Blue therapy.
Blue therapy.
Go ahead and plan that beach vacay. Science has confirmed that looking at the ocean lowers stress levels and makes you calmer. In a study recently published in the journal Health & Place, researchers analysed data from the national New Zealand Health Survey and found that residents who lived with a view of the water were less stressed overall, and had improved mental health than those who didn’t.
The same wasn’t true of green spaces. Study co-author Amber Pearson suggests: “That could be because the blue space was all natural, while the green space included human-made areas, such as sports fields and playgrounds, as well as natural areas such as native forests.”
Find a fresh perspective.
According to Henrik Hagtvedt, associate professor of marketing at Boston College and author of a study on how word choice influences behaviour, the phrases you choose help determine how successful you’ll be.
Say that you’re going to ace your next challenge, not that you’re going to try. Rather than thinking, “I have to do my workout”, tell yourself that you get to push your limits.
Say “I don’t quit”, not “I can’t quit”. These little language swops turn motivationsapping struggles into empowering opportunities for you to flex your talents, psyching you up to conquer your goals.
A sound trick to sharpen your mind.
Check out this bit of focus pocus: Workers who listened to the sounds of a babbling brook performed better on a tough mental task than those who tackled it in silence, according to findings from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
“My hypothesis is that humans have evolved to find sounds in nature reassuring, while quiet can signal danger,” says researcher Jonas Braasch. “So silence may be distracting.” Download the Naturespace app (free, Google Play and iTunes), which hits all the right notes.
Hear, Hear!
“Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.”_Marie Kondo, Author and Organising Consultant
