5 Signs of High Cortisol to NOT IGNORE | What Lowers Cortisol?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE_mhJ-uAXI
Cortisol is that steroid hormone that  is produced by your 2 adrenal glands,   which sit on top of each kidney. When  you are stressed, cortisol is released   into your bloodstream. But Having the right  cortisol balance is essential for your health,   and producing too much or too little cortisol  can cause health problems. In this video,   we will look at 5 signs of your body  having higher than average cortisol. So without further a do, real  quick before we get started,   hit the like button down below for the  YouTube algorithm, and lets get started.
00:00:30
First off, Everyone has high cortisol from  time to time, and levels vary throughout   the day. It’s part of your body’s natural  response to threats of harm or danger. But,   if your body consistently makes too much cortisol,  thats when something could potentially be off.   Because its The adrenal glands that make the  hormone, but the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal   axis that controls how much your body releases.  ANd when it does get released, Most of the cells   in your body have cortisol receptors, to take in  the cortisol and do important tasks with it like:   control blood sugar, reduce inflammation, regulate  your metabolism, and can even help form memories.   ANd really the only way to validate if your  cortisol levels are in fact higher than normal,   is to get them checked, either with blood, urine  or saliva. And yes, its normal that it peaks in   the early morning and declines throughout the  day, reaching its lowest level around midnight.   Sometimes if you work a night shift and sleep at  different times of the day, this can change too,   but the normal levels, lets say from 6 a.m. to 8  a.m. are about 10 to 20 micrograms per deciliter,   and around 3 to 10 mcg/dL closer to 4 pm.  But there are some clues we can use to help   us determine if it is indeed high. Starting with  the first being Weight gain, especially in your   face and abdomen. This is known as the moon face.  Where the face becomes more round, full or puffy.   The sides of the face, you can see become so  round from the buildup of fat that the ears   can’t be seen from the front. Also you get the Fat  depositing over the sides of the skull which adds   to the face looking rounder. This is often but not  always tied back to cushings syndrome, which comes   with an array of its own symptoms, one hallmark is  the Pink or purple stretch marks on the stomach,   hips, thighs, breasts and underarms. The second  symptom is: Excessive hair growth in females,   otherwise known as hirsutism. Which affects about  10% of women in the US. Having chronically high   cortisol is not the only cause of hirsutism,  we know that conditions like PCOS, acromegaly,   and sometimes pregnancy can cause this to occur as  well. You may have even experienced it by trying   minoxidil which does go away once you stop.  The third symptom of high cortisol is whats   called the buffalo hump. This may be more of a  direct association with cushings syndrome though,   where you get the fat production that often  gets deposited in the neck, which is known as   lipodystrophy. Hopefully if you have experienced  this, you have already discussed with your   endocrinologist a plan to treat it by that stage. A fourth symptom of high cortisol is: just having   weak bones, which can lead to osteoporosis and  sometimes fractures. This is because Elevated   cortisol levels interfere with osteoblast  formation and decreases bone building,   which then reduces bone density. Basically, more  bone tissue is broken down than is deposited.
00:03:32
And lastly, easy bruising. Now this isnt only  indicative of high cortisol. Chemotherapy,   blood thinners, and aging are also some examples  where bruising easily can occur. But the way in   which Cortisol causes it, is how it breaks down  some of the dermal proteins and how it weakens   the small blood vessels. In fact, sometimes the  skin may become so weak it develops this shiny,   paper-thin quality which allows it  to be torn easily too. This is an   issue because it increases the chances of skin  infections. Which is something we dont want.
00:04:08
And remember, there can be more symptoms than just  these 5, a few others can be elevated blood sugar,   high blood pressure, and mood swings. Many  conditions share these similar symptoms,   which is why if you suspect any of these, its  important to discuss them with your primary   care doctor to find the right treatment plan that  is tailored for you and get a proper diagnosis. In the meantime, a few tips you  can take to help manage cortisol,   be it that you have been diagnosed with cushings  syndrome, adrenal gland tumor, on corticosteroids,   or lets say none of those, and you feel  like your cortisol is always elevated. Yes,   speak to your doctor, but also Start  by changing up some lifestyle measures   that you can start implementing  today like getting quality sleep,   which is in fact treating conditions like  sleep apnea or insomnia that affect this,   exercising regularly, combating stressful thinking  patterns, practicing deep breathing exercises,   and a current favorite of mine known as  shinrin yoku, which is forest bathing,   since we have some evidence that people who  practice forest bathing, “salivary cortisol levels   were significantly lower in the forest groups  compared with the urban groups.” and how “Overall,   forest bathing can significantly influence  cortisol levels on a short term in such a way” Also, if you are in the clear to try supplements  by your doctor, adaptogens can be a great starting   point. 2 of my favorites are Ashwagandha  which we talked about a lot on this channel,   studies show us that a “high-concentration  full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract   safely and effectively improves an individual’s  resistance towards stress and thereby improves   self-assessed quality of life.” Secondly, rhodiola  rosea: which extracts shows us an “anti-fatigue   effect that increases mental performance,  particularly the ability to concentrate,   and decreases cortisol response to awakening  stress in burnout patients with fatigue syndrome.”   Both of which I link down below in  the description that you can check   out as well as videos discussing them in  more detail for you down there as well.
00:06:15
Im more curious to hear from you guys though. what  are your thoughts? Let me in the comments below.   Also, hit that subscribe button too if you found  value in this, and ill see you on the next one.
Source : Youtube

5 Signs of High Cortisol to NOT IGNORE | What Lowers Cortisol?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE_mhJ-uAXI
Cortisol is that steroid hormone that  is produced by your 2 adrenal glands,   which sit on top of each kidney. When  you are stressed, cortisol is released   into your bloodstream. But Having the right  cortisol balance is essential for your health,   and producing too much or too little cortisol  can cause health problems. In this video,   we will look at 5 signs of your body  having higher than average cortisol. So without further a do, real  quick before we get started,   hit the like button down below for the  YouTube algorithm, and lets get started.
00:00:30
First off, Everyone has high cortisol from  time to time, and levels vary throughout   the day. It’s part of your body’s natural  response to threats of harm or danger. But,   if your body consistently makes too much cortisol,  thats when something could potentially be off.   Because its The adrenal glands that make the  hormone, but the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal   axis that controls how much your body releases.  ANd when it does get released, Most of the cells   in your body have cortisol receptors, to take in  the cortisol and do important tasks with it like:   control blood sugar, reduce inflammation, regulate  your metabolism, and can even help form memories.   ANd really the only way to validate if your  cortisol levels are in fact higher than normal,   is to get them checked, either with blood, urine  or saliva. And yes, its normal that it peaks in   the early morning and declines throughout the  day, reaching its lowest level around midnight.   Sometimes if you work a night shift and sleep at  different times of the day, this can change too,   but the normal levels, lets say from 6 a.m. to 8  a.m. are about 10 to 20 micrograms per deciliter,   and around 3 to 10 mcg/dL closer to 4 pm.  But there are some clues we can use to help   us determine if it is indeed high. Starting with  the first being Weight gain, especially in your   face and abdomen. This is known as the moon face.  Where the face becomes more round, full or puffy.   The sides of the face, you can see become so  round from the buildup of fat that the ears   can’t be seen from the front. Also you get the Fat  depositing over the sides of the skull which adds   to the face looking rounder. This is often but not  always tied back to cushings syndrome, which comes   with an array of its own symptoms, one hallmark is  the Pink or purple stretch marks on the stomach,   hips, thighs, breasts and underarms. The second  symptom is: Excessive hair growth in females,   otherwise known as hirsutism. Which affects about  10% of women in the US. Having chronically high   cortisol is not the only cause of hirsutism,  we know that conditions like PCOS, acromegaly,   and sometimes pregnancy can cause this to occur as  well. You may have even experienced it by trying   minoxidil which does go away once you stop.  The third symptom of high cortisol is whats   called the buffalo hump. This may be more of a  direct association with cushings syndrome though,   where you get the fat production that often  gets deposited in the neck, which is known as   lipodystrophy. Hopefully if you have experienced  this, you have already discussed with your   endocrinologist a plan to treat it by that stage. A fourth symptom of high cortisol is: just having   weak bones, which can lead to osteoporosis and  sometimes fractures. This is because Elevated   cortisol levels interfere with osteoblast  formation and decreases bone building,   which then reduces bone density. Basically, more  bone tissue is broken down than is deposited.
00:03:32
And lastly, easy bruising. Now this isnt only  indicative of high cortisol. Chemotherapy,   blood thinners, and aging are also some examples  where bruising easily can occur. But the way in   which Cortisol causes it, is how it breaks down  some of the dermal proteins and how it weakens   the small blood vessels. In fact, sometimes the  skin may become so weak it develops this shiny,   paper-thin quality which allows it  to be torn easily too. This is an   issue because it increases the chances of skin  infections. Which is something we dont want.
00:04:08
And remember, there can be more symptoms than just  these 5, a few others can be elevated blood sugar,   high blood pressure, and mood swings. Many  conditions share these similar symptoms,   which is why if you suspect any of these, its  important to discuss them with your primary   care doctor to find the right treatment plan that  is tailored for you and get a proper diagnosis. In the meantime, a few tips you  can take to help manage cortisol,   be it that you have been diagnosed with cushings  syndrome, adrenal gland tumor, on corticosteroids,   or lets say none of those, and you feel  like your cortisol is always elevated. Yes,   speak to your doctor, but also Start  by changing up some lifestyle measures   that you can start implementing  today like getting quality sleep,   which is in fact treating conditions like  sleep apnea or insomnia that affect this,   exercising regularly, combating stressful thinking  patterns, practicing deep breathing exercises,   and a current favorite of mine known as  shinrin yoku, which is forest bathing,   since we have some evidence that people who  practice forest bathing, “salivary cortisol levels   were significantly lower in the forest groups  compared with the urban groups.” and how “Overall,   forest bathing can significantly influence  cortisol levels on a short term in such a way” Also, if you are in the clear to try supplements  by your doctor, adaptogens can be a great starting   point. 2 of my favorites are Ashwagandha  which we talked about a lot on this channel,   studies show us that a “high-concentration  full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract   safely and effectively improves an individual’s  resistance towards stress and thereby improves   self-assessed quality of life.” Secondly, rhodiola  rosea: which extracts shows us an “anti-fatigue   effect that increases mental performance,  particularly the ability to concentrate,   and decreases cortisol response to awakening  stress in burnout patients with fatigue syndrome.”   Both of which I link down below in  the description that you can check   out as well as videos discussing them in  more detail for you down there as well.
00:06:15
Im more curious to hear from you guys though. what  are your thoughts? Let me in the comments below.   Also, hit that subscribe button too if you found  value in this, and ill see you on the next one.
Source : Youtube

What’s Your ADHD Type ? – With Symptoms Examples 👀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBonqCwyjRA

00:00:11
What are the different types of ADHD? Did you know that people diagnosed with  ADHD often experience the condition quite   differently from one another? This is  because each individual’s condition is   a little varied… but also because there  are different identified types of ADHD.   Each type has different symptoms and traits that  stand out, impacting life in a range of ways.
00:00:38
In recent years, valuable research has shown that  ADHD is much more complex than originally thought.   If you feel like you’re struggling  to process your diagnosis against   what the average person believes ADHD  to be, it’s okay! You’re not alone. The three different types of ADHD  are hyperactive-impulsive type,   inattentive type and combination type, which  feature symptoms of the first two types. Let’s take a closer look at each of  these types and their related symptoms. Hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD Hyperactive and impulsive type is characterized  by impulsive actions and hyperactivity.   Those diagnosed with this type of ADHD may  also display inattention and a lack of focus,   but hyperactivity and impulsive behavior will  be much more prominent in day-to-day activity. Some of the common symptoms of someone with  this type of ADHD include constantly feeling   restless and fidgety, talking a lot and  fast, having trouble engaging with quiet   and relaxing activities, general impatience,  and impulse purchasing. Inappropriate comments   and speaking without considering what you  are saying are also symptoms of this type.
00:01:59
These symptoms can make learning tough,  particularly in a classroom setting.   Research has shown that people  who identify as male are more   likely to be diagnosed with this  type, particularly younger boys.   To receive a diagnosis of hyperactive-impulsive  type ADHD, a child up to the age of 16 must   have at least 6 symptoms. If you are 17 or  older, you must have at least 5 symptoms.   These symptoms, in both children and adults,  must have been present for at least 6 months. Inattentive type ADHD Inattentive type ADHD is typified  more so by symptoms of inattention,   rather than high energy levels and  impulsivity. Usually, someone who   has been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD will  find it more difficult to maintain attention,   struggle to remain focused and will often  have trouble following detailed directions.
00:02:58
As with any type of ADHD, the symptoms of  inattentive type will often vary from person to   person. Do you become bored quickly? Find it hard  to follow instructions? Perhaps you are easily   distracted and at times, struggle to listen? Or  maybe someone has said to you in the past that   you always look like you’re daydreaming. These  are all common symptoms of inattentive type ADHD. However, while there are identifiable symptoms,   it is important to remember that there is no  clear-cut divider between the different types.   That means that even though you may well  have been diagnosed with inattentive type,   you could still experience impulsivity  and hyperactivity at times. Interestingly,   inattentive type ADHD is statistically more  common in those who identify as female than male.
00:03:49
In the past, inattentive ADHD was referred  to as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD),   without reference to hyperactivity. Now, however,  inattentive type more accurately comes under the   umbrella of ADHD. To be diagnosed with  this type of ADHD if you are 16 or under,   you will need to present 6 or more  symptoms for at least 6 months.   If you are 17 or older, you must present at  least 5 symptoms, also for 6 months or more. Combined type ADHD Combined type ADHD is exactly what it sounds like.  Those diagnosed with this type of ADHD display six   or more symptoms of inattentive type, and six  or more symptoms of hyperactive-impulsive type.   This means that someone diagnosed with combined  type will likely experience hyperactivity and   impulsivity, while also struggling  with inattention and distractibility.   It may be difficult for them to  concentrate in class or at work,   and they will likely struggle with self-control.
00:04:54
According to the American Psychiatric  Association, statistics show that combined   type ADHD is actually the most common  ADHD diagnosis among children and adults. How do I find out which type of ADHD I have? A visit to a mental health professional is  the only way to get an accurate diagnosis   for your condition. They will be able  to diagnose you with ADHD if applicable   and will also be able to determine  which type you have. In the end,   that makes it easier for you to understand your  condition and to more effectively treat it. When you visit a mental health professional,   they will conduct certain tests and provide  questionnaires that help to understand your   condition more clearly. You may also be asked  for your history of past medical conditions.   With this information, your mental health  professional can more accurately make a diagnosis. ADHD can be a difficult condition to  live with. But no matter the type of   ADHD you have, there is help available.  And remember, always be kind to yourself!
Source : Youtube

2-Minute Neuroscience: ADHD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8JnDhp83gA

00:00:04
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD,   is a condition characterized by difficulties with  attention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity.   ADHD involves strong genetic influences, but  environmental factors, and interactions between   genetics and the environment, are thought  to play an important role in ADHD as well.
00:00:24
Much of the recent research into the neuroscience  of ADHD has focused on understanding the brain   networks that might underlie different  aspects of cognitive function in ADHD.   One example is the default mode network,  which is a collection of brain regions   that is more active during mind-wandering and  introspection, and less active when a person   is attempting to complete a specific task.  Studies have found that people with ADHD have   atypical connectivity in the default mode network,  which might be associated with distractibility. Individuals with ADHD also display  lower activity in brain networks   that are involved in attention and cognitive  control. Typically, activity in these networks   increases when activity in the default  mode network decreases, and vice versa.   Thus, one hypothesis is that in ADHD activity  in the default mode network is dysregulated   and interferes with the function of networks  involved in attention and cognitive control.
00:01:17
Studies have also found that people with ADHD tend  to display atypical activity in the reward system,   a group of structures that are  involved in motivated behavior,   anticipation, and reinforced learning.  This atypical reward system activity   might be associated with a tendency to  overestimate the value of short-term rewards   in comparison to long-term rewards, which  could also affect planning and decision-making.   The reward system includes some of the major  dopamine pathways in the brain, and dopamine is   often implicated in ADHD because medications that  are commonly used to treat the condition, such as   amphetamine and methylphenidate, cause increased  transmission of dopamine and norepinephrine.
Source : Youtube

2-Minute Neuroscience: Autism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBsTX2OVgI

00:00:04
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is characterized by symptoms that include impairments in social communication and interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Although the neuroscience of autism is still poorly understood, autism is considered to be a complex developmental disorder that involves atypical brain organization starting early in development.
00:00:26
Individuals with autism often experience a period of unusually rapid brain growth in infancy and early childhood.
00:00:33
This accelerated brain growth is linked to an atypical pattern of connectivity between brain regions.
00:00:38
A number of studies report that alterations in brain circuitry involved with social interaction and attention can be detected well before the symptoms of autism begin to appear. At this point, however, it’s unclear how brain overgrowth and atypical connectivity might be linked to the occurrence of autism symptoms.
00:00:56
Research suggests that the risk of autism is strongly influenced by genetics, yet studies consistently report that environmental factors also play a large role. Although a number of potential environmental factors have been identified, the risk factors for autism are far from definitive, and it remains unclear which factors are responsible for causing an increase in autism risk, and which are associated in a non-causal way. The risk factors that are most strongly linked to autism are associated with the prenatal or perinatal period.
00:01:22
Thus, it’s possible they might be responsible for disruptions to typical neural development, leading to symptoms of autism months or years later.
00:01:30
How these risk factors might interfere with neural development is still uncertain, but hypotheses have suggested potential mechanisms such as epigenetic effects, inflammation, oxidative stress, or damage caused by oxygen deficiency. More work needs to be done, however, to fully elucidate the genetic and environmental risk factors for autism, as well as the mechanisms for the development of autism symptoms.
Source : Youtube

The Science of Caffeine: The World’s Most Popular Drug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuJOhpNS0IY

00:00:05
Millions of Americans use caffeinated beverages every day as a pick me up.
00:00:09
It is after all the world’s most popular drug and with new caffeine infused products like energy drinks, gum and even beef jerky hitting the shelves, our love affair with caffeine shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Caffeine is an interesting drug because when enters the body it breaks up into three different yet very similar molecules. When metabolized in the liver, enzymes chisel off one of three methyl groups to form these three metabolites with three different effects on your body: Theobromine. Paraxanthine. Theopylline.
00:00:40
While in the brain, this caffeine party crashes adenosine receptors blocking the normal guest, adenosine from doing its job. Adenosine is responsible for slowing down your back giving our brains giving us the cue to calm down and take a nap. Also adenosine is responsible for regulating neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine. As you can see, adenosine is also quite similar to caffeine in structure, which is why caffeine binds so easily to the adenosine protein receptors. Once connected, caffeine increases the activity in neurotransmitters like dopamine ultimately leading to heightened brain activity.
00:01:12
Then the three metabolites perform their own specific functions.
00:01:15
Theobromine increases oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain. Paraxanthine enhances your body’s athletic performance by increasing the rate a fat breakdown to fuel muscle activity. Theopylline increase your heart rate and reinforces your ability to concentrate. And although these effects come together to produce a state of wakefulness, too much caffeine can turn sour pretty quick. At higher doses caffeine is known to cause jitters, anxiety and just general all-around discomfort. For this reason scientists have found four hundred milligrams is the safest average dose of caffeine for adults. To put that into perspective, that’ll be around three eight-ounce cups of coffee, five eight-ounce Red Bulls or a whopping eight cups black tea.
00:01:52
And on a side note site it’s also found that caffeine becomes toxic around 10 grams, which works out to be about seventy five cups of coffee, or 180 cups black tea. However in the lethal limit does vary widely from person to person. Hey thanks for watching folks.
00:02:07
Stay tune next week, we’ve got more science coming your way that can only make you smarter. And if you haven’t already make sure to subscribe, so that you don’t miss anything.
00:02:13
Oh and if you have any chemistry themed questions, make sure to post them in the comments, they might be in upcoming videos.
Source : Youtube

Caffeine and Adenosine Receptors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOfquPE1cnU
What do tea, energy drinks, chocolate, cola, and coffee have in common? They all contain caffeine, the most popular psychoactive drug in the world. Almost everyone knows firsthand how effective caffeine is at keeping you awake, but how does it do it? Listen in to this episode of Medicurio to explore the history, mechanism, and surprising medical uses of caffeine.
00:00:35
Humans and caffeine have had a long history together.
00:00:39
The drinking of tea began almost 5000 years ago in ancient China while the drinking of coffee began around 1000 years ago in Arabia.
00:00:48
In both civilizations, caffeine became an integral part of their cultures.
00:00:52
Tea and coffee arrived in Europe around the same time in the 16th century and likely caused a revolution of knowledge and technology in Western civilization.
00:01:03
This was because before caffeine was introduced, due to the unsanitary water conditions, Europeans often drank weak beer and wine throughout the day instead of water.
00:01:14
The alcohol sterilized any germs, but also made people tipsy.
00:01:18
You can imagine how that would have affected productivity of workers in Europe. When coffee became popular, not only did it allow people to work energetically, it also popularized coffeehouses, where people had serious discussions about current events over a cup of coffee, resulting in philosophy, science, and politics all advancing in leaps and bounds.
00:01:41
Without caffeine, Western civilization may very well be a lot less developed than it is now.
00:01:48
It was in the 1800’s when caffeine was finally isolated from coffee, leading to extensive research on the drug.
00:01:55
Finally, in the 1960’s, scientists discovered how caffeine prevents sleepiness. But to understand its mechanism, first we need to figure out what is going on inside our brain to make us fall asleep.
00:02:09
Cells in our body such as neurons break down a molecule called adenosine triphosphate for energy.
00:02:15
One of its breakdown products is adenosine.
00:02:18
Therefore, as the brain uses up energy throughout the day, adenosine levels steadily increase inside the neurons, leading to some adenosine exiting the neurons which can bind to adenosine receptors to cause sleepiness.
00:02:33
This is a very useful mechanism: high adenosine levels in the brain indicate that the brain has been very active and needs to rest, so adenosine will make you fall asleep.
00:02:44
Specifically, adenosine has two effects, depending on what type of adenosine receptor it activates. If adenosine activates an A1 receptor, which are found on neurons that keep the brain awake, those neurons become less active.
00:02:59
If adenosine activates an A2A receptor, which are found on neurons that initiate sleep, those neurons become more active.
00:03:08
The combined activation of these two receptors, a weaker wake signal and a stronger sleep signal, as well as a variety of other hormones, are responsible for making you fall asleep. During sleep, the brain can replenish its energy reserves and begins to eliminate adenosine. Eventually, not enough adenosine is left in the brain to activate adenosine receptors, so you wake up feeling refreshed.
00:03:33
The structures of caffeine and adenosine are very similar, which means that caffeine can also bind to adenosine receptors.
00:03:41
However, since adenosine and caffeine are not exactly the same, caffeine cannot activate those receptors.
00:03:49
All it does is compete with adenosine for the receptors, making it more difficult for adenosine to activate those receptors to cause sleepiness.
00:03:58
This is how caffeine makes you feel more alert, essentially by decreasing the sensitivity of your neurons to adenosine.
00:04:05
Caffeine’s effect only lasts for two to four hours though, depending on how fast your body breaks down caffeine, which is mainly determined by genetics.
00:04:15
Once your body breaks down the caffeine, adenosine can once again bind easily to its receptors to cause sleepiness.
00:04:23
If you ingest caffeine on a daily basis, you may have started with drinking one cup of coffee a day and eventually moved on to three or four a day to have the the same feeling of alertness.
00:04:34
This is known as caffeine tolerance and often happens to people who are chronic coffee drinkers. This may be due to your neurons synthesizing more adenosine receptors to compensate for the receptors blocked by caffeine.
00:04:48
Therefore, more caffeine is needed to block those additional receptors. If a chronic caffeine user suddenly stops taking caffeine, since there are now so many adenosine receptors, the sleep-inducing effects of adenosine may intensify.
00:05:03
Therefore, some users may experience withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, and irritability, the opposite of caffeine’s effects.
00:05:15
To avoid these unpleasant feelings, these people will continue to take caffeine. This results in a mild physical dependence on the drug, but not severe enough to be classified as a true “addiction”.
00:05:28
Caffeine is nowhere near as addictive and life-ruining as other stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines.
00:05:35
These withdrawal symptoms can last up to a week until the number of adenosine receptors returns to normal, and you can minimize these symptoms by slowly weaning yourself off of caffeine rather than stopping abruptly.
00:05:48
Adenosine receptors are also found outside the brain, particularly in the heart and kidneys.
00:05:54
Just like how activating A1 receptors in wake-stimulating neurons decreases their activity, activating A1 receptors in the heart and kidneys also decreases their activity: the heart slows down while less blood is filtered through the kidneys, leading to less urine production.
00:06:12
Just like in the brain, activating A1 receptors is a way to give these organs a rest as well, as both heart beating and urine production consume energy.
00:06:23
When these A1 receptors are blocked by caffeine, the opposite occurs: heart rate increases and more urine is produced, symptoms you may experience after a few cups of coffee. For people who have ingested a large amount of caffeine, they may experience uncomfortable symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and insomnia from over-alertness, jitteriness from higher heart rate, and dehydration from increased urine production.
00:06:49
However, caffeine is generally a safe drug. It is very difficult to overdose on caffeine. Here are the caffeine levels in common caffeine-containing substances.
00:07:00
For caffeine to be lethal to an average adult, 10 grams of it must be ingested within a few hours, which is the equivalent of around 100 cups of coffee.
00:07:10
A few words of caution though: children should avoid caffeine, as it is still unknown what kind of effects caffeine has on a developing brain.
00:07:18
And if you are constantly using caffeine to avoid sleep, STOP. Adequate sleep and rest are important for healthy brain function.
00:07:28
Aside from its stimulatory effects, caffeine also has some medicinal effects, though its mechanism there is not well understood.
00:07:37
Caffeine is commonly found mixed with NSAIDs such as acetaminophen and aspirin because caffeine can enhance their painkilling properties.
00:07:46
This is particularly useful in treating pain from migraines.
00:07:51
Even more interesting is that recent research has found that moderate daily caffeine intake seems to prevent various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
00:08:03
It is truly exciting that such a common drug like caffeine may be the key to preventing the devastating neurodegenerative diseases that are affecting so many people right now. So the next time you drink a cup of coffee or tea, realize that you are taking in a drug that not only played a huge role in human civilization in the past, but may be an important medical drug in the future.
00:08:27
Thanks for watching, and see you next time on Medicurio.
Source : Youtube

How to Be as Productive as Elon Musk – 5 Essential Practices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4cjNYGUaoA
For quite a while now I have been fascinated by Elon Musk’s ability to accomplish incredibly difficult things and often at a ridiculously fast pace. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Elon Musk is a pretty productive guy. And, as someone who loves digging in to see what makes successful people tick, I recently started to wonder what are the habits and practices and mindsets that drive Elon Musk’s ability to get things done.
00:00:22
After reading Ashlee Vance’s biography on Musk as well as digging into some of his Reddit AMAs and past online interviews, I came up with five lessons that answer this question. And, these five lessons are things that anybody can put into practice in their own lives.
00:00:34
And, we’re gonna start with one that is deceptively simple. At an AMA he did on Reddit in 2015, one of the most updot, updoted, updooted. One of the most updooted (laughs). I should just say updooted.
00:00:46
One of the most updooted questions was what daily habit do you believe has the largest positive impact on your life? To which Musk simply replied, “Showering.” Now, I’ll admit that min initial reaction to this question was that Elon was basically trolling this person. And, hey, it’s possible that he was.
00:01:01
But, it’s also possible that he was serious about it. And, reading his answer made me think about a broader, but still related lesson that I’ve learned myself. When I take my personal appearance seriously, I take my work more seriously as well. If I wake up in the morning and I shower immediately and I wear clothes that make me feel confident, I’m likely to have a really productive day even if I’m working here at home where nobody can see me. And, this is something that many entrepreneurs learn really early on when they start working for themselves. And, it’s a lesson that many students learn when they go to college and they get out of their parents’ houses.
00:01:31
And, the fewer external structures you have in your life, you know, managers, parents, incredibly tough fairies named Jorgen Von Strangle, the more you have to rely on your own self-discipline and willpower to get things done.
00:01:43
And, those two traits are surprisingly influenced by your hygiene, by your personal appearance, and by the organization and cleanliness of your environment. So, if you wanna be more productive in your work on a daily basis, take these things seriously. Shower every day, or at least often enough that you don’t smell like a beta tester for a cologne made by Oscar the Grouch. And, dress well.
00:02:01
And, by that I don’t mean you have to wear a suit and tie to class, but wear clothes that make you feel confident and that make it look like you’re taking yourself seriously. Another thing that I noticed about Musk, which forms the basis of our second lesson, is that he sets an example for his team.
00:02:14
Musk is a famously demanding CEO, expecting his employees to work long hours, outwork the competition at every point, and basically give up any semblance of a work-life balance.
00:02:23
And, this can make him seem abrasive and uncaring. Here’s one thing that he said to one of his employees at Tesla.
00:02:27
“I want you to think ahead and think so hard every day “that your head hurts.
00:02:31
“I want your head to hurt every night when you go to bed.” Now, despite this abrasive nature, most of Musk’s current and former employees have a lot of respect for him. And, they’re willing to sacrifice a balanced life in order to meet his demands. Why is this? Well, one reason is that Musk doesn’t expect anyone on his teams to work any harder than he does. In other words, he sets the example.
00:02:51
Musk puts in anywhere between 85 to 100 hours per week, often working the full seven days.
00:02:55
And, he also has an intense system of bashing his tasks in order to wring every minute for all that it’s worth. So, while Musk’s employees are working hard, he’s working harder.
00:03:04
Of course, an integral part of setting an example, is making sure that example is visible to the people whose morale will benefit from it.
00:03:10
And, that’s why Musk chose to put his desk at Tesla on the factory floor in the middle of all the other engineers’ desks. Steve Jurvetson, who’s one of the board members at Tesla explained Musk’s reasoning for selecting this location. “He picks the most visible place on purpose.
00:03:23
“He’s at Teslas just about every Saturday and Sunday “and wants people to see him and know they can find him.” Now, here’s how this relates to your personal productivity. Deliberately choosing to set a good example for those around you, will further motivate you to consistently improve. When you know other people are watching, especially people that you’ve put demands on, you’re not gonna rest on your laurels. Plus, when you’re working on a group project, or if you eventually get into a situation where you’re managing other people, setting an example is gonna help to make your team a more cohesive and effective unit.
00:03:50
And, for Elon Musk, having his teams be cohesive and effective is crucial because he is constantly setting stretch goals, which is the basis for our third lesson.
00:03:58
One of Musk’s most notorious character traits, is a tendency to set incredibly ambitious deadlines for his companies’ various projects.
00:04:04
And, this can sometimes be unrealistic. If you’re familiar with Tesla’s early history, you might remember that they initially promised to ship the first Roadster back in 2006, a date that was further pushed back and back and back until the Roadster finally released in late 2008. On the flip side, these seemingly impossible deadlines have a powerful effect on his teams. Here’s how one former executive at SpaceX put it. “It’s like he has everyone working on this car “that is meant to get from Los Angeles to New York “on one tank of gas. “They’ll work on the car for a year and test “all of its parts.
00:04:32
“Then, when they set off for New York after that year, “all the vice presidents think privately “that the car will be lucky to get to Las Vegas. “What ends up happening is that the car gets “to New Mexico, twice as far as they ever expected, “and Elon is still mad.
00:04:44
“He gets twice as much as anyone else out of people.” And, I wanna put special emphasis on that last sentence there because it perfectly illustrates the power of stretch goals. Essentially, a stretch goal is a goal that’s beyond your current capabilities or sometimes your current perception of your capabilities. If you think that you can do five pull-ups and you have a coach who tells you to jump up on the bar and do 10, he’s just set a pretty challenging stretch goal for you.
00:05:07
And, what’s gonna happen is you’re probably not gonna get 10 pull-ups, but you are gonna get seven. Often the seemingly impossible stretch goal is exactly what’s needed to push us past our previous conceived limits.
00:05:16
You have to have the guts to go for something that you don’t think you can currently achieve because in pursuit of it, you’re gonna bring your skills up to the level that they need to be at to actually get it done. This kind of growth doesn’t happen when you keep aiming for things that are just as doable as what you’ve done before. And, Elon Musk knows this well.
00:05:31
Another thing that Musk knows well is the value of developing a wide knowledge base. Among the CEOs of all the tech companies out there, Musk stands out as one of the few who actually understands a lot of the science behind the cars and rockets that his companies create.
00:05:44
And, this wide understanding of physics and math and engineering allows Musk to actually follow along when his engineers explain problems to him.
00:05:50
And, he can often suggest solutions that do end up working. Additionally, this wide breadth of knowledge allows him to push past mental roadblocks and to motivate his team to innovate and do things that others thought were impossible.
00:06:01
The idea of reusing rockets is a great example here. In his book, Ashlee Vance notes that, “There’s a camp of space experts who think Musk “is flat-out wasting his time, and that engineering “calculations already prove the reusable rockets “to be a fool’s errand.” And, yet in March of this year, SpaceX launched the same Falcon 9 rocket into space for the second time. Reusable rockets are here. Now, Musk’s knowledge of science and engineering isn’t solely a product of his pre-CEO years. Even as he worked to run his companies, he also strove to learn the fundamentals of what his engineers were building.
00:06:31
Here’s a great passage from Vance’s book on this. He would trap an engineer in the SpaceX factory and set to work grilling him about a type of valve or specialized material.
00:06:39
“I though at first that he was challenging me “to see if I knew my stuff,” said Kevin Brogan, one of the early engineers.
00:06:43
“Then I realized he was trying to learn things.
00:06:46
“He would quiz you until he learned 90% of what you know.” Musk’s insistence on learning about every aspect of the engineering that goes into his companies’ products makes him a T-shaped person, somebody with a deep knowledge and skills in one particular area, but also a shallower, yet still fairly substantial amount of knowledge in a broad array of other topics and disciplines. By contrast, an I-shaped person, a specialist, has a deep knowledge in one particular area, but that’s about it. They basically stay in their lane. And, there’s also what you could call a dash-shaped archetype. These are your jack of all trades, master of none type people. Out of these three archetypes, you should be striving to become a T-shaped person, because doing so gives you the best of both world.
00:07:24
You develop expertise in one particular area to a degree where you can make a truly meaningful contribution to it, but having broad knowledge in a lot of other areas allows you to be more creative, and allows you to look at problems from a new perspective and solve things in a different way. And, that brings us to our final and most important lesson from Musk. Always assume that you can improve. I wanna start this section off with what is hands-down my favorite quote from Elon Musk.
00:07:48
“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, “where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done “and how you could be doing it better.
00:07:54
“I think that’s the single best piece of advice: “constantly think about how you could be doing things better “and questioning yourself.” Elon Musk is never satisfied with where he is now. He may be proud of his accomplishments and what his companies have been able to achieve, but he knows that in every single area there’s always something that could be done better. There’s always a better, faster, cooler, or cheaper way to do it.
00:08:16
One of my favorite examples of this mindset in action is when he got a $120,000 quote from a supplier for an electromechanical actuator, which is a part that needs to go into a rocket.
00:08:25
Now, most aerospace companies probably would’ve accepted the quote price, shoved the part into their rocket, and passed the expense on to their clients.
00:08:31
But, Elon Musk, instead, laughed at the supplier and told an employee to go build the exact same part from scratch with a budget of $5,000. And, that employee, whose name was Steve Davis, ended up building the part for $3,900, which was even under the budget that Musk set and that part ended up going to space in the Falcon 1 rocket.
00:08:48
So, again, there is always a better, or in this case, cheaper way to do it.
00:08:52
Now, there’s a name for this method of thinking.
00:08:54
It’s called the growth mindset and it’s potentially the single most important factor that separates successful people from their less successful counterparts. A growth-minded person thinks that they can learn anything as long as they’re willing to put enough effort into it. If they fail, they’re gonna get back up and they’re gonna try again, this time with new knowledge about what not to do. And, at the end of the day, they realize that their potential is only limited by their willingness to work hard and keep trying new approaches until something works.
00:09:19
People who don’t think this way, have a fixed mindset. They tend to see the world as something that is the way it is, it’s not really gonna change.
00:09:25
And, that they themselves are not really the kind of people that get better.
00:09:29
They may also believe that the way they currently do things is the best way to do it. These are the kind of people that think if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But, the thing is, this type of thinking is what gets people stuck in ruts. It causes stagnation.
00:09:41
Meanwhile, those who live a growth-oriented life are going to make progress.
00:09:44
And, even if the progress they make is small, even if it’s just 1% per day, over time, well, that adds up.
00:09:51
Now, earlier on we talked about how Elon Musk is a T-shaped person, how he has that deep level of expertise that’s augmented by a broad knowledge base of many different topics.
00:09:59
And, this is something that you should be striving to become, especially as more and more companies are leaning on algorithms and automation to solve the really straightforward problems. If, say you’re an engineering student, you definitely wanna spend most of your time focusing on the main things like fluid dynamics and algorithms. But, if you spent some of your independent time also dabbling in things like marketing or graphic design or maybe even a tech area that you’re not familiar with like machine learning AI, you’re gonna be able to use your main skill set more creatively and you might find that you actually find a job at the intersection of two fields that you didn’t even know existed in the first place.
00:10:31
And, if you wanna start building some initial competence in these outside areas, you should aim to do it actively. And, one of the best places that you can do that is Skillshare.
00:10:39
Skillshare has over 17,000 courses and a ton on different topics including all the ones I just mentioned above: graphic design, AI and machine learning, marketing.
00:10:47
In fact, they have a fantastic marketing course from Seth Godin who is one of my favorite authors that you should definitely check out.
00:10:53
And, the best thing about all their courses is that they have hands-on, practical components. So, instead of just watching videos, you’re gonna be able to sink your teeth into some challenges that will really stretch your capabilities and accelerate your learning. Now, while they do have thousands of courses for you to choose from, I do wanna recommend one course in particular this week.
00:11:09
And that’s Keith Yamashita’s course on storytelling. Human beings are wired to love stories. So if you can learn the elements of good storytelling and how to craft one yourself, you’re gonna have an easier time connecting with people and getting them onboard with your ideas, whether you’re giving a presentation or interviewing for a job. So, if you wanna go through that course or dig into any other area that you’re interested in, give Skillshare a try.
00:11:28
And, the first 500 people who click the link in the description down below and sign up, will get a two-month free trial of unlimited learning. After that, a premium subscription starts at less than 10 bucks a month and you can cancel at any time. So, go check ’em out and I wanna give a huge thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this video and continually supporting this channel. Also a huge thanks to you guys for watching. And, if you like this video, definitely give it a thumbs up to support this channel.
00:11:48
And, hey, maybe consider sharing it with a friend as well. If you’re not subscribed yet, you can subscribe right there and maybe click that bell icon if you wanna get notifications right when I upload.
00:11:56
Otherwise, click right there to get a free copy of my book on how to earn better grades. You can also click right there to check out our latest podcast episode which you might wanna do if you’re looking for a job any time soon.
00:12:05
Otherwise, I will have one more video from this channel right there that you can click on and watch.
00:12:09
Thanks for watching and as always I will see you in the next video.
Source : Youtube

How to Rewire your Brain to Optimize Productivity – Be More Productive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THRYUfwGp6s
What do you think about when you see the word productivity maybe you think about focusing on a single task maybe you visualize a full list of tasks that have already been crossed off or maybe getting into a flow at work where
00:00:11
time seems to pass you by and you hustle through all of your assignments whatever productivity means to you it’s something that you can achieve see productivity isn’t just a course of action productivity is a state of mind and I’m
00:00:22
gonna give it to you hard a lot of recent research says that productivity is correlated with the trait called conscientiousness it’s a personality trait that you can’t really change but there’s also research that contradicts
00:00:33
this and says that you can push your boundaries if you work on it you can change your brain and I’ve seen it happen I’ve seen lazy people change their efficiency but that’s because you’re literally changing your brain now
00:00:42
we can mimic some conscientiousness habits and through those habits we can start to rewire our brain to become more productive and I’m going to show you those habits if you can rewire your brain to be more productive you will
00:00:53
start writing to-do lists and crossing everything off of them before you even know it tip number one is to start in the morning some light tells our brains when to get up and when it’s time to wind
00:01:02
down so I suggest setting your alarm clock as the Sun rises and specifically if you can a little bit earlier to give yourself time to get things done earlier have you ever experienced a morning when you wake up feeling refreshed and you’re
00:01:13
ready to take on the day only the next day you feel groggy and irritable well when we sleep our bodies move through different cycles if we wake up at the wrong time in those cycles we might feel tired and lethargic throughout the
00:01:25
entire morning well a simple way to combat this is by downloading an app something like sleep cycle at night you give the app a range of time when you’d like to get up and you place the phone near your bed based
00:01:35
on your sleep cycle the app will get you up at a time when you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the day and trust me I’ve tried this before and it usually works tip number two is a segmented schedule so you’re up and
00:01:45
you’re awake and you’re ready for the day now what well you need to rewire your brain to think by the hours of the clock from 9:00 to 10:00 you will focus on project a from 10:00 to 11:00 you will focus on project B from 11:00 to
00:01:56
noon you will focus on project C I recommend setting your schedule ahead of time to fit in all of the tasks that you’d like to get done for the day a lot of people nag and they say I can’t work by a schedule I feel constrained well
00:02:07
then you’re setting up your schedule wrong you should set it up with stuff that you want to do – you should reward yourself treat yourself like a worker that you’ve hired and if you don’t reward or
00:02:15
pay that worker and you just give them a whole bunch of stuff to do you’d hate that schedule to a schedule should be a helpful tool not a confining jail also don’t forget to add breaks to your schedules leave your distractions or
00:02:27
miscellaneous tasks to these designated break times something like an email a Facebook message or a daydream can completely derail your entire focus and if your brain knows that it has a break coming up in a few minutes it’s more
00:02:37
likely to put that distracting thought aside until that break something I highly recommend looking into is the Pomodoro Technique the Pomodoro Technique is a way to schedule two hours of work with small breaks and long
00:02:48
breaks in between it’s one of the most effective and proven ways to focus on a task at hand for just the right amount of time tip number three is productive awareness now it can be hard to stop yourself from getting carried away with
00:03:00
distracting thoughts this lack of awareness is like the number one killer of all productivity luckily it’s easy to take control of your awareness and use it to your advantage awareness requires recognizing where you
00:03:11
are and what you are doing in the present moment kind of like meditation take some time to be aware of your surroundings right now what’s happening in the room where you’re sitting what parts of your body are making contact
00:03:21
with the chair to the table or computer or the articles of clothing that you’re wearing what do you see what do you hear even weirder what do you smell have you been reading and digesting the words in front of you or have you been
00:03:30
distracted by other thoughts if you know that you get distracted easily and have trouble staying aware of the present moment I highly recommend meditating or taking a workshop based on mindfulness these activities can help you stay aware
00:03:42
of your surroundings and thoughts all day long and on the same note you need to control your environment as much as possible trying to find a place where distractions won’t creep up on you people won’t come up to you and you
00:03:52
won’t be daydreaming out the window as you learn to be more aware of all of your thoughts you will see distractions coming from a mile away and hopefully you’ll be able to shut them down tip number four is to hold yourself
00:04:01
accountable schedules work because they give you an idea of what’s coming up and they also give you a goal to pursue when you see that it’s 2:30 and you know you have another half hour left to complete an assignment you know that you can ramp
00:04:12
up your focus or maybe give yourself a little bit of slack everyone works at different paces and if you want to be truly productive you have to find the pace that works for you as you create your schedule give yourself some time to
00:04:22
make notes throughout the day when did you feel tired what helped you focus maybe what distracted you you probably start to notice patterns after a couple days maybe you always feel tired at 2:30 in the afternoon or maybe
00:04:33
you’ll feel better on the days that you do yoga in the morning I give a more in-depth guide to tracking your natural productivity states in my full psychology a Productivity course but I’ll talk a little bit more about it at
00:04:42
the end of this video once you start to recognize the times when you feel most productive of the tools that help you you can start to create a schedule that works for you and makes you more productive tip number five is positive
00:04:52
validation did you accomplish your first task of the day in a timely manner well congrats that’s great that you did that make sure you take a moment to cross that task off your list and pat yourself on the back metaphorically positive
00:05:02
validation can train you and your brain to chase anything including productive habits and a laser beam focus just use basic conditioning to reward yourself see our brains naturally seek rewards and they try to retreat from pain if you
00:05:16
can rewire your brain to frame productivity as a truly rewarding way to live your brain will start to crave productivity and it will look for a day full of accomplishments affirmations and positive validations show your brain
00:05:27
that you truly want to cross tasks off your list you want to stay healthy that you want to make money or do whatever it is that you actually want to do for example when I’ve had a really productive day when
00:05:35
I’ve gotten a lot of stuff done I’ll take some friends to a movie or I’ll go out to eat at a nice restaurant I want to rewire my brain so that productive day equals fun evening and it’s working too because when I start thinking about
00:05:46
what I want to do in the evening for fun my brain automatically looks for things to work on I know it’s kind of weird and it’s kind of a difficult feeling to explain but you should definitely try it number six is to manifest your
00:05:56
productivity do you really see yourself as a productive person maybe you don’t today is the day to rewire your brain and change your own attitude you need to throw out any doubts or memories of lazy days because today you are a productive
00:06:08
person that’s just who you are get it you need to continue to manifest positive thoughts and visualize yourself as a productive person that you want to be to give you some insight into this I created a full to our course on the
00:06:18
psychology of belief and within the research process I learned that the best way to be motivated towards something is to think of that trait as part of your identity you might think I’m a productive person who gets loads of
00:06:29
meaningful work done and you should tell yourself that that would be an affirmation and you need to tell yourself that until you start to believe it because the sooner you start to believe that you’re productive the
00:06:38
easier it will be to sit down scheduled your task for the day and actually get them all done I suggest creating a mantra or an affirmation for yourself that says something along the lines of I’m
00:06:47
productive keep this mantra in your back pocket and repeat it every morning whenever you feel like you’re not being productive and your brain starts to pick up on this mantra it will rewire itself and you will believe that you can get
00:06:57
everything done on your list see our minds are fascinating subjects to study human minds have similar habits and certain habits can trick anyone’s mind into becoming more productive this is the idea behind the psychology of
00:07:07
productivity it’s an online course that I created that will help make you a more productive person if you want to learn more about the specific tactics and mechanisms that make someone a super productive industrious person the
00:07:18
psychology of productivity is a proven system to accomplish more helped you defeat procrastination and take control of your day using tactics backed by psychology you can check out more about the full course and some of the results
00:07:28
that past students have had by checking out the link in the description also there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee so it’s completely risk-free and I also want to let you know I’m thinking of raising the price because of how popular
Source : Youtube

How to Stop Overthinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVFbUTjATGc
Overthinking is easy to slip into.
00:00:03
Think about a time you distinctly remember overthinking.
00:00:06
You feel your heartbeat rise and your eyes dart.
00:00:10
Thoughts fire at unprecedented speeds as you struggle to pick up the pieces.
00:00:14
You work yourself up, imagining all kinds of scenarios in your head, overloading it with stress.
00:00:20
Now ask yourself this, how many times have you felt silly or a strange wash of relief because the overthinking led to nothing? More often than not, situations aren’t as complex as you may think.
00:00:33
Overthinking can lead to procrastination, and a lack of self-confidence, and destroys the time you have with yourself while potentially affecting those around you. Of course, this isn’t a blanket statement.
00:00:45
Neglecting certain aspects in fear of overthinking will cause avoidable issues. Still, it’s worth noting the damage overthinking can cause.
00:00:54
More significantly, however, there are plenty of solutions to overthinking.
00:00:59
These aren’t instant fixes – undoing a thought process in your head is often a daunting task, so before watching the rest of this video, take some time to forgive yourself. Self-improvement is all about understanding why you do things a certain way and moving forward.
00:01:16
This is no different.
00:01:19
Accept you can’t control external events For anyone, overthinker or otherwise, control is critical for feeling in charge of our lives.
00:01:28
It’s represented in all kinds of ways, from your morning routine to planning a wedding. For overthinkers, however, the desire for control can extend further. It can extend to external events way beyond an overthinker’s grasp.
00:01:44
The more they take on in their mind, the heavier that responsibility weighs, even if there is no responsibility in the first place.
00:01:51
Let’s say you’re an overthinker and you’ve just completed a job interview.
00:01:55
You’ve done everything you can – asked the right questions, composed yourself throughout and gave as good a version of yourself as possible.
00:02:04
The interview ends and all you can do is wait.
00:02:08
For some, that’s that chapter closed until you find out more.
00:02:11
For those who struggle with overthinking, the brain goes into overdrive. Thoughts about your performance, how you ended the call and what emails you can send after the fact all play on the mind when in reality, you’ve done all you can. Accepting that you can’t always control external events helps put your mind at ease. Think of it like a roadblock for intrusive thoughts.
00:02:34
A helpful way to bring this to life might be by writing down the things out of your control and sticking them somewhere prominent as a continued reminder of what not to think about.
00:02:45
Taking action (no matter how imperfect) One of the biggest causes of procrastination is an overhanging sense of imperfection.
00:02:54
While it is simple to write any number of tasks on your to-do list, actually completing them is another thing entirely.
00:03:00
How many times have you done everything you set out to do in one day? One of the most difficult challenges facing overthinkers is getting started.
00:03:09
Before beginning, overthinking can lead to performance anxiety and subsequent procrastination.
00:03:14
It may sound too easy to simply ‘take action’, but the more you break it down, the easier it becomes.
00:03:21
Again, let’s use the job interview example from earlier.
00:03:25
You’ve been tasked with creating a presentation for the potential role.
00:03:29
It’s due in just a few days but you haven’t started; the task itself seems daunting as all manner of questions and scenarios run through your head: ‘What if the technology lets me down?’, ‘What if they hate the presentation?’, ‘Where do I even begin?’ These questions and scenarios bounce around in an overthinker’s head until the task itself has grown from a small hurdle into an unsurmountable climb. The solution, as we’ve touched on, is quite simple. Break it down.
00:03:59
Find the smallest, most achievable part of your task and run with it.
00:04:03
Pick something that doesn’t require perfection and secure that coveted feeling of achievement.
00:04:08
In this example, simply opening, titling, and saving a presentation document would be a solid, achievable start.
00:04:17
Stop following through on all your thoughts You may occasionally see videos captioned ‘when you let the intrusive thoughts win’ doing the rounds on TikTok and YouTube. Intrusive thoughts are the Alfred to an overthinker’s Batman.
00:04:30
The thing is, most people get them and they can be completely random. For example, have you ever stepped in a lift and been tempted to push all of the buttons at once and run? Perhaps your intrusive thoughts are more innocent, such as wondering what would happen if you got on a random train instead of the usual.
00:04:48
I don’t know, but whatever way these thoughts materialise, they’re there.
00:04:53
A problem arises when these thoughts aren’t left in the void your brain leaves for such a thing.
00:04:59
Giving intrusive thoughts credence is a surefire way to overload your predominant line of thinking and overwhelm your mental energy resources.
00:05:07
A tip if this is you? Stop following through on all of your thoughts. Not all of them need to be listened to.
00:05:15
It’s as simple as recognising that not every thought is a good one. Our minds are not immaculate – human error is prevalent.
00:05:23
You’d be forgiven for conflating this with self-doubt, as reminding yourself that not every thought needs listening to could cause you to doubt the authority of your voice. If you’re worried that’s the case, work on tracing the severity of your thoughts down. Ask yourself, “will this matter in five days?” If the answer is no, chances are it’s not worth your time.
00:05:44
Live in the present moment instead I know what you’re probably thinking.
00:05:49
Living in the moment is advice flung around in a far too carefree nature amongst the self-improvement community.
00:05:56
But, as with a lot of seemingly tired cliches, its positive effects ring true. Overthinking is a challenge we face when we dedicate too much of our present-day energy on our future selves.
00:06:08
Going through life with your future self in mind is a very healthy trait to have, but if taken too far, your present-day is at risk.
00:06:16
Overthinking about details out of your control in fear of the potential for damage negates any effort you put into enjoying your life as you’ll never get to enjoy the moment you’re in.
00:06:26
Living in the present moment helps to refocus and recalibrate wasted energy into a force of good.
00:06:32
It can come in the form of simple exercises such as this.
00:06:35
Look around you and notice: • 5 things you can see • 4 things you can touch • 3 things you can hear • 2 things you can smell • 1 thing you can taste Tasks like these and journaling help highlight a sense of self in the present moment, freeing up time for self-reflection and limiting overthinking space. Understand motivation differently While at the outset motivation is merely the energy required to carry out a task or activity, if you look deeper, you’ll find a critical cog in your well-being and your relationship with yourself.
00:07:09
Firstly, let’s view motivation from a typical standpoint. When the deadline for something like sending a bunch of emails or completing some tedious coursework comes along, you may find yourself searching for inspiration other than the consequences of not completing the task at hand.
00:07:26
That search is often left wanting.
00:07:30
Motivation doesn’t work like that – you can’t spend your day waiting for it to float into your lap.
00:07:35
Instead, you must simply begin, whatever that looks like.
00:07:39
Think back to earlier in this video when we spoke about taking action, no matter how imperfect. That applies here.
00:07:47
When you’re up and running, the motivation will follow – that human need to finish something we’ve started.
00:07:52
That snowball effect is motivation.
00:07:55
To solve the issue of overthinking, understanding how motivation works can be a vital tool in your arsenal.
00:08:02
When you know about the snowball effect, it becomes easier to let go of the intrusive thoughts and unrealistic ‘what ifs.’ Overthinking ends when you begin While some of these steps may make it seem simple to stop overthinking, the reality is different.
00:08:18
For many, it’s how their brain works, so challenging that authority may seem daunting. If that’s you, then fear not, you’re not alone.
00:08:27
In summary, throughout the solutions featured in this video, two key themes stand out: acceptance and action.
00:08:35
When you forgive yourself for not being able to control everything, you can put your best and most important foot forward.
00:08:42
Overthinking can cripple the sharpest of minds, so it’s important to remember that it doesn’t make you any less of a person.
00:08:49
It simply means putting your present self in the driver’s seat and putting faith in your decision-making.
00:08:56
Would you like the full illustration from this video? Click here and I’ll send it right over! If you are already subscribed to my free Art of Improvement email newsletter, then there’s a copy of it already waiting in your inbox. Thank you for watching and have an awesome week!
Source : Youtube