by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success, Vision and Goals
Do you suffer from anxiety? If so, you’re not alone. Anxiety is running rampant in society today.
More than 18 percent of the adult population in the U.S. alone suffers from an anxiety disorder (that’s over 40 million people). Millions more suffer from less severe manifestations of the disease, which nonetheless affects their mental health and daily lives.
In other words, if you are anxious, you have lots of company
So why are we talking about anxiety with mindset?
These two are very connected.
If you have a fixed mindset, you aren’t more prone to anxiety than others with a growth mindset. However, researchers have shown that people who already have issues with anxiety find some relief when they start developing more of a growth mindset. These people end up with much less anxiety – and less depression as well.
Researchers have studied this extensively, using mindset interventions to help cultivate a growth mindset in the subjects. This effect has been seen in many studies, in both men and women, and in both adults and adolescents.
These effects are persistent as well. That is, they don’t disappear after the study ends but last for the long term. One study found them persisting almost a year later.
To put it another way: cultivating a growth mindset can reduce your anxiety over both the near and long term.
The mindset interventions used in these studies were generally the same ones recommended to help anyone cultivate a growth mindset. Journaling, affirmations or confessions, trying new things, and prayer.
As expected, different treatment methods worked better on different people; everyone is a unique individual who responds differently to different stimuli.
Cultivating a growth mindset had other benefits besides lowering anxiety in the studies. It reduced stress, increased resilience, and encouraged participants to keep trying difficult tasks.
There’s no downside to trying to change your mindset. You don’t have to worry about side effects or other problems popping up.
If you suffer from anxiety, working to cultivate a growth mindset is one of the best ways you can manage your anxiety and reduce it over the long run. It may not cure your anxiety, but it will make it significantly better.
Start today and begin living the life you were born to lead!
(Important note: if you have a genuine anxiety disorder and not just anxiety, it’s unlikely that cultivating a growth mindset alone will be enough to treat your anxiety. Please seek help from a licensed healthcare professional as well.)
Building your Faith really helps with anxiety. Check out How to Grow Your Faith. This Done-for-You Package will help you and your clients.
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success, Vision and Goals
How did you like reading about good habits yesterday? Well, here are five more.
Each of these has other benefits besides improving your mindset. Any of these will help you improve your life overall. They will also help you cultivate your growth mindset.
Don’t think you need to attempt all of them;.
First try a few and see which ones work for you.
1. Eat healthy food
Food is fuel for the body and the mind. What you eat affects how much energy you have, how well you can focus, and your overall mood. Make a habit of eating healthy food and you’ll be rewarded with better health and a better mindset.
This doesn’t mean you should never eat junk food, but it should be a rare occasion.
2. Start an exercise habit
Exercise is good for you in so many ways and has profound, positive effects on your mindset. Occasional exercise will help you improve your mindset but making it into a habit is better.
You don’t need to train for a marathon. Get in the habit of taking a daily walk, go swimming, take up yoga or another gentle workout like tai chi, or do anything else that appeals to you.
The main criteria is that you make it into a regular habit, at least several days a week.
3. Prioritize sleep
Nothing makes you feel better than a good night’s sleep. And nothing makes you feel worse than a bad one.
Most people in the modern world are chronically sleep-deprived. If you want to cultivate a growth mindset, don’t be one of them.
Prioritize getting a good night’s sleep every night. Aim for 7-9 hours every night and you’ll be refreshed and ready to go the next day.
4. Take regular breaks from social media
Social media is fun and lets you connect with friends, but it has a downside. Too much social media lowers your self-esteem and makes you more prone to depression.
It’s all too easy to forget that most social media posts are people’s highlights and not their daily lives. It’s safe to say that many posts are more than highlights, they are exaggerations. Everyone wants to look good on Social Media, and you can see the results.
5. Do something creative
Creativity is one of the most necessary yet often neglected aspects of being a well-rounded person. The challenge involved in it will make you grow and improve your mindset.
All you have to do is look at nature to realize that our God loves creativity. We are made in His image, and our creativity expresses that likeness.
Aim to do something creative every day, or at least several times a week. Write, color, paint, draw, play a musical instrument -the options are endless.
Little by little we grow and change. Every little positive habit we can develop helps us get there. To a better mindset and a happier, more productive life.
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success, Vision and Goals
Did you know that you can improve your mindset by improving your habits.? Those daily or weekly things you do over and over.
Changing your mindset takes time and work. There’s no magic that will let you do it overnight.
Yet adopting a few habits will make the process easier and take less time.
Let’s look at Five.
1. Create a morning ritual to get your day off to a good start
What makes you feel best in the mornings? What can you do to set yourself up for success every day?
One great habit as a Christian is praying. It’s like checking in with headquarters first thing. Thanking God for your life and that you know Him. Thanking Him for guiding you throughout the day.
Maybe it’s journaling over a cup of coffee or going for a morning run. Maybe it is taking a few minutes to stretch before you get in the shower.
It might even be something as simple as making your bed before you leave for work.
Figure out a ritual that works for you and prioritize doing it every day.
2. Reflect on your day
Every night before you go to bed, take a moment to reflect on your day. What went right? What went wrong?
Did you get done what you wanted to do? Why or why not?
What can you do to make sure tomorrow goes well?
3. Practice gratitude daily
Find at least one thing you can be grateful for every day. No matter how bad things might be going, you have some good things in life you can be grateful for.
Stop and be thankful for them every day. This only takes a few seconds and can be done any time of the day.
4. Always be working toward a goal
Big or small, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you always have a goal. You want to decide on a goal that stretches and challenges you. When you reach one goal, move on to another. Break big goals down into subgoals that will help you see quick progress.
5. Start journaling
Use prompts to write a journal entry about your mindset 2-3 times a week.
Or free write, and see what comes out. You don’t need a fancy journal; a pen and a sheet of paper or a notebook are all you need.
Again, these habits aren’t magic. They won’t change your mindset overnight. What they will do is support you and help you along on your journey.
They will motivate you to keep going when things get tough and to feel your best. That will help you cultivate your growth mindset.
When you change even tiny habits, they add up to make a big difference in your life and in your work.
For More Information about Setting Your Goals, Go Here.
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Vision and Goals
Did you know that your environment has a big impact on your mental health? This includes your mindset.
It’s true; research has shown that the spaces you spend the most time in (your home and your workspace) have a dramatic impact.
While it won’t work miracles, improving your environment to make it more conducive to a growth mindset will not only improve your mindset but boost your mood and increase your personal growth. Here are several ways to do it.
1.) Bring in natural light
Humans are designed to spend lots of time outdoors. Our ancestors spent most of their time outside. Only in the modern era have we reversed that.
An easy way to make your environment more conducive to a growth mindset is to let in more natural light. Open windows or doors and let the sun in.
Hey! If you work on a laptop, why don’t you try sometimes working on your patio or porch?
2.) Add light, bright colors
Dark, somber colors can make you feel down and de-energized. Neutral colors have little effect, and bright or light colors do the opposite.
You might not be able to change the colors of the walls and furnishings, especially at work. Instead, bring in plenty of brightly colored accents.
3.) Declutter
Uh-oh!
Cluttered spaces raise our stress levels and make us feel scattered. This effect may or may not be conscious.
Get rid of the excess and see how much better you feel.
4.) Tidy up and organize
Keeping things neat, clean, and organized boosts your mood and makes your space a better place to work.
Get organizational supplies to put must-have items neatly away and out of sight.
5.) Add lots of greenery
Plants have the same sort of effect on mental health as natural light does and for the same reason. Bringing plants into your home will make you feel better and immediately boost your mood.
Over the long term, tending to plants and keeping them alive and healthy is great for growing your mindset too.
6.) Start a vision board
A vision board is essentially a collage of your dreams and goals.
Do you want to buy a house? Find a picture of the type of house you want and put it on the board. Do you want to go to Paris? Pin up a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Put the board up somewhere you can see it, such as above your desk, and look at it often.
Your Free Vision Board Tutorial may be found HERE.
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success, Vision and Goals
Okay. Okay. I know that you have lots of work to do sitting in that chair. Yet all of the experts tell us to get up and get moving.
Of all the things you can do to boost your mindset, exercise is near the top of the list. It not only improves your mindset but does so with relatively little mental “work” compared to most of the other methods you can employ.
So what are the top 5 benefits of exercise?
1.) Exercise Makes You Feel Good
Exercising causes your body to release feel-good hormones. Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine are released in your brain to lift your mood, make you feel better physically, and make you more optimistic.
These hormones are noted for reducing depression, improving self-esteem, and increasing your confidence.
2.) Exercise Clears Your Mind
One of the greatest benefits of exercise is that it helps you clear your mind of distractions. It gives you something to think about other than your problems and your to-do list.
This “blank slate” effect both boosts your mood and temporarily improves your mindset.
3.) Exercise Reduces Stress Levels
Are you feeling stressed?
Go out and exercise. Working out physically burns stress chemicals out of your body, making you feel better and improving your mood and mindset.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t take a lot of exercise for the good effect. A brisk ten-minute walk is enough to do it.
4.) Exercise Improves Your Ability to Concentrate
The benefits of working out also extend to what you do afterward. Getting in a good workout improves your ability to concentrate on other tasks for several hours after you finish.
This makes you more productive and puts you in a better mood.
5.) Exercise Results in Better Sleep
All of the other benefits of exercise combine to create one more: better sleep.
Exercising results in improved sleep, both in quality and quantity. Getting enough good-quality sleep is one of the most important parts of improving your mindset.
Good sleep makes everything seem better and lack of it makes everyone grumpy.
Exercise has many important benefits other than its effects on mindset and personal development, of course.
It improves your health and longevity, just for starters.
But its effects on your mind shouldn’t be understated.
So start an exercise program. You decide what will work for you.
It’s not necessary to hire a personal trainer or join a gym to get these benefits. Start by walking a few days a week. Ten minutes is enough to start. Gradually increase your walks to 20 or 30 minutes and you’ll feel better in every possible way.
Get up and get moving in the way that works for you!
For more about Secrets of Happiness, check out this Done-For-You Content for you and your clients.
