It’s Friyay (at last) and as the weekend beckons, I thought I’d just take a moment to let you know how special you are. How unique. How rare. In fact, that you exist at all is a miracle. You’re more likely to win the lottery and get struck by lightning on the same day than even be here.
I kid you not, because Dr. Ali Binazir from Harvard University worked out the probability of everything in the cosmos coming together in just the right way to make you happen, and the odds are about 1 in 102,685,000. That’s a 10 with 2,685,000 zeros behind (or a number bigger than all the atoms in the known universe).
So yeah, you’re a special one.
Anyway, on that note, let’s proceed with this week’s Ideas that Help, and if you have any useful resources, practices, ideas, memes, quotes, or books to help brighten someone’s day, or offer support in difficult times, send them to me at chris@chrisbrock.co.uk and I’ll share them.
Some exercise might help
Yeah yeah yeah, I know. Exercise is good for us. Cardiovascular blah blah. Endorphins enshmorphins. But, not only is breaking a sweat a great way to get fit, take your mind off your problems, and feel good in the moment, studies have also revealed massive reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative moods, as well as increases in self-esteem and cognitive function (link to the science).
Such are the benefits of exercise for the brain that rhythmical exercises like running have even been shown to boost brain cell production, and increase the ability to learn (more science).
And what’s great about exercise is that anyone can do it, and anything is better than nothing. A five minute walk. Ten minutes of skipping. Hula hooping. Dancing. Flapping your arms about. It all counts.
A quote that might help
“If I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is grass in the beginning."
Vincent van Gogh, reminding us that our worth has nothing to do with the way others percieve us, but everything to do with how we perceive ourselves.
Embracing resistance might help
My dude, Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten, shares an insight into embracing negative feelings and emotional suffering until they are no longer negative (link if the embed doesn’t work). I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this – let me know.
The birds might help
We all know that getting a bit of nature is good for mind, body, and spirit. But researchers have also discovered that being in places where we can see and hear birds, can be good for our mental health. One study even revealed that birdsong can reduce anxiety, paranoia, and depression, while boosting cognitive function, in contrast to traffic noise, which was shown to increase depression (link).
And if you live in an area that is ornithologically sparse, there’s an app for that.
An Instagram post that might help
Sharon Salzberg is my spirit animal, and one of the wise souls credited with bringing mindfulness, meditation and, in particular, loving kindness practices to the west in the 1970s. She was also nearly a guest on my podcast, but cancelled at the last minute when she got sick. Damn you, ill health *shakes fist*. She’s much better now, thank goodness, and back to posting pearls of wisdom like this.
While I didn’t get to chat with Sharon, I did have a wonderful conversation with her colleague Trudy Goodman, about how to be the light we wish to see in the world.
Disconnecting might help
We’re all glued to our phones these days, and we know it’s not good for us. From disrupting dopamine and cortisol pathways which leads to increased anxiety and stress, to interfering with our circadian rhythms, and even triggering fight-or-flight stress responses due to looking at small screens, our phones are having a real physiological impact on our mental health, our bodies, and our immune systems. And we haven’t even mentioned the perils of social media yet. Egads!
But the good news is that the reverse is also true. When we reduce our smartphone screentime, we get a range of positive outcomes, including increased gratitude and physical health, and reduced anxiety. Find out more here.
This book might help
Another book suggestion from Berenice, this time it’s That’s Bold of You by Case Kenny. Here’s the blurb:
Have you ever been called “too much” or told to “be realistic?” Do you exude a passion for life that makes you feel misunderstood, weird, or out of place?
That’s Bold of You is a call to unlearn the labels society has put on you - difficult, sensitive, intimidating, crazy, too loud, too quiet, too independent, etc. - and embrace being your own version of “too much.” That’s the part of you that speaks loud and clear to your uniqueness and your willingness to express who you are. It’s the source of your self esteem, your individuality, your standards, and what brings you joy… and it’s time to reclaim its power.
An inner retreat might help
We all need a break sometimes, but that doesn’t have to mean maxxing out the credit cards on a yoga retreat in the Maldives. As Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “the way out is in,” a sentiment which echoes these words from the German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter, Herman Hesse:
This poem might help
I’d been hunting around for this poem for ages and had all but given up, when it suddenly appeared in my feed, just before I clicked “send” on this week’s email. It’s like it was meant to be. So, I’ll end here with The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry.
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
That’s all for now. I hope that your week has been a good one, and that your weekend will be even better. And if you have anything you think would be worth including in the next newsletter, please email me.
Best wishes, special one.
Chris
Grateful for you sharing all this!
Copied and pasted on my phone notes so that I may hand write on my own calendar/notebook.
Haven’t been feeling well, been in bed on and off recouping for the next chapters of my NURSING grind.
Taking on these tidbits of vital info your IDEAS THAT HELP to motivate me to move carry on & thrive!
And as for me, excuse my run on sentences and grammatical errors.
Me being ME to Live Laugh & LOVE
Gonna hop on my vibration plate, tackle laundry and clean my room now YAY
Thanks again!