Tiny Leaps, Big Changes

By Gregg ClunisHealth & Fitness Mental Health

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Tiny Leaps, Big Changes episodes

July 23, 2020569 - Procrastinating? Do This...
In this episode, I share 3 things you can do about those tasks you always procrastinate on.
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Part 1: Presenting the Problem
A lot of the things on our "task list" don't get done. We consistently push them off

Each day we push it to the next day, and the next day, and the next day

Eventually the task sits there, the reminder gets ignored, and we avoid that task completely

We aren't exactly procrastinating, we still do other things, but we just can't get ourselves to do this one important thing.

Something we can all do to take better action each day is to pay close attention to the areas that we often fail and do something about it. Let's take a look at it.
Part 2: Diving Deeper
That something can be in the form of:
Outsourcing (Can you pay someone else to do it? Would this be worth while?)

Improving Systems (Can you make it easier to do?)

Question Its Value (Is it really that important?)
Part 3: The Solution
Outsourcing:
If something is important and needs to get done but you often fail to do it or drop the ball then look into the reality of paying someone else to do it. We often push back against the idea of "spending money" but the truth is that sometimes you can spend money "profitably". The clearest example is this, if you know that sending out cold emails will get more sales, but you never do it, paying someone else to do it will result in an overall increase in revenue. Here's a less clear example, if you often find yourself neglecting various household tasks or organizing your life but you recognize it's value to reduce overwhelm or anxiety, paying someone else to do it will cost you dollars but save you on your mental health.

Improving Systems:
If something is important and needs to get done, you find yourself never doing it, and you can't justify the expense of paying someone else to do it (or it's something that only YOU can do) then your next step is to look at the systems. Your systems around a task are all of the things you do to accomplish that task. For example, going out for a run might require you to pick out running clothes, put on your shoes, grab your keys, find your headphones, get in the car, drive to the trail, and then go for a run. That's your "system". One thing that can make action easier is to improve the system itself. So perhaps, in the example above, you start leaving your shoes by the door. Perhaps you choose your running clothes the night before. Perhaps you leave your car keys and headphones by your shoes. Doing this would reduce the amount of searching and thought that needs to go into getting out for the run.

Question Its Value:
The final thing you can do is look at whether or not that task should even be done. Sure it feels important but if you always fail to do it and things are still fine then is it actually important? This obviously isn't going to be applicable to most things but sometimes we trick ourselves into doing things because it "feels important" without ever questioning if it truly is. By eliminating these tasks you can free up the mental space and focus your efforts on what's truly important. Just a few ideas. This will be rolling out as an episode on my podcast Tiny Leaps, Big Changes this week. Hope it helps!
Part 4: Daily Challenge
What have you been putting off?

Can it be outsourced?

What do your systems look like?

Is it really important?
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18 min
July 22, 2020568 - How to Work Through Limiting Beliefs
In this episode, we look at a straightforward approach to working past limiting beliefs.
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Part 1: Presenting the Problem
Everyone struggles with limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs often come from minor experiences throughout our lives that get reinforced:
Didn't get the job? Maybe you're just a bad interviewer. Failed the test? Maybe you're just bad at math. Always struggled with managing finances? Maybe you just aren't good with money. Always late? Maybe you're just disorganized.

Limiting beliefs have a major effect on our lives

Limiting beliefs however are not impossible to overcome.
Part 2: Diving Deeper
What are beliefs?
"Beliefs are our brain’s way of making sense of and navigating our complex world. They are mental representations of the ways our brains expect things in our environment to behave, and how things should be related to each other—the patterns our brain expects the world to conform to. Beliefs are templates for efficient learning and are often essential for survival."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-purpose/201810/what-actually-is-belief-and-why-is-it-so-hard-change

How do they form?
Through experiences we've had throughout our lives. The more similar these occurrences the more reinforced those beliefs become.
"Beliefs allow the brain to distill complex information, enabling it to quickly categorize and evaluate information and to jump to conclusions. For example, beliefs are often concerned with understanding the causes of things: If ‘b’ closely followed ‘a’, then ‘a’ might be assumed to have been the cause of ‘b’."
Part 3: The Solution
How do you break or replace beliefs?
Beliefs are formed through an attempt to categorize and identify complex information quickly. It's an attempt to save time and energy. An automatic behavior. To change these beliefs you need to interrupt that automatic behavior and replace the connection.
For example, if you hold a belief that you always screw up interviews it's because you have had bad interviews in the past and have connected that to your sense of self. Your job now is to slow down that reaction to the interview. We do this through analysis.

Some ways to analyze:
- Journaling
- Speaking thoughts out loud
- Reflection

Analysis won't solve the problem in the moment. But doing it often enough afterwards can start to shift the automatic connection and provide room to insert a new belief.
Part 4: Daily Challenge
Identify one limiting belief you have

Use one method of analysis to break it down. Speak it out loud, journal, or just reflect on it

Insert a new belief into the mix. One that is more empowering.

Do this today
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16 min
July 21, 2020 567 - Just Make It Up!
In this episode, a share a story of starting my first business in college.
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21 min
July 20, 2020566 - The Effects of House Plants on Mental Health
In this episode, we look at the benefits of having a house plant.
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3 ways plants help improve your mental health
Reduces Anxiety and Stress

Helps Boost Focus

Connection to Nature reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression
Tips for adding more plants
Choose plants that like indirect sunlight if you don't have a sunny window.

Choose plants that need less water ( like Cacti or succulents) if you forget to water.

Ask questions at your local stores about what plants fits your life style, how much water they need and the right kind of soil for them.
11 Ways Plants Help Mental Health
Why Indoor Plants Help
14 min
July 17, 2020 565 - How to Build Self-Confidence
In this episode, we look at how to rebuild your self-confidence after having toxic relationships.
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14 min
July 16, 2020564 - The Mental Health Effects of Going Outside
In this episode, we look at the mental health benefits of getting outside more often.
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What to do if you're having mental health issues
Try getting outside
Spending time outdoors improves mood by
Interrupting the negativity loop in the brain

Sights and sounds of outdoors is soothing “It's not clear exactly why outdoor excursions have such a positive mental effect. Yet, in a 2015 study, researchers compared the brain activity of healthy people after they walked for 90 minutes in either a natural setting or an urban one. They found that those who did a nature walk had lower activity in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is active during rumination — defined as repetitive thoughts that focus on negative emotions. “When people are depressed or under high levels of stress, this part of the brain malfunctions, and people experience a continuous loop of negative thoughts," says Dr. Strauss.” - https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature

Promotes movement and physical health
Ways to get more time outside:
Schedule 20-30 minutes a few times a week

Look for nature in local settings – Find trails and parks near by

Ask a friend along – going with others is just as beneficial
Resources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature
15 min
July 15, 2020563 - How to Support Yourself While Supporting Others
In this episode, we look at how to best support yourself while supporting the people who need you the most.
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"In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. 5 percent of adults (18 or older) experience a mental illness in any one year, equivalent to 43.8 million people."
We talk a lot about managing our own mental health, but it's very likely that someone who is close to you is going to struggle with their own mental health at some point and rely on you for support.
Do not become a sacrificial lamb
Dropping everything that matters to you for the other person

Going above and beyond regularly

Neglecting your own mental health and life
The best way to support someone else is to maintain your own mental health
How to take care of yourself:
Make time to focus on your own physical health to keep your resilience up
Eat healthy
Get out and move
Get enough sleep

Avoid unhealthy coping like drinking or substance use

Focus on your own established Mental Health routines. This may not be the best time to start something new, but you can at least stick to what you know works

Avoid Feeling Guilty - Quote from National Alliance on Mental Illness “When you allow yourself to notice your feelings without judging them as good or bad, you dial down the stress and feel more in control. When you feel less stressed, you’re better able to thoughtfully choose how to act.”

Gather Help from Others – reach out to other loved ones, trusted friends, support groups, mental health professionals
Resources
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-health-nerd/201911/when-the-one-you-love-is-depressed
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers/Taking-Care-of-Yourself
16 min
July 14, 2020562 - Nobody Remembers Your Failures
In this episode, we talk about how nobody remembers your failures.
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According to a small 2015 study with a sample size of about 1000. 31% of adults have a fear of failure.
This can lead to:
Inaction

Frustration

Low self-esteem

Negative effects across your entire life
Ad
What is failure anyway?
Here's how I look at it:
As long as you keep trying you will never fail.

Being "in progress" is not the same as "I've failed". stop treating them the same.

If you decide a goal isn't what you want anymore and abandon it then you have successfully dodged a bullet

The only way to "fail" is to want something and do nothing about it
With that said, this isn't the commonly accepted view of failure. So let's look at some examples of failures that no one remembers:
Bill Gates: $110 Billion. Started Microsoft and invented computing as we know it. Started a company in 1972 called Traf-O-Data to provide traffic data to engineers. Have you ever heard of it? Of course not, it was a massive failure. Then in 1975 he started Microsoft. What would have happened if Traf-O-Data had worked? The entire computing industry, everything we know as technology may be completely different.

Oprah Winfrey was the co-anchor on a prime-time news station back in 1976. The show flopped and she was fired after a year. She later went on to do...well basically everything. You know who Oprah is.

Usain Bolt was chosen for the 2004 Jamaican Olympic team in Athens. He was eliminated in the first round of the 200 m dash. Then in 2012 he became the first man in history to set 3 world records in a single Olympic Games competition.
The examples are endless
No one remembers or talks about your failures

No one cares about what you "didn't" do

The 3 examples I've given, while they may have viewed each of these events as failures at the time they all did exactly what they should have. They tried again. Bill Gates didn't stop after Traf-O-Data and say "well, I guess running a business isn't for me". Oprah didn't get fired and decide that she just wasn't a good host. Usain Bolt didn't get eliminated and say "well I guess that was my shot. I blew it".

I'm sure each of them were in pain. I'm sure each of them hurt. But they kept going. So they never failed. They just learned and tried again. That's what you need to do.
Resources:
https://www.beingguru.com/2018/09/bill-gates-1st-startup-traf-o-data-was-a-failure-in-70s-failure-is-just-a-word-if-you-look-back-at-your-mistakes/
https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/2011/5/1/when-oprah-was-ours
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/usain-bolt-worlds-fastest-man/0/usain-bolt-a-life-in-pictures/bolt-in-the-first-round-of-the-200m-at-the-2004-olympics-athens/
18 min
July 13, 2020561 - How to Analyze Your Negative Thoughts
In this episode, we look at our negative thoughts.
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How Negative Thoughts Happen
"Our overall mind state has a certain tone or flavor based largely on the types of thoughts we think. When the deep limbic system is overactive, it sets the mind’s filter on “negative.” If you could look into the thoughts of people who are depressed, you would find one dispiriting thought following another. When they look at the past, there is regret. When they look at the future there is anxiety and pessimism. In the present moment, something is most often unsatisfactory. The lens through which they see themselves, others, and the world has a dim grayness to it. They are suffering from Automatic Negative Thoughts, or ANTs. ANTs are cynical, gloomy, and complaining thoughts that just seem to keep coming all by themselves."
Takeaways:
Often the negative thoughts we are having aren't conscious. They just happen.

They come out of no where

This is called Automatic Negative Thoughts
How to Deal With ANT's
Use language as a tool to process your thoughts

Describe what you are feeling either out loud to yourself, to someone else, or in a written format

Describing what you are feeling forces you to analyze it.

There's a difference between language inside your own mind and language used to communicate an idea.
This is why you sometimes have such a clear idea of something in your head but can't find the words to describe it

The process of turning your thoughts into language is called encoding.
"In order to convey meaning, the sender must begin encoding, which means translating information into a message in the form of symbols that represent ideas or concepts. This process translates the ideas or concepts into the coded message that will be communicated. The symbols can take on numerous forms such as, languages, words, or gestures. These symbols are used to encode ideas into messages that others can understand."
While encoding a message your mind needs to analyze the information and find the right "symbols" or language to communicate it with.

That process of analyzing can sometimes help you see things more clearly

Think about when you say a word over and over again or read it over and over again and it starts to look weird. You start to question if it's spelled correct or if you're saying it right.

This happens because you are seeing the word as it's individual parts. you are analyzing it. Rather than reaching for the word as a whole

The same thing happens with our Anxiety or negative feelings
Takeaways:
The next time you find yourself having automatic negative thoughts try saying the thoughts outloud to yourself. It just might help you realize how silly those thoughts are.
Resources:
https://ahha.org/selfhelp-articles/ant-therapy/
https://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20convey%20meaning,message%20that%20will%20be%20communicated.&text=The%20channel%20is%20the%20means%20used%20to%20convey%20the%20message.
14 min
July 10, 2020560 - Why "Take Massive Action" is Bad Advice
In this episode, we look at why "take massive action" is bad advice.
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Reasons this isn't good advice
Unclear: What counts as "massive action""? Uncertainty leads to overwhelm and increased likelihood of inaction

Invalidates tiny action: When your focus is on taking "massive action" it leads to discounting all the tiny things you can do now or the tiny things that you NEED to do. This also leads to inaction because it feels like what you CAN do isn't enough

Massive action can lead to burn out and doesn't consider your current situation (empathy). It's a blanket statement that means nothing.
What to do instead
Start your goal setting from a place of Empathy. Figure out what your constraints are BEFORE setting your goals

Set a goal that is contextual to your situation

Create a progressive action plan. Start with the tiniest thing you can do and progressively increase to larger actions

Start immediately
15 min

About Tiny Leaps, Big Changes

From the publisher's feed

Tiny Leaps, Big Changes is a personal development podcast focused on exploring the day-to-day behaviors we all engage in that determine the results we gain in our lives. Hosted by Gregg Clunis, the…