‘I have come to believe that caring
for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.’
Audre Lorde (writer and civil rights activist)
The foundation of well-being
As mentioned in the previous post, it is absolutely essential to
look after our physical needs, but unfortunately many of us are not
particularly good at this. Don’t get me wrong: There are times in life when we just
cannot get the ideal amount or type of sleep/rest, food or exercise for various
reasons. And there is nothing wrong with the odd late night out, or things like
the occasional glass of wine or chocolate cake. However, sometimes we are
neglecting our needs because we think that we do not have the time to stop or
we are in a habit of choosing unhealthy treats over healthy long-term options
as a strategy to cope with stress or other difficult emotional states. But neglecting your long-term
needs does not work in the long run, no matter how little time you may have or
how stressed you may be. Actually, it is at times of stress when you particularly
need to look after yourself. Our physical and mental well-being are closely
interlinked; by making sure our physiological needs are fulfilled, we become
more resilient to stress thereby making us more productive even when times get
rough.1,2 Today I will try to show you in more detail why it pays
off to look after yourself. This topic is obviously huge and could fill an
entire blog in itself, and today’s post is an overview over the most important
facts.
1) Self-awareness
Before we start with the physiological needs, just a few words on
another topic. We all have a different ‘optimal range’ regarding the amount of
sleep/rest, stimulation, food and exercise that we need. To make sure that you
get the right quantity, it is of course important that you are aware of your needs. Too many of us are
used to routinely pushing ourselves to the limit because we believe that we can
otherwise not achieve our targets, and as a result we may have got out of touch
with our bodies. On the other hand, we should avoid anxious over-monitoring,
which may make us overly protective and avoid challenges. It is -as always- all
about the right balance for your individual situation. Mindfulness can be
greatly helpful in order to get attuned with our bodies.8
2) Sleep
- An adequate amount of good quality sleep is absolutely essential for our health, as poor sleep can cause problems with our basic brain functions including memory and concentration. Furthermore, sleep deprivation increases the responsiveness of amygdala, which is the small structure in the brain activating the stress (fight or flight) response. So if you don’t get enough sleep, your amygdala becomes more reactive, resulting in increased anxiety and stress levels.2
- Unfortunately, we often find it particularly difficult to go to sleep, or stay asleep, when we are stressed or anxious, so that we can enter a vicious circle of sleep deprivation and hyper-reactivity.
- If you have problems with insomnia, it is therefore essential that you make improving your sleep a priority. The most important tips include having a relaxing bed-time routine (e.g. yoga or breathing exercises); avoiding bright light, exercise and stimulating TV programs/videos before going to bed but getting appropriate exercise during the day; avoiding caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods; avoid napping during the day; have consistent sleeping and waking times; to get out of bed and find an alternative relaxing activity if you cannot sleep after 30 minutes. 2
- Mindfulness and mindfulness meditations can also be a great help to deal with sleep problems.3
3) Exercise and Rest
- Rest and exercise/stimulation are equally important. On the point of energy levels, it is worth to note that both positive and negative high-intensity emotions activate the physiological stress response (although this obviously feels good in the case of positive high-intensity emotions) and therefore consume energy.1
- We all need exercise to stay physically fit but apart from that, exercise has a direct impact onto our mental well-being. Aerobic exercise (intensive enough to increase your heart rate) is associated with following effects:1,2
o
Adrenalin, cortisol and excessive glucose
levels (chemicals released during the stress response) are reduced, and the amygdala
becomes less reactive, reducing general anxiety levels.
o
Exercise also releases endorphins, which reduce pain and directly increase
the sense of well-being in the brain.
o
Exercise promotes brain cell growth, supporting neuroplasticity
(the ability of the brain to form new connections) and memory.
o
Following physical exercise our muscles relax. You may remember the
effect of ‘embodied cognition’ from
a previous post. This means that body sensations can trigger thoughts and
emotions. The sensation of
muscle relaxation has a direct calming feed-back effect onto the brain, which
can last for several hours.
- As with exercise, the right type and amount of rest and relaxation depends on your own individual circumstances. At the most basic level, you should try to build in appropriate periods of rest and breaks into your day, but if you are prone to suffer from stress or other negative emotional states (e.g. anger, anxiety, depression) you are likely to benefit from regular relaxation exercises:
o Relaxation techniques: Many different methods
are available, which include breathing exercises (see also below), various
meditation types, guided imagery (visualizing pleasant scenarios), (self-)hypnosis,
progressive muscle relaxation, yoga and others.1,2,4
o
Deep breathing is particularly helpful
and therefore discussed separately: Slow and deep abdominal breathing (using
the diaphragm) activates the vagus nerve, which in turn inhibits the
sympathetic system (stress response). Because deep breathing essentially makes
use of a normal, physiological reaction, it is one of the most effective methods
to calm ourselves down. Additionally, it does not require any practice and can
be done anywhere and anytime.2,5 If practiced regularly, deep
breathing exercises can even reduce our cortisol levels, which has a long-term
calming effect on the amygdala.1
o Breathing techniques and meditation are particularly helpful, as you can use them in a short version at any time, for example in stressful moments
at work.
- Common energy wasters: It has been shown that people can often cope better with a single high-impact stressful event than with an accumulation of many low-grade stressful experiences.6 Unfortunately, low-grade stressors are particularly common in our modern lives, including:
o
Emails/media updates:
A very common cause for stress and negative emotions is to keep monitoring
your emails, social media messages and news updates closely. This effect
increases the more frequently you monitor your inbox.1 In addition
to triggering a stress response in our body, new messages interrupt our thought
processes, so that if your attention is diverted by an incoming message, it
will require additional time and energy to re-direct your attention again to
your original task.1 The easiest way around this problem is to switch
off automatic alerts/notifications and to only check your inbox intermittently.
In this way, messages can be dealt with in ‘batches’, making more efficient use
of your time and energy, while reducing the associated stress.
o High intensity negative
thoughts and rumination (unproductive and repetitive worrying): Fatigue and
feeling ‘worn out’ is often not only due to physical tiredness, but is commonly
caused by negative thinking habits.1 It is possible to train your
mind to adopt more self-preserving, helpful thinking pattern and avoid
unproductive rumination. This not only enables you to preserve your energy, but
it also makes you more open, flexible and creative, so that you can deal with
the problems of daily life more effectively.1,4
o Over-commitment:1
Trying to cramp in too many things in too little time is a common phenomenon in
our world and I am certainly guilty of this one! Try to prioritise, cut down your commitments, and learn to say ‘no’
in a polite but clear way. Increasing your self-organisation also helps of
course!
4) Food and Drink
- Sugar/soluble carbohydrates:1
o Our
brain function relies strongly on blood glucose, which is why working through
your lunch break is false economy. Low blood sugar levels make you feel physically
exhausted and you become less effective. Regular meals are therefore important.
o However,
food and drink with high sugar content can be problematic: Sugar causes a
‘high’, which can end with a sudden crash and you may feel more exhausted than
at the beginning.
o We all
need self-control in our daily lives, however, self-control is more difficult
with low blood sugar levels. Equally interesting is that self-control itself
also uses up a lot of blood glucose. Regular meals with limited sugar content
therefore help to keep up your self-control, discipline and productivity, while
avoiding a sugar-crash.
- Caffeine: Coffee is very effective in keeping us awake and in getting us going in the morning. However, the reason why coffee works is because caffeine activates the sympathetic nervous system, triggering the stress response. If we are already stressed or suffer from anxiety, caffeine is going to exacerbate this even further.1,2,3 Additionally, some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine then others.3 If you belong into the sensitive group and have problems with stress and/or anxiety you may want to reduce caffeinated drinks (this includes black tea and some energy drinks!), or avoid them altogether.
- Alcohol is often used as a relaxation aid or as a treat following a difficult day. However, alcohol disrupts the normal sleep pattern2 and it is for obvious other health reasons not a suitable long-term strategy to deal with stresses in life.
More on this topic on the
web:
- More information on self-help for insomnia is available here: NHS Insomnia Prevention
- Free Mindfulness Meditation Podcasts including a meditation for sleep can be found on the website of the Mindfulness Awareness Research Centre of the University of California, LA
- The excellent website of the Blurt Foundation provides important information of the role of sleep, exercise and food on mental well-being: https://www.blurtitout.org/resources
- Further information on food, exercise, sleep and relaxation can also be found on the website of MIND: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living
References and further evidence-based reading:
1. Seppälä E. The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of
Happiness to Accelerate Your Success. Piatkus; London, UK. 2016.
2. Pittman CM, Karle EM.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to use the neuroscience of fear to end anxiety,
panic & worry. New Harbinger Publications; Oakland. 2015.
3. Black DS, O’Reilly GA, Olmstead R, Breen EC, Irwin
MR. Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime
impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances: a randomized clinical
trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):494-501.
4. Fredrickson B. Positivity: Groundbreaking Research
to Release Your Inner Optimist and Thrive. Oneworld Publications; Oxford,
England. 2010.
5. Hanson
R: Hardwiring Happiness: How to reshape your brain and your life. Rider Ebury
Publishing, Random House, UK. 2013.
6. Lyubomirsky
S. The Myths of Happiness: What should make you happy but doesn’t, what
shouldn’t make you happy but does. Penguin Books; New York. 2013.
7. Yang A, Palmer AA, de Wit H. Genetics of caffeine consumption and responses
to caffeine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010; 211(3):245–257.
8. Williams
M, Penman D. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide To Finding Peace In A Frantic
World. Hachette Digital Little, Brown Book Group; London, UK. 2011.
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