What are the Five Stages of Grieving?

To know the five steps of grieving is step one. To know what stage you are in is step two. The rest of the steps towards moving always starts with step one. So, here is a short guide, in case you’d want to know where exactly you are in.

Stage one is DENIAL

Another term used for this is the flight stage. At this point, the brain will try to protect you from hurting, thus, it will activate “flight mode.” The tendency during this stage is to make yourself believe that your relationship is still worth saving or that the breakup never really happened. This is the stage where men tend to spend their time at the gym or clubs while girls tend to stalk their exes. It is best to accept this stage but make sure to step up. Give yourself a deadline. 

Stage two is ANGER

This is the stage you usually would want to forget when you’ve moved on. This is the “crazy” stage where you sometimes will try to do things out of this world, out of your emotions. There could be dramatic confrontations, tearful storytelling to friend and a lot of angry text messages or emails that unfortunately were delivered. This is also the time where you start to blame yourself, your parents, your ex, your friends, and even your dog. 

Stage three is BARGAINING

Imagine yourself in a flea market having only three dollars and wanting a 4-dollar item. You will start to haggle with the vendor, right? Same is true in this stage. You will try all you can to bring back what you think you have lost. 

Stage four is DEPRESSION

It is an advantage to be aware that this stage will come, and you will experience it. Knowing this gives you an edge and hopefully, a better way out. Depression symptoms includes feeling sleepy all day, stress-eating, loneliness that won’t go away, etc. 

Stage five is ACCEPTANCE

Hooray! As they say, everything has its end. Hopefully, you won’t repeat the stages and really move on from your bad experience.

 

5 Key Ways To Boost Your Mental Energy

There are two different types of energy that everyone has. There is mental energy and physical energy. Sometimes a day in the office can be more exhausting than a day spent outdoors hiking. This is because you have taxed all of your mental energy resources.

 

How do you renew your mental energy resources?

 

Some people feel like they are only given a certain amount of mental energy to use throughout the day. Once they’ve reached their limit, they are done. So it’s no surprise that many people have researched how to expand mental energy resources. While there are many ways to keep your mind sharp, here are five of the best ways to keep your mental energy pool running deep.

 

1.    Keep a Gratitude Journal

 

A gratitude journal is a journal that you can write in daily to reflect on the things that you’re grateful to have in your life. It is important to keep a gratitude journal because of the effects that gratitude has on mental energy. Gratitude is a positive emotion and can help you view your life in better terms.

 

Life Hack discusses how gratitude can turn even horrible situations into positive experiences. For example, if you are having a difficult time with your boss you can use your gratitude journal to write down all of the things you are grateful for.

 

Things that you only have because of the pay from your job. This changes the mindset and the dialogue about your workplace and can ultimately change your performance and relationships at the office.

 

2.    Read Something You’ve Never Read

 

To enhance the brains neuronal connections, you need to read something you have never read before. Ahealthblog.com highlights the effect that reading has on your ability to empathize with your fellow humans. It stimulates your imagination in ways that television and movies cannot simulate. 

 

Reading will increase your mental energy because it keeps your brain sharp and focused. Reading new material is better because it introduces new ideas and concepts for your brain to work on.

 

3.    Work in a New Location

 

While you may not consider your surroundings very often, they may have more effect on your mental energy than you realize. INC. notes that working in the same location day after day dulls the senses and makes them slow to react. 

 

Picking up and moving to a location that you’ve never been before can get your brain firing because of all the new stimulus. This is a great way to increase your mental energy. It may also be a good pitch for telecommuting.

 

4.    Use Your Energy Wisely

 

We would all like unlimited supplies of mental energy to use throughout the day. Unfortunately, we just don’t have an unlimited supply. Forbes highlights how negative thoughts and attitudes can quickly sap your reserves of mental energy, leaving you with hardly any energy left over for creative endeavors.

 

Your best bet is to stop focusing on things that are outside of your control. There is no point to wasting your mental energy on problems that you cannot solve. When you find yourself focusing on problems outside of your ability or control, redirect your energy towards more productive activities.

 

5.    Reflect

 

If you’re trying to increase your mental energy, the best thing that you can do is reflect on your daily progress. The Huffington post notes that it’s many people don’t quite have enough time for reflection. Carving out time at the end of the day to reflect on your emotions, behavior, and things you’ve learned will allow you to assess your use of mental energy in better ways.

 

Getting into the habit of daily reflecting will take practice, you can even turn this practice into a progress journal. Seeing written proof of how far you’ve come in your mental energy journey can be highly motivational.

 

While it may take daily practice, you can find ways to increase and conserve your mental energy. Once you find what works for you and what doesn’t, you will be better equipped to tackle the mental challenges you face every day.

 

6 Key Tips To Boost Your Success

Becoming successful at work, or at home, can be challenging. So many different elements can contribute to success or failure that it can be hard to identify where to focus your energy. Boosting your success can be almost elusive especially if you are not sure where you should spend your time.

 

There is no point in trying to spin your wheels just to go nowhere. It’s important to know that the steps you are taking to become successful will to work. Here are six important steps to ensure you are successful.

 

1.    Give and Send Praise

 

When was the last time someone said that you did a good job? Do you remember the impact it had on your day? Most people get a positive boost in performance and satisfaction when they receive praise. The same is true when sending praise to other people. Livepurposefullynow.com suggests that if you want to be successful, you give praise often.

 

The key to frequently giving praise is to make sure it is heartfelt and genuine. You don’t want to give a false sense of encouragement. People don’t trust praise that they feel is unwarranted. Find people you work with, either in the office or at home, to praise daily and see how it improves your success.

 

2.    Create Daily Rituals

 

Daily rituals give you a sense of purpose. Whether you’re an employee, a stay-at-home mom, a CEO, or a student, daily routines help limit distractions and can make you feel confident and energized. CNBC notes that a morning routine such as having a checklist or creating a priority order list can increase productivity and success.

 

3.    Learn to Say NO

 

It may seem counterintuitive to say no to become successful, but learning to say no can be one of the best things you can do to become successful. Saying yes all the time leads to low self-esteem, exhaustion and often depression or burnout.

Let people know what you can do and what you can’t take on at the moment. Success.com says that competent people know that saying no is healthy and will lead to better success.

 

4.    Learn Delayed Gratification

 

Our society is built on instant gratification. Unfortunately, instant gratification has been shown to be one of the worst indicators of future success. In 1972, the Marshmallow Experiment involved young children who were placed in front of marshmallows with the promise of the second marshmallow if they could wait 15 minutes for the researcher to come back into the room. 

 

This study followed up with the children 40 years later. Researchers found that those study subjects who were able to delay gratification by resisting the temptation to eat the marshmallows enjoyed higher success rates.

 

INC.com highlights how these people who delayed gratification not only had better social skills, higher test scores, lower substance abuse rate but they also were less obese and better able to deal with stress. All of these are indicators that they were more successful in life. It is never too late to teach yourself how to delay gratification.

 

5.    Stop Quitting

 

Success is uncomfortable. Many times before you succeed, you will be at the most uncomfortable you have ever been in your life. Forbes notes that the very moment you want to quit is probably the precipice of success. 

 

So many times people will only go so far and then quit. Stop quitting when it gets uncomfortable, and you’ll find life is exceedingly more rewarding than it would’ve been if you quit.

 

6.    Learn Work Life Balance

 

Life Hack interviewed some of the most successful CEOs and asked them what their key to success was. The CEO of Nike said that finding work life balance was a constant battle. However, those who were most successful had found a way to balance work life and home life.

 

No matter what your definition of success is, these six steps can help get you there. Remember that your success may look different from anyone else’s, but it is still success.

 

5 Characteristics Of Decisive People

The effects of being indecisive go beyond taking hours to decide on a dish from a menu or days to pick a paint color for their room. According to the study, A psychological theory of indecisiveness by the Netherland Journal of Psychology, indecisiveness leads to the loss of time, money, and opportunity.

 

Decisive people make up their minds quickly when presented with several choices, and they stick to their decisions. There are a few characteristics that are unique to decisive people. 

 

People who wish to become decisive can work on emulating these characteristics and attempt to exhibit them. Practicing will help you to develop this skill and in no time, you'll find yourself being more decisive. 

 

Self-Confidence

 

This is the principal characteristic of decisive people and what fuels their ability to make quick decisions. They have complete confidence in themselves and trust their ability to make good decisions quickly. 

 

This entails having a precise idea of who they are and making decisions that help them grow in that direction. Knowing who you are helps make the process of making decisions easier. 

 

According to Angelina R. Sutin of the NIH Biomedical Research Center in her study Personality and Career Success: Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations, one way of showing confidence is extroversion. This entails being socially confident and comfortable with discussing with people in a social gathering.

 

Great Observers

 

Life is all about relationships and decisive people know who they are up against and who to partner with. The knowledge to make this decision is obtained through observation and being able to ask the right questions.

 

They hear and remember every small detail. This usually means they are armed with the essential information required to make a decision when one is demanded quickly. 

 

Live In The Present

 

Decisions have their consequences, and no one can boast of ALWAYS making the right decisions. Decisive people are not people with a 100% track record of correct decisions; they may have made one or two wrong decisions in the past. What differentiates them from indecisive people is the fact that they live in the present. They are not stuck in the past, worrying about what went wrong the one time they picked a wrong choice. They leave such failure in the past and only pick the lessons it taught. 

 

Likewise, decisive people do not spend time stressing about potential problems that may arise due to a decision. They make a choice and deal with the issues as they emerge.

 

Continuous Learner

 

Being knowledgeable about a topic makes making a decision infinitely easier. A decisive person never knows enough; they are continuous learners, always investigating new ideas and exploring new topics.

 

They constantly hone their skills by broadening their knowledge on a wide variety of topics. They learn from experience and consider every time they made a wrong decision as a lesson on how to do better going forward. 

 

Focused Thinking

 

Decisive people do not get easily distracted once their eyes have been set on a goal. This eliminates all thoughts and keeps their mind focused on the outcome they desire. Due to this fact, it is easier to make decisions that help bring the said outcome without letting external factors interfere. 

 

Several Psychology studies have found that focusing and eliminating distractions helps make decisions easier as a break in concentration leads to a regression in the thought process. When these distractions are eliminated by focused thinking, regressions are eliminated, and decisions are made faster.

 

Summary

 

Decisiveness is a skill and lacking this skill doesn't mean you have to be forever hindered by indecisiveness, as it is a skill that can be learned with practice and dedication. 

 

Everyone wants to be more decisive, and a way to become more decisive is learning the characteristics of decisive people and trying to emulate said characteristics. Copying and following these characteristics is a good start in your journey to being more decisive.

 

5 Most Pivotal Life Decisions You Will Make

Every decision that you make helps shape your life, but some are more pivotal than others. For example, choosing a donut for breakfast instead of fruit is not going to have the same impact as choosing one job over another. 

 

The decisions you make today might affect your life immediately, it might be a week from now or even a decade from now. It might be a ripple effect or it could be cumulative. With that in mind, let's discuss the five most pivotal life decisions you will make. 

Retirement 

You might be surprised that this is the number one decision, but it's one you make early on. At least, it should be. How much of your paycheck is auto paid into your retirement fund? The majority of people delay this for far too long which is why the majority of people are not prepared for retirement.

Unless you want to work a part-time job in your 70s because you have to, then you should look at your budget and up the ante. If the world was perfect, you would dedicate 25% of your monthly salary to your retirement fund, but as we all know that isn't always possible. Whatever your number is, you need to set up an automatic payment so you never see it. It's a lot easier to cope when it never lands in your main account. 

Career

This is two-fold because the first pivotal career decision you make is what career to embark on. This generally starts with college and selecting your major, entering a trade school, or skipping continued education altogether. Regardless of the direction you take, you have to decide what you want to do with your life. 

The second pivotal career decision you make is when you realize you got it wrong the first time and have to decide how to change it. Maybe you want to start over entirely and return to school. Perhaps you want to chase a high position in a different company or change industries. 

Whatever it is, this is perhaps an even more challenging situation than the first because by this point in your life you have bills, salary expectations, and responsibilities that make everything feel impossible, but nothing is impossible. 

Location 

Where you live is also a pivotal decision. Do you move out of state to the big city where you have more career options? Do you stay closer to your family even though your room for growth will be limited? Those are big factors to consider and even if you do choose the big city, will you be able to afford the cost of living there? Once you know the location you have to decide whether to buy or rent. It's not always a choice you get to make, many people are forced into renting especially in areas where housing costs are rising. 

Marriage 

Marriage is a big decision. If it doesn't work out you can get divorced and that isn't a shameful thing, but it can be complicated for finances as well as the emotions caught up in the process. Regardless of the outcome, if you choose to marry and who you choose to marry will have a massive impact on your life. 

Family 

Your decision to have a family or to not have a family is also something that will heavily impact your life. Adding children to the mix is perhaps one of the biggest life-changing events you can experience. The thing is, you won't really know whether it's the right decision for you until you're in it. 

There is no perfect time to have a family because if you wait for the perfect time, it will never come. When/If you choose to embark on the journey of parenthood, it will impact how you spend your time, your career, your vacation plans, and literally every aspect of your life. 

 

5 Ways To Make Decisions You Won't Regret

According to a study by the University of Massachusetts, "Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions." 

 

Daily, we make choices; everything we say and do is the consequence of a decision, whether we realize it or not. There is no simple formula for choosing the best option in each situation, big or small. 

 

Every decision we make contributes to the present state of affairs. It influences who we are as individuals since we routinely carry out our decisions without even knowing it. Good decision-making is a skill that must be acquired. 

 

It is not something we are born with but rather a step-by-step process that is generally learned via life experience. Now, let's look at the five different ways to making decisions you won't regret.

 

Identify Your Objectives

 

Keeping your focus on your objective is one of the most successful decision-making methods. Simply said, this involves determining the objective of your decision by asking yourself what issue needs to be addressed.

 

And why is it necessary to tackle this issue? It will be easier for you to make excellent judgments if you can figure out what is most important. When you understand why you've made a certain decision, you'll be better able to stick with it and fight for it.

 

Trust Your Instincts

 

We frequently take too long to decide because we are frightened of what will happen. Consequently, before making a decision, we go over issues like meticulous research, in-depth analysis, and pros and drawbacks. 

 

This whole process takes time. According to LifeHack "Instead, learn to trust your gut instinct. For the most part, your first instinct is usually the correct one or the one that you truly wanted to go with."

 

Consider The Implication Of Your Decisions

 

Considering the implications of your decisions is an important step since it allows you to go over the advantages and disadvantages of the many alternatives you mentioned in the previous step.

 

It's also crucial because you want to be confident with your options and the probable outcomes of whatever you decide. In this step, you'll ask yourself what the potential outcomes of your decision will be. What impact will it have now? What impact will it have on your future?

 

Speak To Loved Ones About Your Decisions

 

According to WebMD, "You are there to listen to and support your loved one, but you also need a support person. Talk openly and honestly with a friend or family member." Speaking to loved ones about what we're planning to do makes us more likely to follow through. 

 

Share the specifics of your decision, as well as any concerns you have about what may go wrong. Simply expressing your concerns about the decision may help you feel better, and your friend or family member may be able to provide you with helpful advice or encouraging words.

 

Carry Out Your Decision

 

Now that you have identified your objectives, considered the implications of your decisions, and spoken to someone, It's time to make a decision and put that decision into action. It's crucial to recognize that this step might generate a lot of worry for some individuals since you have to trust your instincts. 

 

If you want to create lasting changes in your life, you must make it a habit to follow your decisions. You will feel more secure in making the next decision you have in mind after going through this process so many times.

 

Summary

 

Life-changing decisions are more difficult to make, but you can have greater faith in yourself with these five bits of advice, even while making the most crucial decisions.

 

6 Tips to Make Life Decisions Based on Your True Self and Your Needs and Desires

According to Psychology Today people often approach decision making from two main perspectives. The first is in reaction to familiar situations in which a person will often use instinct and experience to reach a quick decision.

The second is in reaction to a new situation in which a person must think more in depth and take more time. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/decision-making). 

 

1. Visualize the Outcome

 

When faced with making a decision that will impact your future life it is important to deeply consider the ramifications. Try to envisage what will likely come of making this decision and determine if this outcome is what you would be happy with. Ask yourself if there is any chance that making this decision may lead to regret. 

 

2. Do Your Homework

 

A decision may seem logical and like it could make you happy based on your emotions and feelings but sometimes there is more to it. Once we make a decision there will be steps to take and things that need to be done. 

 

This is why we need to educate ourselves when making important decisions. There may be difficult steps ahead that require us to learn new skills or be ready to face daunting challenges. Research the important factors of your decision before you finally settle on this option. 

 

3. Weigh All of Your Options

 

You may have an option in front of you that seems like it will make all your dreams come true but is it the only one worth pursuing? The answer is, not always. The shiny object isn’t always gold, it's important to look critically at your options before settling on one course of action. 

 

There may be multiple paths to your goal, some may take longer but will be easier in the long run. Others may get you to your destination quickly but leave you drained, exhausted and regretting your decision. So always remember to weigh all of your options before diving on with the first that comes along. 

 

4. Prepare for Pushback

 

Sometimes when we do something for ourselves there may well be family or friends who disagree with your decision. In an ideal world everyone would support the decisions of others but the world is far from ideal. 

 

People may try to say the decision is wrong and attempt to make you change your mind. This may come from a place where they are concerned for you but it could also be jealousy or a need to try and control you.

 

It is important to be prepared that not everyone will agree with your choices in life. This may cause stress and strain on relationships. Ultimately though if you are making a decision that will lead to a better, more contented life for you and those you love then do not let the haters deter you. It’s okay to listen to advice because sometimes that is helpful but if all that is presented is criticism and no solutions this needs to be shut out. 

 

5. Be Willing to Alter Course

 

There may be bumps along the road so it is important to have flexibility in your decisions. Steel yourself that you may hit roadblocks but you can if you try to work around them. 

 

6. Trust Your Decisions

 

The final important tip to make positive life decisions that will be best for you is to trust yourself. It will take confidence and motivation to help you work toward your goal. Once you make your decision, come what may trust that you made the right choice.

 

6 Tips To Make Smarter Life Decisions

According to Psychology Today our decision making is often based on our life experiences. Our minds formulate mental shortcuts that help us choose the paths based on our developed biases, reasoning, and emotions. However, this is not always optimum when it comes to making the best decisions in life (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/decision-making).

 

If we follow our gut this may succeed sometimes although this is based on our own personal experiences. A lack of experience therefore means that our guts have very little information from which to form decisions and this can lead to big mistakes. There are some methods, though, through which we can try and make smarter decisions. 

 

1. Know Your Goals and Values

 

Our life decisions are very much our own so we need to know what we believe in and where we want to go. This is not a difficult thing to do; it merely takes some self-reflection to understand what we want out of life and what we are willing to do to achieve that.

 

Pursuing certain careers for example may mean compromising personal beliefs. This is something that should be considered when making a smart decision. If you have to change who you are to get something it has to be worth it, if not then it is not the right path for you. 

 

2. Gather Information

 

We may think we know a lot about something from having experienced it or hearing things about it. Joining the circus for example may seem cool and fun but what is the reality? It is important to arm yourself with knowledge and not assume you already know everything. A knee jerk decision can lead you down a path to something you ultimately end up hating.

 

So, research your goals and understand what it takes and what the rewards are. We cannot make a smart decision if we do not know all the facts. 

 

3. Weigh the Pros and Cons

 

Once you know the ins and outs of where a decision may lead you then it is time to fully assess. Create a list of the positives and negatives of making this decision. When you have a visual representation of the pros and cons you can make a more intelligent decision. If the pros outweigh the cons, then this may be a smart decision. 

 

4. Use Your Available Time

 

Some decisions need to be made in the moment, like "What am I going to wear?" or "What do I want to eat?" However, the important decisions in life should not be made too quickly. It takes consideration to make a smart decision. There may be a deadline for your choice to be made and there is nothing wrong with using every minute of that time if you have to.

 

Do not let yourself be rushed into a decision that may affect the rest of your life. If someone proposes marriage to you after dating for a week and that thought hasn’t even occurred to you, there is nothing wrong with not deciding straight away. A smart decision requires thinking so take all the time you can to consider before making your choice. 

 

5. Consider Alternatives

 

At breakfast there are egg options, so too there are options in life. In order to make a truly smart decision you need to consider some of the other options available to you as well. 

 

6. Choose and Plan

 

Once you have gathered the information, take your time to consider and assess all the options it is time to decide. The smart decision will be the one that fits who you are, meets your goals and makes sense for your life. Once you make the decision plan thoroughly how to pursue this option.