Get Outside!

Have you ever heard of the word Biophilia?

Well, Biophilia is the human desire to spend time outdoors among the plants and tress (yes there is a word for this phenomenon).

Now that Mother Nature is making the days feel a bit warmer and brighter - it is a perfect time to get outside. Just going outside for 5, 10, 15 minutes can reduce our stress levels, lengthen our attention span for improved moments of concentration, and potentially even help you to live longer.

This Friday is Earth Day - April 22nd, 2011. So, make it appoint to get outside and breath some fresh air, go for a walk, get a little bit of sun (don't forget the sunscreen) and be amongst the plants and trees!

Find some Earth Day celebrations in your community this Friday.

Life Balance

Are You Incorporating Life Balance Into Your Daily Routine?

Health is a “complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  - The World Health Organization definition of health

A lot of us talk about having life balance. We want to feel like we are in complete control of all areas of our life. But, usually our day-to-day routine does not incorporate true life balance. We set-up schedules and routines to live by, assuming they are meeting the needs of every aspect of life balance, but it is truly a façade.

What does it mean to have life balance? Look at the Wellness Wheel below, do you feel that all of these areas are sufficiently incorporated into your life at this moment? Are you physically well? Socially well? Intellectually well?

From zero to 100 rank yourself in terms of how YOU think each of these dimensions of wellness is fulfilled in your life (zero being not at all and 100 being completely fulfilled, I wouldn’t change a thing).

Spiritual Wellness = ___/100

Physical Wellness =  ___/100

Intellectual Wellness = ___/100

Emotional Wellness = ___/100

Occupational Wellness = ___/100

Social Wellness = ___/100

Is there an area of your life which you would change?  Which Dimension of Wellness seems to be lacking in terms of your overall life balance? What does this dimension mean to you?

For example, if you say that Physical Wellness is low – what does it mean to you – to be physically well? What are your health goals?

• Exercise Goals
• Sleep Goals
• Nutrition Goals

You can do this for each of the Dimensions of Wellness to help incorporate more balance into you daily and weekly routine. Sometimes routines are just ruts and we need to take a step back to see what is either missing from our life or what needs to be added to our life.

 

Spring has Sprung

Today, I was inspired by the Beatles classic - Here Comes the Sun. So, I wanted to just share the lyrics with you and I hope you can hear the tune humming in your head while you read them. I hope you have a wonderful, warm day under a spring sun! Winter is almost gone and new life is blooming! Take time to feel the sun on your skin, to smell the daffodils, and just to enjoy that fresh spring smell.  Have a wonderful day! And if you are having a bad day – there is always tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here Comes The Sun

Songwriters: George Harrison

Performed by: The Beatles

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

Gratitude

Showcase Your Gratitude

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
~ St. Augustine

Definition: The state of being grateful; thankfulness. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gratitude)

Gratitude is the heart's internal indicator when the tally of gifts outweighs exchanges (The Iinternational Encyclopedia of Ethics)

At a time of chaos and uncertainty in the world, it's often good to reflect and remember what we are grateful for in life.  I have a few friends who either live in Japan or still have family in Japan. And sadly, it sometimes takes a neutral disaster for us to stop and rekindle a sense of gratefulness.

Being grateful is actually a good skill to help us cope with life's daily frustrations, stress, trauma and crisis. At a time, such as now, when life appears to be in crisis around the world, having a grateful outlook helps to offer a buffer or protection from the trauma.  It can also help to encourage resiliency - and a 'bounce-back' spirit.

In fact, people who regularly practice gratitude can increase their personal 'set-point' for happiness by 25%! Research even shows (controlling for all known risk factors), people who practice gratitude can decrease their chances of cardio-vascular disease, decrease symptoms of depression (by 6-12 months), improve quality and length of sleep time, they typically spend more time exercising and have greater levels of overall well-being.

The most common ways to practice gratitude is to keep a Gratitude Journal. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or elaborate. Just bullet pointing 3 things which you are grateful for each day or at least once a week, can have a significant impact on your mental health. The research has shown that keeping a Gratitude Journal for as little as 3 weeks can result in better sleep and more energy!

I am very thankful that my Japanese friends are safe and their loved ones are safe. I was even more encouraged today while checking some emails from Japan.  One of my Japanese friends sounded hopeful and inspiring during a time of chaos and uncertainty.  She wrote, "Japanese people have power to withstand this extremely difficult situation and to revive our home country. I am also very impressed and appreciate the people who are concerned for me and Japan. I am fine, but thanks for your words and kindness."

This inspires me to be re-energized with my faith in humanity. Despite of lack of control over mother nature, we can pull together and help each other in a time of need. Whether it is a natural disaster or an economic crisis - it is better to showcase kindness, gratitude, fairness and humanity. It is better to be optimistic and remember those things which we are grateful.

I am sending loving kindness, well wishes, thoughts and prayers to our friends in Japan.

If you would like to help out please see the Red Cross's website: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f9efd2a1ac6ae210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

Introduction & Welcome

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the Canter Associates Blog. The purpose behind the blog is to share with you information on how to improve overall wellbeing - Mind, Body & Spirit. Currently, I write a monthly newsletter for Positive Power Strategies. It is a free monthly newsletter, which is full of great information to help you towards your life and career success. However, I also wanted a medium to talk about even more interesting tips, research, techniques and strategies to help improve on overall wellness.

Please feel free to sign up for the newsletter, but I will also post them on my blog.

I'd also like to hear from you!  Do you have any questions, suggestions, or areas of interest within the fields of Performance Psychology, Positive Psychology, Exercise, Nutrition, and general well-being?  Please let me know!

But, for now - here is a bit of an introduction to what I do:

I am a Performance Psychologist. What is that you say?  Performance Psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the factors that allow individuals, communities and societies to flourish. Most recently, performance psychology has included the study of the psychological skills and knowledge necessary to facilitate and develop peak performance guidelines into best practice for sport, business, fitness and the performing arts.

I had formal training in Sport and Exercise Psychology – which refers to the application of proven mental techniques designed to enhance performance and help people get the most benefit out of their chosen sport. It focuses on how the mind influences and is influenced by participation in physical competition. Sport psychologists also focus on how non-athletes can maximize their physical potential and reap the health and psychological benefits of exercise and team play.

I also tend to use a more Positive Psychology approach to my work. Positive Psychology is a relatively new paradigm in Psychology which is the scientific study of what enables individuals and communities to thrive.

The main focus for most individuals and organizations in the past has been on getting rid of weaknesses, rather than building their primary strengths.  Recent findings suggest that a primary focus on building strengths is a far more effective strategy for fostering creativity, productivity, and well-being.  The heart of my work is aimed at identifying and developing character strengths, which will help lead to successful and happy outcomes for individuals and organizations.   By using a Mind, Body, Spirit approach we can maximize your success my using your personal strengths and abilities.   

My Philosophy is simple — Using your Strengths to Maximize your Success™!  A disciplined performance requires a disciplined mind.  By training yourself in strategies specific to your talent and personality, you become the one to wield the power of your mind over your performance—rather than being at the whim of your emotions.  Even the best in the world can improve; it simply depends on their desire to do so.