by Kay Cooke | Sep 29, 2022 | be well, mental health, mind-body, psychology, resilience, work well
Balance – it’s in our nature.
In 1995 fourteen wolves were released into Yellowstone National Park.
At first deer numbers drastically reduced and then deer behaviour changed as they moved into areas less visible to the wolves.
In the absence of deer foraging, flowers and trees began flourishing, which led to berries, bugs and insects, which in turn attracted more birds. And then beavers returned, building dams that provided habitat for otters, muskrats, and reptiles. Coyote numbers reduced causing proliferation of rabbit and mice, which in turn attracted hawks, red foxes, badgers, and weasels.
And once a ‘balance’ between predator and prey was established, the park’s physical geography had changed as (previously eroded) riverbanks were now stabilised by the new vegetation.
What’s this got to do with NLP?
Have you ever noticed how the mind’s internal environment can house both predator AND prey? And although people come to us seeking ‘balance’ between work, home, and play, learning to ‘balance’ their internal habitat, always positively affects management of the outside world.
What are the mechanisms for restoring the mind’s habitat to flourishing vitality? Solutions start with awareness of possibility and an attitude of willingness to seek ‘balance’.
To do this we must think on purpose! Because thoughts alone either deplete or nourish brain-body chemistry, which in turn can cause erosion OR restoration of sustainable balances within.
Keep feeding thoughts that nurture thriving, that’s all. This alone will starve what no longer needs to exist in that place.
NLP is a system for sustainable inner balance! Do more of it! And if you can’t easily do it for yourself – do it so that others in your social system may thrive. Humanity is in great need of ‘balance’. And nature teaches us all we need to know.
Discover how we can help you balance your thoughts, feelings and behaviours and change your internal geography: HERE
by Kay Cooke | Jun 1, 2022 | be well, mental health
Did you know that some of the world’s greatest genius minds have all shared a certain characteristic – a technique that is totally natural and easy to practise and we’d like to share this with you as you begin to use your mind to get the results you want.
History books and journals have recorded how each of these geniuses used their unconscious minds to nurture ‘whole brain’ thinking and used one technique.
The technique is called visualisation and it encourages ‘whole brain’ genius thinking by stimulating the underused right hemisphere. Perhaps you’ve already heard that Einstein ‘dreamed’ his theory of relativity when he visualised himself riding a beam of light around the universe!
Nikola Tesla’s 19th-century discovery of alternating current begins like most typical invention stories. He scrutinized the theories, the mechanics, and every minute detail. Finally, he built the first motor, and then allowed it to run continuously for three months. What is remarkable about Tesla is that the AC model he built and tested for three months was inside his head! When he finally was ready to build his first physical prototype, it worked without fail. As he knew it would — thanks to visualization.
Tiger Woods first visualised winning the Masters at age 12 and still uses this technique today.
Team GB’s Olympic success in 2008 has been largely credited to the practise of visualisation that many sports coaches have become trained in.
And the list goes on with people such as Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan, Winston Churchill, Beethoven, Napoleon, Carl Lewis, Jack Nicklaus, Alexander Graham Bell, and more!
So if I could show you a simple way to tap into this genius mind practice that explores the magical inner worlds, would you be interested?
Join our online guided mediation sessions Tuesdays at 8pm (UK):
https://thehappybrainco.com/product/mind-magic-meditation-online-single-session/
by Kay Cooke | May 3, 2022 | be well
Do you have an attitude for ‘how will I get through this?’ To summon determination so that you keep going until you get to the other side of something stressful.
That’s resilience. It’s training your brain to push through adversity rather than fold into helplessness when the going gets tough.
I consider myself pretty resilient and I’m tenacious in finding new ways to thrive, but I want to share with you a time when I was really tested to think out of the box and rapidly come up with a brand-new coping strategy. I was lying in the MRI scanner about to have my head and neck scanned.
“Soothing music?” they asked.
“Of course,” I replied, knowing how such music positively affects brainwaves.
“Here’s the panic button. Press it and we’ll get you out as quickly as possible”
“Oh, I won’t need that, I’m an accomplished meditator” my Hubris responded, after all I was making clear pictures of myself lying flat and relaxed.
And so, it began. I lay still, calm, and ready to remain relaxed.
But no sooner than the machine began its vibrating sound, my reptilian brain immediately shifted into a primitive fight/flight reaction.
No problem I thought, understanding that I just needed to adjust my autonomic nervous system reaction. So I aimed all attention on soothing basal brain through a calming breathing technique. But as visceral fear surged through me I panicked, pressed the button and they brought me out. I was unable to override a fearful amygdala.
Truly bemused, I tried again a few moments later. This time, I decided to activate my brain’s creative centres through visualisation of my happy place with full sensory association – an excellent way to switch on calm. But no, as cortisol and adrenaline misdirected my body, reptilian brain pressed the button again…
Damn it. Now I was cross and somewhat shocked at how my body and mind had stopped talking to each other.
Last chance. I could either validate the fear reaction and retreat into failure, or find a new solution. “This is your brain, drive it on purpose” I thought calmly and clearly.
“How else can you drive your brain through fear and get to beyond?”
I made a mental checklist of what hadn’t worked and searched for something different. Numbers! Maths! My sure way to zone out!
And so I began counting back from 500, out loud while visualising each number. It required intense concentration and I frequently had to start again whenever I lost that focus. But it worked, the strategy worked! I had pushed through adversity and discovered a new strategy. Learning through doing something different.
by Kay Cooke | Mar 31, 2022 | be well
In 1988 Professor Fritz Strack experimented with the perceived happiness of people when reading a cartoon.
Two groups read the same cartoon – one group had each to hold a pencil in their teeth without lips touching, the other group had to hold a pencil between their lips with no teeth contact.
Guess which group ‘felt’ happier?
Have you tried it yet?
Research shows that smiling releases feel-good neurochemicals and it triggers our social-emotional brain to respond positively. Smiles are contagious.
Enjoy this poem by Spike Milligan
Smiling Is Infectious
Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realised,
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth.
A single smile, just like mine,
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!
by Kay Cooke | Feb 28, 2022 | be well
When you’re talking to someone and they have a different opinion to you, what is your go-to response?
- Do you REJECT their beliefs and try to change their opinion to match yours?
- Do you ABSORB their beliefs and try to change your opinion to match theirs?
Or do you LEARN from that space between two evolving humans?
by Kay Cooke | Jan 31, 2022 | be well
Balance Body and Mind – how to do it!
Take ONE minute to bring yourself into physiological balance by sitting or standing as straight and tall as you can.
Straighten up through your mid-line and let your attention start at the top of your head and gently melt down through your spine to your tailbone. Are both shoulders as level as they can be? Look in a mirror to check the symmetry across your shoulders and collarbones.
Shift your body a little to bring balance to either side of your spine. Notice how it feels to tilt one shoulder or hip, and then re-balance.
Scan through your body for areas of softness and comfort, and rest in there for some moments.
Now shift attention to each of the following body parts in this order: head, shoulders, arms, hands, ribcage, spine, hips, thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles, feet.
Once balanced, your whole body and mind will work better.
Balancing your body helps you improve your emotional state, learning capability, and energy levels.
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