Amazing ‘Mental States’ and How They Can Enhance Performance

You might think of your brain as being fairly consistent. You generally have a consistent level of intelligence; your mood is usually pretty steady and on the whole you don’t tend to change all that much. Or so it seems.

 

In reality though, your brain is constantly changing. Not only is it growing and adapting, but it will also change in terms of what it’s capable of and how you feel. The chemical balance is likely to change a huge amount.

 

In other words, our brain goes through a number of states and depending on which brain state you are experiencing at any given time, you can expect very different results. 

 

Let’s take a look at just a few mental states and how they have incredible impacts on the way you feel and perform.

 

Flow State

 

A flow state is a much-coveted state that is often described as being the state of ultimate ‘peek’ human performance. 

 

It’s a little more complex than that. But essentially, this is a state in which you are completely focussed on a given task, normally because you perceive it as highly important. This actually suppresses activity in the frontal region of the brain, allowing you to act on near pure-instinct and thereby giving you intense mental clarity and reactions. 

 

Fight or Flight

 

Fight or flight is a stress state. In this state, the body is releasing adrenaline, dopamine and other chemicals that ramp up the nervous system and increase strength while also suppressing immune function and digestion. Stress like this isn’t a bad thing in the short term. Acute stress allows us to react to situations quickly when we need to.

 

The problem comes when this state carries on and becomes chronic.

 

Rest and Digest

 

The opposite of fight or flight, this is when the body is able to relax and calm down. This is when we digest our food, when we sleep and when we build tissue. We’re also more creative in this state!

 

Hysterical Strength

 

Hysterical strength is a little like ‘beserker mode’. Under extreme duress, we produce so much adrenaline that we’re able to call on incredible reserves of strength. This demonstrates just how much of an impact our mind can have on our body – just what is possible when you’re in the right mindset. 

 

And there are many more. If you want to perform your best, best get into the right mindset!

 

Can Nootropics Make You Smarter?

When it comes to changing your mindset in order to change your life, you probably think of things like ‘the gratitude attitude’ or maybe meditation. You’re probably aware of mindfulness and of CBT.

 

But what if you could simply flick a switch and completely change the way that your brain works? What if you could become smarter and cleverer overnight? Wouldn’t that be the ideal?

 

This is what we see in the film Limitless. The main character Eddie Mora takes a single tablet and suddenly gains access to latent power of his brain. He becomes smarter, wittier, more charming, more creative – and in no time at all he has written a bestselling novel, made a huge amount of money on the stock market and run for political office.

 

This is what science would call a ‘nootropic’ and the shocking part is that they’re real…

 

What Are Nootropics and Do They Work?

 

Of course, the reality is nothing like the movies. There is no pill that can make you smarter. But what some nootropics claim to be able to do, is to make you a little more alert, to boost your memory and perhaps to help your motivation.

 

These work in a variety of ways and they take many forms. For instance, one of the most popular types is something called modafinil. Modafinil is a drug used to treat narcolepsy but it has also been used by fighter pilots and top CEOs in order to help them need less sleep and work longer and harder. This works by affecting a neurochemical called orexin, which regulates our sleep wake cycle.

 

Others might work by stimulating our fight or flight response through dopamine or adrenaline. Others meanwhile appear to enhance brain plasticity to increase learning. Some simply give the brain a bit of an energy boost to help you feel less tired.

 

So, do they work? The answer is simple: it depends! Some nootropics work well and really can give you a boost in focus. Others don’t really have much effect, while others still might actually be bad for you and cause headaches or even addiction!

 

The key is to finding the best ones by reading around and doing the research. But suffice to say that normally the best ones are the natural ones and the ones with the milder impact on the way you feel. Stick to these and you’ll reduce negative side effects – but just know that nothing can turn you into a genius overnight. 

 

How a Stoic Mindset Can Make You Impervious to Harm

One of the most incredibly motivating and inspiring films of all time is without a doubt Rocky. Rocky is a film about people punching and hitting each other, but it has become much more than that. The Rocky theme tune is iconic and plays during pretty much any scene featuring people getting better at something. The film is adored by gym-goers all around the world and it is the ‘go to film’ for getting pumped.

 

But Rocky’s appeal lies deeper than the surface level masculinity, muscles and 80s rock. The key to Rocky’s influence lies in its message.

 

Because when Rocky goes up against and impossibly tall opponent, you know that it’s a metaphor. This is a metaphor for life and in our own lives, that opponent could be any obstacle. You know that eventually, Rocky is going to plough through that obstacle and you feel that in time, you could do the same.

 

Stoicism

 

If you watch the Rocky films more deeply, you’ll notice that they all share a few things in common. In particular, they all have Rocky in a rather bad place at the start. Rocky starts out destitute and alone and it is only by conquering these challenges that he is able to improve his lifestyle and his happiness.

 

What is this telling us? Simple: life is hard. And this is clearest in the excellent speech in Rocky Balboa ‘It ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit’.

Here, Rocky is espousing stoic wisdom. Stoicism is perhaps the most bad-ass philosophy and its central tenant is that life is hard. Bad things will happen. There’s no benefit in being blindly optimistic: all we can do is to focus on dealing with the hard times when they come.

 

By doing this, we prepare ourselves for the storms that will come and we fortify ourselves against them. We are prepared for hard times and we are psychologically ready to deal with them. And because of this: nothing can surprise us and nothing can slow us down.

 

There is honor in surviving hard times. It makes us stronger, it makes us better. So, don’t shut out the hard times: thrive in them and allow them to make you stronger. That is stoicism and that is how you can ensure that you never face a challenge that you can’t handle.

 

How to Get Amazing Results from a Diet, Using the Right Mindset

Everyone wants to lose weight but it seems that only a very small fraction of people has the ability to do that in a satisfying and effective way. 

 

So many people start diets that they never see through that it would lead you to believe that no diet is really effective.

 

But of course, this isn’t true. Of course, there are ways you can diet and be effective but the key lies more with the mindset and the approach rather than the specifics of the diet.

In this post, we’ll look at what that means.

 

The Reason Diets Fail

 

The reason diets fail is because people approach them in the wrong way. They approach diets as short-term solutions and quick fixes. The fact that people often describe themselves as being ‘on’ a diet, is really just a clue that at some point in the future, they expect to be off said diet.

 

Even when they start diets without this mindset, they often still end up quitting the diet before they get anywhere with it, simply because it isn’t properly designed to fit into their lifestyle.

 

Let’s take something like intermittent fasting, or ketogenic diets. Both of these are great diets. Both of them can be effective and actually burn through fat quickly while providing other health benefits.

 

But at the same time, these diets will also leave you with zero ‘wiggle room’. What many of the people who recommend these diets don’t realize, is just how much of a role your social life has in your diet.

 

Because eating isn’t just something we do in order to fuel and sustain ourselves – it’s something we do in social settings. Most romantic dates involve food, most meetings with friends involve food. And most evenings, you will probably share meals with your family.

 

If you sit there sipping black tea, then it’s not exactly very social!

 

Solution

 

So, the solution is not to choose the diet that will help you lose weight the fastest, but the diet that you can actually stick to. My advice? Diet at breakfast and lunch. Cut your calories at this point to such a degree that you can afford to eat more at dinner.

 

Why? Because breakfast and lunch are the most functional meals of the day. We eat them in a hurry, we eat them on our breaks. But dinner is social and dinner is when we really want to enjoy our food.

 

That’s what works for me anyway, but it’s all about finding what works for you.

 

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Physiology and Your Mood

If you want to get the most out of yourself and your life, then it is crucial that you learn to control your mood. Your mood will affect your ability to focus, your enjoyment of any and all activities and so much more.

 

But of course, controlling your emotions is easier said than done. This is something we would all like to do no doubt, but if it were that easy then we would all be happy all the time!

 

There is a secret to doing this though that many people miss. And while it may be impossible to guarantee that you’ll ever have complete control over the way you feel, it can sure make a big difference and help to give you a lot more control.

 

How Your Body Affects Your Mood

 

The missing key that so many people overlook is physiology. In other words, your body and your physical state.

 

What are our emotions for? They’re to drive us toward desirable things and to keep us away from things that could potentially harm us. When we feel scared, this motivates us to seek a safer shelter. When we feel disgusted, this prevents us from wanting to eat gone off food.

 

At a deeper level though, being hungry also impacts on your emotions and motivates behavior. When you are hungry, you will usually have low blood sugar. This in turn releases cortisol the stress hormone, along with ghrelin. This is why we get hangry! Conversely, when you eat, you produce serotonin which puts you in a good mood. This then converts to melatonin and makes us sleepy.

 

Being ill causes inflammation through pro-inflammatory cytokines and these suppress activity in the brain, creating brain fog and depression.

 

Feelings and emotions are different. You feel hungry, you feel tired and you feel ill. But these create emotions such as stress, anger and sadness.

 

The Takeaway

 

So, what are we getting at here? What is the practical takeaway from all this advice?

 

The moral is that it isn’t all about your thoughts and your lifestyle. If you’re angry or if you’re sad then it may not be due to you having a bad day – you may just be hungry or ill!

 

Then there’s the fact that our hormones tend to change on a cycle. Keep all this in mind when you are trying to manage your mood and make sure that you set yourself up with the best possible chance of a happy, positive day!

 

The Constant Fight or Flight

It is common knowledge that many people live their lives in a constant state of chronic stress. This is a serious problem because it triggers the release of negative hormones and neurotransmitters that play havoc with your health. 

 

But it actually goes deeper than that. Chronic stress means that you are constantly being pushed and thus rather than being able to stop and smell the roses, rather than being able to actually enjoy your life, you end up simply trying to survive it. Not only that, but you remain constantly reactive, constantly reacting to events and thereby unable to actually become proactive and to decide the course of your life and the direction you want to take.

 

The Problem

 

We all have different stressors that do this to us. Some of us are struggling with debt. Some of us are overworked in the office. Some of us have problems in our relationships.

 

But no matter what the problem, they all affect the body in just the same way that being chased by a lion would. As far as the body is concerned, we are in danger and it needs to produce the right hormones to increase the heartrate, to contract the muscles and to prevent energy from being spent anywhere else – whether that’s on digestion or the immune system.

 

From a psychological perspective, this means that we are simply burned out and worn out. What many of us don’t realize, is that energy is a finite resource. Many of us think that time is a finite resource but in fact, energy is much more limited. If you spend all about work and if you don’t get home until late at night, then how are you going to choose the direction you want to go? How are you going to write that great novel, workout, find time to develop your career in directions that excite you?

 

All you are doing is treading water. And burning out all of your energy, your passion and your vitality.

 

The Answer

 

So, what’s the answer?

 

Well, overly-simple though it might sound, the answer is to make the choice to focus on things that really matter to you and to stop worrying about the things that don’t. Learn to face your fears and to stop being driven by them. Learn to take the risk that’s necessary if you want to try a new career or write a book.

 

Say ‘enough’ and give yourself that break. Whatever it takes.

 

The Importance of Changing Your Mind

I started intermittent fasting last week and so far, it has been fantastic. In a short number of days, I’ve seen my abs pop like never before and strangely, the lack of food seems to afford me a ton of mental clarity that has been making me more productive in my work.

 

But this was a hard choice. You see a few years ago, my sister talked about starting the 2/5 diet – a form of intermittent fasting – and I absolutely swore against it. I was worried she was messing with her hormones and I told her it was dangerous.

 

Obviously, I’ve done a completely 180. I had to eat my words. Even as I’m not allowing myself to eat lunch…

 

But while this might not feel great, it was actually very important that I did this. It was actually after a fair amount of consideration and deliberation but making that decision meant I was able to try something that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and benefit as a result.

 

Say Goodbye to the Old You

 

This is something that many of us struggle to do however. All too often, we want to present ourselves as being reliable. We want people to ‘know where they stand’ with us. We want there to be consistency in what we do and say.

 

And we want to be somehow ‘loyal’ to the version of us from the past.

 

But the reality is that life demands change. We need to adapt, to evolve and to grow in order to become the best versions of ourselves.

 

Let’s say you always wanted to be an actor. Let’s say that that was your dream from a young age. 

 

But what if you’re now in your 30s and you don’t feel that way anymore?

 

Some people would pursue that same old goal just to remain faithful to their old selves and to demonstrate that they are people who stick to their goals and beliefs.

 

What if you have been strongly right wing your whole life and now you’re feeling a little left wing?

 

Ultimately, growth requires change. If you’re going to develop your philosophies and yourself, then you need to be willing to change. 

 

And if you limit what you ‘allow’ yourself to want and what you ‘allow’ yourself to believe, then you will end up limiting yourself and putting restrictions on what you can accomplish. Free yourself to change and grow and incredible things can happen!

 

The Mind Needs Growth

What makes you happy?

 

What is your idea of a perfect evening?

 

For many of us, the answer would be something akin to relaxing on the couch, watching a great TV show and eating something delicious. Maybe you want to stay in with your other half, or maybe you’d like to program a game.

 

These things are comfortable and they are refreshing. These things help you to feel calm and to rejuvenate from a tough week.

 

But you know what? Your brain doesn’t like those things. In fact, these are about the worst things you can possibly do as far as your body is concerned! 

 

The reason for that is simple: when you relax and when you chill, you don’t challenge your brain. The result is that it starts to atrophy.

 

Grow or Shrink

 

The brain is able to adapt to whatever you throw at it due to a process called brain plasticity. Brain plasticity describes the ability of the brain to grow and change shape: to create new neurons and to become stronger. Herein lies the principle of SAID: specific adaptations to imposed demands. If you practice languages, you get better at language. If you practice balance, your brain gets better at that.

 

But if you’re not growing, then all that extra neural matter is just wasted energy. The result? Your brain starts to atrophy and starts to burn through that extra matter. The result is that you deteriorate. 

 

Grow or shrink. Move forward or move backward. Being ‘static’ isn’t an option.

 

The Brain Loves Growth

 

When you learn a new language or skill, the brain will see this as positive stimulus. It sees this as a chance to get stronger and to ultimately improve your ability to survive. Thus, it produces positive hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine and brain derived neurotrophic factor. These help you to learn, but they also prevent the atrophy we discussed. They protect the brain against degeneration and they make you smarter.

 

So, while you might feel like the very best thing you can do for your brain is to relax and to sit down, actually the brain much prefers challenge and learning. Sure, have your evening off, but make sure your life isn’t just a case of alternating between stress at work and doing ‘nothing’ at home. Keep learning, keep going to new places and keep taking on new challenges!

 

Two Transformative Tips to Change Your Mindset to Help You Accomplish Any Goal

People have a range of different dreams and goals. This is one of the best things about people in fact. We’re all different and we all have different aspirations – different goals to share with one another and different things to talk about.

 

The unhappiest people? They’re the ones with no goals. No direction. No motivation. A goal gives you a vision, it gives you drive and it makes every day seem like a positive step to an end destination that is truly important to you.

 

But while goals are intrinsically rewarding, problems do arise when we don’t know how to pursue them. Having a goal that seems completely out of grasp and making no progress whatsoever is disheartening.

 

In this article, we’ll look at some of the things you can do to help yourself reach your goals faster. Whether you want to write an amazing book, set up a business or do anything else; these are two tips that will apply in every situation and that you might not have heard before.

 

Tip 1: You Have to Believe

 

This might sound like cheesy bumper-plate-sticker-advice, but it is very true. At the end of the day, you need to have absolute faith that the plan you have to get your book published or to become famous is actually going to work. Why? Because otherwise you risk putting in all the time and effort for nothing!

 

Think about it: have you ever struggled to stay motivated to get into work? No! The reason for that is because you know that going to work means getting paid. This is 100% guaranteed. 

 

But you may have struggled to stick to a training program and part of the reason for that is that you know it might not yield results. So whatever plan you come up with, make sure you believe it!

 

Tip 2: You Have to Take it Slowly

 

The other problem is wanting results right now and ending up burning yourself out too quickly. Want to write the next best-selling novel? The way to do that is not in one or two sittings! You need to take your time, to work steadily and to be considered in the way you approach this goal. The best option is to plan to write one or two chapters every day. Look up the word ‘Kaizen’ for more on why this works so well!

 

Why the Right Mindset is Everything When it Comes to Fitness

If you plan on getting in the best shape of your life, then what do you need to do to make that happen?

 

Answer: it’s all about your mindset. It’s all about the way you approach a goal and go after your training. 

 

Millions of people make the decision to get into great shape every year but 99% of those will fail to get the abs and the biceps they want. You know this to be true: perhaps you’ve been in that number yourself at some point.

 

What happens next is that those people look for a reason for their failure – for something to blame. Very often, this will mean blaming the training program they were following, or perhaps accusing their genetics. But it’s not about that. It’s about mindset.

 

How Your Mindset Changes the Game

 

The reality is that you can have the worst genetics in the world and be following the worst training program, but if you are vigilant and you stick at it then you should still see results. Even if all you are doing is a bunch of press ups every night, then you should still find that you tone up and lose some weight.

 

The single key factor is that you are sticking with it.

 

And to do that, you need to get into the right mindset. 

 

The Biggest Mistake People Make

 

So how do you change your mind precisely? What is this big mistake that so many people make? 

 

One of the biggest problems is that many of us want results too fast. We want to see a change in our physique now and thus we adopt an extreme diet or a training program fit for a Navy Seal.

 

Of course, all this does is to make us incredibly exhausted and stressed and to prevent us from enjoying our food. It’s unsustainable.

 

And then what happens is that we give up. Eventually we give up at least because the plan is simply unsustainable. Most of us will quit faster than that though. If you’re eating nothing but plain bread every morning, noon and night then there’s a good chance you’ll give up within a few weeks. If you’re trying to run 10km a day, you might not make it to day two.

 

Instead, you need to see this as a lifestyle change. If you are on a diet, that means you are likely to come off a diet. So focus on making it fun and sustainable!

 

5 Common Limiting Beliefs that Are Destroying Your Self-Confidence

Limiting beliefs are firmly held convictions that constrain us is some way. By believing them, we end up diminishing ourselves and impoverishing our lives. They tend to destroy your self-esteem, damaging your belief in your own ability to make the necessary changes in your life that will lead you to happiness and a more fulfilled life. When it comes to the limiting beliefs that destroy your self-esteem, here are the five most common beliefs that you may be holding onto. 

 

1. I Don’t Deserve Anything Good

 

When you believe that you aren't worthy of anything good in your life, you will subconsciously turn down any reasonable opportunities that come your way or sabotage those opportunities that you've already received. This limiting belief disrupts that balance of giving and receiving. 

 

2. I’m Not Good Looking Enough

 

When you continue to fail at finding a date, you begin to question your appearance. While appearance does play an essential role in delivering an excellent first impression, it is your charm and attractiveness that matters in the long run. It can be hard to appear confident if you always doubt your physical looks.

 

3. I Will Only Fail in My Dream

 

When you trap yourself in a failure mindset, you will never have a chance to achieve success, regardless of what you are doing. The more you fear failure, the harder it will be for you to move on. Instead, you need to learn as much as you can from each mistake and failure you’ve encountered and move on quickly. 

 

4. I Can’t Find Happiness

 

If you don’t know where to look for it, the quest for happiness in your life can be an eternal journey. While you will always encounter negative emotions, even when you are bursting with confidence, happiness is a skill that you can learn. You just have to start being grateful for all the little things you have in life. 

 

5. I Can Never Turn This Around

 

When you experience setbacks and challenges in life, you may end up feeling anxious or depressed. When you hit rock bottom, you can’t see anything good happening to you in the future. If you continue to strengthen this belief, it will eventually turn into your reality. If you find yourself in this situation, it is vital to feel hopeful and start taking actions to dig yourself out of this hole.

 

Don’t continue to allow these five limiting beliefs hold you back from being a confident person and living the life you want.

5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem Today

Self-esteem is terrific but can be an extremely delicate thing. When your self-esteem is high, you feel more resilient and are less vulnerable to anxiety. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge to improve our self-esteem, especially if you’ve experienced setbacks in the past. Here are five simple ways to help improve your self-esteem and deal with life’s unexpected blows. 

 

1. Use Positive Affirmations 

 

The idea behind positive affirmations is that you fill your mind with positive thoughts until you begin to believe them. It is a popular way to build self-esteem because it is simple, and anyone can do it. Unfortunately, if not done in the right way, it can lead to even lower self-esteem. Consider changing the affirmation “I’m going to be successful” to something more manageable like, “I will continue until I succeed.”

 

2. Identify What You’re Good At

 

Your self-esteem will grow when you demonstrate real abilities and achievements in areas of your life that matter to you. You need to figure your what your core skills and talents are and find opportunities that will emphasize those skills. 

 

3. Learn to Accept Compliments

 

When we feel bad about ourselves, it can be hard for anywhere else to drag us out. During these times, we tend to be more resistant to compliments. Rather than shrugging off compliments as lies, you should try to set the goal of tolerating compliments when you receive them. This is important to do, even if it feels uncomfortable because it will be worth it in the long run.

 

4. Stop Criticizing Yourself

 

We are more likely to kick ourselves when we are down. When we have low self-esteem, we tend to do even more damage to it by being self-critical. When you start to tell yourself all the things that you are doing wrong and criticizing yourself for who you are, think twice about what you are saying. By taking a few minutes to recognize the self-criticism, you will give yourself the ability to start building yourself up instead. 

 

5. Remind Yourself of Your Real Worth

 

Reminding yourself of your real worth is the best way to revive low self-esteem when your confidence sustains a blow. If you fail to get a promotion at work, write down everything that makes you a valuable employee, such as being reliable. Write a short paragraph or two about why each quality is essential and why others will appreciate it.

 

Building your self-esteem isn’t going to be an easy task, and it requires a lot of hard work, but the return you get will be invaluable if you do it correctly.