October 2020 - Page 2 of 2 - The Future Mindset

By Adam Smith

In today’s article, How Travel Can Help Build An Improved Mindset. I will discuss the mental wellbeing benefits of travelling has on our minds. More than ever being connected with nature is important for happiness and wellness. After reading this get outside and enjoy what nature has for you.

Why Travelling Is Vital For A Strong Mental Health

I want to answer the question of how travel can help build an improved mindset. We are living in an age where technology plays a massive part in our life whether it be work or in our downtime.

We can get lost in the mundane day to day of life living off distraction after distraction. Without noticing this can affect our mental health. I’ve noticed in myself and others a change in mood, especially in overall happiness when they spend too much time in one place.

Humans are built for adventure and exploring and this is one of the ways to fight back mental health by becoming part of nature once more. Some of the happiest people I know are explorers and keen travellers who can’t get enough of the feeling of adventure.

Why Being In Nature Benefits Us

We are connected to the earth and nature has a big part of what makes us happy. That’s why travelling has to be an important part of your goals and how you live your life whether it be getting away every other weekend or going on yearly adventures around the world.

Studies have shown that being In nature reduces anger, fear and stress and increases your positive feelings. As well as emotional it also has physical well-being of reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscles tension and the production of stress hormones.

This is why we need to spend more time in nature.

What I Love About Travel

For me, it gives me great joy to travel. To explore all the wonders of what the world has to offer whether that’s 20 minutes away or travelling around the world. It feels like this is where I belong. Being part of mother nature of how it was intended.

It also allows my brain to relax more and my body in turn becomes a lot more relaxed from the day to day of city life. I admire people who have made travelling their life and maybe one day this can be a huge part of my life too.

Travel Is Great For Creating New Pathways

Travelling is great for the brain as an exercise. With all the new sights and smells, it amazingly stimulates the brain. Also with or without a map or your phones GPS, exploring new routes enables your brain to form new pathways of your surroundings.

It’s like unlocking new parts of the world map in games such as GTA or Fallout.

Even though I haven’t been in a while I remember everywhere I’ve been in Barcelona and Copenhagen and I walk through it in my mind like I’m right there. It also opens your mind to new ways of thinking and understanding.

The news sites you read and society opinion on things allow you to think about things in a certain way. You would think for example all Russians are bad which is far from the case when you meet them, they are one of the most hospital people you could meet.

This is what travelling does. It allows growing as a person and breaking down misconceptions.

Travelling Is What We Were Meant To Do

Everything about us is built from the Earth. This is our home and how we engage with it matters. When you walk through a park and hear birds singing, how does it make you feel? For most, it gives us a good feeling.

In the world, there are still a small number of people who still live in the hunter-gathering stage of humanity and they can be some of the happiest people on earth. That’s why life can be at its happiest when it’s at its simplest.

There’s a part of us that’s happy travelling in nature and we should listen to that voice more often.

Travel Opens Our Mind To New Possibilities

Looking for creativity or if you’re at a crossroad in life. Getting away and travelling can help shape new pathways for you to explore. It can also calm your mind to allow the thoughts of what you want to do to seep through. Bill Gates, for example, spend x amount of time each year getting away in nature to think of new ideas and gain clarity on what to do next. This shows how beneficial travelling and being part of nature can open your mind to new ideas and possibilities.

Travel Decreases Stress And Boost Happiness

One of the main benefits of travelling is the way it makes you feel. Why is it that most people don’t want to go back home and travel longer or get the holiday blues on their return?

It’s because the feelings you get travelling are so profound your mind and body are telling you to continue living like this for its benefits of decreasing stress and boosting happiness. On a recent trip to Malta, I had this exact feeling.

So if you are feeling stressed and unhappy, it’s time for you to travel within your country or abroad for an x amount of time that you can.

Travel Resets The Mind

Lastly, travelling allows you to reset your mind and regain focus on what you want. This is a great time to do your monthly, quarterly or yearly goals. It will create a clear mind to keep you on the right path in your life.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, I’ve answered the question for you about how travel can help build an improved mindset. Of course, there are many benefits to living the way we do in the modern world but there is no doubt that it needs to be balanced with travelling and being a part of nature.

With all the stresses of life going on in our lives. Getting back to nature can help solve a lot of problems especially for our mental health. I hope this helps you in any way. Our next adventure will be to Bristol and Bath next. Where is your next adventure taking you?

All the best see you in our next post!

By Adam Smith

In today’s article, 10 Astonishing Benefits Of Practising Yoga. I will show you why yoga is beneficial for your mental wellbeing. The mindset of a yogi offers great mental strength I wanted to tap into. As well as physical benefits. The mental benefits for me are astonishingly effective. I hope today your inspired to give yoga a shot.

What I Thought Yoga Was

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Yoga? I always thought it was some hippy person or more of a female thing to do. I came to find out this was so far from the truth and a stereotype I wished I never had the pleasure of knowing.

Luckily for me during the early part of 2020 I was inspired to give Yoga a try. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we have experienced I had to do all my learning from home and started trying different videos via YouTube.

My first few I did was OK. Some were really annoying and others kind of put me off coming back. I persisted and thankfully I came across a channel called Breathe and Flow. The rest is history.

How Has It Helped Me?

Breathe and Flow have become my mentors daily with their amazing videos. They combine building strength, flexibility and mediation into their routine. They also adhere to beginners who have never done it before like me and as you get better a more expert variety.

To be honest I was shocked at how difficult some of the moves are and made me realise how my body is not in the shape it needs to be. Overall for me, I feel stronger more flexible and after every session, I feel challenged and relaxed for the day.

When I don’t do it I feel less in control of my emotions or more sluggish, it’s that noticeable.

10 Astonishing Benefits Of Practising Yoga

1. Form Of Meditation

Yoga can offer mediation in a variety of different positions that stretch the muscles but also relaxes you at the same time. With a major focus on breath work throughout the whole practice, this can help you take control of your breath and focus on the presence of what’s happening. After working on my core for example in Yoga, towards the end focussing on stillness through breath-work can have major benefits for the mind.

2. Great For Body Strength

I never realised how strong you need to pull off some of the moves you have to do in Yoga. I have so much respect for what people can do with their body now. Especially after trying them myself with a lot of wobbling and failure at the first attempt. Now I can hold myself in positions for a crazy amount of time and do positions I never thought possible when I first did it. With core strength being a major contribution to health as we get older, I feel this has helped me progress to a strong core.

3. Great For Discipline

One thing you need and develop with Yoga is discipline over the mind with moves that have long held especially.

An example I had was with core hold with me pressing my forearm backwards to make it a more intense experience on my abdominals. I thought 2 minutes wasn’t long at all but then the shaking starts fast for my body and 2 minutes felt like a lifetime.

But with the calming voice of my mentor Flo I have increased my discipline to persevere through discomfort and my mind telling me to give up like an alarm bell ringing. This sets you up for the day as well and has made me more consciously disciplined throughout my day too.

4. Increases Flexibility

After my sports years early in life, many years have passed and as a consequence, my flexibility has declined. This was very much apparent when doing different positions in Yoga compared to my mentor who could put his body in all kinds of positions.

Reassuringly Flo states that you don’t have to be in the positions he is in to get the benefits of the move which helped me feel less bad for sure. Brilliantly but slowly my flexibility has improved but I’m still yet to have my feet fully down in the downward dog. (This will happen)

5. Protection From Growing Old

As said previously Yoga is a great way of combatting age and keeping the body active. This is something I’m very conscious of and would like full control of my body without aches and pains during my later years. There have been miraculous cases where people have been suffering from back pain and after doing Yoga, the pain goes away. The body is like anything, if it’s underused it will lose all of its benefits, so keeping the body active through yoga is a great way that anyone can do it.

6. Makes You Happier

For me, I have become a lot happier person because of Yoga. It offers me a challenge but also a great sense of accomplishment in the process that makes me happy. Just like any exercise, the endorphins that get released can boost your mood levels. So if you need more happiness, yoga can definitely add to it.

7. Helps With Focus

Very similar to discipline it has increased my focus as well. Especially as a lot of the moves require you to be fully engaged to pull off. With the increased focus this can be transferred throughout the rest of your day with my productivity and focus on a task being heightened because of it.

8. Improves Balance

Some of the moves require great balance. For instance, doing a side plank with the arm in the air then rising one knee to your chest can be a real challenge. There’s a lot of wobbling for me but now that has stopped mostly and my balance overall has improved

9.Clears Your Mind

If your feeling stressed or feeling anxious, Yoga can help you dispel this feeling into one of calmness. With the daily stresses of life, being in control of your mind is crucial for your mental health and a great way to take charge of that is through Yoga practice.

Every time I finish my session I feel balanced mentally with a feeling of calmness which is much needed. Since this has become a daily habit I have seen negative feelings diminish and I am more aware of them creeping up on me.

10. Helps You Stay Present

The past and the future can be ever-present in your mind but Yoga can help quieten those thoughts into what you are doing presently through breath-work. My focus on the breath throughout the practice helps me stay present. I continue the breathwork through the day because of it which helps me stay in control of my emotions, especially stressful moments. Much needed when looking after 2 years old.

Final Thoughts

If your an athlete doing Yoga should be a must and be put into your daily schedule as will benefit your progress. Every child should be doing this too as it aides them in everything they need to work on with their developing body’s, I know first hand how much my son has improved with yoga that helped him in Karate and football.

Lastly for anyone who wants to develop their strength, core, flexibility, balance, mental health and a form of mediation. Yoga can be anything you want to be and has been practised for many centuries within the Asian world where it was invented and the benefits are eminence. Whatever stereotype you have heard about Yoga is untrue and if you can find the right mentor you will come to know how could it is. I would highly recommend check out Breathe And Flow on YouTube or Instagram. Hopefully, they can offer you something of value with Yoga.

Have a great day.

Namaste