Noise in the head – causes, diagnosis, treatment

Posted on May 21, 2022  in Uncategorized

Noise in the head, which often appears, not only affects performance and mental abilities, but also signals health problems. You can not leave such a symptom unattended, the cause of its occurrence will help to determine the specialist.

What diseases cause noise in the head?

There are many reasons for noise in the head and ears. It can occur due to severe overwork, insomnia, neurosis, stress, after excessive physical exertion, against the background of fever, medication, as well as diseases and traumatic brain injuries.

At risk for tinnitus are city transport drivers, factory and airport workers, and musicians.

What causes noise in the head? It can become a symptom of the following diseases:

  • neuritis of the auditory nerve, Meniere’s disease , otosclerosis, sensorineural hearing loss, otitis media, labyrinthitis and other pathologies of the auditory analyzer;
  • osteochondrosis of the cervical region;
  • brain tumors;
  • atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, vegetovascular dystonia, as well as other diseases of the heart and blood vessels that lead to deterioration of cerebral circulation;
  • mental disorders;
  • endocrine diseases.

Tinnitus or ringing in the ears and head, according to statistics, feels about 10-15% of the world’s population. The frequency of its occurrence increases with age, as the likelihood of developing vascular and other diseases increases.

Let us consider in more detail what causes noise in the ears and head.

Migraine

The main symptom of a migraine is a severe headache that affects one side of the head. In addition to it, the patient has visual disturbances, ringing in the ears.

Cervical osteochondrosis

The appearance of tinnitus and hum in the head, dizziness, headache, which pulsates in the temporal or occipital region, may be associated with compression of blood vessels in the neck and impaired circulation of the auditory analyzer, which occurs with cervical osteochondrosis.

Vascular diseases

The cause of a strong noise in the head and a throbbing headache can be an aneurysm or thrombosis of the cerebral vessels. These are life-threatening pathologies, against which a stroke and intracranial hemorrhage occur.

High pressure

The appearance of noise in the head due to increased pressure is associated with excessive filling of blood vessels. Other signs of hypertension include headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea. With strong pressure surges, there is a feeling of tingling in the region of the heart, bursting in the temples and fog in the head, vision deteriorates, flies appear before the eyes, a person may lose consciousness. In this case, you need to urgently call an ambulance.

In a hypertensive crisis, a person needs emergency medical care

Arterial hypertension is often accompanied by impaired cerebral circulation, which is why buzzing in the head occurs on an ongoing basis. If the pressure jumps often, it is necessary to undergo complex treatment. Otherwise, hypertension can provoke a heart attack or stroke, which are life-threatening.

Intracranial pressure

The occurrence of headache and noise in the head in an adult in the morning, after getting out of bed, is a sure sign of increased intracranial pressure. Other characteristic symptoms of the disease:

  • nausea;
  • vegetovascular dystonia;
  • fatigue, lethargy, decreased mental activity;
  • irritability;
  • dark circles under the eyes;
  • hearing loss;
  • increased sweating;
  • impaired consciousness from stunning to coma (in severe cases).

Headache with increased intracranial pressure is bursting. It is aggravated by lying down, by coughing or sneezing. During the day, when the person is upright, the symptoms gradually subside as the pressure decreases.

Atherosclerosis

Pathologies of the blood vessels of the brain often lead to the occurrence of a throbbing headache and noise in the head. The most common cause is atherosclerosis. Due to the accumulation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, their elasticity decreases. As a result, blood circulation is disturbed, a buzzing appears in the head, the patient hears something pulsating in the temples.

With age, there is a natural wear of the vessels of the brain and a decrease in the elasticity of their walls.

Pulsating noise occurs due to atherosclerotic narrowing, spasm of blood vessels. It is a sign of the passage of blood in a narrowed artery.

Thyroid problems

Endocrine disorders can adversely affect hearing. Noise or ringing in the head, ears – a symptom of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism. Concomitant signs of thyroid disease: drowsiness or insomnia, weight gain or loss, nervousness, irritability, forgetfulness, heart palpitations.

Other diseases

The appearance of noise in the head and ringing in the ears is most often associated with vascular diseases. If it is accompanied by a feeling of pressure, fullness in the head, severe headache and dizziness, balance disorders, then it should be examined for the presence of tumor processes.

Often, noise in the ears and head is a sign of diseases and injuries of the auditory analyzer. The main reasons include:

  • acute or chronic otitis media – inflammation of the middle ear;
  • sensorineural hearing loss – hearing loss due to damage to various parts of the auditory analyzer;
  • labyrinthitis – inflammation of the inner ear;
  • neuritis of the auditory nerve – accompanied by a violation of the transmission of impulses from the labyrinth to the brain;
  • otosclerosis – manifested by a violation of the mobility of the auditory ossicles in the middle ear;
  • Meniere’s disease – increased fluid pressure in the inner ear;
  • damage to the eardrum;
  • acoustic neuroma – a benign neoplasm;
  • age deafness.

In addition to ringing or humming, there is a feeling of congestion, fullness inside the ear, hearing problems, vestibular disorders, which include dizziness, nausea, and balance disorders.

The appearance of noise in the head and other sounds is sometimes associated with depression, neurasthenia and other disorders of the central nervous system. Diagnosis of these causes is difficult, since during the examination, organic disorders cannot be detected.

Less commonly, noise in the head occurs due to multiple sclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease, anemia.

Noises in the ears – a signal of a tumor

Posted on May 15, 2022  in Uncategorized

Acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that leads to tinnitus and other symptoms: hearing loss on one side, pain and impaired movements of the mimic muscles of half of the face, speech impairment. With acoustic neuroma, the doctor prescribes surgical treatment or radiation therapy.

Many intracranial tumors lead to impaired cerebral circulation and increased intracranial pressure. Therefore, tinnitus can also be one of the symptoms of such pathologies.

Multiple sclerosis

It is a chronic disease that most often occurs between the ages of 15 and 40. All nerve fibers in the human body are covered with a special myelin sheath. It is necessary for the normal transmission of nerve impulses. In multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath is destroyed, resulting in slow neuromuscular transmission.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are varied. In some people, the disease manifests itself in the form of numbness of a certain part of the body, for example, a limb, while others develop severe paralysis up to respiratory failure.

One of the possible symptoms of multiple sclerosis is tinnitus.

Depression and neuroses

Under certain conditions of the nervous system, the organ of hearing acquires an increased sensitivity to sounds, and its irritation occurs. This often leads to depression, neurosis (neurasthenia, hysterical neurosis), nervous breakdowns. The patient comes to the doctor’s office and complains of constant tinnitus, but during the examination and examination, no objective violations are detected.

With psychogenic tinnitus, psychotherapy and appropriate medications are prescribed.

Taking medication for tinnitus

Some medications are ototoxic – they can damage nerve endings in the inner ear and cause tinnitus. This side effect is most pronounced in the following drugs:

  • antimalarials (quinine) and some antibiotics (eg streptomycin);
  • anti-inflammatory drugs (including aspirin);
  • antipsychotics (haloperidol);
  • antidepressants;
  • digitalis preparations;
  • furosemide.

If during the course of one of these drugs you begin to be bothered by tinnitus, you should stop taking it and immediately consult a doctor.

Only a doctor, based on the results of the examination and examinations, will establish which disease led to the occurrence of tinnitus. It is necessary to start the correct treatment of this symptom as early as possible in any pathology – this will help eliminate its root cause, prevent serious complications.

Experienced neurologists, therapists, cardiologists work in the Yusupov hospital, and there is all the necessary equipment . This allows us to provide patients with modern high- quality medical care.

Treating noise in the head and ears

Some diseases are accompanied by such an unpleasant phenomenon for a person as noise in the ears and head. Sometimes it is barely noticeable – the patient simply does not pay attention to it. But in some cases, the noise is constant, intense, painful, disrupts sleep – the sick person becomes anxious, irritable, trying with all his might to understand why he is so ill. You can answer the question of how to treat noise in the head by understanding the causes of this symptom, since approaches to therapy are different in different clinical situations.

Classification of noise in the head and ears

Due to the variety of variants of noise, they were classified – combined into groups, common for the causes of occurrence or features of the course of the disease.

EPFowler (1947) identified two types of tinnitus:

  • objective, or vibratory (occurs as a result of vibrations of any parts of the body, exists in reality, can be recorded using a phonendoscope or the use of other diagnostic methods);
  • subjective , or non- vibratory (felt by a person, but does not take place in reality, there is no source of hum in real life; it cannot be assessed from the outside; it is also called the term ” tinnitus “).

In their practice, doctors apply the classification of noise by reason and distinguish:

  • noise of the external, middle ear;
  • muscular;
  • vascular;
  • central;
  • peripheral noise.

Depending on the quality characteristics, there are:

  • one-sided or two-sided;
  • pulsating or monotonous;
  • arising from time to time or present constantly;
  • low-frequency hum or high-frequency squeak, ringing;
  • barely noticeable or strong, intense noise.

Causes

Noises in a person’s head are not always a symptom of pathology. A lot of sounds occur in our body in the process of its life – with blood flow, movement of joints, contraction and relaxation of muscles. They are masked by other sounds present around us and seem invisible to us, and in conditions of complete silence we can pay attention to them.

However, in most situations, extraneous noise, hum and other sounds in the head or ears are a sign of a pathological condition and a reason to contact a specialist.

Vibratory noise is caused by:

  • diseases of the temporomandibular joint;
  • neuromuscular diseases (the gaping of the auditory tube, myoclonus of the muscles of the soft palate, middle ear);
  • vascular changes (valvular heart disease, narrowing of the arteries, vein problems, arteriovenous shunts).

Subjective noise may be based on:

  • metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, thyrotoxicosis, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, atherosclerosis);
  • neoplasms of the brain;
  • neuroma of the VIII pair of cranial nerves;
  • diseases of the organ of hearing (sulfur plug, otitis media, sensorineural hearing loss, labyrinthitis, neoplasms, Meniere’s disease , injuries);
  • damage by toxic substances (drugs that have a toxic effect on the organ of hearing, methyl alcohol and others);
  • diseases of the spine (degenerative-dystrophic changes, instability, etc.);
  • neurological diseases (acute and chronic disorders of cerebral circulation, multiple sclerosis, neurocirculatory (vegetovascular) dystonia);
  • hypertonic disease;
  • mental disorders (neurasthenia and other neurotic disorders, depression, schizophrenia);
  • exposure to noise and vibration at work;
  • craniocerebral injuries (bruises, brain contusions).

Shpidonov Gennady Stanislavovich

Rostov State Medical University (neurology)

Strong, loud noise

It occurs in persons suffering from pathology at the level of the inner ear – the cochlea. It is experienced by people who have received a concussion, but the noise is accompanied by severe dizziness, significant hearing loss, and vomiting. Myogenic noise, the source of which is the muscles, can also be loud. It reminds patients of the chirping of a grasshopper, the crunch of snow, often heard even by others.

Noise and whistle

These symptoms occur with inflammation of the Eustachian tube – eustachitis . They can accompany bouts of dizziness in Meniere’s disease , occur in people who have undergone surgery on the stirrup for otosclerosis as a result of the development of consequences – postoperative complications.

Headache and noise

Such sensations in the ears are often noted in people with pathology in the cervical spine, suffering from chronic circulatory disorders in the brain.

Buzz in the head

It can also be the norm if it appears when a person is in a noisy environment (on a street with active traffic, in a crowded place, in a noisy production) and after returning to a quiet place gradually, within two hours, passes. Sometimes it manifests itself as a side effect of a number of drugs – antidepressants, anticancer drugs, certain antibiotics and NSAIDs. It can also occur in the postoperative period during operations on the organ of hearing – in this situation, it is the result of interference with the apparatus that conducts sounds, and after a while it passes on its own.

Ear congestion and noise in the head

Often, such symptoms are noted when there is a sulfuric plug in the ear that clogs the ear canal. They also occur with traumatic injury, acute inflammation or an allergic process in the outer or middle ear. In children, congestion is caused by adenoiditis – inflammation of the lymphoid tissue of the nasopharynx. Due to the fact that already in adolescence the tonsil undergoes reverse development, for adult patients this cause of congestion and noise in the ear is not relevant.

Constant, chronic noise in the head

More often than others, it is noted in elderly patients. In them, it is a consequence of several chronic causes at the same time – atherosclerosis and hypertension, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, diabetes and others. All these pathological conditions, acquired by a person over the years, exacerbate each other and lead to chronic circulatory disorders in the brain, resulting in a constant buzzing noise, high-frequency ringing, whistling or buzzing in the head.

Diagnosis and treatment of noise in the head

When this unpleasant symptom appears, you should not waste time doing self-diagnosis, trying to cope with it yourself or hoping that “it will pass like that”. The correct decision of the patient is to seek help from a specialist.

Diagnosis of diseases accompanied by noise in the head is carried out by doctors of various profiles – therapists, otolaryngologists, neurologists, psychotherapists / psychiatrists. But most often, patients with such a problem turn first of all to a neurologist.

First of all, the task of the doctor is to specify the noise, to understand what exactly the patient feels – a high-frequency squeak, ringing, buzzing, buzzing or hum, one- or two-sided, accompanied by a pulsation or not; clarify the intensity of sensations and the symptoms that they could be accompanied by. If the patient does not tell himself, the doctor will ask leading questions about whether there is hearing loss, stuffiness in the ears, headache (usually occipital) pain, a tendency to increase or decrease in blood pressure, find out what somatic diseases the person who applied to him for an appointment suffers from human. Based on these data, the specialist will suggest what type of tinnitus he is dealing with – objective or subjective. Then he will conduct an objective examination – examine the organ of hearing, perform a number of tests necessary for making a diagnosis.

Noise in the ears – causes, diagnosis, treatment

Posted on May 9, 2022  in Uncategorized

Patients describe their sensations in different ways. The noise may resemble ringing, squeaking, buzzing, crackling, rumbling, buzzing, rustling, hissing. Its intensity also varies.

Often, tinnitus is combined with symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, unsteady gait, darkening of the eyes, and headaches.

Consider the most common causes of tinnitus.

Buzz in the ears causes in ENT diseases

Ear, nose and throat diseases are the most common causes of tinnitus. A patient who has begun to be disturbed by this symptom should first of all consult an ENT doctor.

The main causes of tinnitus in otolaryngology:

  • Exudative otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear, in which fluid accumulates in the cavity. The disease is manifested by hearing loss, a feeling of congestion, fullness inside the ear. During head movements there is noise in the ears.
  • Tympanic membrane injury. Causes: ear injury, skull fracture, damage by foreign bodies, various objects during ear cleaning, loud sound (for example, during an explosion). When the eardrum is damaged, severe pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of congestion occur.
  • Otosclerosis. A disease in which the state of the bone capsule of the inner ear and the mobility of the auditory ossicles in the middle ear are disturbed. Patients are concerned about hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, irritability.
  • Meniere ‘s disease . Associated with increased fluid pressure in the inner ear. There is ringing in the ears, dizziness, imbalance, nausea and vomiting, sweating, lowering blood pressure.
  • Twitching of the muscles of the middle ear. These small muscles regulate ear sensitivity by changing the tension on the eardrum. With their frequent contractions, tinnitus occurs. Even a person nearby can hear it: the sound resembles the chirping of grasshoppers or cicadas.

Whistling in the ears with neurological diseases

Neurological pathologies cause tinnitus along with ENT diseases. Consider the most common causes of tinnitus, which are within the competence of neurologists.

Ringing in the ears due to arterial hypertension and hypertensive crisis

With a significant increase in blood pressure (more than 140/90 mm Hg), blood flow to the inner ear becomes uneven. As a result, the nerve endings inside it are excited, and tinnitus occurs. With arterial hypertension, this most often occurs during a hypertensive crisis – an attack of a sharp increase in pressure.

Other manifestations of hypertensive crisis:

  • headache;
  • dizziness;
  • dyspnea;
  • pain in the region of the heart;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • convulsions;
  • disturbance of consciousness.

During a hypertensive crisis, the patient needs emergency help. It is necessary to lower blood pressure as soon as possible, otherwise its jump can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke and other serious complications.

If arterial hypertension is accompanied by a chronic violation of cerebral circulation, then the patient is almost constantly worried about tinnitus.

Ringing in the ears due to cerebrovascular accident

The most common cause of impaired blood flow in the vessels of the brain is atherosclerosis. This is a disease in which cholesterol plaques form on the walls of the arteries, partially or completely blocking their lumen.

Other causes of cerebrovascular accident:

  • arterial hypertension (the main cause of which is also often atherosclerosis);
  • increased blood viscosity and the formation of blood clots;
  • diabetes mellitus (with this disease, the vessels of the brain, eyes, kidneys are primarily affected);
  • consequences of traumatic brain injury;
  • intracranial tumors, hemorrhages.

The main symptoms of chronic cerebrovascular accident: headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, flickering “flies” before the eyes, fatigue, drowsiness, impaired memory, attention. Constant oxygen starvation does not pass without a trace for the brain. Gradually, the death of nerve cells occurs, over time this can lead to the development of dementia.

Effect of increased intracranial pressure on tinnitus

Tinnitus as a result of increased intracranial pressure occurs with hydrocephalus, intracranial tumors and hemorrhages, after traumatic brain injuries and infections ( meningitis, meningoencephalitis ).

Headache and tinnitus – characteristic manifestations of increased intracranial pressure – usually disturb in the morning, after a person has been in a horizontal position for a long time. During the day, the symptoms disappear. The vertical position of the body contributes to the fact that an excess amount of intracranial fluid flows out, its pressure decreases.

Diseases of the cervical spine

Along the cervical spine on the right and left are the vertebral arteries – vessels that play an important role in the blood supply to the brain. They are not just on the sides of the spine, but pass through holes in the lateral processes of the cervical vertebrae.

Often, pathological changes in the spine – inflammation, displacement of the intervertebral disc, bone growths that form on the vertebrae – lead to impaired blood flow in the vertebral arteries, pain in the neck. The blood flow to the head is reduced. The brain and other organs experience oxygen starvation.

This condition is called vertebral artery syndrome. Its main manifestations:

  • constant burning pains in the back of the head, temples, which intensify after sleeping in an uncomfortable position, traveling by transport;
  • hearing loss and tinnitus;
  • blurred vision, “fog before the eyes”;
  • dizziness, loss of balance with sharp turns of the head;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • sleep disturbances, the patient does not feel sleepy and rested, in the afternoon there is severe fatigue and drowsiness.

Noise in the ears with VVD and other manifestations of pathology

Posted on May 3, 2022  in Uncategorized

Unpleasant sensations with VVD have different characteristics. A person can experience pressure surges, pain in the heart area, palpitations, anxiety, shortness of breath, fever, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, restless sleep with VVD, etc. One of the manifestations of VVD is tinnitus. It may also indicate the development of another disease (otitis media or cervical osteochondrosis), therefore, it is subject to careful diagnosis. Information about what kind of pain during VVD bothers the patient will help the doctor to suspect the correct diagnosis, which confirms the examination.

Tinnitus and cephalgic syndrome

When a person with VVD is constantly ill, he is disturbed by tinnitus, heaviness in the head, headaches and dizziness, drowsiness, this may indicate a cephalgic syndrome. Ringing in the ears with VVD usually occurs after stress, overstrain, exposure to heat or cold, a sharp change in climate. Additionally, chills can join with VVD. What to do in such a situation? First of all, you need to contact a specialist. The therapist or family doctor will examine the patient and prescribe the required examinations. The task of the doctor is to identify the real cause of poor health and make an adequate treatment. If necessary, the doctor appoints a consultation with a narrow specialist (otolaryngologist, neurologist, cardiologist, etc.). If itching appears with VVD, then the help of a dermatologist may be required. This significant involvement of subspecialists helps to identify the underlying cause of a person’s ill health, rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Cephalgic syndrome often accompanies hyperventilation syndrome in VVD. Respiratory failure is manifested in case of aggravation of nervous tension and manifestations of anxiety. One of the most effective ways to eliminate unpleasant symptoms is relaxation. The patient needs to calm down, pull himself together, realize that what is happening does not pose a threat to his life. To reduce the manifestations of cephalgic syndrome with VVD help:

  • self-massage of the head;
  • breathing exercises;
  • a warm shower on the cervical-occipital region (with high blood pressure) or a contrast shower (with low blood pressure).

Paroxysms and tinnitus with VVD

In 90% of cases, VSD is manifested by paroxysms, that is, the symptoms occur in the form of an attack. Any irritant (stress, fear, change of scenery, etc.) or an exacerbation of a chronic disease can become a trigger for paroxysm. The duration of an attack depends on many factors: its intensity, the general psychological state of a person, and environmental conditions. In some cases, to stop an attack, it is enough to remove the irritant and create comfortable conditions for the person in which he will feel safe.

VSD with paroxysms has the following manifestations:

  • ringing and noise in the ears;
  • headache;
  • fainting;
  • violation of blood pressure;
  • heartache;
  • panic attack.

Noise in the ears and head, migraine most often occur with VVD with migraine paroxysms. The condition is usually preceded by nausea and dizziness. The attack begins against the background of complete well-being and can last from several minutes to several hours.

Tremor with VVD may accompany disruptions in blood pressure, pain in the heart, tachycardia. The presence of tremor is a sign of autonomic arousal. Additionally, the patient has severe sweating, palpitations, reddening of the face (people say “the face burns” with VVD).

A very unpleasant attack of VVD is a panic attack. A person develops shortness of breath, suffocation, dizziness, heartbeat quickens, there is a feeling of a hopeless situation, fear of death. Dilated pupils are noted with VVD.

This paroxysmal condition is characterized by an increase in the level of adrenaline in the blood, acetylcholine and norepinephrine. An excess of these substances is the cause of disruption of the vegetative system.

Such attacks provoke a person’s self-doubt and indecision in VVD. The inability to control the paroxysmal condition significantly worsens the quality of life. A person cannot attend the desired events and places, perform a certain type of activity due to fear of an attack. A person is constantly stressed, as a result of which a “vicious circle” is formed: stress provokes an attack, and an attack provokes stress. In some patients, against the background of paroxysmal conditions, depression develops, memory impairment occurs with VVD.

fainting

VSD with syncope (fainting) also refers to paroxysmal manifestations. This is a neurogenic type of VVD, the main role in the development of which is played by a sharp decrease in blood pressure. Short-term loss of consciousness is more often observed in young people who have increased emotional lability. Fainting occurs under the influence of a specific factor (uncomfortable environment, changes in ambient temperature, etc.). The attack is usually caused by the same factor, which is individual for each patient.

Often, before an attack, the patient lays his ears with VVD. Pre-syncope with VVD can also be accompanied by suffocation, palpitations, dizziness. Fainting is a particularly dangerous condition, as serious injury can occur during a fall. Therefore, VVD with this type of attack requires careful monitoring.

Insomnia

Insomnia and drowsiness in VVD are common clinical manifestations of nervous system dysfunction. Due to insomnia, a person becomes irritable, lethargic, and chronic fatigue develops. Swelling of the face with VVD can also be the result of insomnia.

There are the following main provoking factors of insomnia:

  • stress;
  • neurosis;
  • depression;
  • change of time zones;
  • some medicines.

Insomnia in VVD requires urgent treatment, since a prolonged lack of sleep and proper rest causes significant disruption of the organs and systems of the body. Insomnia can cause exhaustion of the body – a serious condition that is subject to complex treatment.

Lower back pain

The cause of back pain in VVD, in particular, in the lower back, is most often osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. A degenerative-dystrophic disease of the tissues of the spine disrupts the functioning of the nerve roots, which, in turn, begin to transmit incorrect signals to the peripheral nerve endings. Thus, osteochondrosis causes symptoms of VVD.

Back pain in osteochondrosis with a VVD clinic has the following manifestations:

  • increased heart rate;
  • numbness of the limbs;
  • heartburn, nausea;
  • lack of air (often accompanied by a cough with VVD).

Osteochondrosis can develop not only in the lumbar region, but also affect other areas of the spine: the thoracic and cervical regions. VSD and tension in the neck is a consequence of cervical osteochondrosis. Its other symptoms are headache, dizziness, memory impairment, constant fatigue.

Simple neuro tricks : how to change yourself and influence others

Posted on April 27, 2022  in Uncategorized

The hardest battles in people’s lives and in the world take place imperceptibly, in the depths of the mind. Low self-esteem, depression, addiction, pain cause great suffering, but are exclusively in the head.

Conventional wisdom says that both mental problems, such as anxiety, and milder behavioral problems, such as the inability to follow one’s own passion, need to be solved by changing the mindset. Sean Young, Ph.D., author of Habits for Life, is convinced that this view is fundamentally wrong. Here’s what he says.

Change starts with action

It is often said in books on personal growth and pop psychology that we can influence our behavior by changing our thoughts. But it is not so.

Self-hypnosis is far from the most effective way to overcome fears, gain self-confidence, or, say, get rid of a bad habit. You will not become a different person if you tell your reflection in the mirror every day: “I’m good, I’m smart and, damn it, people like me.”

In fact, everything is exactly the opposite: you need to change actions, and the mind will catch up. This is what neurohacking is based on .

self-identification

To achieve positive change, you need to make small adjustments in behavior and let your brain think about it. A key element of this process is self-identification.

People often make decisions based on what they think of themselves. And this, in turn, depends on how they acted in the past.

Want to become more responsive? You don’t have to convince yourself that you are. The brain will not believe it if your thoughts are not backed up by actions. Just start actively supporting friends in difficult times or doing volunteer work, and then you will find a new identity – a person who cares about helping people.

The psychological tricks you will read about below work on the same principle: as a result of certain actions, a person forms ideas about himself, and a new identity influences his future decisions and actions. Knowing the techniques of neurohacking , you can change not only your own, but also someone else’s behavior.

How to turn an enemy into a friend

When Benjamin Franklin was re-elected to a seat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, another legislator made a lengthy diatribe against him. Franklin knew that paying back in kind was a bad idea. It was necessary somehow to win over the defiler to his side.

Franklin changed the opponent’s mind and turned him into a friend with a neural trick .

Knowing that the man had a rare book, Franklin wrote him a letter asking him to borrow it for a while. Flattered by this attention, he quickly sent his copy and received in return a courteous letter of thanks.

This little thing forever changed their relationship: they became friends and remained so until the end of their days. And all because there was a powerful shift in the mind of the enemy. Enemies don’t share books or write pleasantries, so Franklin isn’t an enemy.

Franklin later wrote that he had learned an important lesson: “He who once did you a favor is more willing to help you again than one to whom you yourself have done a favor.”

How to get rid of fears

Another neural trick is to dive right into your fears to overcome them. Sean Young experienced it himself: “At 21, I was sure that the worst thing is to find yourself in a foreign country without money, acquaintances and knowledge of the language. And so I found myself in just such a situation. Everything turned out not bad at all, even wonderful. I began to see myself as a different person – capable of doing what I could not before. Without knowing it, I used neurohacking .”

Neurohacking can do the same for you. Are you afraid to communicate with people of the opposite sex? Go on a date. Do you feel awkward in a big company? Join some interesting party.

Contact with what causes anxiety, at least in the light version, is useful. You will be able to see yourself in a different light, increase self-esteem and become bolder.

How to stop procrastinating

Start a self-development group or start a blog about the dangers of procrastinating. It’s hard to teach people not to procrastinate if you’re doing it yourself, so taking this step will help you beat the bad habit.

Think back to your therapist (or imagine you have one). He seems very calm and relaxed, doesn’t he? This is largely due to the fact that he plays the role of a mental health expert.

This approach – playing a role until you get used to it – creates a neuro -trick : a person thinks that it is impossible to lead a procrastination prevention group if he himself has problems with this.

How to get someone to agree with you

Did you know that your decisions—like whether you like a person and whether you agree with their statements—depend on how your body moves while they are talking?

Participants in one study were asked to listen to an announcement that students must carry identification cards. Half of them had to nod at this time, and the rest to shake their heads from side to side. They were then asked if they agreed with the announcement.

Those who nodded agreed much more often than those who shook their heads in the negative.

Why did such a result appear? The participants were unaware of the purpose of the study, but subconsciously understood that nodding meant agreement.

Thus, if you force a person to make movements that are associated with the expression of consent, he will become more accommodating. Marketers, for example, can use this trick by arranging their product line vertically instead of horizontally.

How to persuade a person to do something

A very important neurotrick is to make the person himself show that he wants something. If he voluntarily makes a decision, such as choosing a certain job or a completion date for some business, the likelihood that he will consistently go to the result is higher.

Give the person a small number of options and ask them to choose something.

Parents can use this technique to influence their child’s behavior. For example, if you need to sit him down for breakfast, you can ask what he wants more – cereal or eggs (just do not need to offer too many dishes, two or three will be enough).

It is important that a person perceives his choice as voluntary. If he feels that he is being pushed towards some option, the method will not work.

How to have a successful date

You must have heard that some young men invite girls to the cinema for horror movies. They hope that the friend will get scared and hug the companion. This tactic may seem ridiculous, but the scientific evidence speaks in its favor.

There have been many studies that have shown that people rely on manifestations of their own physiological and emotional state in order to evaluate themselves and decide what to think and how to act.

If a person is physiologically aroused—particularly while watching a horror movie—the brain may decide that the arousal is related to something else, such as the presence of another person or worry about whether a date is going well.

If you don’t like horror, think about what else will give you and your companion (or companion) an adrenaline rush. For example, you can ride a roller coaster. The effect will be the same.

How to cheer yourself up

Scientists have proven that we can quickly change our mood by using facial expressions. If you smile or frown, then you experience the corresponding emotions (without even realizing it).

In one study, participants were divided into two groups. Representatives of the first had to hold a pen between their teeth, imitating a smile (they were not explained why this was necessary). Participants from the second group were asked to hold the pen tightly with their lips (try to smile while holding the pen in this position – and you will see that it is not easy).

After that, the participants had to perform various activities, including looking at the cartoons and judging how funny they were. In theory, our opinion about the picture should not depend on the position of the pen – between the teeth or lips – but the participants in the first group seemed to have fun caricatures.

In another study, people were asked to say words that made their facial muscles move in a certain way, with similar results.

Recently, psychologists and doctors have been using Botox to study this effect. During the experiments, the subjects injected this substance into certain areas on the face in order to make facial expressions more difficult. The results were similar: by losing the ability to frown and make an angry expression, people became less angry. The study participants also experienced a reduction in depression levels.

chain links

As you can see, instead of trying hard to control the thoughts in your head, you can use a little neuro trick that will seriously change the mind and behavior.

There is another important point: the neural trick will work much better if you apply it several times. Let’s say you want to loosen up and overcome shyness. If you do something once, like dropping into an improv class, it will be difficult for you to acquire a new identity. You have to go to classes repeatedly and out of your own interest.

To change your self-perception, you need to do the same thing over and over again.

After, say, five classes, the mind begins to believe that the lessons are enjoyable, otherwise why go to them. Thus, a new type of personality is formed.

How to beat depression?

Posted on April 21, 2022  in Uncategorized

Bad mood, apathy, unwillingness to do anything, complete indifference to everything: if such a state lasts more than two weeks and lasts for months, then all these are characteristic signs of depression. How to deal with it? The methods are different for everyone, because the reasons are also individual. Therefore, before you get out of this state, you need to understand where it all began.

Using the example of my friend, I will tell you about her personal methods of struggle.

Alina was 22 years old when her life began to decline. A graduate of a prestigious university in Moscow, but not quite a favorite profession, as it turned out in the 3rd year, she received a diploma and went home. A week before graduation, she broke up with her loved one, and her desire to surrender everything and leave as soon as possible intensified even more. She did not show her depressed state to her relatives, and each time she morally pulled herself out, but at night quite often her “strength” turned into sobs. This went on for almost 2 years. The sadness of parting grew into a lack of self-confidence, and that she can really achieve something. The new day seemed to constantly bring even more reasons to go into depression. 7 methods that helped Alina get out of it:

Family support

Having received a diploma and having flown home, she tried to forget the person with whom she had just parted. All this time, she was engaged only in watching TV shows, reading books, sometimes going to the cinema, and meeting friends, but returning to her room she could not leave for a long time until her parents called for food. She ate, drank tea, and again ran into the room. Two months of spiritual emptiness. Having fallen asleep one day in the morning and sleeping until the evening, I woke up from the voice of my father, who cursed loudly. Father has always been Alina’s support, kind by nature, he did not let her lose heart and during the upcoming exams he always called and had conversations, after which wings appeared.

On that day, she heard him screaming and did not understand the reason. As it turned out, he saw the state of his daughter and could not stand it. He went into her room and said: you are alive, but you don’t live, you are healthy, but you are ruining yourself, you are happier than those who cannot afford to sleep in a warm place, you are a beautiful girl, but you put an end to yourself. Discouragement is a great sin, and you believe in God, but you continue to lose heart. If you don’t stop, consider that you will kill the one in me who always thought he raised a strong-willed person. I will be lost if you are lost.

Dad’s words became sobering for Alina. She realized that she had relatives who were not ready to accept her in such a state and did everything to get her out of it. Now Alina believes that even if a person has depression and there is no support, as she had, you can still force yourself to fight on your own. There are many such examples. Sober yourself up with a “slap”.

Work

It was time to look for a job, but each time she was refused for lack of experience, and she increasingly ceased to believe in herself. By the way, in the book “100 ways to change your life. Part 2,” I wrote, “Believing in yourself is important, but it doesn’t guarantee victory. Even if you don’t believe in yourself or, even worse, if you believe that you are a complete nonentity, but at the same time work hard, you will definitely succeed! Thoughts that she was not capable of anything intensified, but she tried to do something. In the end, I found a job, my colleagues were not all pleasant, only inside there was a feeling of some satisfaction from the fact that a small step had been taken from my past self. No wonder they say that any physical activity does not give time for bad thoughts.

A change of scenery

After working for some time, she decided to change her field of activity and went back to Moscow to study. Arriving in this city was not the most fun. Autumn time, rainy, gray, and after six months of study, there is a desire to quit everything again and go home. However, every time something helped her not to give in. Having taken all the will into a fist, I finished my studies, and what inner satisfaction and gratitude I had for myself that I did not give up. Do not quit what you started – that’s how my parents raised me. In Moscow, every day I spent talking to myself, my friends were not around, my relatives too. Many days spent alone, all thoughts went into entries in the diary, every walk to the subway, every day to get up with the words: a little more, be patient. She returned home completely different. As if a trip to another country tested for stamina and awareness came. The internal dialogues have been good. After them, being at home, I realized that I forgave the people who had once hurt me. It became easier to breathe.

Strength in a smile

Smiling at yourself, even when something doesn’t work out, is difficult, but you can force it. As a colleague says: by force, when no one sees. In many eastern countries, a smile means victory over difficulties and fortitude. In Japan, they believe that the more you smile, the better your mood. Overcoming herself, Alina tried to smile every day. Many do not attach importance, but it really works, you have to try.

Creation

You have a hobby, this is also creativity, it manifests itself in everything. For some, even solving mathematical problems is a manifestation of creativity. Alina was helped by writing down her thoughts in a diary and playing the guitar. I took the guitar in my hands and my fingers reached for the desired chord.

Horse Therapy

Alina loves animals since childhood. Coming to my grandmother in the village, she gladly sat in the saddle. It was not often necessary to get out somewhere in the city, but a strong desire to see the horses made her go to the nearest hippodrome. You come, you see your pet, you have conversations with him and your bad mood disappears as if by magic. At these moments, it seems that he disperses negative thoughts with his mere presence.

Communication

During apathy, you always want to close yourself within four walls and not communicate with anyone. What if there are no friends? Force yourself to go out, walk, visit cultural places or visit orphanages, orphanages, nursing homes or seriously ill people. Communication with such people makes you reconsider your views on life. Dating on the Internet is also one of the forms of communication that should not be ignored.

All these methods are the personal experience of one person, but the depression of which, was really difficult. Thanks to her, she learned to appreciate her life more, and to do everything possible not to give in. And everyone has a bad mood for a couple of days, the main thing is to be able to recover in time. Now she is 26, a year ago her friend died of cancer, before that she managed to tell her this phrase: I know that everything you do is not in vain. You are indeed a very good friend. This phrase motivates her to get up every day in the morning and be glad that she is just healthy.

Learn not to get carried away. 50 quotes about emotions

Posted on April 15, 2022  in Uncategorized

We cannot imagine life without emotions. Good or bad, inspiring or depressing – they are part of us, although we still do not know much about them. We have selected 50 quotes from new books and bestsellers. Let them help paint your emotional background with bright colors or just learn something new.

1. For better or worse, intelligence can be useless if emotions take over.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

2. Although emotions have always served us as wise advisers, the new realities offered by the current civilization have formed with such speed that evolution, with its sedate pace, clearly cannot keep up with them.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

3. The root of the word “emotion” is the Latin verb moveo , meaning “to move, set in motion”, with the prefix e- (“e-“), giving an additional meaning of outward direction: “move away, remove.” This means that each of the emotions awakens the desire to act. The fact that emotions lead to actions is most easily seen by observing animals or children.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

4. Feelings are necessary for thinking, and thinking is necessary for feelings. But if passions rage, the balance is disturbed. So the emotional mind took over and overwhelmed the rational mind.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

5. Our emotions have a mind that holds its own views quite independently of our ratio .

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

6. The main “switch” of painful emotions is the left prefrontal lobe. The right prefrontal lobes house negative feelings like fear and aggression, while the left lobes control these raw emotions, probably by depressing the right lobe.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

7. Empathy, another ability based on emotional self-awareness , is the main “human gift.” People really capture the feelings behind words.

– from the book “Emotional Intelligence”.

8. If you haven’t changed for a while, you get a false sense that everything is stable and you are in control. But control can only be in one area: yourself, your emotions, confidence and development.

– From the book “Never Ever “.

9. Life is time. It’s what you do, how you feel about it, who you spend your hours and days with, what interesting things you do. And you can start doing it now. Without delay.

– From the book “Never Ever “.

10. If the movement has not started, the person freezes in the “emotional trampling” mode and spends his battery on throwing. And in this mode, she quickly “sits down”

– From the book “Never Ever “.

11. Learn not to get carried away, not to freak out and not to fall into an emotional collapse, even in uncertainty or under the pressure of circumstances. “No money, no work, what about tomorrow? Ah-ah-ah!”

– From the book “Never Ever “.

12. When considering whether to meet friends in the evening and have fun from the heart or stay at home and sort through the accumulated mail, choose the first one! Positive emotions from the meeting will make you much more creative and productive in the following days.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

13. Happiness arises through the gradual “cultivation” of positive emotions. Similarly, negative experiences create a downward emotional spiral. For example, to a frustrated person, the working day seems endless, and traffic seems terrible.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

14. Each positive emotion is layered on top of the previous ones, enhancing the feeling of happiness. Positive thoughts, emotions, and decisions feed off each other. With this mindset, eating, exercising, sleeping, resting, and other activities will add strength rather than drain it.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

15. Listening to your body and each time making a choice in its favor, you get a powerful emotional charge.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

16. Sometimes the excessive absorption of a particular food is caused not by physical, but by emotional hunger. Your brain remembers, “When I’m sad, I eat chocolate with peanut butter.” The trick is to separate the food from the satisfaction of a certain emotion.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

17. Dreams are also closely related to our emotional state. When we experience negativity in a dream, we often wake up with a more positive attitude and clearer thoughts. Have you ever wondered where the expression “sleep with a problem” comes from?

– From the book Closer to the Body.

18. A sleep-deprived person is like a living wire, through which negative emotions pass instead of a current. The part of the brain responsible for anger becomes hyperactive.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

19. By mastering the senses, you will form healthy habits. Once you understand that each emotion does not arise from scratch, it will become easier for you to control your reactions and mood.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

20. Cheerful, sad, melancholy, gloomy, inspired, joyful… Man is a real whirlwind of emotions. Even when you feel bad, you are not helpless. No one can take away your right to choose, and only you decide how to relate to the situation.

– From the book Closer to the Body.

21. The time-honored history of emotions goes something like this: Everyone has emotions built in from birth. This is a separate easily recognizable phenomenon within us. When something happens in the world—a gunshot or a flirtatious look—our emotions spring up quickly and automatically, like someone flipping a switch. We express emotions on our faces with a smile, a frown, or characteristic expressions that other people can easily recognize. Our voices express emotions through laughter and shouting. Our body gives out our sensations in every gesture and posture.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

22. Your emotions are not built in, but made up of basic parts. They are not universal, but different for different cultures. They don’t start themselves; you create them. They arise as a combination of the physical properties of your body and a plastic brain that makes connections with the environment in which it develops and the culture and upbringing that provides such an environment.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

23. The law considers that emotional harm is less serious than physical harm and less deserving of punishment. Think how ironic this sounds. The law protects the integrity of your anatomical body, but not the integrity of your psyche, even though the body is just a container for the organ that makes you who you are – your brain.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

24. Your genes can make you sensitive to the environment and every little problem. And if you are a woman of reproductive age, the connectivity in your interoceptive network changes every month, making you more vulnerable at certain points in the cycle.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

25. Pain is an experience that results not only from physical injury, but also when your brain predicts that injury is imminent. Let’s say you’re in the doctor’s office getting a tetanus shot. Your brain constructs a case of “pain” because you already have previous experience with injections. You may feel pain even before the needle touches your arm.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

26. When you feel bad, consider that you have a virus, and do not think that your discomfort means something personal. Your sensations may be just noise. Perhaps you just need to sleep.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

27. When you teach your children about emotions, try to go beyond the essentialist stereotypes: smile when happy, frown when angry, and so on. Help them understand the diversity of the real world—that, depending on the context, a smile can mean happy, embarrassed, angry, or even sad.

— from the book How Emotions Are Born.

28. And now I am in favor of using anger as one of the additional incentives on the way to your goal. This is a beautiful emotion. And, as it turned out, very creative, if directed in the right direction. The emotion should not be “This bastard will now burst into tears that he has lost such a beauty as me. Let him suffer for the rest of his life! ”, But rather like this:“ I will wipe my nose with this everyone who does not believe in me!

– from the book “100 ways to change your life. Part 2”.

29. Often being overweight is a subconscious desire to hide, run away and shut yourself off from the world. This fear arises from dissatisfaction with life in general or from the fact that a person lacks emotions.

– from the book “100 ways to change your life. Part 2”.

30. Our emotions are like food in the refrigerator. If they are not survived (“not eaten”) in time, then they begin to rot and poison our lives.

– from the book “100 ways to change your life. Part 1”.

31. Almost all pregnant women are characterized by increased emotionality. Often this is one of the first signs of pregnancy, which is very puzzling if a woman does not yet know that she is pregnant.

– from the book “I will be a mother.”

32. Young mothers often say that immediately after giving birth they feel relieved, very tired and want to drink a cup of tea, and the emotional wave covers later. Young fathers, on the other hand, are surprised at how emotionally they experience the birth of a baby, even if they are usually not prone to sentimentality.

– from the book “I will be a mother.”

33. Very often a tired baby, who had too many emotions and impressions, cannot fall asleep. This is one of the reasons why children who do not get enough sleep during the day do not sleep well at night.

– from the book “I will be a mother.”

34. A growing body of scientific research shows that emotional inflexibility—being stuck on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that do not benefit us—leads to a range of psychological problems, including depression and anxiety.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

35. Negative experiences are normal. Such is human nature. And an overemphasis on positive thinking is just another radical way our culture attempts to combat normal fluctuations in emotions, just as society sometimes rushes to cure childhood hyperactivity or women’s mood swings with pills.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

36. First, everything is decided by your emotions. Secondly, repressed emotions inevitably take their toll, and they find an outlet in a completely different place than you expect.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

37. When we are too joyful and cheerful, we often do not pay attention to serious threats and risks. It would not be a big exaggeration to say that excessive joy can be life-threatening: in this state, you more easily decide on adventures and underestimate the risks of alcohol.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

38. Boldly and with interest, accept yourself as a whole – with a chapped nose and frayed ears, with “good” and “bad” emotions, missing nothing and not bypassing anything with sympathy. Accept your inner experiences, try to get used to them and explore them without trying to get rid of them as soon as possible.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

39. Do not try to get rid of fear. Try to go to what is valuable to you, right through your fears, lighting the way with your values. Being brave does not mean not being afraid of anything, being brave is moving forward, no matter how scary it is.

– from the book “Emotional Flexibility”.

40. There is a huge difference between stress and anger, stress and disappointment, stress and anxiety. If we cannot unequivocally express what we feel, others are unlikely to be able to understand us and provide the support we need.

41. Neuroscientists have proven that stress, as well as negative emotions: anger, sadness, insecurity, anxiety, put the brain into a reward-seeking mode. You end up craving what your brain thinks promises a reward, and you are convinced that this “reward” is the only source of joy.

42. Attempts to repress thoughts, emotions and desires go sideways and force you to think, feel and do what you most want to avoid.

43. Feel what is felt, but do not believe everything that is thought. When an unpleasant thought comes to mind, notice how it feels in your body. Then bring your attention to your breath and imagine the thought dissolving or leaving.

44. A diary allows us to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our emotions, even difficult or painful ones. The better we are aware of our feelings and thoughts, the more prepared we are for the accumulation of life experience and self-development.

45. The universal language of music awakens passions and emotions in a person. When a pleasant song is played on the radio, our mood immediately improves. The soft melody helps calm the nerves. Slow classical music causes thoughtfulness or sadness. Music can awaken our creativity and create motivation for certain actions.

46. Smiling brings positive results. But laughter is a much stronger expression of emotion. It helps to cope with feelings and fear, improves mood and appearance, and makes it easier to experience difficult situations and disappointments.

47. You know best how you feel in stressful or difficult situations. Therefore, it is very important in such cases to listen carefully to your thoughts and reactions in order to take appropriate action if necessary.

48. Morning exercise is critical to maximizing potential because it brings you to the peak of your mental, physical and emotional state, which gives you a chance to become a winner on this day.

49. By visualizing what you want to get out of life, you stir up your emotions, which, in turn, lifts your spirit and mood and simply pulls you towards the realization of these images.

50. The average person allows emotions to dictate his actions, and the actions of people who have achieved great success in life dictate their views and beliefs.

20 Ways to Get Things Done Before the New Year

Posted on April 9, 2022  in Uncategorized

The hottest time has come – you need to have time to do hundreds of things before the clock strikes twelve. We have chosen effective techniques that will help you fulfill everything planned and celebrate the New Year with peace of mind.

Write down all tasks

Back in 1927, our compatriot Bluma Zeigarnik published a paper in which she showed that unfinished tasks are better remembered. A year later, another Russian woman, Maria Ovsyankina, demonstrated in her work that unfinished tasks create a desire to complete them. Based on these works, it can be assumed that until the work is completed, it will live somewhere in the depths of our consciousness, cause anxiety and consume thought fuel .

That is why it is very important to immediately write down all ideas and possible tasks. They can be recorded in a separate notebook or in an application on your smartphone.

Review your to-do list every day

Correct formulation is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for minimizing repeated thoughts, in addition to this practice, we must also learn to trust the “repository” where we write down correctly formulated tasks.

And for this you need to regularly make sure that the list of tasks:

a) has not lost its relevance

b) contains everything that needs to be done

Therefore, review it, mark completed tasks and constantly add new ones. So you don’t miss anything. Include tasks for the monkey and the rational person.

Learn to use small time frames

It must be admitted that the pace of life has changed over the past few years, and each of us has many tasks that we do “simultaneously”. Being engaged in large and global projects, one must understand that such a project will remain unfinished for a very long time and all this time we will have to live somehow. We will have to work productively, reflect, and thoughtfully approach the various moments that arise, while the projects of our whole life will still be far from complete.

If a short period of time is completely meaningful, it will be a significant contribution to getting closer to your goals.

Stop multitasking

The myth that the human brain is able to equally well control several tasks at once has long been dispelled. Do not multi-task or jump from one activity to another. Immerse yourself in doing your favorite (or not very favorite, but very important) thing and completely concentrate on it.

Analyze your biorhythms

Analyze what time you are most productive. To do this, you need to get up early for a week or two, try to work at night, early in the morning, during the day and analyze what is happening, keep a diary. It is advisable to give up sweets, caffeine, and other stimulants for this period.

Usually, for most people , the decline in activity occurs in the afternoon after lunch. This is a great time for a short nap. Productivity peaks most often occur in the morning and evening.

Don’t check your email at your most productive time. Leave it for key tasks that require concentration, energy, awareness. Leave the least productive time for simple things – these may not be the most important tasks that you constantly put off, the routine components of large and important tasks and projects, sports training, studying easy ̆ , but useful ̆ business literature, rest.

Don’t schedule back-to-back meetings

Be sure to leave a significant margin between meetings, never plan them back to back – even if they take place in the same room or nearby. Life always makes adjustments, time is spent on various household trifles, the road (if meetings and affairs are spaced apart in space), fees, and so on.

Unfortunately, we tend to miss these nuances when planning, we are always overly optimistic when timing. Wrong approach, any delay leads to a shift in the entire schedule. And if after each meeting there is a margin of time, flexibility appears. If everything went on time, calmly prepare for the next task or perform flexible tasks. If you are late, you will not have to worry and be late for the next meeting.

Create conditions

Someone does not like to write letters, someone does not like to fill out documents for tax and other authorities, it is difficult for someone to sit down for a report. What’s the matter? If you delve into yourself, it turns out that there are no suitable conditions to take and do the job. To fill out documents for the tax office, you need to find the TIN number, find the application itself and a sample of filling, and then, as luck would have it, all the pens disappeared somewhere. What kind of productivity are we talking about?

Analyze your tasks at home and at work, which are difficult for you to approach, and make these tasks more enjoyable.

Find creative space

If you urgently need to come up with some stunning idea, and the muse is stuck somewhere along the way, you can fix the situation. Instead of thinking in a familiar setting, find another suitable place. It can be crowded or, conversely, quiet. Let it be a park, the nearest pancake shop or a secluded place on a bench near the office. A change of scenery will give you a break and come up with a wow idea or solution to a problem. And yes: do not take your phone with you.

Reach your goals one at a time

There are always many tasks before us at the same time. We write emails to colleagues and friends while browsing information portals, participating in online chats and talking on the phone. Doing many things at the same time is sometimes helpful—like packing laundry and watching TV—but doing anything that requires focus, especially when time is limited, requires us to give our full attention to a particular task.

Classify calls of acquaintances according to their importance

Not everyone who calls you has something significant to say. Especially when you are working on a complex project. Cultivate the habit of arranging important calls.

Avoid empty talk

When you spend less time in conversations on small and more serious topics, your life satisfaction will increase and your relationships with others will improve. Forget empty talk and try to talk on serious topics. Surely there are people in your environment who love serious conversations and who like to share their thoughts and opinions with you on a variety of issues. Pick a time during the week to talk to them.

Get your intentions right

Research by Harvard School of Medicine professor Alvaro Paz ­Calleon shows that when we set out to do ­something, our brain already starts to work. Two groups of subjects took part in the experiment. The first ̆ was given the task of learning a ­simple melody for the piano and practicing its performance for two hours every day for five days ̆; the second was asked to think about doing these exercises. The survey data ­led to the conclusion that the members of both groups had almost the same phenomena in those parts of the frontal lobe of the brain that ­are responsible for motor skills. Pascal ­Leon’s discovery proves that the very thought of an ­action can have the same effect on our brain as the action itself .

Don’t get hung up on deadlines

Putting down a deadline for each task is, of course, good. But putting down dates for every piece of work is fraught with nervous exhaustion. Just imagine if your plan was full of deadlines every two to three days. “Ahh, I can’t do anything! I’m late! Guard!” – these are the thoughts that can “settle” in your naked.

This, on the one hand, disciplines, on the other hand, it can create additional stress. How often you need to remind yourself that the work is on fire and the next deadline is ending, everyone must determine for himself.

Watch your sleep

Sleep significantly affects mood, stress resistance and a general sense of life satisfaction, maintaining hormonal balance in the body. When we don’t get enough sleep, levels of serotonin (the hormone of happiness) and melatonin (the hormone that regulates the wake-sleep cycle) decrease, while cortisol (the stress hormone) rises, which can lead to disorders such as irritability, depression, mood swings, etc. . P.

If a person is chronically sleep deprived, they develop long-term symptoms of ill health. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, psychiatric problems including depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and decreased brain activity.

In a word, healthy sleep does wonders for your health and helps us to quickly cope with all tasks.

Deal with small things right away

When you get a new task, quickly evaluate: if it takes no more than 2 minutes, do it right away. If more, you need to act differently. You have already decided that now is not the time for this. Just go a little further and ask yourself, “If not now, then when?” And when you set the time, write this task down on your to-do list for the future and don’t worry about forgetting it.

Use a timer

Before you take on the next task, start a timer. Once the time is up, analyze the results and decide if the current task is worth the extra time or if it’s time to move on to the next task.

Learn to say “no”

The inability to say “no” can put you in the position of a perpetually overloaded and overworked person. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to politely refuse people their requests.

In order to politely refuse, you need to say something like this: “I would gladly fulfill your request if I had time, but, unfortunately, the situation is such that I cannot do the job efficiently and quickly enough.” And that’s it. Your interlocutor realized that you are not ready to spend your time on his worries and will decide for himself what to do in this situation. You have freed yourself from the burden of doing work that you shouldn’t and don’t feel like doing.

Remember, if you keep saying “yes” all the time, you will very soon overwork and burn out, stop benefiting the company, family and yourself.

be patient

For impatient people , waiting and wasting time are unbearable. To ease their pain, they try to save time and speed up, but the rush leads to an increase in the number of errors, because the brain is able to work either faster or more accurately, and then you have to go back, correct what you have done and spend twice as much time because of this and forces. And you don’t want that, do you?

The critical element of success is to do everything on time. Schedule action too late and you will miss the chance. Schedule it too early and you’ll fire before the target has even been set. You need to choose the right time, and then wait. Therefore, do not rush things and get ready to gradually approach your goal.

Avoid Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the desire and inner expectation of the highest level of performance. Then why is it bad to strive for the ideal? Why does perfectionism get in the way of achieving goals?

Firstly, the “ideal” and ” highest ̆ level” are very difficult to formulate and measure, so the goal of a perfectionist is elusive and abstract. For him, everything is unacceptable, except for the ideal. If something does not meet the criteria, it must be rejected, replaced or redone. However, in this case, the work will not end. You can always correct, change and improve something – and still this will not be enough, because the ideal is unknown.

Believe in yourself

Self-doubt dictates what can and cannot be done. It determines how ambitious goals you consider, how high you set the bar, and to what extent you dare to reach . It builds a fence around ambition and feeds the brain with warnings that you know very little and know how, are not ready for success, are depressed, you are uncomfortable, and dreams are difficult to realize.

What to do with your confidence? Body language can have unexpected effects . Studies have shown that, for example, a change in facial expression affects mood because it is perceived by the brain as a sign of external or internal stimulation.

Therefore, try to confidently speak, stand and walk – and you will feel a surge of strength and admiration of others. The situation in which you are afraid to be will not change because you are timid or courageous. So why not choose courage?

Ready for a miracle! 4 weeks before New Years. Relax and cheer up

Posted on April 3, 2022  in Uncategorized

Step 1: Smile all day

Think this is an easy task? And here it is not. As soon as we stop controlling ourselves (and this happens very quickly), the smile slips from the face and the mask of a busy (and possibly tired) person again takes its “rightful place”. And it’s good to smile. Any neurophysiologist will tell you that mimic muscles are connected with the cerebral hemispheres. When you smile or frown, you send a signal to the brain that coincides with feelings of happiness or sadness. That’s why smiling actually creates a good mood. No tricks, pure science. So let’s get started.

Remember the day when you woke up in the morning truly happy. Maybe you had to catch an early flight to go on vacation. Maybe it was your first day at a highly anticipated new job. Or perhaps your wedding day or birthday. We bet you woke up long before the alarm and in a great mood? This experience should be repeated throughout the day (or better, the whole week). Try it. Not only mood will improve, but also well-being.

Step 2. Get rid of negative emotions

Negative emotions are much more dangerous than physical trash. Bags of clothes and extra utensils are meek and uncomplaining guests. But what about the garbage that you throw at the threshold of your consciousness every day? Part of the negative is messages from childhood. The other part is the echoes of outdated beliefs. The third part is public installations.

Imagine: the day was long, you are tired. And then a big bag of doubts and self-deprecating thoughts appears on the threshold. “Only a complete idiot can lose a credit card! they sneer. What kind of slut could live in such a mess? Nightmare!” We do not even notice how daily we broadcast such messages to ourselves.

When we get rid of the trash, we say to the anxious thought in our head: “Hi, anxiety. I know you showed up because you want to tell me something. But there is no place for you. And I don’t have time to deal with you. And even more so, I am not obliged to give you a permanent place of residence in my house.

Step 3. Meditate in bed

If you wake up in the morning and feel sleepy, tired, depressed, or agitated, there is a surefire way to get out of the spiral of stress that spun you around at the same time as the alarm went off.

Observe how your mind immediately begins to act, think, comment, analyze and give advice. Faced with the daunting prospect of a new day, notice how your thoughts go round and round and tell you what to do.

Take a break… Do nothing… Lie in bed, let the morning sounds and impressions wash over you. No rush, no purpose, no chakra breathing… Just relax. You are not required to do anything.

Imagine that your bed is floating on a river and carrying you downstream. Be yourself. Release your mind. Let it drift.

If you wait a little, a spark of inspiration will appear that will tell you how to live this day.

Letting go of total control

In an effort to control what is happening, we fall into the trap of anxiety and worry. What a festive mood! By trying to predict what might happen, we are preparing for situations that most likely will never happen.

The danger of this habit is that you will gradually come up with more and more potentially unpleasant situations and begin to limit your activity so as not to accidentally encounter all the “horrors”. As a result, your own world will become smaller, and more and more dangers will appear. The only way out is to stop controlling everything. And then all the knots and problems will unravel themselves.

Step 4. Get enough sleep

A great way to boost your mood is to get some rest. Take this weekend for yourself. Do what you love, take a walk, and then get a good sleep. Sleep keeps the immune system healthy and helps the body heal itself. The cells of the body are regenerated during the day, but during sleep, the body can focus all its resources on their “repair”. In addition, sleep allows the brain to maintain the normal functioning of such cognitive functions as speech, memory, innovative and flexible thinking.

When we suffer from lack of sleep, we become irritable and feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to concentrate. And this is not the best pre-holiday state, you must agree.

Step 5. Hug and chat

The main way that provides a surge of oxytocin (the hormone of happiness and love) in the brain is touch. Hugs, especially long ones, are very helpful (as are orgasms). Even gestures such as handshakes or pats on the back or shoulders make a big difference. People who regularly spend time with understanding friends, family members, or colleagues tend to be more resilient to stress. Don’t forget to spend time with your kids. Call your parents and close relatives. Simply understanding that your emotions are heightened merely by fluctuating levels of oxytocin will help keep things in check.

12 curious facts about the brain

Posted on March 28, 2022  in Uncategorized

Everything we do today will affect our thoughts and feelings tomorrow. This amazing property of the brain is called neuroplasticity . The brain adapts well to the surrounding reality, therefore, by changing habits, habitat, you will change your brain. Here are a dozen more interesting facts about how the brain works.

Caffeinated sleep – a recipe for cheerfulness

It’s important to take regular breaks while driving, and a caffeinated nap is the best option. Professor Jim Home and Dr. Louise Rayner of Loughborough University conducted an experiment on a simulated car to find out which of eight options was better for waking up: cold air, radio, break, sleep, caffeine pill, placebo, caffeine pill and sleep, placebo pill and dream. Caffeine and naps top the list. If you drink a cup of coffee and fall asleep for 20 minutes, caffeine will not interfere with sleep: the awakening effect will occur in about half an hour.

Television increases suggestibility

Elton John has publicly called television “brain deforming”. Do not believe him – listen to scientists: according to many scientific studies, television has a bad effect on the brain, especially children. It encourages intellectual passivity and deprives the brain of stimulating experiences. When we watch TV, the electrical waves in the brain take on an alpha pattern, which increases our suggestibility (handy for advertising and propaganda).

Excess weight leads to brain atrophy

Recent studies have shown that obese people are more likely to develop dementia. There are a number of possible explanations: obesity exacerbates sleep apnea (short pauses in breathing), which deprives the brain of oxygen and causes disturbances; increases blood pressure, increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. All this leads to brain atrophy. Obesity destroys the production of the hormone leptin, which is secreted by fat cells and plays a central role in fat metabolism; an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It leads to chronic inflammation of the brain – another cause of disturbances in its work.

Selectivity

You can see something important, but not notice it. The brain filters most of the incoming information from the senses. This is inevitable, otherwise we would not be able to focus on anything. The dangers of selective attention are discussed by researchers Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris . But first, take a short selective attention test (task: count how many passes the players in white footballs gave each other):

Simons warns: “We instinctively believe that attention will focus on what is important to us. But this is a dangerous mistake.” This is the most common cause of car-motorcycle collisions: the car enters an intersection in the motorcycle’s path because the driver does not expect the motorcycle, even if it was obviously in his field of vision.

The brain develops throughout life

“Ten years ago, most neuroscientists considered the brain to be a kind of computer in which fixed functions are formed at an early stage,” says Michael Merzenich of the University of California at San Francisco, one of the first researchers of brain plasticity. “We now know that the brain develops throughout life.”

Weakening of intelligence with age can be avoided

If you offer your brain stimulating, entertaining, new and challenging activities every day, get moderate exercise, eat healthy, and socialize regularly, there is no reason for the mental decline that is commonly associated with old age. Sometimes the process can even be reversed. Studies show that healthy people with increased intellectual stimulation are half the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. “The evidence suggests that intelligence decline is not part of aging, but a symptom of disease,” says John Morris, MD, co-director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

My own doctor

Have you heard of placebo? This is not a trick for the gullible, but quite measurable brain activity. For example, in patients with depression, yellow placebo pills have a stronger effect than blue ones. Large tablets are more effective than small ones. And fictitious injections work better than fictitious pills.

There are a number of conditions that are easily affected by placebos: pain, anxiety, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, addiction, nausea. The proportion of patients on whom a placebo works can reach 80%. And that negates the need for real drugs. Suggestibility can relieve pain or cure a cold. Just think how important this is.

The dark side of suggestibility

But brain suggestibility also has a dark side. It’s called nocebo.

“Placebo” is Latin for “please”. “Nocebo” means “I will hurt.” If the placebo, interfering with brain processes, soothes the pain, then the nocebo provokes it. Nocebo can be called in the laboratory. It is also associated with dopamine and opiates. Pain, nausea, depression and anxiety also depend on it. Of course, the nocebo enhances them, not helps to cure them. Nocebo can provoke almost any disease.

Here is an example. Medical students find textbook signs of disease (this is the so-called sophomore syndrome). Have you ever heard of it working the other way around? Is it possible for a student to feel great while studying, for example, the functions of healthy organs? Of course not. We are much more attached to fear than to relief. Describing the nocebo, scientists often mention its faithful companions – anxiety and suspiciousness. For example, knowing that your medication causes nausea, you will almost certainly focus on that side effect and expect it.

In short, by all means avoid negative assumptions, scary stories and evil predictors.

False memories

It’s good to know that you can’t rely 100% on your memories. Memory is not a video recording, but an extended personal narrative. By understanding this, we can better understand people and events.

No one is immune from false memories.

In February 2015, TV presenter Brian Williams was accused of distorting the truth, and he lost his prestigious job. Williams has repeatedly told how, in front of his eyes, a helicopter was blown up by a grenade launcher. According to him, he was very close, he saw the barrel of the installation. In fact, the downed helicopter was very far from where Williams worked.

A similar incident happened with Hillary Clinton. She stated that she was nearly shot by a sniper at the Bosnian airport. It was an invention. The guests (Mrs. Clinton and comedian Sinbad ) were greeted very warmly, there were no incidents.

Clearly, from the public’s point of view, these are all cases of unacceptable lies. However, memory experts often sympathize with such people, as well as witnesses who identify criminals and only realize years later that they pointed to the wrong person.

How brands are changing taste

Research has long shown that branded packaging changes the taste of food. Experiments have shown that, from the point of view of the consumer, the taste of the product is not always its most important quality. For example, “Sweet Soda A” consistently outperforms “Sweet Soda B” in blind tasting, but also consistently loses out when subjects see their names. Here is another example. If the description of an expensive wine mentions a raspberry flavor with a hint of almond, it will taste better than the exact same drink in a plain bottle. Notice not “feels better” or “we think it’s better”. Psychologists say that in all essential respects it is really better. This does not mean that suggestible people eat cat food thinking it is pâté. This means that they eat cat food and it becomes pâté.

Of course, the colors are thickening here. Neuroscientists are sure that no one will confuse frankly bad wine with fine vintage. Expectations are a very serious force, but not limitless. A placebo will not relieve you of pain if you put your hand in boiling water. No amount of suggestion will make you believe that you were the President of the United States. Under hypnosis, you will not act contrary to your values and beliefs.

Glucose is not the only source of fuel

Almost every cell in the body contains at least a few hundred small descendants of an ancient bacterium called mitochondria. The energy that powers us is produced in these mitochondria, and you will be surprised how important they are to quality of life. If your mitochondria stop producing energy for even a few seconds, you will die. The number, efficiency, and strength of mitochondria determine not only whether you develop cancer or a degenerative disease, but also how much energy your brain receives at any given moment.

Mitochondria need oxygen to produce energy, and they also need glucose or fat (and sometimes amino acids). This does not mean that the more carbohydrates you consume, the more energy your mitochondria will produce. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite. Mitochondria work better if they can alternate fuel sources, like a hybrid car. If you eat too much sugar, it becomes harder for your mitochondria to get energy from fat. They begin to produce all the energy from glucose. As a result, the brain does not use fats as fuel, and they begin to be deposited in fat cells, and you gain weight. In the meantime, the brain is rapidly burning up glucose stores, your blood sugar levels are dropping, the inner Labrador perceives this as a threatening situation and turns on the alarm: “SUGAR! WE URGENTLY NEED SUGAR! This is how addiction occurs.

Mood depends on how the brain works

Many people are unaware that mood swings and “uncontrollable” outbursts of anger are a direct result of weaknesses in their brain. The prefrontal cortex requires the most energy to function. Due to its significant energy needs and because it is the last to receive it, this part of the brain is usually the first to suffer when we lack energy. It is the prefrontal cortex that helps control mood. This part of the brain is responsible for personal qualities, decision making and regulation of social relationships. Obviously, you will not perform well if you make bad decisions and act poorly in various situations. Therefore, it is critical that this part of the brain receives enough energy.

The brain is the most mysterious organ in the human body. Scientists continually discover new facts related to his work. How else can they surprise us?