Daily 60 seconds and one word can reduce stress.

In childhood, we believe that only physical injuries can harm our body , and evil words do not affect us. It sounds optimistic, but in adulthood everything is different. So, today we will focus on the fight against stress.

According to studies by brain scientists, words can also be harmful. In fact, negative words trigger the production of substances in our brain that cause stress. Evil words send alarm signals through the brain that block the centers of logical thinking . Thoughts are most directly related to anxiety.

But even worse, like a horror movie in which a nanny who looks after a child understands that the killer has already made his way into the house, we ourselves pronounce some of the words that are most destructive for us.

“Self-esteem is a verbal internal dialogue that takes place in our brains,” says Mark Robert Waldman, co-author of “Words Can Change Your Brain . ”

A specialist in communication, spirituality, and brain activity, Waldman says that he and other researchers have found that few people are aware of how they speak. “Internal dialogue is constantly taking place in the frontal lobe of the brain,” he says. “The left brain is optimistic and focused on problem solving and decision making. And the right hemisphere is a pessimistic part of the brain, it constantly generates anxiety, fears and doubts. "

Do not worry

The good news, according to Waldman, is that you can learn how to switch to the left brain using a two-step process of relaxation and positive exercises.

Most of us do not know how to relax, although it is quite simple. Waldman offers four ways to achieve a state of relaxation, which reduces mental stress.

• Running in place for 60 seconds. Waldman keeps a treadmill near his desk and takes breaks during the day to clear his brain.
• Close your eyes and rotate your head 360 degrees, making one full revolution in one full minute.
• Yawn 10 times, even if you don't feel like it. After the first few yawns, your body will begin to yawn for real.
• Very slowly stroke your hand or hand with your fingertips.

All these exercises reduce the activity of the part of the brain that generates negative emotions. “Your attention shifts from the thoughts and words in your brain to the sensations your body is currently experiencing,” says Waldman.

Keep calm and radiate positive

After you managed to turn off the pessimistic voices and bring yourself into a relaxed state, the time has come for a positive attitude. Waldman argues that you need to listen to your intuition, which is the weak inner voice of the mind, in order to realize its most hidden values. Write down the first word that came to mind. For example, it can be “honesty” or “peace”. Then, every morning, focus on that word for one minute.

Teaching at Loyola University of Los Angeles, Waldman forced his students to do relaxation and positivity exercises for 10 days in a row. He claims that it reduced their stress for nine months. “The effect was so powerful that we later made it a key module of our MBA program for managers,” he says.

Maintain positivity by taking breaks throughout the day for relaxation. Waldman himself, he said, takes three 10-second breaks every hour. “It refreshes my concentration and the work is really better,” he says. You can also write your value word on the card and place it so that it serves you as a constant visual reminder.

Exercises for a more optimistic mindset are akin to training muscles to increase their strength. “If you spend a few minutes every morning, we can scan your brain in eight weeks and see that the negative processes in it are reduced,” he says. “Use these exercises and feel more confident, and then your quality of life will improve. And if you stay in this deep state of relaxed attention, the people around you will resonate with what you are doing. ”

PS We recommend one more article on the topic - How successful people deal with their toxic opponents.

Translated by - Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult