According to some new studies outlined in the recent issue of Psychology Today, you may want to ditch your old ideas as to what fuels creativity and consider one or more of the techniques outlined below.
1. If you are usually a morning person, try creating at night when you are sleepy. Creativity requires non-specific thinking. When your tired brain wanders, it can make random connections. This may kick-start new ideas.
2. Good time management practices may improve creativity. Setting aside specific creative time each day reduces stress and allows for space where ideas can flourish.
3. Embracing conflict can lead to novel thinking so don't shy away from it. Recognize the potential in making sense in contradictions, butting heads, and thinking outside the box.
4. Background noise can enhance creativity, but too much noise can be distracting because it impairs the ability to process information. Abstract thinking requires about the volume you would find in a coffee shop.
Psychology Today, May/June 2012, "Four Secrets of Creativity", p.9.
About Me
- Deborah K. Hanula
- Deborah K. Hanula has a year of Journalism training from Humber College, a Political Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and a Law degree from the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Child Psychology, and Psychotherapy and Counselling as well as a Family Life Educator and Coach Certificate and Certificates in Reflexology, Assertiveness Training, and Mindfulness Meditation. She is the author of five cookbooks, primarily concerned with gluten-free and dairy-free diets, although one pertains to chocolate. As an adult, in the past she worked primarily as a lawyer, but also as a university and college lecturer, a tutor, editor, writer, counsellor, researcher and piano teacher. She enjoys a multi-faceted approach when it comes to life, work and study, in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Check out her new book: A Murder of Crows & Other Poems (2023).
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Attraction Paradox
A strong trait that initially attracts you to a mate can often become, to you, your mate's most annoying feature. According to an article in the January/February 2012 edition of Scientific American Mind, repeated exposure, disillusionment and the day to day contact in a long-term relationship go a long way toward making each other's traits more annoying than the quirks of other people. "Learning to reclassify annoying behaviors, increasing awareness of one's own flaws and sharing new experiences can help turn those peccadilloes back into perks." (1)
Extreme traits in individuals tend to be valued and awarded. For instance, strong independence in a person can be highly valued in today's society. Turn this trait around though, and after some time has passed in a relationship, the partner who is 'too independent' may leave his mate feeling quite unneeded. That can spell death for a relationship.
Other so-called positive qualities can also be viewed from the opposite end of the spectrum so they become highly irksome:
- People who are nice and agreeable can later be seen as weak-willed and passive;
- People who are strong-willed can later appear stubborn and unreasonable;
- Extraverted, lively people can later be seen as non-stop performers who always have to be the center of attention;
- The caring suitor, who listens well and responds to your every need can later be seen as clingy and needy;
- An exciting risk taker can come across over time as an irresponsible parent;
- A physically attractive partner can later be viewed as 'high-maintenance';
- Laid back can later be seen as lazy; and
- The driven, high-achieving partner can later be seen as a workaholic. (2)
D.
(1) and (2), Scientific American Mind, January/February 2012, "The Partnership Paradox", J. Palca and F. Lichtman, p. 61.
Extreme traits in individuals tend to be valued and awarded. For instance, strong independence in a person can be highly valued in today's society. Turn this trait around though, and after some time has passed in a relationship, the partner who is 'too independent' may leave his mate feeling quite unneeded. That can spell death for a relationship.
Other so-called positive qualities can also be viewed from the opposite end of the spectrum so they become highly irksome:
- People who are nice and agreeable can later be seen as weak-willed and passive;
- People who are strong-willed can later appear stubborn and unreasonable;
- Extraverted, lively people can later be seen as non-stop performers who always have to be the center of attention;
- The caring suitor, who listens well and responds to your every need can later be seen as clingy and needy;
- An exciting risk taker can come across over time as an irresponsible parent;
- A physically attractive partner can later be viewed as 'high-maintenance';
- Laid back can later be seen as lazy; and
- The driven, high-achieving partner can later be seen as a workaholic. (2)
D.
(1) and (2), Scientific American Mind, January/February 2012, "The Partnership Paradox", J. Palca and F. Lichtman, p. 61.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Berries Can Help Prevent Cognitive Decline
According to a recent study published in the "Annals of Neurology", cognitive aging - the ability to think, to reason, to remember - is delayed by up to 2.5 years in seniors who eat greater amounts of berries. Adding more berries to the diet may counteract the inflammation which contributes to cognitive decline.
Harvard scientists looked at information gleaned from the Nurses Health Study which began in 1976. It was found that women over the age of 70, who consumed a higher intake of berries, had a delay in cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years.
Harvard scientists looked at information gleaned from the Nurses Health Study which began in 1976. It was found that women over the age of 70, who consumed a higher intake of berries, had a delay in cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years.
"Reduced cognitive aging was also associated with a higher total consumption of flavonoids and anthocyanidins (chemical compounds that give fruits and vegetables their pigment - some of the most colorful and deeply colored fruits and vegetables are the richest in anthocyanidins)."(1)
In addition to berries, look to black and red grapes, cranberries, red cabbage, beets, red onion, purple potatoes and eggplant.
D.
(1) "Berries Keep Aging Minds Sharp", Sylvia Booth Hubbard, April 25, 2012, www.newsmaxhealth.com
D.
(1) "Berries Keep Aging Minds Sharp", Sylvia Booth Hubbard, April 25, 2012, www.newsmaxhealth.com
The Caffeine Ritual
The morning caffeine ritual (in the form of tea or coffee) is never something that I have been a part of, but countless others have been and still are. It is a normal part of daily life around the world that billions of consumers enjoy. It's calming. It helps to order the day.
The British have turned their afternoon tea ritual into quite the pageant of pomp and luxury. In certain locations in London, afternoon tea is served amid marble pillars and huge floral displays, in delicate cups made with the finest bone china. Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and fruit tarts are served along with traditional teas such as Earl Grey and English Breakfast.
In Japan, the tea ritual has grown to transcend the tea itself. The elegant tea ceremony matters as much, if not more than, the tea itself as kimonos glide across the floor, the wearers pouring tea into hand-molded earth-tone cups.
In southern India, junior monks deliver kettles of butter tea (black tea with milk, butter, and salt added) to more senior monks as a way of fueling early morning hours of prayer and spiritual debate.
Americans and Canadians sit in casual places like Starbucks sipping their javas while reading their newspapers as others grab coffees to take on the run to offices, meetings, or gyms. A flood of new, upscale coffee shops (which also sell tea) has turned the cheap cup of coffee, refills free, into a three to four dollar beverage brewed and blended to one's personal taste by a personal barista. Howard Schultz, the man who invented Starbucks, turned a single espresso bar in a corner of a coffee company into a Fortune 500 company over the period of two decades. (Earlier, Schultz had visited Milan where he fell in love with the ambience of the great Italian institution, the espresso bar. Not only did he observe that the Italian coffee experience was about fine coffee, he also gleaned that it was about conversation and community, and he wanted to bring that whole concept to Seattle, Washington.)
The average person living in Finland, where coffee consumption per capita is the highest in the world, ingests an estimated 145 grams of caffeine a year. (1)
Much of the research investigating the health effects of caffeine indicates benefits for human health at moderate levels of consumption (about 300 mg caffeine per day which is about 2 medium-sized cups of brewed coffee). Caffeine can help to "relieve pain, thwart migraine headaches, reduce asthma symptoms, and elevate mood. As a mental stimulant, it increases alertness, cognition, and reaction speed; because it combats fatigue, it improves performance on vigilance tasks like driving, flying, solving simple math problems, and data entry." (2)
Caffeine is rarely abused (although at least one student committed suicide by ingesting 150 caffeine pills and more and more incidents of mixing caffeine-laden energy drinks like Red Bull with alcohol leading to negative health consquences are coming to light). For most people, once they reach the jittery stage, they stop ingesting the caffeine which caused the jitters in the first place. The point at which people reach the jittery stage varies greatly among individuals. "Some people seem to be genetically more susceptible to caffeine's effects and may have increased anxiety after consuming even small amounts. In a minority of people, doses of 300 milligrams or more may prompt an increase in tension, anxiety, even panic attacks, which may account for why studies show that nervous people generally have lower caffeine consumption." (3)
Some coffee users find that even a day without caffeine causes headaches, irritability, a lack of energy, and sleepiness. Withdrawal symptoms, however, usually dissipate within a few days. The desire to avoid withdrawal may explain why billions around the world continue to consume the beverage. In fact, any improvement in mood or performance after consuming caffeine could simply be relief from withdrawal symptoms. According to Derk-Jan Dijk, a physiologist at the University of Surrey's sleep research centre, "it may be that we are all on one of those endless cycles (in which) you take caffeine, and you are more alert. Then, the next morning, the effect has worn off and you need more of the drug to restore the alertness. But maybe we could step off the cycle. For those of us who work during the day, we might do just as well without caffeine." (4)
D.
(1) National Geographic, January 2005, "Caffeine", T. R. Reid, p.20.
(2) National Geographic, January 2005, pp. 26 - 27.
(3) Ibid., p. 27.
(4) Ibid., p. 29.
The British have turned their afternoon tea ritual into quite the pageant of pomp and luxury. In certain locations in London, afternoon tea is served amid marble pillars and huge floral displays, in delicate cups made with the finest bone china. Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and fruit tarts are served along with traditional teas such as Earl Grey and English Breakfast.
In Japan, the tea ritual has grown to transcend the tea itself. The elegant tea ceremony matters as much, if not more than, the tea itself as kimonos glide across the floor, the wearers pouring tea into hand-molded earth-tone cups.
In southern India, junior monks deliver kettles of butter tea (black tea with milk, butter, and salt added) to more senior monks as a way of fueling early morning hours of prayer and spiritual debate.
Americans and Canadians sit in casual places like Starbucks sipping their javas while reading their newspapers as others grab coffees to take on the run to offices, meetings, or gyms. A flood of new, upscale coffee shops (which also sell tea) has turned the cheap cup of coffee, refills free, into a three to four dollar beverage brewed and blended to one's personal taste by a personal barista. Howard Schultz, the man who invented Starbucks, turned a single espresso bar in a corner of a coffee company into a Fortune 500 company over the period of two decades. (Earlier, Schultz had visited Milan where he fell in love with the ambience of the great Italian institution, the espresso bar. Not only did he observe that the Italian coffee experience was about fine coffee, he also gleaned that it was about conversation and community, and he wanted to bring that whole concept to Seattle, Washington.)
The average person living in Finland, where coffee consumption per capita is the highest in the world, ingests an estimated 145 grams of caffeine a year. (1)
Much of the research investigating the health effects of caffeine indicates benefits for human health at moderate levels of consumption (about 300 mg caffeine per day which is about 2 medium-sized cups of brewed coffee). Caffeine can help to "relieve pain, thwart migraine headaches, reduce asthma symptoms, and elevate mood. As a mental stimulant, it increases alertness, cognition, and reaction speed; because it combats fatigue, it improves performance on vigilance tasks like driving, flying, solving simple math problems, and data entry." (2)
Caffeine is rarely abused (although at least one student committed suicide by ingesting 150 caffeine pills and more and more incidents of mixing caffeine-laden energy drinks like Red Bull with alcohol leading to negative health consquences are coming to light). For most people, once they reach the jittery stage, they stop ingesting the caffeine which caused the jitters in the first place. The point at which people reach the jittery stage varies greatly among individuals. "Some people seem to be genetically more susceptible to caffeine's effects and may have increased anxiety after consuming even small amounts. In a minority of people, doses of 300 milligrams or more may prompt an increase in tension, anxiety, even panic attacks, which may account for why studies show that nervous people generally have lower caffeine consumption." (3)
Some coffee users find that even a day without caffeine causes headaches, irritability, a lack of energy, and sleepiness. Withdrawal symptoms, however, usually dissipate within a few days. The desire to avoid withdrawal may explain why billions around the world continue to consume the beverage. In fact, any improvement in mood or performance after consuming caffeine could simply be relief from withdrawal symptoms. According to Derk-Jan Dijk, a physiologist at the University of Surrey's sleep research centre, "it may be that we are all on one of those endless cycles (in which) you take caffeine, and you are more alert. Then, the next morning, the effect has worn off and you need more of the drug to restore the alertness. But maybe we could step off the cycle. For those of us who work during the day, we might do just as well without caffeine." (4)
D.
(1) National Geographic, January 2005, "Caffeine", T. R. Reid, p.20.
(2) National Geographic, January 2005, pp. 26 - 27.
(3) Ibid., p. 27.
(4) Ibid., p. 29.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Notes on Mindfulness
People tend to spend much of their time trying to quell negative thoughts or emotions. This can take a lot of energy - energy which would be better utlized elsewhere in life - energy to do something positive. Practising mindfulness does not involve the avoidance of negative emotions and emotional distress in general. Rather, thoughts and feelings of negativity are experienced and then accepted by cultivating the ability to look at the thoughts/emotions in a detached fashion, in a non-judgmental way. They are then experienced as less unpleasant and less threatening. This in turn leads to a better ability to withstand distress without needing to resort to psychological defenses or maladaptive coping strategies in order to decrease the intensity of the emotions.
Thoughts and feelings are not assumed to be valid or permanent - they are seen as subjective and transient. This type of decentered detachment has been shown to be assoiciated with a lowered risk of depressive relapse.
D.
Adapted from "Mindfulness Matters", www.mindfulness-matters.org/what -is-mindfulness/
Thoughts and feelings are not assumed to be valid or permanent - they are seen as subjective and transient. This type of decentered detachment has been shown to be assoiciated with a lowered risk of depressive relapse.
D.
Adapted from "Mindfulness Matters", www.mindfulness-matters.org/what -is-mindfulness/
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Happiness is Free
According to psychologist, Dr. Robert Holden, director of "The Happiness Project" (England) we all have what can be termed, 'a happiness contract'. What this means is that we've all completed - in the back of our minds - a happiness contract in which we've predetermined how much happiness is possible AND how much is too good to be true. This type of contract contains a central clause which states that happiness must be deserved. Happiness needn't be deserved, earned, given, or bestowed upon you. It is free and is a natural component of your true self.
It is quite difficult to know what makes you happy if you don't know yourself well. According to Dr. Holden, once you begin to know who you truly are, you can begin to cultivate true happiness. Focusing internally on your authenticity, rather than externally on achievements or other people, is key.
D.
Adapted from "Find True Happiness", Stephanie Mitchell, Oprah.com, August 18, 2009.
It is quite difficult to know what makes you happy if you don't know yourself well. According to Dr. Holden, once you begin to know who you truly are, you can begin to cultivate true happiness. Focusing internally on your authenticity, rather than externally on achievements or other people, is key.
D.
Adapted from "Find True Happiness", Stephanie Mitchell, Oprah.com, August 18, 2009.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Depressogenic Assumptions
According to Aaron T. Beck, one of the developing 'fathers' of Cognitive Therapy, certain assumptions/beliefs can predispose a person to depression and sadness. Some of these are:
- in order to be happy, I have to be successful in whatever I undertake;
- to be happy, I must be accepted by all people at all times;
- if I make a mistake, it means that I am inept;
- I can't live without you (usually a spouse or romantic partner);
- if someone disagrees with me, it means he/she doesn't like me;
- my value as a person depends on what others think of me.
Wow, that's a huge load to carry around in life. If you have been depressed for a long time, it may mean that you hold to these assumptions and the negative conclusions that arise from them with great tenacity. Your belief in them may come to you quite automatically, quite readily. You may not examine or doubt these views. These views may have become a significant part of your identity - as much a part of your identity as whether you are male or female. The certainty with which you hold these 'core' beliefs usually corresponds with the intensity of the depression.
It is important to note that these assumptions are LEARNED assumptions and at one time or another may have been articulated to you by others or were your interpretation of experiences that you had in the past, often during your childhood and teen years. They may be due to messaging from significant people in your life: attitudes or opinions of teachers, siblings, peers, parents, or others. Family 'rules' are usually factors in the construction of these assumptions: "be nice to people, or people won't like you and it means you are not a nice, lovable person if they like you but you don't like them back." "You are a bad person and so are unworthy or undeserving of love." (This messaging is how some children end up suffering sexual abuse committed by friends or relatives of their primary family. This is also how some children grow into explosive, angry teens or adults: they have been taught to always be nice to others, rather than taught healthy assertiveness in order to protect themselves both physically and psychologically during childhood and beyond.)
During cognitive therapy, a client and therapist work together to uncover these types of strongly and deeply held core assumptions. The client must, however, take the lead during this exploration. It is erroneous and detrimental to the client for the therapist to suggest what a client's core assumptions/beliefs are. The therapist can guide the client in the exploration and uncovering of these beliefs, and help to examine and dissect these beliefs, replacing them with healthier, more positive self-affirming ones.
D.
From Cognitive Therapy of Depression, A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. F. Shaw, & G. Emery, Guildford Press, New York, 1979, pp. 244 - 247.
- in order to be happy, I have to be successful in whatever I undertake;
- to be happy, I must be accepted by all people at all times;
- if I make a mistake, it means that I am inept;
- I can't live without you (usually a spouse or romantic partner);
- if someone disagrees with me, it means he/she doesn't like me;
- my value as a person depends on what others think of me.
Wow, that's a huge load to carry around in life. If you have been depressed for a long time, it may mean that you hold to these assumptions and the negative conclusions that arise from them with great tenacity. Your belief in them may come to you quite automatically, quite readily. You may not examine or doubt these views. These views may have become a significant part of your identity - as much a part of your identity as whether you are male or female. The certainty with which you hold these 'core' beliefs usually corresponds with the intensity of the depression.
It is important to note that these assumptions are LEARNED assumptions and at one time or another may have been articulated to you by others or were your interpretation of experiences that you had in the past, often during your childhood and teen years. They may be due to messaging from significant people in your life: attitudes or opinions of teachers, siblings, peers, parents, or others. Family 'rules' are usually factors in the construction of these assumptions: "be nice to people, or people won't like you and it means you are not a nice, lovable person if they like you but you don't like them back." "You are a bad person and so are unworthy or undeserving of love." (This messaging is how some children end up suffering sexual abuse committed by friends or relatives of their primary family. This is also how some children grow into explosive, angry teens or adults: they have been taught to always be nice to others, rather than taught healthy assertiveness in order to protect themselves both physically and psychologically during childhood and beyond.)
During cognitive therapy, a client and therapist work together to uncover these types of strongly and deeply held core assumptions. The client must, however, take the lead during this exploration. It is erroneous and detrimental to the client for the therapist to suggest what a client's core assumptions/beliefs are. The therapist can guide the client in the exploration and uncovering of these beliefs, and help to examine and dissect these beliefs, replacing them with healthier, more positive self-affirming ones.
D.
From Cognitive Therapy of Depression, A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. F. Shaw, & G. Emery, Guildford Press, New York, 1979, pp. 244 - 247.
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