It’s a new year – so is it time for a new way of thinking?
January often comes with a range of emotions – – you might be feeling relaxed and revitalised, or you might feel a little anxious and overwhelmed at the year ahead.
So, how can you train your brain just to be better?
We chatted with Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, a neuroscience expert and podcast host, for some practical tips.
Start your day with a purpose:
“So your purpose can be quite simple: like ‘I wanna positively impact someone’s mood’ or ‘I want to teach one person something that I’ve learned from someone else, and I wanna pass it on,'” Alexis explained.
“If that’s at the front of your awareness, even if it’s the smallest thing, it will turn around; it will transform how you feel.”
Connect with people IRL:
Stop scrolling on your phone and have honest conversations.
“Make sure that you have a real connection with people every day. What I mean by real connection is a conversation where you are either picking up the phone and calling somebody or sitting down with somebody, and your phones are not in sight, you’re able to have a conversation.”
Stop living for the weekends:
Don’t dread Mondays! Find ways to enjoy your weekdays too.
“It’s fine to be excited about that because it’s your time off –
it’s when you’ll have much more freedom with your time. What we don’t want to do is discard the Monday to Thursday and part of Friday.
“So what you wanna be doing instead is, (ask yourself) what are we doing with our daily routines and behaviours that make us look forward to our day?”