CogniThrive

09/16/2024

Come out to Roxbury Park & Community Center in Beverly Hills on Sunday, September 22, from 10am to 2pm, to experience a wonderful day of wellness in a beautiful, tranquil green space. Beverly Hills Day of Wellness will include free classes, workshops and self-care practices by professionals who will share their expertise in nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, mental health, wellness strategies and therapies, and more!

This event is presented by the City’s Community Services Department in collaboration with the Human Relations Commission, Recreation and Parks Commission and Health and Safety Commission.

My wonderful colleague and I will present on Stress Management & Intentional Living at 1:20pm in Room C. Come find us there!

09/02/2023

I’ve been busy creating handouts and merch for an exciting upcoming event, but I promise to begin sharing more cognitive insights soon!

In the meantime, come out to Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills on Sunday, September 10th (10am to 3pm) for an exciting free Day of Wellness for all ages to help prioritize your self-care needs! We will be there with over 35 health and wellness providers! Search for my booth CogniThrive Collective ☺️

This day will also include workshops in nutrition and social media safety, to group classes in yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, Pilates and more.

Learn more and find the schedule of events by visiting beverlyhills.org/dayofwellness.

08/08/2023

What is self-awareness?

This 2x2 chart is for business and leadership self-awareness, but it's applicable for our daily lives too. Of course, certain statements like "seeking out and valuing others' opinions" (as indicated in the Aware section) may not always be relevant outside of the business or team-building realm, but the chart enables us to engage in self-reflection about the constant pressures between our internal states (e.g., values, desires, and needs) versus external states (e.g., pressures from society, family, and culture).

Also, it’s not to say that self-awareness is neatly boxed into these categories. There are many other factors that can affect them as well, such as individual and cultural differences. However, it’s helpful to view these categories as fluid and as a *tool* to engage in self-reflection.

Chart reference: https://hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it

08/02/2023

Some things in life might be too late to change, but many other things aren’t. How often do we expend time and energy worrying about the things we can’t change, when that time and energy can be invested into taking action?

It’s not to say we shouldn’t worry or dwell on issues at all; we still need to process them and sit on these emotions. However, there’s a fine line between processing and ruminating, in which the latter might consume our time and energy without any return of benefits.

Question of the day: What kind of steps can you take this week to make that change?

08/02/2023

08/01/2023

06/19/2023

Growing up, I never imagined healthy lifestyles to become a widely-accepted trend, but I started seeing a positive shift around 2015, during which a proliferation of physical trainers and influencers swept across social media to promote exercise and fitness. I'm so glad to see the general increase in health-conscious choices over the years, as they truly affect our overall health and wellness.

Living in LA, we Angelenos are often teased for promoting everything organic, raw, and natural - perhaps to an excessive degree 😅 I have to admit, I had good laughs when seeing videos of the ritzy grocery store, Erewhon, and its notorious prices!

While we don't have to be excessively preoccupied with everything we eat, the food we consume does affect our overall state of health. Ultimately, it's about finding the right balance.

We've all heard about the healthy food choices we should be consuming (i.e., a balance of vegetables, protein, lean meat, vitamins, healthy amount of carbs, etc.), so I want to dedicate this post to the *why* behind it.

Check out the slide to see the interconnection of nutrition, cells, brain, and overall health.

Question for you: If you've made the healthy lifestyle change, what were some of the initial challenges? How did you overcome them? Leave a comment!

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On an important note though, the health trends do make me reflect on the food disparities we have across the globe. I'm grateful for companies that have focused on missions of making fresh, nutritious food more accessible, particularly in food deserts. However, it's still an ongoing problem and I hope we can find ways to address these issues.

06/18/2023

In my prior posts, I touched upon the concept of "mental endurance" and the importance of practicing the rewiring of our mindset.

When we're faced with difficulties in life, it's common to endorse a "why me" outlook and to focus on the negative aspects of the events or ourselves. After all, the difficulties place major emotional and physical strains on us. We're allowed to feel the emotions and to process them.

However, each time we engage in self-disparaging thought patterns, we are essentially reinforcing the negative feedback loop, thereby making it easier to acquiesce to these thought patterns the next time a stressor arises. Therefore, it's important to catch ourselves when this happens, and change the way we process and reflect on the event.

One cognitive reframing strategy is to ask yourself the following 3 reflective questions when faced with challenging life stressors:

1) In what ways have the events affected you?
2) What have you learned from the events?
3) In what ways have they made you stronger, wiser, or more astute?

Doing so allows you to reflect on and process the events, and then shifts your focus from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

This is just one of the many strategies for building mental endurance - more tips to come!

Note: This strategy isn't intended to dismiss the negative emotions or thought patterns; rather, it's to help shift one's outlook after having processed the events.

Feel free to practice this strategy on yourself (or therapists: try implementing this strategy on your patients).

06/15/2023

In my prior post, I touched upon the importance of getting to the root of the stress when it comes to stress management. However, it's just as essential for us to have effective self-care techniques in order to help regulate our natural stress response.

What are some self-care strategies that have worked for you?

06/13/2023

Don't use someone else's measurement for your success and happiness in life.

A portion of our life's stress can come from the external pressures of our environment, which can include friends, family, and society all displaying (and controlling?) what defines a wholesome life.

However, remember that this is YOUR life. If a certain lifestyle or goal makes you happy, and this choice doesn't put you in harms way, then tune out the voices of what others say. Ultimately, you're in charge of your life and the things that bring you fulfillment.

06/13/2023

Stress typically carries a bad rap, but did you know it can actually be beneficial for us?

As I continue the stress series this month, I look forward to sharing helpful tips and insights on how to shift your perception of stress so you can learn how to manage it and use it to your advantage rather than letting it consume you.

We often hear or read about ways to combat stress, and while these are valuable to learn, the reality of it is: Stress is not going anywhere. Experiencing stressful events is an inherent part of our life - no one goes through life untouched by them.

Therefore, it's important to learn how to use stress to sharpen our awareness, become stronger and resilient, develop a sense of mastery, and reshape our priorities.

The key is to find an "optimal level of (acute) stress," which varies from person to person. I'll dedicate a separate post about this in the coming weeks, as there is a significant difference between manageable acute stress versus harmful chronic stress.

Also, it's important to note that the concept of "stress" should not be overgeneralized. Each person experiences different life stressors, and some can be chronic and debilitating (e.g., toxic home environment, trauma, and job loss to name a few).

However, when it comes to acute stressors, there are several benefits such as boosting our performance. If we don't experience any type of stress, we may not feel motivated to accomplish a task or goal.

Question of the day: How has stress been helpful, or unhelpful, for you?