingredients that may contain many additives. While it is true that these things are generally not beneficial for our health, it is also most of the time not necessary to take it to the extreme where we forcefully limit ourselves from consuming foods of this kind. Some clean eating approaches go a step further and eliminate certain food groups altogether which can be seen as a very harsh and restrictive way of eating for most people, which not only gets in the way of enjoying the food you eat, but it can also worsen your mental health and make it harder to enjoy food outside, especially in social settings.

Furthermore, this kind of mindset can also trigger feelings of guilt whenever we think of wanting to eat a food which is considered as “bad” or “dirty,” since we all get cravings and at the end of the day, it is important to nurture our food cravings, albeit in moderation.

To top it all off, many celebrity bloggers and fitness influencers promote patterns of eating like this, which not only influence people's diet choices to a high degree, but often these people lack the much-needed credentials or proper scientific knowledge to back up the information they are promoting.

Overall, following too much of a restrictive “clean eating” approach does not just have the ability to seriously worsen our relationship with food and our enjoyment of it, but also can severely impact our mental well-being in the long term since we fall into a state of obsessiveness and needing to have perfect control of the foods we eat.

Symptoms of this kind are often recognized under the eating disorder Orthorexia nervosa which is a condition in which the individual is severely preoccupied with eating only strictly “healthy” foods in order to achieve a sense of nutritional “purity” which can lead to various forms of anxiety and distress for the individual.

Although this condition is still only now being recognized properly in the medical field, I believe it is something that is becoming ever more common in our society, where the issue is that it is often hard to identify, since on the surface, we perceive the individual to be healthy since they are only eating healthy foods. But true mental and physical well-being is so much more than how it looks on the surface.

FINAL NOTE

To conclude, clean eating is a health and wellness concept that encourages the consumption of minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy proteins, and fats.

While all of this may sound great, a large issue behind this pattern of eating is that it lacks regulation, which leads to varying interpretations among individuals and the food industry.

Additionally, extreme adherence to clean eating is associated with the risk of disordered eating patterns like orthorexia nervosa which can have detrimental effects on the individual and their relationship to food.

Although enjoying healthful foods is not harmful, an obsession with clean eating can ironically be seriously damaging. It is crucial to find a balance between incorporating nutrient-dense whole foods into our diet but also realizing that if we indulge in something less healthy every once in a while, that is perfectly fine and healthy too.

Moderation is key, and remember to also enjoy your food and your life.

KEY IDEAS

In todays blog post we have discussed the popular idea of “clean eating” which arose from many internet based food blogs and nutrition influencers, where we look into what it is, what are the benefits associated with it as well as the potential down sides.

SOURCES

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How To Strengthen Your Friendships & Be A Better Friend

This year, the World Health Organization has stated that there is an estimated “1 in 4 older people experiencing social isolation and between 5 and 15 per cent of adolescents experiencing loneliness.”

Even though the world has never been as digitally and communicational connected as it is today, the quality and quantity of our relationships are declining, where rates of loneliness around the world have roughly doubled in the last 40 years.

This fall in social connection is starting to severely impact both our mental and physical wellbeing and is not only a phenomenon that is exclusive to adults but children and adolescents too.

Today I wanted to look into why it is worth investing our time and energy into relationships and fundamentally how we can improve the quality of these friendships and other relationships because after all they provide a much needed sense of meaning and purpose ot our lives.

I hope you enjoy 😊

WHY ARE GOOD FRIENDSHIPS SO IMPORTANT?

There are many benefits of having high quality genuine friendships in our lives, which involves everything from our mental to physical wellbeing.

Some of these benefits include:

  • Bringing a sense of fun and meaning into our everyday

  • Finding a sense of belonging and community

  • Challenging us to be better (teaching us)

  • Promoting stress relief

  • Boosting our self esteem and confidence

  • Providing emotional support when we are feeling low or lonely

IMPROVING YOUR FRIENDSHIPS

Consistently Making An Effort

Any relationship, whether it is a friendship, a romantic one, or a family bond, requires consistent effort and time to be invested in it. This is what enables you to truly get to know the person more and form a closer bond with them.

Although we all have our own priorities and occupations in our everyday lives, it is important to make time for the people who matter to us, fundamentally those people who love and support us back.

Any relationship is a two-sided commitment and investment, and if that is truly practiced, genuine and trusting relationships can add so much meaning and value to your life.

I am not saying that all your relationships need to be of equal intensity or that you have to be best friends with every friend you have. But with those people that you really do feel close to, take time or schedule ahead of time to talk or meet up and nurture that bond because it won't just build itself.

You will naturally get along with some people better than others, and that is totally normal. Just remember to also put in the time with people who are putting their time into yours.

Brightening Their Day

A large part of why we find relationships so valuable and enjoyable is because they can have a profound impact not just on our mood and feelings but also on how we perceive ourselves and the world around us.

Most of us have likely experienced how much more elevated and boosted our mood is after hanging out with a good friend. This can, at the end of the day, shift our whole perspective on how the day went, even if the rest of the day wasn't that good.

Ask yourself what little acts of kindness you could do for your friends today that would help brighten their day even just a little. This could be sending them a thank-you note or a message of encouragement and support. It could be planning something special for them, buying a small but thoughtful gift that they would appreciate, or laughing together about something funny.

Once again, if the people we hang out with brighten up our day, then it is also partly our responsibility to reciprocate that back and try to add a little more brightness, support, and humor into their lives too.

Being Vulnerable Together

Vulnerability is often what builds the closest friendships and relationships. It is the act of opening up about sides of ourselves that maybe we are not so secure or proud of, and fundamentally knowing that we can open up to someone about these things and that they are willing to listen to us and accept those parts of us is a fundamental aspect of why vulnerability is needed for building strong relationships.

Even though it may be hard or uncomfortable at times, being vulnerable with the people who love you back is a great way to establish trust and a sense of honest and open communication in a relationship, which further bridges the two people together.

So, the next time you are talking or seeing your friend or romantic partner, consider how you could, at appropriate times, be more vulnerable with them or express some things that you are currently struggling with or maybe parts of your past that you are working through.

Remember to start off easy, and if the other person is a true friend, then they will also stay to listen to your vulnerabilities and create a safe space for you to share these things together.

Adding In Novelty

Sometimes, we may feel that some of our relationships have grown stagnant or uninteresting over the years, and often, that is the case because we sense an expected routine in place, which makes the relationships seem less exciting and quite repetitive.

One great way to overcome this is to seek to do more novel and new things together. This could mean traveling somewhere new together, trying out a new restaurant, going on a hike together, or joining an artistic workshop together.

The activity you do together doesn't really matter as long as both of you enjoy it to an extent. By doing this, you can create valuable memories along the way and, not to mention, learn so much about each other too - overall helping to make your relationships stronger once again.

Express Your Genuine Feelings

One of the most beautiful things we can do in a relationship is to show and express our genuine feelings toward each other or simply express how grateful we are to have them as part of our lives.

Although this may be hard to do at times, the effects of this can be very powerful because, once again, you are establishing solid ground for open and honest communication while letting them see how much of a positive impact they may be having on your life.

Most importantly, with whatever you say to them, aim for it to be genuine and from the heart; otherwise, it doesn't really mean anything in the end. Be honest about the ways they improve or add value to your life, how they make you happy, and how they make you feel loved. Express to them how much this bond means to you.

You can do nothing wrong by expressing gratitude and kindness to them.

Being A Good Listener

One of the key skills that you can develop and work on in the course of a relationship is the ability to listen.

Now, many of us think that we are already good listeners, and, well, who doesn't know how to listen? But the truth is, many of us say that we listen to what our friends or partners are saying, but we may not be truly hearing or understanding what they say.

This is a crucial distinction because the best way to listen is not to push forward any of your own opinions and thoughts onto the other person but instead to let the other side speak, and for you to take in their words. One of the best ways of how to listen is to simply rephrase what the other person just told you, which shows them not only that you truly listened to what they had to say but also that you're not immediately pushing forward your own perspective on the matter.

Sometimes silence and really showing you understand is just what the other person might need, contrary to what you may think.

Celebrating Their Successes And Achievements

Whenever our friends or romantic partners achieve something they have been working on for a long time, or simply experience something good, such as an amazing opportunity or success, we should genuinely be happy for them and show how proud we are of them for getting this far.

You should never aim to undermine the achievements of those around you or feel envious when someone receives a great opportunity or experiences something amazing. Although sometimes envy or jealousy may creep up, it is important to note that if we are happy for them, then they too will be happy for us once we encounter success as well.

When we view life through the lens of scarcity and competition instead of abundance and cooperation, we begin to be envious of the achievements and successes of others. This not only worsens our relationship with the person in the long term but also undermines our own ability to attract amazing opportunities into our lives.

Therefore, always celebrate the hard-earned achievements of others, just as they will for you.

Establish Open And Honest Communication

It goes without saying that a relationship or friendship that is not built on the basis of honesty and openness will eventually experience cracks and rough times. Since you are not showing each other that crucial aspect of vulnerability mentioned above, it is harder for you to stay close to each other and be truly open.

Although it takes consistent effort and may, at times, be hard, being honest about how you feel, what you want, enjoy, or wish to change in any type of relationship is absolutely key not only for your well-being and the well-being of the other person but also for the whole future of any relationship.

With genuine and honest intentions come trust, loyalty, and a great sense of belonging.

Bring Laughter And Into Their Lives

One of the best aspects of socializing and spending time with those whom we love is the ability to share laughter and good times with each other, which can truly brighten up our day and change our whole mood and energy.

There are so many great ways to bring more laughter into each other's lives, whether it be by sending each other a funny text here and there, talking about a shared funny experience you have had, or even going to see a funny comedy or show. Find what you enjoy most because prioritizing fun and laughter in your life is a sure way of making it more enjoyable and worthwhile, all while strengthening your bond with each other too.

Be present When With Them

Last and definitely not least is the importance of being truly present with the other person when you are physically with them, or even when you are just having a conversation together through phone or text.

Take your time to focus on them and the conversation instead of being constantly distracted by your thoughts and environment, and you will see how much more enjoyment you will get out of the whole experience.

Being more present will also allow you to be a better listener in the moment, which in turn enables you to ask better questions and get to know the person even better - all in all, working towards strengthening that bond you have.

Remember to always appreciate and express your gratitude for the people you have in your life and those who truly love and support you. As a way of saying thank you, when being with them, choose to truly be present in the moment, and you will see how much your relationships improve.

KEY IDEAS

In todays blog post we discuss the importance of establishing deep and meaningful social connections in our lives and how we can best build such friendships.

SOURCES

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

Getting Back On Track After The Holidays

With the New Year's and Christmas holidays now behind us, it is time to turn our attention forward and work towards getting back on track after the festivities.

In today's post, we will explore exactly that, offering practical advice drawn from my own experiences to make this transition as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

If you are eager to resume your routine after some time off or seeking guidance or advice on this topic, then you have come to the right place.

I hope you gain something valuable from this 🥰

HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK

Determine Your Intentions

The first step in getting back on track is to step back into alignment with yourself and determine in which direction you want to head. In this sense, you have to determine what your top priorities are going forward, for example, in both your personal and professional life and why you prioritize these things.

Additionally, consider which habits you want to build and that would benefit you most when it comes to getting back on track. Some habits, such as these, include building a consistent sleep schedule or prioritizing a varied and nutritious diet.

Make a note of these intentions and habits and keep it as a reference for yourself somewhere where you won't forget about it.

Setting Relevant Goals

Goals can be a very useful and more concrete way of visualizing and establishing your sense of direction and personal aspirations.

Here you want to determine what you want to achieve from today onwards and always have a clear “why” in your head, as this will keep you grounded throughout your whole journey towards your goals.

To ensure that you set your goals in the most useful ways, make sure to design your goals based on the SMART framework, which will make sure that your goals are well-established and that you can realistically achieve them in the time period you set to do them in. There is no good in setting highly unrealistic goals, as you will only be demotivated as a result.

I am not trying to say not to dream big, but I think it is much better to set a realistically sized goal or one which is slightly outside your comfort zone so that you make sure you can still achieve it and that it will give you an adequate boost of confidence and motivation to keep going.

Establishing Functional Routines

Although for some people routines may carry a negative connotation, routines which we set ourselves in our personal or professional lives can be a great way to support our long-term success and any habits which we want to keep up with.

In the mornings, for example, routines can be a great way to mentally prepare ourselves for the day ahead while in the evenings, they can be very useful for calming us down and helping us to unwind after a long day.

What's most important is that you design and pursue a routine that not only works and supports your lifestyle but that you also enjoy doing. If you don't enjoy something, it will make it that much harder to follow through with something in the long term.

It’s also important to mention that just because one routine works for someone, it does not mean it works for everyone else. Everyone is different, with different preferences and styles of working best, which is why it is key to design this routine based on your own lifestyle and intentions.

Lastly, contrary to what is commonly portrayed on the internet or on social media, these routines do not have to be extremely long, complicated, or painstakingly unenjoyable. The main point of a routine is to help you build consistency with something - what that activity is and how you choose to promote being consistent at that activity is up to you. Have fun with it :)

Curating Your Environment

If we want to best ensure that we successfully follow through on the goals, intentions, and routines which we previously established, our environment plays a huge role in making these aspirations as effortless and accessible as possible.

For example, if one of your goals after returning back from a long holiday is to return to a balanced and healthy diet, then it will likely not be of much use to keep loads of unhealthy and processed snacks or drinks at home.

Similarly, if one of the intentions which you set yourself is to be able to productively focus for longer periods of time, it makes sense to turn off or put away any potential sources of distractions whether that be in your digital or physical space.

The idea is to align and design your environment - your living and working space - in a way which supports your goals and intentions. This is a key step as it makes following through with your commitments as frictionless as possible.

Sticking To A Schedule

One of the key reasons for scheduling your activities or your personal commitments into a weekly or monthly schedule is that it promotes consistency. Consistency is one of the most underestimated yet high-yielding skills anyone can develop over time, and it allows you to consistently work, build, or improve on something ultimately helping you to get closer to that goal or achievement that you are striving for.

Based on the goals, habits, and routines which you want to implement into your lifestyle, figure out which of these activities is best done on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis and try to enter them into a calendar or some sort of task tracking software.

If you make these repetitions automatic it once again makes the process of sticking through your commitments that much more likely since you also won't forget about what you promised to yourself.

Creating Accountability

Depending on your current level of discipline, you may find that sticking to a set routine or schedule constantly can be quite challenging and effort-intensive, especially when the unpredictability of life comes our way.

One way to make this process of building consistency of a habit or ritual is to do these activities with someone else or share your personal goals and commitments with other close people who support you so that they can every so often check up on your progress and keep you on track.

Accountability is the foundation of doing anything consistently.

That is not to say that accountability only comes in the form of doing something with someone else, but can also be done through setting reminders on your phone or other devices to remind you of your intentions and routines that you are gradually building.

Realize What Is Within Your Circle Of Control

You have to acknowledge that no matter how clear or well-established your intentions are, that sometimes unpredictable aspects of life will come in our way, usually in the times we least expect it. This is a normal part of life and it is important to be able to not only be aware of this phenomenon but to also take it into account for when we are planning our lives.

There will always be some aspects of our life which we can control and others which are completely out of our circle of control.

If you find that something gets in the way of you achieving your plans, identify whether this is a factor that you have control over and if so, how can you prevent it from derailing you in the future. If it's something you can't control, then realize that the best way to go about this is to accept it for what it is since you can't really change anything about it and realize that everyone has to make peace with such factors.

Staying Flexible

Relating to the previous point, when we do find that something derails us off of our track - whether it is something unpredictable that happens in our daily environment or when we feel our personal willpower or discipline starting to wane - we need to be flexible and adaptable to get our feet back on track.

We have to realize that whether and how we get ourselves back on the right course towards our goals is much more important than the number of times we get derailed. In the end, the people who are most resilient and most adaptable to unpredictable circumstances are also the ones who are much more likely to reach and fulfill their aspirations.

It all takes practice and gradual daily improvements where it's key to know that one setback or wrong step won't mess up your entire journey.

Reward And Repeat

Once you have a routine established that works for you and you are successfully staying consistent, make sure to also every once in a while reward yourself to stay motivated and encourage yourself to keep going.

All of this consistency is at the end of the day very similar to the process of habit building for which we need a reason to keep doing or repeating something.

Additionally, the motivation to continue doing something does not necessarily only have to come from rewards per se, but is actually commonly the result of doing or starting to do something in the first place. Contrary to common belief, motivation is the result of action, instead of motivation being a prerequisite to starting or doing something.

Make sure that this reward or incentive for continuing to do something is something that you actually enjoy and get pleasure out of. It doesn't only have to be limited to treating yourself to a physical gift or some other material good (however if that is what you like best then go for it), but it can also be extended to treating yourself to an experience for yourself or with your friends, or enjoying some good food or going for a weekend/day trip to somewhere.

Life is also in large part about having fun and enjoying the process, so why not make the process of getting to your goals as enjoyable as possible?

Be Kind To Yourself

Lastly, keep in mind that occasionally everyone makes mistakes, makes a wrong decision, or does something to a lesser standard than what we promised to ourselves.

In such situations, there is little point in beating yourself up over it since that will just completely discourage you from ever getting back on track but instead first realize that setbacks like these happen to everyone and secondly, that the way you react or get back up from setbacks is within your control.

You can't always choose how many times you fall down but you can always choose how many times you choose to get back up. Use that to your advantage.

We are all only human at the end of the day giving each day our best effort, so make sure to be kind to yourself on this journey and to take care of yourself and those who support you.

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Nutrition Taya Bregant Nutrition Taya Bregant

The Power Behind Adaptogens

Adaptogens, far from being a recent discovery, have been integral to diverse civilizations throughout history, with roots embedded in traditional practices like Chinese medicine that span centuries. Remarkably, these natural remedies are experiencing a resurgence in popularity today.

In this exploration, we will delve into the following aspects:

  1. Understanding Adaptogens: Discover the essence of adaptogens, unraveling their historical significance and how they have transcended time and cultures.

  2. Mechanism of Action: Explore the intricate workings of adaptogens, shedding light on the physiological processes that make them unique and beneficial.

  3. Associated Effects: Investigate the purported effects of adaptogens, providing insights into their potential contributions to well-being and resilience.

  4. Common Adaptogens: Identify and familiarize yourself with some prevalent adaptogens, drawing from a diverse array of sources and traditions.

  5. Guidance on Use: Conclude with practical advice on the judicious use of adaptogens, offering considerations for seamlessly integrating them into your lifestyle.

This article aims to empower you with newfound knowledge, enabling you to apply it practically and enhance your overall well-being.

Ginseng

WHAT ARE ADAPTOGENS?

Adaptogens are defined as being natural or synthetic active compounds which mainly help our body and mind in adapting to stress. After stressful times, these compounds are claimed to provide a sense of homeostasis or rebalancing after a stressful encounter, helping to reset our body's stress levels.

I have previously written about the dangers associated with chronically high stress levels, and you can read about them here.

Natural types of adaptogens, as described below, are sourced from a variety of plants, while synthetic adaptogens are chemically produced. Both types usually come in the form of a supplement such as tablets or powders.

Apart from helping your body adapt to stress, adaptogens are also useful for promoting post-exercise recovery, rebalancing of hormones, and aiding in immune function. We will be discussing all of these further on.

Overall, adaptogens have to meet three different types of criteria in order to be considered as an adaptogen:

  • They have to be specific and help the body overcome different adverse conditions, whether that be physical or environmental stress.

  • They have to positively contribute to the physical impacts of stress.

  • They must not harm or interfere with the usual workings of the body.

Cordyceps

HOW DO THEY WORK?

In order to understand how adaptogens work, you have to understand our body's natural stress response.

Whenever we go through a physical or mental stressor, our body goes through a process known as General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).

GAS is made up of three different stages: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

Alarm stage:

  • Here, your body receives the initial stressful stimulus, which is also known as initiating your fight or flight response.

  • This stage is paired with the activation of the autonomic nervous system and the release of a variety of different hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline from your adrenal glands.

  • These hormones cause the usual sensations associated with stress, such as an elevated pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

Resistance stage:

  • In the resistance stage, your body tries to repair or ease that initial stress response and allow your body to calm down again.

  • If the stressful situation is no longer present and you can overcome it, then your body will work towards lowering your pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

  • However, if the stressful situation persists or if you do not resolve the stress, then your body will not get the signal to calm down and will continue functioning in a stressful state with a high production of stress-related hormones.

Exhaustion:

  • This stage occurs when we live in a constant state of elevated stress, which is not only a genuinely harmful state for our body to live in but also comes with draining you of your physical, emotional, or mental resources to the point where your body is no longer able to cope with stress.

  • Some common signs of exhaustion include feeling fatigued and a sense of burnout; however, I have written more about the associated effects of chronic stress here.

Now, how do adaptogens help here?

  • Adaptogens are believed to help extend your body's resistance phase by providing a stimulating effect that holds off exhaustion. This means that instead of crashing or being overwhelmed by a stressful event, you are able to hold off that exhaustion for longer and find a sense of balance to carry on.

  • By adapting to the stressful situation at hand, it allows you to better handle it and perform better while being under stress, which works to improve your overall health and well-being.

Reishi

COMMON ADAPTOGENS

Below, you can read about some common adaptogens you can find nowadays and their associated health effects:

  • American ginseng (Panax ginseng): Has been shown to boost memory, reaction time, promote a state of calmness, and boost the immune system. Ginseng is also used for fighting fatigue.

  • Ashwagandha: May help in reducing stress and general anxiety, as well as decreasing chances of developing depression.

  • Reishi: This is a type of mushroom which has been shown to boost the body's immune function and is commonly studied for its effectiveness in treating cancerous tumors.

  • Cordyceps militaris: Has been shown to boost stamina, as well as having potent anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory effects.

  • Goji berries: These berries have been shown to boost energy levels, enhance physical and mental performance while promoting deeper sleep and a greater sense of well-being.

  • Rhodiola rosea: Helps to delay mental or physical fatigue as well as depression.

  • Schisandra berry: This may help to boost endurance, mental performance, and working capacity. It was also shown to improve concentration and body coordination.

  • Tulsi (holy basil): Promotes a focused state and postpones mental fatigue while also improving memory and thinking concentration.

Schisandra berries

SAFETY AND PRECAUTIONS

Adaptogens are able to elicit quite powerful and noticeable effects on the body and mind.

It is best to always consult with a doctor or naturopathic physician who can advise you on which adaptogens are most suitable for you, what dosage to administer, and what are some relevant side effects that are associated.

It is also worth noting that certain adaptogens may negatively interact with any other medications you may be taking, so they may not be suitable for everyone.

Additional precaution is needed if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as some adaptogenic supplements may not be suitable for a developing fetus.

Overall, always consult with a professional before taking any substance that has the ability to impact your body's functioning.

KEY IDEAS

In today's blog post we have looked into what adaptogens are, how they carry out their relevant effects and what are some common adaptogens that you can get your hands on today.

REFERENCES

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Nutriton Taya Bregant Nutriton Taya Bregant

Whats The Deal With Drinking Lemon Water

Lemon water has now, for a long time, been touted as some sort of all-purpose superfood, posing claims to improve digestion, benefit skin health, and being an effective tool for weight loss, among other things.

With the help of modern-day media and various celebrity endorsements, the acclaimed benefits of hot lemon water grew exponentially more believable and accessible to the common public, which is why I wanted to provide a bit of a fact check and see what the science really has to say about hot lemon water and if it's actually got something to offer to us.

I hope you can get some useful and interesting information out of this 😊

NUTRITION FACTS OF A LEMON

A roughly 50 gram lemon which has had its juice squeezed contains:

  • 20 calories

  • 21% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C

  • Smaller percentages of: Folate, potassium, vitamin B1, B5 and B2

Lemons contain in general very little macronutrients like proteins, fats and carbs, however they do have a high percentage of water

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF DRINKING LEMON WATER

Promotes Hydration

  • Lemons can be a great addition to water or sparkling beverages and can make such drinks more appealing to people who may have difficulty drinking enough water or find that water tastes too boring.

  • Additionally, lemonade can also be a great substitute for other more processed and sugary drinks that contain ample sugar and additives, not to mention unnecessary added calories contributing to the world's obesity problem. You can add different flavors to your lemonade, sweeten it to your liking, and even add sparkling water to it, making it a great replacement for fizzy drinks.

Source Of Vitamin C

  • Many people know lemons as a fruit that is rich in vitamin C, which is true, as an average lemon can supply you with around 20% of your daily vitamin C needs. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is crucial for preventing the not-so-common condition of scurvy today and acts as a potent antioxidant, helping to protect our bodies' cells from free radicals and oxidative stress. If you are further interested in the topic of antioxidants, I have written about it HERE.

  • Vitamin C has many other key roles in your body, such as:

    • Synthesizing collagen in your skin

    • Being important for protein metabolism

    • Regenerating other antioxidants

    • Helping to delay certain cancers and cardiovascular disease

    • Aiding in the absorption of iron

    • Assisting in the production of certain hormones

Can Support Weight Loss

  • It is recommended to stray away from any food-related advice claiming that any food has the magic ability to help with weight loss. However, there is some minor research suggesting that drinking lemon water can aid in weight loss.

  • Overall, drinking lemon water is beneficial because it provides you with additional water and hydration, boosting energy levels and regulating metabolism and digestion. Additionally, drinking water before a meal can make you feel fuller in the moment and less likely to overeat. Participants in such studies reported feeling the same level of satiety even though they theoretically ate less food due to having consumed more water.

  • In summary, the lemon itself doesn't have much of an ability to increase fat or calorie burning; however, water itself can be a great way to help in your weight loss journey.

Beneficial For Skin Health

  • Lemons mainly have two benefits when it comes to good skin health: Firstly, as mentioned before, they contain vitamin C, which helps stimulate collagen production in our skin, ensuring healthier and more elastic skin. Additionally, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that accumulate due to various environmental stressors such as air pollution or UV radiation.

  • Furthermore, when drinking lemon water, you are also taking in ample water, which further boosts skin health and plumpness, as dry skin is much more prone to breakage and a loss in elasticity. Your skin is an organ, and just like all other organs in your system, it requires water.

May Prevent Kidney Stones

  • There are some studies pointing out that the citric acid found in lemons may help in preventing kidney stones, thanks to the citrate compound found within citric acid.

  • However, more research is needed on this before any major claims can be made.

Can Help With Digestion

  • It has been found that drinking lemon water, especially warm lemon water on an empty stomach, can promote good and regular digestion.

  • A study from 2022 found that the citric acid found in lemon juice helps boost gastric acid secretion, a fluid that your stomach uses during the digestion and breaking down of food.

  • In general, other acidic foods such as coffee or apple cider vinegar are also known to stimulate digestion and bowel movements, so warm lemon water can be a genuinely good tool for increasing your bowel movements if you struggle with that.

SIDE EFFECTS


Lemon water is considered to be generally safe to drink however it is good to be aware of the following things:

  • The citric acid that is found in lemon juice can over time erode tooth enamel which is why it is best to not over do it with drinking lemon water and when drinking it, using a straw if possible. Additionally, it is good to rinse out your mouth afterwards with plain water.

  • Citrus fruits like lemon can for some people increase gastric acid production and cause heart burn.

Apart from this there is no major issue or down side associated with drinking lemon water.

TO KEEP IN MIND

Now that you are aware of the potential benefits behind drinking lemon water and also some associated side effects, it is worth asking some more practical questions:

How often should you drink lemon water?

  • As discussed before, drinking lemon water can help you prevent added sugar consumption from sweetened beverages, increase your hydration as well as vitamin C intake. However it is important to be aware that drinking lemon water every day can promote tooth enamel erosion so its best to either rink your lemon water through a straw or to not drink it every day.

When should you drink it?

  • Although it is common practice in the world of social media, to consume lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach, lemon water is suitable to drink at any point in the day, depending on your preferences.

  • Drinking it in the morning on an empty stomach can have more of an impact on your bowel movements and digestion however drinking it during meals or other times of the day is also fine.

Drinking it hot or cold?

  • Overall the difference is not major, with most sources claiming that drinking it warm will provide you with more of the associated health benefits as otherwise your body expends additonal energy trying to heat up the water.

KEY POINTS

In todays blog post we have looked at the social media fueled trend of drinking lemon water to see what the science behind it has to say and if it really does have beneficial effects.

REFERENCES

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Self Development Taya Bregant Self Development Taya Bregant

Making 2024 Your Best Year Yet

And just like that, another year has come to pass. Another year full of memories, changes, and moments of growth. I am sure all of us have had some memorable highlights in the past year but maybe also some things which we weren't quite able to complete or fully finish through.

The new year is a chance to work on exactly those things which still await us, and we still want to achieve, all while aiming for new heights, new personal goals, and continuing our journey of personal exploration and development.

Happy new year, everyone! 😊

THE PROCESS OF GOAL SETTING

  1. Reflect on the past year: By looking back on the year that has passed, you allow yourself to evaluate your personal journey in terms of how you have changed as a person, in what ways you have grown or improved, and in what ways you still want to change and improve.

  2. Identify the areas you want to mprove in: Based on the previous step, you can now start thinking about what specific changes you would like to make. How could you be happier? More satisfied? More fulfilled? What is missing from your current life? How can you be of more service to other people? How can you add more meaning to your life?

  3. Identify your why: For each of the changes that you want to make, you want to identify why you want to make those changes in the first place. Why do they matter to you? Why do you want to pursue them in the first place? By establishing your interests and why behind these changes, they can act as a source of motivation to keep powering you through.

  4. Establish categories: Next, try your best to categorize each of these changes under an appropriate category, which will make later on the setting of goals much easier and provides a more compartmentalized way to see and organize your goals.

  5. Set SMART goals: This is the step where you translate the changes that you want to make for the next year into proper goals. Based on the SMART outline, each goal has to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Make sure that each goal is defined specifically enough, that you can measure your progress, that you can achieve it in the timeframe that you set to achieve it, and that it is relevant to your own aspirations and wishes.

  6. Break down larger goals into smaller ones: You may find that some of your goals are larger and more complex/demanding than others, which is why it is useful to break down those larger goals into smaller sub-goals or steps that are easier to achieve. In this way, achieving the larger goals seems much more achievable.

  7. Keep the goals in a visible place: After having written down your goals, it is best to print them out or display them in a visible place so that they will serve as a reminder for the promises you have made to yourself and the new person that you want to become.

  8. Accountability: Before the new year starts rolling around, you also want to consider how you will stay accountable with your goals, whether that be by setting consistent reminders, taking on common goals with a friend, or joining an online group of people with whom you regularly check in.

  9. One goal at a time: We can often find that we have many changes and goals that we want to make; however, it is most realistic to tackle each goal one by one or one category of goals at a time.

  10. Set a reward: Once you achieve or complete a given goal of yours, give yourself some sort of reward since it is beneficial to celebrate each small win in life. By rewarding yourself, you are also in a way acknowledging that you are capable of achieving the goals you set out to achieve, which boosts your self-esteem and can act as further motivation.

24 QUESTIONS TO POWER YOUR 2024

  • What are the 3-5 new habits you aim to establish this year, and how do you plan to incorporate them into your lifestyle?

  • Which habits and routines do you intend to bring into the new year?

  • What habits do you hope to let go of in the coming year?

  • What are the five primary goals you want to set for your professional/work life?

  • What are the five main goals you want to establish for your personal life?

  • How will you stay motivated and accountable to ensure you follow through on your goals?

  • How do you plan to manage and overcome potential setbacks in the upcoming year?

  • Which relationships do you aim to strengthen, and are there any you wish to end this year?

  • How can you increase activities that energize you and decrease those that drain your energy?

  • What new skills or knowledge do you aspire to acquire?

  • Which books are on your reading list for the year?

  • Are there specific places you want to visit or travel to in the upcoming year?

  • How will you prioritize self-care in the following year?

  • What steps will you take to minimize time-wasting activities?

  • How can you optimize your work and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your time usage?

  • What strategies will you employ to ensure you have fun throughout the year?

  • What mindsets do you want to embrace in 2023, and which ones do you want to leave behind?

  • In what ways do you hope to grow as an individual, and what aspects of your current self do you want to improve?

  • Envision where you see yourself at the end of the year: What activities are you engaged in, what have you achieved, who are the significant people in your life, and where are you on your personal journey? What challenges have you overcome?

  • How do you aspire to feel by the end of 2024?

  • What kind of person do you aim to become by the end of 2024, and how do you wish to experience life?

  • What excites you or what are you looking forward to in 2024?

  • If you had to sum up your ideal 2024 in three words, what would they be?

  • What do you want to remember the year 2024 for?

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

With this, I want to wish anyone reading this fore mostly a happy new year. I want the best for each one of you, for you to truly start living authentically for yourselves, to start placing yourself first and to go after all of those amazing things you want to achieve. You are not alone and you got this. Do this for you because you deserve it and you are worth it.

Thank you for everyone who read my work this year, it genuinely means a lot to me. I will try my best to continue doing so in the new year.

See you all in 2024 😊

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Lifestyle Taya Bregant Lifestyle Taya Bregant

10 Ways To Reflect Back On 2023

With the closing of December, each year comes the time where we can each take some much needed time for being with our loved ones, celebrating the success of this current year and also take the time to look ahead into the adventures and plans that will accompany us in the new year.

Today I wanted to provide you with a concise yet practical framework for how you can look back on 2023, or any year as a matter of fact, as see for yourself how you have grown, changed or improved and what changes you still want to strive for and in what direction you want to channel your energy and effort into.

Reflecting is a fundamentally useful skill as it allows us to evaluate our past - our thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, habits, challenges and successes - the good and the bad, and from there lay a foundation to what we still want to achieve; to what still drives us forwards.

Feel free to answer the questions below with as much or as little detail as you find useful as this is primarily meant as a personal reflection exercise for yourself and your own journey this year.

I hope you find it useful 😊

TIPS FOR YOUR PERSONAL REFLECTION

When doing this reflection it might be helpful to keep the following things in mind:

  • This exercise, depending on how in depth you do it, will take you anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour, so make sure to set an appropriate amount of time to the side.

  • Try to find a quiet non disruptive place to do this in, to make it easier to reflect back and keep your thoughts collected.

  • You can do this on paper or digitally, whatever suits you best.

  • Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer to these questions, but just try to keep it as more of an open and honest reflection of your thoughts and experiences of this year.

EVALUATING YOUR 2023

Milestones & Highlights

  • What were some major milestones that you accomplished this year, no matter how big or small?

  • What kind of effect did reaching these milestones have on you?

  • What were your personal favorite highlights and best memories of the year?

Challenges Overcome

  • Which challenges were you able to overcome?

  • How did you overcome these challenges? What worked best?

  • Were there challenges you didn't manage to yet overcome and why?

Personal Growth & Development

  • In what ways have you change grown or improved as a person and individual since last year?

  • How have you changed based on the following aspects: Habits, behaviors, patterns of thought, mindsets, self talk and beliefs? What from this was most effective in fueling this growth?

Professional/ Academic Growth

  • How have you grown or advanced in your academic or professional life?

  • What methods or techniques allowed for growth in these areas?

Unfulfilled Goals & Aspirations

  • What were some goals which you didn't manage to achieve this year?

  • Why do you think you haven't been able to achieve them yet?

  • If you would like to still go after these goals, what do you have to do or change in order to achieve them?

Surprises

  • What was something that surprised you this year? It could be an event, something you learnt, a person you met or something you did yourself.

Self Care

  • How did you take care of your mental, physical and emotional health in 2023?

  • What methods worked best for taking care of these aspects of health? Which methods or habits didn't work so well?

  • What specific aspects of your health would you still like to work on for the next year?

Relationships

  • How have your relationships changed or evolved in 2023?

  • Which new relationships or friends have you established in 2023?

  • Were there some relationships which you removed from your life because they were no longer serving you?

Gratitude & Learning Lessons

  • Name at least 10 things for which you are grateful in the year 2023?

  • What were some main learning lessons which this year has thought you and which really stuck with you?

  • How will you implement these learning lessons in the upcoming year?

Looking forward

  • What changes or improvements do you want to make in 2024 based on the following categories: Health, relationships, academics/ career, habits, personal aspirations and finances?

  • Are there any new areas in your life which you want to explore more?

  • What kind of person do you want to be in 2024? Think about your energy, the way you interact with people, your habits, your mindsets and beliefs

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Lifestyle Taya Bregant Lifestyle Taya Bregant

Learning How To Truly Relax

With the winter holidays being right around the corner, it is a time where many of us take some time to rest and recharge ourselves, slow down from our usual daily lives, and take time to look back on the year. This is of fundamental importance for us to do, since we all have limited capacities of energy to use, which eventually has to be replenished.

However, as much as rest and taking time to recharge are important for our well-being, society nowadays has a generally negative or almost looked-down-upon perception of rest. A lot of culture nowadays that surrounds work and hustling centers around eliciting the constant subtle pressure of having to always work/be productive. As a consequence, whenever most of us feel the need to take a break or relax for a bit, many of us will find ourselves feeling guilty for wanting to relax, which further makes us stressed and creates a set of conflicting emotions within us.

With the ever-expanding presence of online work, social media, and general connectivity through online channels, it is now easier than ever to be 24/7 connected to all the happenings around the world, within your job, or to see how your friends are spending their time. While this connectivity does have its upsides, it has the major downside of making it very hard to disconnect from this outside world and really take time off for yourself when you need it, without feeling judged or guilty for doing so.

Therefore, how do we best make sure that when we feel the need to take a break and relax, we make sure that this break will really be as restful as possible, and how can we discover the methods of relaxation that work best for us?

These are all important questions that we will be looking into below.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T REST?

We all need some amount of tolerable stress in our lives, which in the end motivates us to act or can even save our lives in a dangerous situation.

However, being in a chronically stressed state where our fight or flight mechanisms are constantly activated is also not good, as permanent stress can cause serious damage and harm to both our mental and physical health. I have written about the effects of chronic stress before here.

Below are some common observations and symptoms associated with having a lack of rest:

  • Migraines and headaches

  • Forgetfulness and confusion

  • Chest pains and possible heart problems

  • Finding it hard to focus and concentrate at work

  • Having a lack of energy

  • Permanently elevated blood pressure

  • Sleeping issues such as insomnia or nightmares

  • Increased reliance on stimulants like drugs, alcohol, or tobacco

  • A change in appetite

  • Being sick or ill more often

  • Poorer quality performance at work or in school

  • Being irritated more easily or overreacting to minor annoyances

  • Loss of interest in being punctual or showing up in a presentable manner

  • Social isolation and withdrawal from social activities

  • Experiencing burnout

BENEFITS OF TAKING A REST

Taking the time to recharge can have an immensely positive impact not just on your productivity and effectiveness at work when you get back, but is also of fundamental importance for your mental well-being and happiness.

Below, you can find some of the main benefits associated with taking time off work:

  • Improved clarity of mind and thinking

  • Better decision-making

  • Becoming better at reevaluating our priorities and current routines

  • Encourages us to live more in the present moment

  • Reduces stress and anxiety overall

  • Improves our sleep quality

  • Having a healthier cardiovascular system

  • Improves our focus and concentration abilities

  • Increases productivity and our ability to get high-quality work done

TIPS FOR HOW TO REALLY RELAX

Establish the basics

  • Know which activities actually relax you (Eg: Going for a walk, taking a bath, listening to a favorite playlist, painting, etc.)

  • Assess your current restfulness state by asking yourself how rested you currently feel.

  • Listen to your body: What is it telling you that it needs right now? Is it rest?

Mindset shifts

  • Get rid of the idea that you have to “earn” your rest or downtime.

  • Remind yourself about how taking time for rest supports your work.

  • Realize that relaxing isn't a selfish activity but is something that all of us have to do.

  • Be intentional about your rest time (Eg: Don't say that you will rest and then spend the whole time thinking about what you still have to do).

  • Start seeing rest as an essential part of your well-being journey instead of an optional one.

  • Identify what aspects of your life you can control and what you can't to help you relax your thoughts.

Practical Methods

  • Try a social media detox for a couple of days or a week and assess how you feel afterward.

  • Implement a mindfulness practice into your everyday life like breathwork, meditation, or yoga, which allows you to live more in the present moment.

  • Get your thoughts and worries out of your head by writing them down.

  • Put down your thoughts and worries onto paper or outside of your head.

  • Visualize yourself being in a place that makes you feel the most happy and at peace.

  • Spend some time in nature.

  • Take part in any form of exercise that you enjoy and find relaxing.

  • Schedule regular breaks throughout your day.

  • Establish a ritual to signal to your body that it is time to relax and switch off from work.

  • Go on vacations or weekend trips if and when possible.

  • Ask for help when you need it and don't be ashamed about that.

KEY IDEAS

In todays blog post we have discussed the importance of taking genuine time off of work and most importantly how we can properly relax during this winter holiday season to return back to 2024 rested and recharged.

REFERENCES

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