4 Ways To Get Out Of Your Introvert Rut

 

Have you been feeling like you’re stuck in an introvert rut lately? Do you find yourself spending too much time on your own, doing the same things over and over, or feel like you’re holding yourself back?

 

There are a few things you can do if you’re stuck in an introvert rut and we’re going to help you figure them out!

 

1) Get out there, but within your comfort zone

One of the best ways to get out of a rut is by pushing yourself to try new things, however, this can be a bit much for the deeply introverted. Branch out and try new things in new places, maybe hanging out with a larger group of people, but do so within the confines of your comfort zone.

 

Go to your favorite coffee shop and order your favorite drink at their busiest time of day. Go to a party you wouldn’t typically but hang in the corner with a close friend. The key to this exercise is finding a balance; you want to push yourself, but not too far.

 

2) Meet new people on your terms

 

Along the same lines, you want to meet new people within your comfort zone too. Spark up a conversation with a friendly person at your favorite store, restaurant, or bar. This will help you meet someone that’s most likely like-minded without pushing yourself to the point of discomfort. 

 

Push yourself to go somewhere where you might meet a new friend with whom you have common interests. This could make it easier for you to mix things up and get out of your rut without pushing yourself to the point of discomfort.

 

3) Push yourself to participate in something new

Doing something entirely new to you can be a good way to break yourself out of your rut, but for a lot of introverts, this is highly uncomfortable and maybe even anxiety-inducing. You have to push yourself to do something new that you’re comfortable with.

 

If you’re more comfortable going out to a game night at a brewery or a book club that let you be in a smaller group, push yourself to do that. If you’re more comfortable going to a larger party where you can hide in the crowd if you need to, then that needs to be the something new you try.

 

4) Drive yourself to bust out of your shell

A great way to break out of an introverted rut is by pushing yourself to get out of your shell. This is another exercise that might prove to be very uncomfortable for introverts, so it may not be for everyone. 

 

Pushing yourself to try new activities that cause you to push the limits of introversion can help you get out of that rut. Try branching out to new small groups where the attention has to be on you at some point, like a book club, creative writing group, local bridge game, or a small jam session among other things. This will help you break out of your shell and push past this introversion and the rut you’re in.

 

Getting yourself out of an introvert rut can be quite difficult and the more introverted you are, the harder it becomes. Practice pushing yourself to do new things but within the confines of your comfort zone. This will help you get out of your rut without risking pushing you past your limitations.

 

If you still find this difficult, we recommend discussing it with your therapist. They’ll be able to help guide you to more specific and custom exercises that will better help you get out of this rut without hurting yourself in any way.

Emotional Freedom Technique Can Change Your Life

The Emotions Freedom Technique (EFT) is a widely respected, well-researched way to help you end emotional and physical distress and pain.  Developed by Gary Craig, EFT is also known as 
“tapping.”  EFT helps to correct energy flow in your body to relieve stress, pain, physical ailments and to improve physical and mental performance.  

 

EFT is Based on Chinese Meridians

 

In Chinese medicine, ailments are the result of disruption to the flow of the body’s energy.  These energy paths, or meridians, control our body’s emotional and physical health.  Any disruption in the flow of energy can cause stress and pain.  

 

There are 12 meridians on each side of the body.  Every meridian corresponds to an internal organ.  When the energy flow through a meridian is disrupted, people experience emotional and physical stress.  This stress can translate into anxiety and pain.  

 

EFT restores the flow of energy through the meridians by concentrating on energy hot spots near the endpoint of each meridian.  By correcting the energy flow, people experience relief of emotional and physical symptoms.  

 

Why Tapping?

 

Unlike acupuncture, which focusses on physical causes for energy flow disruption, EFT corrects the emotional breaks in the meridians.  Tapping restores energy flow at set points in the meridians that correspond to emotional breaks.  EFT allows a person to correct emotional issues and receive improved physical and emotional health.  

 

Different types of taps, from gentle to forceful, correct the meridians, and restore energy flow. Fixing the energy flow helps to create a positive attitude and healthy body.  Balanced energy flow throughout the meridians improved overall well-being.

 

Research 

 

Many universities, including Stanford and Harvard, have studied the underlying basis of EFT.  Similar to research for acupuncture, energy flow within the body, and the harmful effects of meridian disruption have been studied and documented.  EFT has undergone multiple peer reviews with repeated positive results.  Because EFT has minimal side effects, it has become a useful tool for alternative medicine. Some people do not experience benefits from EFT, usually because they have not adequately learned how to do the technique.  A very small percentage of people (less than 3%) have experienced some emotional distress from tapping.  They may have deep-rooted negative emotional experiences that require multiple forms of treatment and are not receptive to EFT alone.  Most studies show that EFT is effective for emotional and physical ailments and helps a wide variety of people all over the world.

 

Benefits of EFT

 

Eft can help end emotional pain from anxiety, PSTD, and phobias.  Restoring the meridian energy flow throughout the body allows the mind to overcome these challenges.  EFT also improves or relieves many types of pain, including migraines, muscle pain, and stomach upset.  EFT can help people to manage the stress and strain of chronic conditions.  These physical ailments are thought to be caused by negative emotions that disrupt the body’s physical energy flow.  Overall, people reported more profound relief and longer-lasting results using EFT than by only using various forms of traditional medicine, including pills and therapy.

 

Because EFT restores energy flow, many participants have reported improved physical performance.  Athletes and those looking to lose and maintain their weight have been helped by EFT.  Many physical problems that limit a healthy lifestyle are based on negative emotions.  EFT helps correct the meridian flow, balances energy, and can lead to improved physical functioning.  

 

Performing EFT

 

Trained EFT practitioners can help you get started performing EFT.  You can also perform EFT on your own.  EFT involves five steps:

 

1.     Identify the Issue

2.     Access the Intensity

3.     Self-Acceptance

4.     Tapping Sequence

5.     Test the Final Intensity

 

To correctly perform EFT, you must first identify and understand what emotional issue or fear is blocking your energy flow.  EFT is performed on one issue at a time so that a person can experience and gauge their improvement results.  Next, rate your issue on a scale of 1 to 10 for how much distress your issue is causing you.  This allows you to determine how effective your EFT session has been when it’s completed. 

 

Your EFT session statement focusses on both the issue and your acceptance of yourself, despite the issue you are facing.  An EFT statement might be, “Even though I have (this issue), I completely accept myself.”  Your EFT statement becomes your mantra during your session.

 

The tapping is done along the meridian lines at hot spots that correspond to your emotional issue.  Practitioners can help you develop the right combination of tapping intensity to restore your energy flow.  Once your session is completed, you again rate your distress, to judge your improvement from the session.  Dropping from a level 10 to a level 5 means you’ve achieved a 50% improvement.

 

EFT can help you change your life.  With proper practice, it can relieve emotional and physical pain by restoring the energy flow through your body’s meridians.  EFT is a proven alternative medicine technique that has helped countless people.  

Complementary Versus Alternative Medicine

Complementary and alternative medications have long been mistaken as the same thing, but they aren’t. Both terms refer to medicinal treatments that aren’t commonly part of mainstream healthcare. The difference comes into play with how the medicines are used. 

 

Alternative medicines are when you use these uncommon treatments instead of traditional medicine and complementary medicine refers to when you use these treatments alongside traditional medicine. 

 

Using alternative medicine is rather uncommon and often advised against among doctors, as it can be fairly risky. However, complementary medicine is gaining more and more popularity as the combination of traditional and non-traditional treatment has proven quite effective.

 

Alternative vs. Complementary: Which is Better?

 

Most doctors agree that complementary medicine works far better than alternative medicine and some even argue that complementary and traditional medicine works better than traditional medicine alone. 

 

Many people find acupuncture, yoga, and other complementary therapies to be effective when added to traditional methods in treating pain, depression, anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate, and even help with some of the symptoms of cancer and its treatment.

 

Complementary medicine is far better and safer than alternative medicine. When used in conjunction with traditional medicine, complementary medicine can help to make your treatment more complete, filling in the gaps traditional medicine often leaves. 

 

Due to the fact that alternative medicine frequently involves questionable and unproven methods without any proven methods to help, it’s quite risky and more often than not ineffective.

 

Are There Risks Involved with Alternative or Complementary Medicine?

 

As with all types of medicine and treatment, there are some risks involved. Admittedly, there is far more risk involved with alternative medicine than complementary. When used exclusively, alternative medicines can cause potentially life-threatening problems, as you’re likely not getting the proper treatment for your condition.

 

Complementary medicines don’t have as many risks, but depending on the type of treatment, there could be mild risk involved. The following are known problems with certain herbs, supplements, and vitamins:

 

●      Kava Kava - This herb is often used to treat anxiety, but it can cause liver damage

 

●      Dietary Supplements - Certain dietary supplements can interfere with cancer treatments.

 

●      Vitamin C - High doses of vitamin C can affect the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy.

 

●      St. John’s Wort - While this herb is often used to treat depression, it can reduce the effectiveness of certain cancer medications, immunosuppressants, and antiretrovirals.

 

●      Herbal Products for Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine - Some of these may contain heavy metals that are dangerous to the body like arsenic or lead.

 

●      Chiropractic Treatment - There are common side effects to this treatment like mild headaches that don’t last long, but there’s also a slight greater risk. In the rare cases that chiropractic treatment has been done on the spine, it’s led to a stroke in the patient.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The difference between alternative and complementary medicines is very simple; one is exclusive, the other isn’t, respectively. Before deciding whether to take the plunge into complementary medicine or, more drastically, alternative medicine, we recommend highly consulting with your doctor first.

 

Keep in mind that while complementary medicine can help make a more complete treatment when added to traditional methods, alternative medicine can be rather risky, potentially even life-threatening. 

 

We also insist that you always do thorough research before just jumping into a medical treatment, and this goes for traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine. Your doctors know a lot, but they aren’t perfect. Likewise, you can’t trust everything you read on the internet, on social media, or hear from someone on the street. Do your research through verified and legitimate sources before you try any medical treatment of any kind.

Invest in Your Personal Development This Year

Where do you want to be at the end of next year? What are your goals for success in work and life? Achieving your goals starts with investing in your personal development. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t develop yourself and your abilities.

According to psychologists, personal development is the process of defining your goals and how to achieve them. 

 

Personal development includes:

1.    What is Important to You

2.    What You Want to Achieve

3.    Your Strengths

4.    What You Need to Improve or Develop

Individual goals vary from person to person. One person may want to achieve business success while another may hope to accomplish something completely different, like having a better relationship with their partner or finding a way to afford college for their child. 

 

Even though people’s goals aren’t the same, the process of personal development follows the same pattern and requires the same dedication. Using this new year to invest in your personal development can help you reach any goal you chose.

 

What is Important to You

 

Before you decide what you want to achieve, you need to understand what’s important to you personally. Right now, do you value money, traveling, relationships, or health? Your goals can change throughout life, but what you value today helps you define areas for personal development. 

 

Changing your life begins with small steps. You will find it hard to change everything about your entire life all at once. Personal development helps you determine what area you want to focus on this year.

 

What You Want to Achieve

Now that you’ve determined what’s important to you, it’s time to set goals. To be effective, goals must be specific, measurable, and obtainable. “By the end of the year, I want to earn more money” isn’t very specific or measurable. 

 

You might get a cost of living raise next year. Is that the level of improvement you were hoping to achieve? If not, set a more specific goal like a percentage or dollar amount. Be sure to make your goal obtainable, too. You need to decide if it’s possible to double your salary, for example, or if you need a more modest goal next year.

 

Your Strengths

The next step in personal improvement is to determine what your strengths are and how you can use them to achieve your goals. By looking at what’s important to you and setting goals, you can match your strengths to your plan for achievement. You may already possess many of the skills and abilities you need to reach your goals. This step helps to improve your self-esteem and self-confidence by reminding you that you can carry out your plan and move forward.

 

What You Need to Improve or Develop

Once you’ve determined your strengths, you will also know what you need to improve. You may have the skills to complete an intricate protect but need to develop the patience and time management skills to follow through to the end. 

 

Even if you want to eat healthier, you may need to improve your knowledge of which foods are better for you. Knowing what you need to improve or develop gives you guidelines for what to focus on in your personal development with year.

 

Taking these steps to personal improvement will help you grow.  It also helps to categorize your goals into areas for improvement based on what is important to you. 

 

When you are considering what to focus on this new year, think about these areas for personal development.

Professional Goals

If you plan to focus on your professional growth this year, your personal development may include several professional goals. Consider which of these goals will help you obtain success and decide if you need to improve or develop the skills required to achieve them.

 

• Build Your Professional Relationships and Network
• Improve Your Time Management Skills
• Find New Challenges that Showcase Your Strengths
• Develop a Growth Mindset
• Develop Your Professional Skills Through Workshops and Classes
• Learn How to Motivate Others

Lifestyle Goals

Your goals may be more focused on your personal life and happiness this year. A change to your lifestyle may mean you need to improve or develop the skills required to achieve success throughout your life.

• Improve your Health
• Strengthen Personal Relationships
• Practice Patience
• Let Go of Limiting Beliefs
• Become a Better Listener

Investing in your personal development this new year can help you achieve greater goals and find more happiness in life. By taking the necessary steps to identify what’s important to you and what you want to achieve, as well as determining your strengths and areas for improvement, you can move forward. Choosing the right goals starts with your personal development!

The Overall Benefits Of A Plant-Based Diet

“Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) Diet” is a term that can apply to refer to any number of different eating styles. The main difference here is that WFPB is characterized by what it includes rather than what it excludes.

 

Numerous studies have proven time and again the benefits that come from eating a WFPB diet, and those benefits start with a baseline of better nutrition. Obviously, this is a given but better nutrition is where a healthier body always starts. It’s what fuels our body, and thus becomes our defense against long-term chronic and avoidable lifestyle diseases that plague our country. 

 

Better nutrition 

 

Despite being a healthy source of nutrition, most of us still don’t consume nearly enough fruits and vegetables, let alone eat the recommended amounts.

 

Why not?

After all, they’re nutrient-dense edibles rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Plus, they’re delicious. Children often get finicky with things like broccoli, and that’s okay. It’s acceptable to simply dislike a specific fruit or vegetable or to avoid fruits because you really don’t want to spend time cutting, carving, and cleaning them. 

 

But science has repeatedly shown us that better nutrition comes from a nutrient-dense diet filled with fruits and vegetables (Tuso, Ismail, Ha, & Bartolotto, 2013) than it does from a diet which consists of meats, processed meats, or even refined grains. 

 

So, if you don’t like to carve your honeydews, then ask your produce department to carve it for you. Most grocery stores offer that service, but you have to ask. For children who like to avoid broccoli, just keep offering it. Eventually, your 5-year-old may surprise you and try something new after all. 

 

Better health for your heart

 

Another main benefit of following a plant-based diet is that it significantly brings down the risk of cardiovascular disease because WFPB diets go a long way in lowering blood pressure, enhancing blood sugar control, and lowering cholesterol. Choosing a WFPB diet is one of the best natural ways to lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases on the whole. 

 

Increased longevity 

 

A WFPB diet can increase your longevity by reducing your risk of premature or early death due to suffering from untreated chronic lifestyle illnesses like high blood pressure, CVD, obesity, and some cancers. 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the consumption of red meat as a “likely carcinogen (Harvard Medical School, 2018).” That’s not to say that consuming red meat is inherently dangerous. Occasional consumption of meats, including red meat, is allowable by some WFPB diets like the Mediterranean diet. Still, increased consumption of red meat has been directly linked to increased risk of cardiovascular and some cancers like colorectal. A plant-based diet will not only help your body become healthier but also make you live longer.

 

Lower cancer risk 

 

Research has it that there is a direct association between an increased risk of colorectal cancer and eating too much processed or red meat (Harvard Medical School, 2018). On the other hand, we have the discovery that eating fruits, legumes, grains, and veggies in recommended amounts on a regular basis can lower the risk of cancer and other chronic illnesses because plants contain disease-fighting phytochemicals that can thwart cancer. 

 

Lower rates of obesity 

 

One of the main challenges of our modern lifestyle is obesity (Tuso, Ismail, Ha, & Bartolotto, 2013). There are various methods of fighting obesity at our disposal, however, the most effective method of battling this debilitating chronic illness is with your diet. 

 

Choosing to stick to a WFPB is an effective weight-loss strategy. Obesity is a risk factor associated with all of the chronic and lifestyle illnesses listed above, so addressing obesity with a nutritional approach kick starts your process to better health, having a healthier BMI, and stunting the formation of chronic illness like high blood pressure and CVD. 

 

There is a plethora of studies that factor in WFPB diets in relation to health and longevity. This body of evidence provides merit to the theories which surround the WFPB diets and their many health benefits. 

References

 

Harvard Medical School. (2018, January). The Right Plant-Based Diet for You. Retrieved from Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Men's Health Watch: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-right-plant-based-diet-for-you

 

Tuso, P. J., Ismail, M. H., Ha, B. P., & Bartolotto, C. (2013). Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant Based Diets. The Permanente Journal, 61-66. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

 

Self-Improvement: The Kaizen Method 101

 

For anyone who has embarked on a journey toward self-improvement or personal growth, you know that the better version of yourself seems to lie at the other end of a roller coaster ride. The path to transformation is uneven, mostly uphill, and often includes many setbacks that leave you questioning your choice to start, though once you have reached your goals it is often very worth the effort.

 

The Kaizen method is an approach to improvement that helps you embrace the marathon that is continuous growth, rather than expecting instant results and gratification. Instead of looking for ways to make it all better RIGHT NOW, this approach adopts a more realistic strategy that leads to success over time.

 

Understanding the Kaizen Method

 

Unlike the notion of radical change, the Kaizen method is an approach the focuses on continuous, incremental improvement that leads to significant, long-term change. Many people talk about Kaizen as being the “1 percent rule,” because instead of trying to make changes in substantial leaps and bounds, you instead focus on doing one small thing every single day that will get you closer to your final outcome. 

 

The method was developed as a business model to promote lean manufacturing. You may know it as “The Toyota Way,” because it was famously adopted by that manufacturer to ensure quality control and to achieve transformation within the auto industry in Japan.

 

 The opposite of this approach could be called “radical innovation,” in which a company or person attempts to make drastic changes very quickly. Anyone who has been on a strict and very limited diet can tell you what happens when you change everything very quickly. Change is much harder to realize.

 

The Kaizen method instead emphasizes a simple philosophy that every day, you are focusing on getting just a little bit better than you were the day before, in whatever way you are trying to change or improve. The power of this method is that these small, incremental changes compound on each other, and minuscule changes in the beginning soon combine with other minor changes to create more significant, lasting effects. 

 

While it was originally developed as a business model, the Kaizen method is also applicable to personal growth and development. The advantage of this type of approach to improvement is that it gets you off the roller coaster of ups and downs usually associated with making changes in your life. 

 

Instead of focusing on big, long-term goals that will not be realized until far into the future, the Kaizen method helps you focus instead on small, discrete steps that are achievable today, where you are, and with your current capabilities. 

 

The underlying foundations of Kaizen state that there is no magic bullet that will suddenly change your life or make everything better. And the sooner you realize and embrace this, the sooner you can actually start improving your life in meaningful ways. Change is hard, and it comes through small steps taken every day. It comes through continuous improvement, not overnight transformation. 

 

The Kaizen method is a process, not a goal. It is not something you ever really achieve as it is something you commit to doing every day. Once you reach a specific goal, Kaizen thinking can help you maintain your results or secure your gains. 

 

As an inspirational speaker once said, "Success isn't owned, it's rented. And rent is due every day." If you want to succeed, you have to do the hard work every day, so you might as well make that work a part of your daily habits so that it becomes who you are and what you do in the process. 

You Don’t Have to Be a Vegan/Vegetarian on a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet

As with everything, the idea of a Whole-Food Plant-Based (WPFB) diet comes with some misconceptions. The name, Whole-Food and Plant-Based, seems to give the idea that you must be a vegan or vegetarian to follow a WFPB when nothing could be further from the truth. 

 

Not What It Isn’t

 

Unlike other diets, WFPB diets and nutritional patterns are fashioned around what they can include rather than what they must exclude. 

 

Vegans, for example, exclude meat and animal by-products from their diets. The Atkins diet lowers carbs. 

 

WFPB diets are marked by what they include which are plant based and whole foods. This implies that plant-based foods are preferable, and perhaps should be the main source of your diet, however, whole foods are the other part of that. 

 

Fresh caught Salmon is a whole, nutrient dense food. Rather than focusing on the implication of a WFPB diet being that you must exclude meat, take a look at what you can include and decide for yourself. 

 

Different Diets

 

Pescatarianism, Vegetarianism, the Mediterranean diet, and even the Ketogenic Lifestyle are all WFPB diets when done right. Now, before the Vegans and Vegetarians in the room start cringing over that last one, let’s clear something up. 

Not all Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, and Ketogenic eating patterns are necessarily WFPB either. Afterall, sodas and bags of deep-fried potato chips carry that vegetarian or vegan stamp. These highly processed foods also contain preservatives, additives, and added sugars. 

 

The Point 

 

The point of a WFPB diet isn’t to avoid meat. Remember, this isn’t one of those exclusionary diets. The best place to start is to fill your already existing eating pattern with whole, nutrient dense, and plant-based foods. This isn’t a check box. 

 

Strawberries are whole foods, they’re nutrient dense, and they’re plant based. However, chicken breasts are whole nutrient dense foods. You’re not looking to add or eat only foods which are whole foods And plant based. 

 

The WFPB concept is to add more healthy, and nutritious foods to your diet. Yes, the words run together to imply a plant-based diet of whole foods, when, in-fact, you’re looking for whole foods and plant-based foods. If a food item meets both qualifiers, then that’s great. 

 

One of the major myths running around about WFPB diets is that they’re carb heavy. This is true. This is also okay. Carbohydrates, especially complex carbs, aren’t necessarily the enemy. The thing you want to avoid are the food laden with simple sugars like soda’s and candy which will cause your blood sugar to sky rocket and then plummet. 

 

This is the sort of thing which has been giving carbohydrates a bad name, but the fact is that your body needs carbs to burn as glucose. There’s nothing wrong with complex carbs. 

 

Now that that’s said, a Ketogenic Lifestyle can be designed around a WFPB option. Most usually are. It’s just that these folks need to burn ketones rather than glucose, or want to, for whatever reason. There are plenty of plant-based options for dietary fat like Avocados and olives which meet the Whole-Food requirement. 

 

Bottom Line

 

The bottom line is that WFPB diets aren’t about which fuel you burn, or whether you eat meat or not. They’re about shoving as many types of foods into your available diet as possible so you can focus on eating nutritious, nutrient dense, whole, and plant-based foods rather instead of the highly processed foods most of us reach for more often than we should. T.V. dinners, candy bars, and other processed foods contain way too many things we don’t need or really want. 

They taste great because they’re designed to. That’s doesn’t mean they’re good for you.