It has been a long run of virtual meetings and events. The ability to come back together in person is thrilling. I just returned from Mexico City where I had the opportunity to meet with a few of the Marriott International team members. It was really awesome being able to share creative ideas in person, and experience their beautiful culture (and unbelievable food!).
The trip reminded me of the power of human connection and the influence it has on happiness, productivity and motivation. I left feeling inspired to create again, a feeling I have not had in a while. I did not realize the toll the virtual setup was taking on my creativity and motivation, and the significance that in-person work has on the psyche.
This week I will be honing in on a theme of travel/in-person experiences. In addition to the joy that comes with these new routines, it can also be a challenge to transition. I know I forgot how to be social, reinvigorate my energy on the road and stick to healthy habits. I have put together several strategies designed to enhance in-person experiences and create healthy routines while on the go!
After two years of screen time, my ability to be relaxed and personable in a social setting with new contacts had suffered. At the start of the trip, my anxiety was high and I could not recall a proper question to ask.
I realized I needed to prep my energy before entering into the new social experiences. These techniques made all the difference for me, and I began to feel the true excitement that comes from being in a stimulating environment.
Shift Brain Chemistry
The amygdala is the part of the brain that senses fear. It can become overactive when the mind senses instability. Social experiences can be representative of unknown circumstances and create an underlying sense of anxiety. In order to calm the mind and lower the activity of the amygdala, it can be very beneficial to do a breathing exercise before walking into any new experience. The simple technique below can be implemented in less than five minutes, and has a direct effect on the autonomic nervous system:
Sit up tall with shoulders stacked over hips and feet flat on the floor.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose, slowly exhale through the mouth.
Inhale through the nose for a count of four. Exhale through the mouth for a count of 8. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes and repeat the pattern.
Calm the Nervous System
The vagus nerve is the most influential nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system (calm, focused, repairative system). The stimulation of the vagus nerve has a direct effect on our emotional control within the limbic system, as well as lowering heart rate and calming the stress response. There are several easy ways to stimulate the vagus nerve. Choose from any of the following before stepping into a social situation.
Get Cold: Take a cold shower or rub an ice cube across the face and neck. You can also do this with a frozen jade roller to avoid makeup coming off or getting wet in the midst of a busy day.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Shift the breath from the chest to the diaphragm. Place your hands on the rib cage and breathe in deeply, feeling the ribs expand, exhale feeling the ribs contract. Repeat this process for five to ten deep breaths.
Tech-Free Time: Take a 15 minute walk outdoors with no technology.
Ignite Creative Thought
Social situations can require additional creative ideas and inspired thinking. There are a few ways to activate both the right and left hemispheres of the brain prior to any experience.
Right and Left Writing: Write down five questions with the dominant hand, these can be any questions you’d like. Answer each question with the non-dominant hand. The left side of the body is activated by the right hemisphere of the brain and vice versa.
Cross Patterns: Stand tall and place all the weight on your right foot while you lift the left leg up. Touch the left leg with the right hand and repeat the pattern on the other side (tapping one knee and then the other). This technique strengthens the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of your brain, which allows electrical impulses and information to pass freely between the two. This helps with not only physical coordination, but thinking-based activities like learning a language, reading, and focusing. According to neurophysiologist Dr. Carla Hannaford, "Cross-lateral movements activate both hemispheres [of the brain] in a balanced way ... the corpus callosum orchestrating these processes between the two hemispheres becomes more highly developed."