Psychology of Performance – 34: Spark!

The book, Spark, by John J. Ratey, M.D. is the holy grail of research applications related to the interaction of exercise, neuroplasticity, and performance. The information on brain chemistry changes in the areas of learning, addictions, anxiety, depression, women’s issues, ADHD, and aging is priceless. The essence of the book is that the data indicated the brain is able to create new neuronal connections, grow new nerve cells throughout life, manage major psychological conditions, pain conditions, and learning is significantly enhanced through exercise. Ratey stated that “exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function”- based on hundreds of research studies (p.245). Ratey suggested that the more fit you get (regardless of where you start), the “ more resilient your brain becomes and the better it functions both cognitively and psychologically. If you get your body in shape, your mind will follow” (p. 247).

How much is enough? Ratey stated that walking is enough. Low-intensity exercise is at 55 to 65% of maximum heart rate, moderate is 65-75% and high intensity is 75-90%. “The process of getting fit is all about building up your aerobic base” (p.251). Ratey goes on to discuss the role of strength training and flexibility as important elements of optimizing your brain chemistry and hormone levels.

What does this have to do with optimizing your performance at work and in all areas of your life? Everything! Get started today and stick with it.

Have a day filled with optimal brain chemistry,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

How to Reduce Kids’ Holiday Stress

How to Reduce Kids’ Holiday Stress December 19, 2011  When I first read the title of this week’s communication, I laughed with skepticism. I can’t imagine a child feeling stressed at the holidays. Every child I know counts down to Christmas, as if it’s the greatest day of the year. Reading further into the article, I realized what they meant by “stress.” Stress for me during the holidays is all the planning and preparation that goes into it. As a child, I remember feeling unsettled and I guess you could say “stressed” if we went to bed and forgot to read The Night before Christmas or hadn’t followed any tradition that we had in the years before. After all, it was all of those traditions that I was counting down to. As a child, I spent Christmas in several different household; each of my grandparents, my Mother’s home, my Father’s home, and many of my Aunt’s and Uncle’s homes. Yet, no matter where I was it was those little traditions; making the cookies for Santa, sitting at dinner with family, writing Santa a note, reading The Night before Christmas, that made wherever I was feel like home. And that’s what made me happy.   Read more on this topic here…   Britney Kirsch Account Manager

Embracing Global Diversity

As the parent of a seven year old, I’ve been enamored with the concept of “intentional parenting.” The essence of this philosophy is to think about the type of person you want your child to be when they become an adult and to give them age appropriate responsibilities to support their development. I, for one, am committed to raising a global citizen who has an appreciation for other cultures, languages, perspectives, and lifestyle choices.

I was exposed to traveling at a very early age and was always deeply appreciative that my parents expanded my horizons and perspectives through global travel. I’m sure my mom wasn’t completely surprised when I told her I had bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand and wasn’t sure when I would be back. And, sure enough, after two years of traveling out of a backpack, returned home to start graduate school. I loved the sense of intrigue and mystery that came with traveling to exotic lands and far away places.

I also came home with a profound sense of appreciation for the global diversity that we have right here! Looking at situations from a new perspective, asking open ended questions to understand a different point of view, and being curious about someone’s background or beliefs are all windows towards creating a sense of belonging to a global community. I feel so fortunate that much of the work I do in BizPysch – be it executive coaching, diversity training, or providing conflict mediation services – are all ways to build bridges and create a sense of community and connection.

Now, I’m getting ready to embark on another global adventure. As a parent who is committed to raising a “global citizen,” I am getting ready to move overseas with my son. We will be gone for a little less than a year and during that time we will both be students learning a new language and embracing a completely different way of living. There are so many ways to embrace global diversity, be it participating in a cooking class with foods from another country, learning a new language, seeing a foreign film, reading books about other countries, or following your curiosity by exploring new places on the internet!  I trust I will return with a new set of perspectives which is what makes traveling and experiencing different cultures, no matter how you choose to do it, so exciting!

Marcia Kent, MS
President, BizPsych

In Language, Two is Better than One

Visit our Website Past Newsletters In Language, Two is Better than One October 18, 2011   My parents didn’t teach me a second language as a child, although I hear that if they had I would have learned it much quicker than I did in high school Spanish class. I loathed Spanish class. I could memorize the meaning of any word but if you asked me to make a sentence out of that word, forget it. It could have been because it was always the first class of the day or because I sat at a table with the cutest boy in school. My Dad forced me to take the class. He said I wouldn’t get into college without two years of Spanish. I thought it was a scare tactic, much like; “If you don’t drink your milk you won’t be strong.” I know parents often use exaggerated statements to influence us to do what they want us to do. Nonetheless, I begrudgingly sat in Spanish class for two years. As soon as I started my application to college I learned my Dad was right. I did need two years of a foreign language to meet the admission qualifications. Structuring a sentence in Spanish is still a struggle for me, but knowing just the meaning of certain words has provided enough knowledge to understand other languages with similar origins. Nothing but positive can come from exploring another culture and committing to learn the language. I just wish I would have learned it at an age when I wasn’t so easily distracted by my crush in Spanish class. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

When to Keep Your Child Home from School

Visit our Website Past Newsletters When to Keep Your Child Home from School September 26, 2011   I was the kid who got the perfect attendance award at the end of the year. I am truly trying to think of a time a stayed home from school and I can only think of a few times. In the earlier years, around 2nd grade, I probably could have gone to school but I convinced my Mom to stay home. I knew it would be amazing; watch TV all day with my Mom while she brought me food and doted on me. Wrong. I can hear her words now, “If you are too sick to go to school, you are too sick to get out of bed.” I am sure there were times after that when I tried the “but, Mommy, my tummy hurts” bit but school always sounded more exciting than staring at my bedroom ceiling. Later in my adolescent years, in 8th grade, I was truly terrified of boys and dating. My Dad made sure of that! Nonetheless, kids taunted me at school for several days for not accepting a boys request to be his girlfriend. Whatever “girlfriend” meant in the 8th grade, I had no interest in knowing. The only way to avoid this was by not going to school. My Mom went to work earlier than I did and I just stayed home. What I didn’t know, is that she came home on her lunch breaks. When she walked through the door, I attempted to be sick, knowing I would fail miserably. She saw right through it. I had to confess. She taught me how to approach the peer pressure while she drove me straight to school. My parents didn’t entertain excuses for missing school. But at the end of the day there was always a reason I wanted to stay home; whether I was fearful of a test, my classmates, or I was just plain tired of getting up. I am sure it’s not easy to look at your child when they are tired and weepy, begging you to stay home. Not to worry, help is here! This week’s communication will give you some strict guidelines for when to say yes or no. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

Booster Shots for Personal Success

When my son was a little boy, he used to get very anxious at the thought of having to see the doctor, especially when it meant getting a shot. Even the promise of a lollipop or special treat did little to alleviate his anticipated state of dread. The last time he went he asked the million dollar question of, “WHY mommy…WHY do I have to get a shot again?”

The answer that I gave him was that it was a “gift of energy” to promote health and well being. Okay, maybe that was a little too esoteric for him to understand but it made me think about it that way! I thought about how great it would be if I could just get a little “shot” or a “booster” to help me through the many times when I faced a challenge or task with dread, trepidation, or even that paralyzing fear of failing.

Come to think of it, every time I engaged the help of an executive coach or sought counsel from a mentor, it was as if I was getting a booster shot to help me meet the challenge I was facing at the time.  And those coaching sessions were a “gift of energy” because they gave me the structure, tools, and built-in accountability that I needed to reach my goals.

My challenges have changed over the years from training for a marathon, getting a master’s degree to move forward with my career, and trying to find that optimal balance as a working mother. While the challenges have changed over time, the value of those coaching sessions  remained steady and was something that I could count on to help maintain a sense of well-being. I’ve appreciated every booster – be it a “shot it the arm” to help inoculate myself and manage my expectations about an event, or a gift of energy packaged as sage advice that gave me some new insights to work with.

It’s been incredibly valuable to have a coach help me see the potential in myself that I might have minimized or underestimated. It’s been priceless to have someone push me, encourage me to “stretch,” and challenge some of my limiting beliefs and irrational assumptions. It’s been invaluable to partner with someone and be able to think out loud about possible obstacles and setbacks and then develop strategies to overcome them so I reach my goals.

I’m a big believer in the merits and benefits of coaching. It’s one of the areas that I’m most passionate about when it comes to my role in BizPysch. We offer executive coaching and are always interested in partnering with people to help them achieve their goals in their professional development – it might be the perfect booster and gift of energy needed to promote your well-being!

Marcia Kent, MS
President, BizPsych

Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids

Visit our Website Past Newsletters Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids July 18, 2011   The next installment in our monthly topic of “Fortifying the Family” addresses the emotional health of children. Just as the toddler who only wanted pancakes for breakfast now only wants pizza since they turned four, so too do emotional nutrition needs change as children grow. Read this week’s communication for tips on making those age appropriate adjustments. Read more on this topic here… Peggy Hill Account Manager

Relapse and Recovery

Visit our Website Past Newsletters Relapse and Recovery April 25, 2011 I was raised to be aware that sometimes I am going to mess up and I am not always going to make the right decisions. The key is to learn from those mistakes. But one of the most important lessons my parents taught me was that while I am going to make mistakes I am in control of my decisions and happiness. My parents had already been through most of the landmines you worry about for your children; teen pregnancy, high school dropout, and experimenting with drugs. I couldn’t get away with anything. I didn’t even have a chance to make my own mistakes because they had already “been there, done that.” They knew every dangerous situation to avoid and they made sure I did just that. I am very aware of what my parents had to give up because of the choices they made. And I am very aware of how difficult life can become if you choose to head down a different path. Because of my parents, I have been very thoughtful of every decision in my life. There were times I would hear them preaching and I would want to run, just to not hear the “how hard it is to raise a child” speech again. In fact, I still hear that one! Although I have never been an addict, I have worked in a rehabilitation clinic with adolescents who are. Many recovery programs are built on the philosophy much like what my parents taught me: Making a mistake is human, but learning from those mistakes is the key. Avoid dangerous situations, so you aren’t tempted to make a decision that you might regret. And most importantly, self-pity isn’t nearly as productive or rewarding as knowing that you are the controller of your destiny. Read this week’s communication for information on Relapse and Recovery. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

Helping your child become a reader

For those of you with children returning to school, new school age children or parents of children still at home, helping your child instill postive reading habits isn’t always easy.  Thanks to the Department of Education, here are some important questions we should be asking ourselves:

For Babies (6 weeks to 1 year)

• Do I provide a comfortable place for our story time? Is my child happy to be in this place?
• Am I showing my child the pictures in the book? Am I changing the tone of my voice as I read to show emotion and excitement?
• Am I paying attention to how my child responds? What does she especially like? Is she tired and ready to stop?

For Toddlers (1 to 3 years)

All of the questions above, plus:

• Does my child enjoy the book we are reading?
• Do I encourage my child to “pretend read,” joining in where he has memorized a word or phrase?
• When I ask questions, am I giving my child enough time to think and answer?
• Do I tie ideas in the book to things that are familiar to my child? Do I notice if he does this on his own?
• Do I let my child know how much I like his ideas and encourage him to tell me more?
• Do I point out letters, such as the first letter of his name?

For Preschoolers (3 and 4 years)

All of the questions above, plus:

• Do I find ways to help my child begin to identify sounds and letters and to make letter-sound matches?

For Kindergartners (5 years):

Remember: Children learn step by step in a process that takes time and patience. They vary a great deal in what holds their interest and in the rate at which they make progress.

All of the questions above, plus:

• Do I find ways to help my child begin to identify some printed words?
• Do I let my child retell favorite stories to show that she knows how the story develops and what’s in it?

For Beginning First-Graders (6 years):

All of the questions above, plus:

• Do I give my child the chance to read a story to me using the print, picture clues, his memory—or any combination of these ways that help him make sense of the story?

-Posted by Ian H. (Sales Executive)