The Journal #24
Living. Drink. Self. Anxiety.
01. SELF-DEVELOPMENT - Joe Gaunt
Book Recommendation: The Science of Living
Why is waking up so hard? What is so good about a mediterranean diet? Do women really feel the cold more than men?
Answers to this and 219 other daily life questions around our health, wellbeing and lifestyle are answered in an easy to understand but evidence based book by Dr Stuart Farrimond, The Science of Living.
I highly recommend it as a read and I will be adding and citing some of the questions and answers from the book in the coming weeks.
P.S. Studies do show women consistently show a preference for higher temperatures in the workplace than men and muscle mass, hormones and improved nerve detection seem to be significant factors.
Seems compromise is always the answer! ;-)
02. HEALTH - Jonny Grayshon
To Drink or not to Drink…that is the question.
As a Brit, ex professional rugby player and of Viking heritage, drinking should be part of my DNA, and for many years across my sporting career, it was.
We all love the feeling of being more relaxed and care free, surrounded by mates having a good laugh. But as I approached my late 30s and now into my 40s, my views on alcohol are much different.
If the fact that it’s officially a top tier carcinogenic isn’t enough to put you off, here’s my take on it…
Weight loss
Not only are most ‘go to’ alcoholic drinks highly calorific, it’s not just the actual drinking itself which is damaging.
After a night out you’ll most likely wake up rough and crave higher calorie foods like take-aways and fry-ups.
You’ll also lack energy which means that your daily movement will likely be less.
More calories + less movement doesn’t quite = weight loss!
This compound effect of high calorie drinks and food could mean your weekend calories end up being somewhere near 5x your required intake.
“I only do it on a weekend though” I hear you say.
That 1 session in the pub could throw out your entire dieting effort from mid week.
If you want to lose weight, lose the booze.
Mental wellbeing
We drink to blow off steam after a tough day / week but this can lead to anxiety and low mood which will only exacerbate the problem.
Not to mention the fact alcohol can mess up sleep which impacts productivity and will power moving into the following day.
Energy & Mood
Dehydration and poor sleep (both consequences of alcohol intake) mean that both physical and cognitive performance will be massively compromised.
Less patience with the kids.
More ratty with the other half.
Can’t be arsed to exercise.
Poor productivity at work.
I do enjoy a whiskey now and again, and it is very few and far between, but even then, because I realise the negative effects it will have on the following day, I often skip it.
These days, the positives of drinking just don’t outweigh the negatives for me and my lifestyle and I much prefer to sit with a non alcoholic option over anything else.
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
Self
This week I had the pleasure and privilege of being invited to speak alongside my good friend Garry (Gaz) Banford.
Gaz appeared as our first online NXT45 Masterclass guest in January and he shared his experiences and wisdom with our community.
The title of our joint presentation at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Wednesday was ‘Elite Resilience’.
It’s a topic we’re both qualified to explore as a result of our combined 40+ years of leadership within U.K Special Forces and the Intelligence Services. We don’t profess to have all the answers but we do have some.
During these sessions when I’m sharing the stage with someone I deeply respect I always learn as much, if not more, than anyone else in the room.
The thing that landed most for me was how Gaz described the 3 self skills required to manifest a relentless pursuit of excellence (one of the 5 ethos’ of the U.K Special Forces family).
Self-Awareness - Knowing who we are now and the person we want to become. The gap between these two points (our current self and our ideal self) is where your imposter syndrome lives and we need to close that gap as much as we can.
Self-Regulation - Our ability to down regulate our stress response in order to avoid panic, a vital skill for leaders. Controlling our breath is key to controlling our autonomic nervous system and box breathing is proven to be one of the most effective techniques; 4 seconds in - 4 seconds hold - 4 seconds out - 4 seconds hold. Box breathing reduces our breathing rate to around 7 breaths per minute which is optimal to stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system and induce a feeling of calm.
Self-Reflection - Stopping to check in with how we performed immediately following action; what did I/we do well, what could I/we do better next time and the lessons we can learn from our performance and the performance of others around us to become just that little bit better the next time we do the thing.
Try implementing these 3 actions as part of your own self-development plan and daily routine.
They are proven to improve both performance and fulfilment.
Why shouldn’t you be relentless in your pursuit of both of those?
That is living.
04. QUOTE
"As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom"
Marie Ebner
05. TIP
No matter how many times you do it, standing in front of an audience and sharing your thoughts can be a daunting task.
It’s one of the biggest fears across the world and ranks higher than the fear of spiders, heights and even death!
It definitely gets better with time and experience but that feeling of anxiety immediately prior to a performance never leaves us. It’s there to protect us and we should embrace fear’s ability to help us focus on what really matters.
Even if public speaking isn’t that hard for you there will definately be something which induces a feeling of nervous anxiety.
What is it that you feel most anxious about doing?
If you find your mind running at 1000 miles per hour and your anxiety is starting to take hold by disconnecting you from the present moment try this simple tip.
The 3-3-3 method.
Look around and notice 3 things or objects.
Listen to your environment and notice 3 sounds.
Check in with your body and notice how 3 different parts of it feel.
This tip helps to bring us back down to earth and reconnects us to our present situation and our own self.
Include a few minutes of box breathing to make this an even more potent tip.
Need another even simpler tip to feel less anxious about something?….do it more often!
Come on England!!! - Wishing our three lions the very best for the final of Euro 2024 this Sunday.
The Journal by NXT45
