3 Ways to Biohack your Mindset
To create the life we want we have to start with our mindset.
If we don’t believe we can get it, have it or deserve it, whatever ‘it’ is, we are already on the back foot.
The four pillars of Health and Wellness are interconnected:
- Rest & Relaxation
- Nutrition
- Movement/Exercise
- Spiritual Health/Mindset
If one of these areas is out of balance it will impact on the others. For instance, not getting enough sleep increases your hormone Grehlin which makes you hungry.
Not getting enough movement during the day can affect the quality of your sleep.
Everything is connected.
If you are struggling with one area particularly you can read more about biohacking these areas of your life in my previous posts <HERE>
To complete my blog series on biohacking I want to look at how we can create easy sustainable habits that will improve our mindset and overall health and wellness.
Biohack your Mindset with Oxygen
Our cells need oxygen to be able to break up the chemical bonds of our food to release the energy inside.
The brain requires 20% of the body’s total oxygen intake.
If we lack oxygen we are affected physically, we feel tired and lack energy, which will have a direct impact on the mind.
Increase your Oxygen intake by:
- Engaging in exercise/movement to increase your heart rate.
- Get plenty of fresh air, exercise/move outside, open your windows and doors to increase fresh air and remove stale air.
- Drink plenty of water, our lungs need to be hydrated to work effectively.
- Oxygen is transported around our body by our blood. Eat iron rich foods to increase the flow and oxygenated quality of your blood.
- Learn breathing techniques to increase oxygen absorption. Focused breath increases our concentration and gives us more energy. Follow this link to a 15 minute Pranayama breathing exercise video.
Biohack your Mindset with Dopamine
Dopamine is our reward hormone.
It is Dopamine that gets you up in the morning and keeps you going. You can read more about increasing your happy hormones in this BLOG POST.
The following nutrients help increase Dopamine levels.
- Vitamin D – Our primary source is from sunlight, it is made in our skin, dietry vitmamin D can be found in egg yolks, oily fish, mushrooms
- Magnesium – essential for quality sleep and found in nuts, dark chocolate, leafy greens
- Omega-3 fatty acids – essential for the structure of our cells, they keep our heart, lungs, blood vessels and immune system in tip top condition, foods to include in your diet are oily fish, ground flax seeds, soya beans and walnuts.
Increased Dopamine leads to reduced depression and increased motivation.
Biohack your Mindset with your Brain
You could argue that the mind and the brain are the same thing.
I like to distinguish them as the brain is the phyical organ where the mind lives.
Our mind is determind by our thought and experiences our memory and our imagination.
Therefore I think that by exercising our brain we can improve/hack our mindset. Why not try some of the following:
- Reading – This improves memory and concentration, prevents age-related cognitive decline, reduces stress, contributes to good sleep hygiene and fights the symptoms of depression
- Learn something new – for instance, takeup a new hobby, or learn a language. As well as the above benefits, there are psycological benefits such as increased self esteem and feelings of competancy.
- Act as if. This can be a difficult one, if you are naturally more positive then a bit easier but our mind is very complex and can’t tell between real and imagined.
To go into this a little further let me explain.
Pick a goal. What mindset do you need to achieve this goal? Let’s say its getting up earlier. Your thoughts are ‘I am an early bird’, ‘I love getting up early’. Act as if. You are tricking your brain to adopt a new mindset. Give it a try!
We can’t all be positivite people all of the time and this is ok, this is actually normal.
Where there is light there is dark.
Life circumstances can affect our mindset but if we can create daily habits which support a healthy mindset it can help balance our health and wellbeing.
If you would like to chat further about how I can support you create a healthy balanced lifestyle arrange a virtual coffee and a cuppa, I look forward to chatting with you.