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Tips On How To Deal With The Corona Virus

Six tips on how to deal with the Corona Virus.

Don’t lose control. The world is not coming to an end. Covid19 is not Ebola or the Black Plague. Everyone is not going to get sick and those who do, for the most part, will have mild symptoms like a bad cold or flu. Those most at risk are the elderly and those with major health concerns like heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, Diabetes, etc.

Do what you can do to avoid infection.

  • Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid touching your face, particularly eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Disinfect things you touch frequently like computer keyboards, telephones, remote controls, doorknobs, refrigerator doors, steering wheels, etc.
  • Avoid crowds.
  • Stay away from people who appear to be ill (those with coughs, sneezing or fever).
  • Avoid doctor’s offices and hospitals unless absolutely necessary.
  • If in a high-risk group, consider social distancing yourself. Avoid getting within six feet of others.

Boost your immune system

  • Get 7-8 hours of recuperative sleep
  • Eat a healthy diet. Supplement where needed especially vitamin C and E.
  • Take part in  moderate exercise

Take steps to reduce stress

  • Avoid consuming too much news about the virus outbreak. Worry suppresses your immune system.
  • Follow Mark’ advice and every hour take a break. Mindfully yawn three times and mindfully stretch.
  • If fear arises, yawn or breath mindfully. If you are into tapping (EFT) do that.
  • Meditate at least ten minutes daily.

Focus on what you do want rather than on what you don’t want

  • Write a positive vision for your life and why you must have it.
  • Review your goals daily and take action.
  • Throughout the day, glance at your vision board.
  • Ask yourself a series of empowering questions such as what I am most happy about in my life? What am I most grateful for? What am I must proud of? What excites me the most?

Reach out to others if only by phone and social media

  • Connect with others even if you are not in the same room. When talking with friends and family stay focused on the good and not on talk of the virus unless it is to allay fears. Passing fear on to others Is almost as bad as spreading the virus itself.

My Day Begins With My Evening Rituals

What? My day begins with my evening rituals?  Really? How does that work?

During your evening rituals, you focus on preparing for the next day and reflecting back on the current day to learn how you can perform even better tomorrow. You also focus on those behaviors that will enable you to enjoy a good night’s sleep.

Preparation for tomorrow

One ritual that you clearly need to take each evening is setting out your priorities for the next day.  If you don’t establish ahead of time what they are, you are likely to get distracted by email or by other people’s priorities.

So each night, ask yourself:

  • What do I need to get done tomorrow?
  • What are my highest priorities?
  • How and when will I get these done?
  • What obstacles might I encounter and how will I overcome them?

Keep in mind that you are not just creating a to-do list. Rather, you are following a process of mentally working through  your priorities, how you will you accomplish them, and how will you will overcome the obstacles that are almost sure to pop-up during the day.

Reflection

In addition to preparing for the new day, the evening is a great time to reflect back on the day just past and learn as much as you can from the day’s events, so that tomorrow will be even better.

  • What did you accomplish today?
  • What worked?
  • What didn’t work so well?
  • What did you learn from the experience?
  • How can you perform even better tomorrow?
Preparation for Sleep

During the final hours of your day, there are additional rituals that you can undertake that will help you get a good night’s sleep.  Here we are talking about things like turning off electronic devices which emit blue light  several hours before bedtime (unless you wear blue blocker glasses) . Read a book. Avoiding caffeine, etc.

Next Steps

If you enjoyed this post, make sure that you check out some of our other posts on this website. Here are some posts that may be of interest.

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The Importance of Savoring Your Achievements

The daily ritual I want to discuss today is the importance of savoring your achievements. This is critical to your current satisfaction and to being able to seek greater goals in the future.

The importance of savoring your achievements

Each time you accomplish something, even the smallest task, your brain secrets a little dopamine (a pleasure neurotransmitter) into your consciousness.

The release of dopamine causes you to feel more motivated and if you deliberately take a moment to appreciate each tiny goal you’ve achieved throughout the day, you’ll train your brain to seek even greater goals and rewards.

Sadly, we don’t spend much time savoring the good things that happen in our lives. The brain doesn’t give as much weight to happiness and pleasure. We have placed the greatest value on memories that would protect us from danger. As a result, we end up with a brain-full of bad memories!

What to do?

Throughout the day – ideally, once every hour – write down every tiny goal you accomplish. Regularly look at your list and “savor” each of your accomplishments.

These “pleasure” rewards stimulate the motivation center (the nucleus accumbens) in your brain and you’ll immediately feel more energy and less stress as you begin your next hour of work!

Doing this also gets rid of negativity that you are unconsciously holding in your memories. So the more you are struggling, the more it is essential to savor the present moment.

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Creating Small Daily Habits

Have you ever thought about how to go about creating small daily habits?

If you have, then you likely know that trying to create a number of new habits all at once is setting yourself up for failure. It works better to focus one new habit at a time.

Focus

If you want to create new habits, it works better to think about ONE thing, one very small thing that you can do daily that will move you closer to your goals.

What if you committed today to doing that ONE thing every day no matter what? Can you commit to that? Will you?

Start right now. Put on ONE shoe to go running. Do ONE sit up/push up. Eat ONE healthy meal. Read ONE page.

Research shows that when you start doing that ONE thing and do it repeatedly, it starts a chain reaction and the formation of a new habit.

Best way to go about creating small daily habits?

The best way to create new daily habits is to make the process as easy as possible. Don’t complicate your life. Focus on one new habit at a time.

Add this one new habit to a routine you are already doing and it becomes even easier.  For example:

  •  As soon as I wake up and put my feet on the ground I will___________
  •  When I brush my teeth I will_________________
  •  As I drink my coffee I will_________________

Do this for the next 7-14 days and you will start a new, positive habit!

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The hidden cause of your deepest, darkest fears

Every human has fears.

In fact, it’s perfectly healthy to be scared sometimes.

Tens of thousands of years ago, fear was the only thing that kept us alive. When our ancestors were being chased down by a saber-toothed tiger it was FEAR that told them to run for their lives!

But nowadays we don’t have to worry about wild beasts hunting us down and eating us alive.

Our lives have changed significantly, but our brains and mental programming hasn’t changed all that much.

And because our minds are still programmed to ‘live in fear’ we find other things to be afraid of.

  • We start to fear failure. We fear losing our jobs. We fear that our businesses will fail and we’ll run out of money.
  • We fear success. We fear change. And we fear that we won’t be properly equipped to handle a better life.
  • We even fear irrational things like spiders, clowns, heights and sometimes… even human interaction.

It turns out, there are THOUSANDS of fears you can have that hold you back from living a fulfilled life.

And if you let that fear control you, you’ll never be able to just relax and breathe freely. You’ll never be able to wake up energized and excited for new challenges.

If you let this control you, you’ll never be able to live up to your potential and live the kind of life you always wanted.

So where did your fears come from… and how do you get rid of them?

Your fears can come from anywhere. Sometimes you have a traumatic experience as a child that triggers fear. Sometimes you hear things on the news or horrific stories from your friends that instill a fear deep within your mind.

No matter where you fears came from, here’s what you need to understand.

The hidden cause of your fears are the negative neural patterns running through your subconscious at all times.

You know you have conscious thoughts that affect what you do, say, and think. But you also have a set of hidden thought patterns (buried deep in your subconscious) that have a greater effect on your thoughts, ideas, feelings, actions, behaviors and habits.

And if you ever want to get rid these fears that are constantly running through your mind and holding you back from living the life you want to live, then listen to this:

My friend John Assaraf is one of the world’s foremost experts in brain science. He’s discovered a few techniques that can help you eliminate your deepest, darkest fears and start living a happier, more carefree life.

There’s one secret for eliminating your fears I learned from John that I want to share with you… but this email is getting kind of long.

Tomorrow I’m going to let you in on this little secret and show you how you can use it to re-train your brain to release your greatest fears.

Keep an eye on your inbox. Look for my email with the subject line: “The secret to kicking fear out of your life for good”

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P.S. John is giving a free, virtual training called Winning The Game Of Fear. He reveals the latest findings in the field of brain science that show how to eliminate fear from your mind, once and for all. If you’ve ever wanted to find out how to release your biggest fears so you can feel energized, confident and unstoppable… then make sure you sign up for this virtual training. Click here to grab your spot.

How do I stay motivated to achieve long term goals?

Ever ask yourself, how do I stay motivated to achieve my long term goals? I am sure you have. Unfortunately, our brain does not like pursuing long term goals.

The Brain is Focused on Instant Gratification

When it comes to pursuing long term goals, we run into problems because our brain is focused on instant gratification. It is motivated to seek out any goal or activity that promises a more or less immediate reward.

When you consciously desire something that is truly meaningful and valuable – even if it is a fantasy – this too will stimulate the motivational center in your brain. Dopamine is released and this increases your conscious ability to plan a strategy to achieve that goal.

However, if the the goal is long range, you need to “reward” yourself daily, weekly, and monthly as you progress. Holding your vision starts the motivation process and pleasurably rewarding yourself along the way keeps those motivational “juices” flowing.

How Do I Stay Motivated

Part of this motivation will come from achieving small incremental goals along the way to your longer term goal. Additional motivation will come from the following Pleasure Board exercise that I am about to introduce. The combination will keep you motivated towards pursuing your long term goals.

The Pleasure Board Exercise

The Pleasure Board is an idea pioneered by noted neuroscience researcher, Mark Robert Waldman.

To make a pleasure board, write down every pleasure – large and small – that brought you deep joy and happiness in the past. Write down your most powerful pleasant memories. List all the experiences that make you smile, either now or in the past.

Mindfully meditate on this list and circle all of the small pleasures you still enjoy.

Commit to Giving Yourself Pleasure Every Day

Once you have identified what still gives you pleasure, commit to consciously add pleasure to your work day. Set a mindfulness clock to go off once an hour. Stop for 10-60 seconds and do something pleasurable from your list.

Additional Resources

If you found value in this post, you will likely also enjoy these two other similar posts:  How Can I Motivate Myself, and Savor Your Achievements

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Mark Waldman’s NeuroTips for Money, Happiness & Success (Free eBook Download)

What’s the fastest way to eliminate stress while working? What’s the best way to create instant rapport with colleagues and clients? What’s the easiest way to eliminate procrastination & perfectionism?

These and other questions are answered from the latest brain science in Mark Waldman’s new ebook NeuroTips for Money, Happiness & Success.

Each year, at Loyola Marymount University, 25-35 elite business leaders are selected to be part of Mark Waldman’s prestigious Executive MBA program, and on the first day, they come into Mark’s NeuroLeadership class to learn how to transform the way they work and the way they communicate with others.

How would you like to have access to those strategies that Mark’s students pay thousands of dollars for? For a limited time, Mark’s giving you access to the core set of NeuroTips in his newest ebook that you can download for free!

These NeuroTips have been proven to boost work productivity and satisfaction. I hope you check them out.

Download a copy HERE

Four Quick Tips from John Assaraf

Four Quick Tips from John Assaraf

Want more success in life? Here are four quick tips from John Assaraf, CEO of Neurogym, that you can put into action today.

Here are tips on:  1) reducing stress, 2) vision boards, 3) utilizing mental contrasting, and 4) writing down your goals.

Three Minute “Innercise” to Reduce Stress

Stress is bad for you. When you feel it starting to weigh on you, take three minutes and “innercise.” Allow the stress to evaporate. Innercise is John’s term for mindfulness. It is to your brain as exercise is to your body.

3-Minute Innercise to Reduce Stress

Some stress, when it comes to performance, may be good for you . . . but too much will drain your energy and overwhelm your willpower. This simple 3-minute Innercise can dramatically reduce stress levels so you can relax and feel more focused and productive.

Posted by John Assaraf on Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Create a Vision Board

Create a vision board and look at it frequently throughout the day.

Vision boards contain pictures of your goals: what you want to become or want to have in your life. When you see these images, they turn on the dopamine receptors in the brain.

When you take those visions and see yourself doing the things that you need to do to achieve your goals, you activate the release of dopamine which causes you to feel  motivated and seek even greater goals and rewards.

Do Vision Boards Really Work?

Do vision boards really work? It’s a question I get asked all the time… and my answer is YES! Here’s why: It works because when you see images of the things you want to achieve, or do, or become, you're actually activating the dopamine receptors in the brain, the feel-good chemicals in the brain. And when you take those visions and you see yourself behaving in ways that are required to achieve that vision, you're actually activating the left prefrontal cortex, which is the CEO, genius part of your brain.Do you currently have a vision board?

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, July 2, 2018

Utilize Mental Contrasting

Mental contrasting is a technique used by astronauts, navy seals, CEO’s and others to motivate themselves to take action towards their goals

To do mental contrasting, take a goal you want to achieve. Write down what that goal looks like when you achieve it and what it feels like.

Next, close your eyes and see yourself as you are today and see yourself as you want to be, achieving that goal.

When you create this mental contrast, you will motivate yourself to start taking action automatically.

Why Navy Seals and CEO's Love Mental Contrasting

Astronauts, Navy Seals, and successful CEOs all use mental contrasting. Why? Because it helps you achieve more of your goals!Here's how to put it into practice…-Pick a goal you want to achieve-Write down and think about how it will feel once you’ve achieved your goal. Really hone in on the positive aspects and emotions.-Now, write down and think about several obstacles that may make achieving this goal difficult.-Finally, close your eyes and visualize where you are today and see yourself overcoming those obstacles and actually achieving your goal. Do this frequently and you’ll start training your brain to automatically start taking action towards your goals!Let me know in the comments one goal you’ve been wanting to achieve…

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, June 25, 2018

Write Down Your Goals

Write down your goals and review them daily.

Recent research indicates that writing down or typing our goals, makes us up to 42% more likely to achieve them.

Why? This happens because the process of writing them down, forces us to get clear about what we want. It also gives our brain a clear direction that this is something that is important to me. This is what I want to achieve. We need to figure out how to do this.

So don’t leave that goal in your head. Write it down on paper and achieve it.

Have Goals? Then Do This Now!

Here's this week's goal setting tip. In this video, I share one exercise that recent studies show will help increase your chances of achieving your goals by up to 42%. Commit yourself to doing this exercise this week and then let me know how the process made you feel.

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, June 11, 2018

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How to be more open to seeing opportunities?

No matter how bad things seem, there are always opportunities. You just need to be able to spot them and then take action. Have you ever wondered how to be more open to seeing opportunities in your life? We all have at some point.

How to be more open to seeing opportunities

Here are four simple strategies to enhance your ability to see all the opportunities that exist in your life:

1. Always keep pen & paper nearby nearby so you can jot down any ideas that pop up.

2. Five minutes a day sit down and brainstorm ideas for improving your financial situation. On different days of the week ask yourself questions like:

* How can i make more money?
* What do i have that i can sell on eBay or elsewhere to
generate cash?
* What unnecessary expenses can i eliminate?
* How can i get a better return on my money?
* What can i do to earn a raise at work?
* Which skills do i have that others would pay me for?
* Are there unfulfilled needs in my community?

3. If you see a good idea, take action on it immediately. If you don’t start taking action on an idea right away, you probably never will.

4. Remember that there are always opportunities and you just need to be open to seeing them.  Keep your eyes open and expect to see them.

Next Steps

If you enjoyed this post, make sure that you check out some of our other posts on this website. Here are some posts that may be of interest.

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More on the importance of self-talk

Several weeks ago I wrote a post on the importance of self-talk. It addressed research reported by Jeff Hadon in The Motivation Myth. You can find that post here.  Today, I would like to expand on that post and give some additional examples of how self-talk impacts our lives.

Eliminate choice in your speech

Believing that we have a choice presents a huge obstacle to achieving our objectives, because having choices forces us to decide what we want to do. The brain is naturally lazy and it doesn’t want to waste its limited energy making these kinds of decisions. Your brain would much rather follow a rule that has been converted into a habit.

For example, if you say, “I want to” rather than “I have to,” you are much more likely to get to work on time, workout, and eat the right foods. By changing what you say to yourself, you have eliminated choice. The task is now nonnegotiable, and you do it.

Another example. Stop saying “can’t” and start saying “don’t.”

How to use self-talk to overcome temptation

Can we use self-talk to overcome temptation? We most certainly can.

When we tell participants to say “I can’t, they give in to temptation 61% of the time. When we tell them to say “I don’t” , they only give in only 36% of the time.

In another experiment, participants were told to set a personal long-term health and wellness goal. When their motivation flagged, one group was told to say, “I can’t miss my workout”. Another group was told to say, “I don’t miss my workout”. A control group was not given a strategy.

Ten days later the researchers found:

• Three out of ten control group members stuck to their goal.
• Only one out of ten told to say “I can’t” stuck to their goal.
• Eight out of ten “I don’t” group members stuck to their goal.

Not only was “I can’t” less effective than “I don’t”; “I can’t” was less effective than using no strategy at all.

Why does this occur? If we say, “I can’t”, we give ourselves a way out. When you “I can’t,” you automatically start to look for excuses, reasons why you can.  Saying “I don’t” encourages the brain to find ways to ensure that you do because that is the person you have become.

The morale of this story

The morale of this story. Be careful what you tell yourself. Someone important is listening. Eliminate choice. Make it clear to your brain what you will do.

Next Steps

If you enjoyed this post, make sure that you check out some of our other posts on this website. Here are some posts that may be of interest.

Comment, Share & Subscribe

Also, be sure to let us know what you think. We really do care. Let us know what topics you would like us to address.

Comment below and please share this post with others.

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