The Power of the Pause

How to start your new year with intention

As another year starts, you might be feeling the pressure to come up with a resolution, an intention, a “word of the year”. Your social media feed is likely to be full of gym membership offers or programs promising a “New Year, New You!”.

But how do you decide what is worth giving your time and energy to so that you do not hit March feeling disillusioned and defeated?

One way to cut through the noise is to hit pause and get intentional about what you want for the coming year.

Annual reflection exercises are a chance to practise self-awareness and to set a direction for the year ahead.


How to make your reflection exercise work for you

There are many ways to tackle a reflection exercise, and the most important thing is to find what works for you. That may be journalling, having a conversation with a friend or mentor, mind mapping, or letter writing. We all process information differently, there is no one right structure. What is important is that you set time aside and do it!


To make things simple, consider breaking your life into quadrants: work, relationships, leisure and health. Take the time to outline how you would like to show up in each area of your life, then for each of these domains reflect on:

1. The challenges you faced last year.

2. The wins you had.

3. What you want more of in each area.

4. What you are grateful for.

5. What you need to let go of.

If you see a gap between what you want your life to be like and how you are actually living, think through what obstacles might be getting in the way and what action you can take to close that gap.

Using this information, set a simple intention for each life zone that will provide guidance for your year ahead.

Done well, reflection exercises help you get clear on your values and your personal circumstances so you can set intentions for the year ahead that are meaningful to you.

1 Thing You Can Do Today

Give a compliment to a workmate

How good does it feel to receive a compliment at work? We feel seen, valued and appreciated. Physically, our brain’s response is the same as being paid monetary rewards.

Giving a compliment improves your mood too, research finds, and can strengthen your relationships at work. So why not we do it more? According to research, it is usually because of two reasons:

Imposter syndrome. If we do not feel competent enough in a specific subject, skill or area of expertise, we lack confidence to compliment someone on that subject.

Underestimating the impact. It is easy to underestimate the impact of a compliment on others and we can quickly talk our way out of it. We might believe that the recipient will think we are being insincere, causing us to stay silent.

However reluctant you may feel, giving a compliment will rarely backfire.


How to give a compliment

The best compliments are specific rather than general, says Smiling Mind. Rather than saying ‘good job!’ or ‘nice one!’, think through what you would like to say.

  • Make it personal to your workmate by highlighting what skills or qualities they showed, and when and how they displayed them.
  • Be authentic. Use words and body language that is typical for your relationship with that person.
  • Keep the compliment to the point. Brief, specific compliments will appear more genuine that lots of general praise.

Go ahead and give a compliment today. It is the gift that will cost you nothing.

How Much Alcohol Can I Drink Safely

We turned to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the most authoritative and unbiased edict on how much alcohol you should drink.

WHO experts analysed thousands of studies on the risks and benefits of alcohol and concluded:

“No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”

WHO went further to point out: “Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer… any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer.”


What is more, even small amounts are harmful.

“Half of all alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European Region are caused by “light” and “moderate” alcohol consumption – less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer or less than 450 millilitres of spirits per week,” says WHO.

While 1.5 litres of wine may seem a lot, over a week it is less than one and a half glasses per day, or around one “home pour” in a regular wine glass per day.

Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the WHO Regional Office for Europe, says, “It does not matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage. The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is.”

Can A Drink Really Make You Smarter?

Nootropic drinks claim to improve your mood, mental focus and memory, thanks to their bioactive plant compounds. How well do they work?


If you are looking for a non-alcoholic drink, there is no shortage of alternatives to lemonade and cola. ‘Functional’ beverages promise mental and physical benefits beyond quenching your thirst and the niche newcomers to the market are nootropics.

Nootropics are a broad category of so-called “smart drugs’ with cognitive benefits. Some are only available on prescription but others you can buy as supplements, and it is these that are also added to drinks.

Some common ingredients you will find in nootropic drinks include the herbs ashwagandha, ginkgo biloba, guarana and chamomile, anthocyanins (flavonoids), enzogenol (pine bark extract), and L-theanine (an amino acid found in black and green tea).

How healthy are they?

The claims are not all hype. Evidence does suggest that the ingredients in nootropic drinks can improve cognitive performance, memory and learning, or aid relaxation, although studies tend to be small with larger studies needed to confirm the findings.

However, benefits are still unclear. Connecting an ingredient to its supposed health benefits can be problematic, says Debbie Fetter, an assistant professor of teaching nutrition at University of California, Davis. Plant-based compounds exist alongside other compounds, and their interactions can boost, neutralise or diminish each other’s effectiveness. She says untangling any single ingredient’s role, and then recreating that effect in a beverage, is difficult.

Too much caffeine can cause headaches, increase anxiety, make you restless and impair your sleep.

Sugar content varies between the drinks too. Some are sugar free, others are low in sugar, while some provide nearly 30 per cent of an adult’s maximum daily sugar intake. It is worth checking the labels if you are looking for a low sugar option.

It is unlikely you will come to any harm with natural nootropics, although medication interactions and health complications are possible, and the long-term effects of regularly drinking them have not been well studied. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is best to avoid them.


Are coffee and tea nootropic drinks?

Yes. Most of us have nootropic drinks every day in the form of tea and coffee. Over 30 per cent of world drinks coffee regularly, while even more drink tea regularly.

Caffeine, found in coffee and tea, is classified as a nootropic because it can increase alertness, energy and concentration. Green and black tea also contain L-theanine, an amino acid that may affect the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, including serotonin and dopamine. These influence mood, sleep and emotion, as well as cortisol, which helps the body deal with stress.

Let Your Stress Float Away

What if you could get many of the health benefits of swimming, without having to swim? It turns out that simply floating in the water can be incredibly good for you.


Benefits of floating

Floating in water, in a pool, a lake or calm ocean, can bring numerous physical and mental health benefits.

  • Less “doing” more “being”

To float, you need to move as little as possible – just a tip of the hips, or slow swing of your wrists. This slow movement can help you get out of your head and into your body, and into the present moment.

  • It is meditative

Floating, once you trust the process, can be an immensely meditative act, where you can focus on your breathing, or the feel of the water, or the clouds above, without need to achieve.

  • It is immersive

“Aquatic immersion” is the fancy term for being in water. Floating brings many of the benefits of playing or swimming in water, without the need for rigorous exercise.

Aquatic immersion is shown to increase blood flow to the brain and arteries.

  • It is (a bit like) cold water therapy

You do not have to subject yourself to an ice bath to gain benefits of cold water immersion. Just being in a cold swimming pool or natural lake or ocean can help.

Officially, cold water therapy or cold hydrotherapy is the practice of using water that is around 15 degree Celsius for health benefits.

Research is limited, as most studies used only small groups of people, but overall evidence is positive especially in terms of benefits to your immune system and mental health.

So next time you are in water, take a break from swimming, roll onto your back, and float it all away.

 

How to float

  • Lie on your back on top of the water
  • Pull your shoulders back – this helps lift your chest, abdomen and legs
  • Breathe normally – holding your breath affects your buoyancy
  • Keep your body flat and straight, but you can spread your legs and arms like a starfish
  • Push your chin and pelvis (hips) up. If you lift your chin up, your legs will follow and come up to the surface
  • RELAX! You cannot flat with tense muscles

Tomatoes

Whether you say tom-ay-to or tom-ah-to, these tangy fruits are a good all-round health choice to add to your shopping basket.


Tomatoes are full of health benefits. Eaten raw in salads, they provide a rich source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, zinc and potassium all of which are essential nutrients and minerals.

Vitamin C is a health all-rounder. It supports your immune system, helps increase iron absorption and promotes healthy skin. Potassium helps with blood pressure control and heart disease prevention, while folate is important for normal cell growth and function. Magnesium is thought to help in post-muscle recovery.

Cooked tomatoes (think roasted or in soup and pasta sauces) come into their own as a major source of the antioxidant lycopene. The heat of cooking makes lycopene easier for your body to absorb. Lycopene is linked to brain health, possibly reducing the risk of dementia, heart health as well as lowering cancer risk, for example in prostate cancer studies.

Finally, tomatoes are a great source of both water and fibre, making them an excellent gut health option.

Tomatoes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours and flavours so get curious and start exploring today!

Be Kind to Your Mind: The Magic of Self-Compassion

We all know the mean inner voice that runs commentary on our daily activities. “You don’t know what you’re doing”. “Just get on with it!” “No one else is finding this hard”. We are far more unkind to ourselves than we ever would be to a friend or colleague.

Criticising yourself when you are finding things difficult makes it harder to solve problems or get yourself out of a messy situation. Your stress levels go up, your ability to think creatively goes down. You can get stuck in a cycle of struggle. There is a growing body of evidence that one highly effective way to shift this struggle is through self-compassion.

Dr Kristen Neff, one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion has this insight: “Self-compassion is the ability to notice our own suffering and to be moved by it, making us want to actively do something to alleviate our own suffering.”


Self-compassion has three parts:

1. Mindfulness. Notice your experience or your thoughts without judgement: ‘I’m having a hard time with this’.

2. Self-kindness. Treat yourself as you would a friend.

3. Common humanity rather than isolation. Embrace imperfection as part of the human experience and understand that your suffering is shared by others.

Self-compassion is not self-pity, or selfish. It would not make you stop ‘trying’. It does, however, allow you to respond kindly to yourself in moments of difficulty. Self-compassion increases your ability to meet challenges and has been shown to increase physical and mental wellbeing, create a sense of safety in the workplace, and increase your sense of purpose and meaning.

Think of switching from an inner critic to a coach and see how it helps you rise to the challenge rather than becoming paralysed by self-doubt.

Self-compassion is simple to learn. One of the best things about it is that you can access it in the moment; you do not have to set aside time each day to ‘work at it’. There are several steps to increase your access to self-compassion.

1. Physical touch.

This might be as simple as placing your hand on your opposite forearm in a signal of care. Feel the warmth of your hand. You could bring your right hand to your heart. Gentle touch coupled with a mindful statement ‘wow, this is tough’ can have a powerful calming effect.

2. Get to know your emotions.

Often, we are not that great at knowing how we feel. Start to explore the language of feelings. Instead of stopping at ‘I’m angry’, see if you can sense what might be underlying that. Maybe you are frustrated or embarrassed or even sad. Growing your self-awareness is an important skill.

3. Practise mindfulness.

Check in on your inner experience. Note your thoughts without judging them or yourself.

Dr Mark Leary, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University concludes, “Just about every measure of psychological well-being we have seems to be associated with self-compassion.” You cannot argue with science!

 

Dr Tra Brach, psychologist and mediation teacher, shares an easy to remember tool for mindfulness and compassion: RAIN

Recognise what is happening

Allow the experience to be there, just as it is

Investigate with interest and care

Nurture with self-compassion

This can help you move from feeling stuck to a state of feeling safe and secure.

What Can’t I Put In My Recycle Bin?

Most if us love to recycle, but many of us ‘wish cycle’, that is we think something should be recycled so put it in our kerbside bin anyway, says Planet Ark. Although well intentioned, this behaviour causes contamination.


When a nonrecyclable is mixed in with recyclable items, it affects the recycler’s ability to recycle any of the batch, leading to more materials going to landfill. If in doubt, leave it out of your recycling bin.

These items do not belong in the recycling bin, says Planet Ark, but are frequently found there. This does not mean some of them cannot be recycled elsewhere, just not in the kerbside bin:

  • soft plastics (like bread bags and bubble wrap)
  • food waste
  • food containers with food in them
  • crockery
  • nappies
  • clothes/fabric
  • polystyrene
  • CDs/DVDs/videos
  • window/drink glass
  • batteries
  • mobile phones
  • paper towels

And do not put your recyclables into a plastic bag. They cannot be sorted and are manually removed, with the whole bag sent to landfill. Put your recyclables into your bin loose.

Items that cannot go in your recycling bin may still be recyclable. Items such as mobile phones, printer cartridges, televisions, computers, whitegoods, paint and more may be able to be dropped off at a recycling depot.

Check your local area or google recycling in your local area.

The Power of Imperfection

Embracing the ‘good enough’ approach to exercise

The jury is in on exercise.

It is good for your brain, mood and body. But knowing that does not necessarily make it easy to get started. There are a few reasons for this. The ‘too boring’, ‘too tired’, ‘no time’ excuses can keep you stuck on the couch. One effective way to overcome these obstacles is to embrace a ‘better than nothing” approach.

Sociologist Christine Carter’s TED talk, ‘Confessions of a bad exercise’ highlights how willing to be bad at something can get you out of your rut and moving towards your goals.

Carter talks about how her pandemic plan to train for a marathon fell apart within the first two weeks, despite a colour coded exercise plan and all the good intentions in the world. When she shifted to accept one minute a day of running as ‘good enough’, she found she could easily get out each day for one minute. And slowly it felt more natural to keep running after the one minute than to stop.

Carter says that when you allow yourself start without being perfect, you form neural pathways (connections between your brain cells) for the habit. Over time it will become ‘hardwired’ and you would not be relying on motivation and willpower as much.

This idea of starting small and building up is shared across other fitness and wellbeing experts. Personal trainer Lauren Parsons talks about ‘snacking on exercise’. She found that the number one excuse people had for not starting an exercise program was they did not have enough time. She points out that you can find time to brush your teeth twice a day, you can find four minutes to do some exercise. Parsons says something as simple as doing push-ups on the kitchen bench while waiting for the kettle to boil is a great start.


As your confidence and momentum grows, generally you want to build up to about half an hour a day of exercise, five days a week. It does not have to be all in one session, you can split it into three 10-minute stints. Perhaps you will do longer on the weekends when your work demands are not so high. The key is small, sustainable steps.

So embrace being ‘good enough’ and get out there!

Frozen Spinach

There is no beating fresh spinach for a quick salad or a lightly steamed side dish with lemon, olive oil and garlic. But when it comes to a versatile, convenient freezer staple, you cannot go past a pack of frozen spinach.


Like its fresh counterpart, frozen spinach is a nutrition powerhouse, providing essential vitamins and minerals, fibre and phytochemicals such as eye-protecting lutein and zeaxanthin. But because it has less water content (frozen spinach is cooked first), cup for cup it has more than four times the amount of nutrients than fresh, including iron, vitamin C and calcium.

And the older fresh spinach gets (after transportation and sitting in your fridge for a week) the lower its folate content, so that frozen spinach becomes the better source. Folate is a B vitamin that is important for producing and maintaining new cells in the body, and a deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects such as spina bifida.

Before using, defrost frozen spinach and squeeze out excess water. Then add it to any recipe that calls for leafy greens such as fritter batters, smoothies, soups, stews, rice dishes and as a layer in your favourite lasagne or pie.

Note: If you are on blood-thinning medication such as warfarin, be aware that spinach is a source of vitamin K. Check with your GP before making any significant changes to your diet.