WEBVTT - Turn down the volume

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to turn down the volume. By consciously

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<v Speaker 1>substituting less stimulating activities for more stimulating ones, we can

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<v Speaker 1>feel less anxious and more calm. Today's tip, like some

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<v Speaker 1>others this week, comes from Chris Bailey's new book, How

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<v Speaker 1>to Calm Your Mind. In this book, Chris shares strategies

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<v Speaker 1>for being more productive by reducing anxiety. When your mind

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<v Speaker 1>is racing, it is hard to accomplish much. But when

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<v Speaker 1>you aren't flitting from thing to thing, you can relax

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<v Speaker 1>and get more done. Chris notes that some activities are

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<v Speaker 1>far more stimulating than others. Our brains get a dopamine

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<v Speaker 1>hit from things that are novel or changing quickly, or

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<v Speaker 1>are alarming in some way. Picture the hyped up face

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<v Speaker 1>of a child interacting with two screens at once, a

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<v Speaker 1>game on a Kindle and streaming a video on an iPad.

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<v Speaker 1>We could laugh about that, but honestly, many adults do

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<v Speaker 1>similar things all the time, theoretically watching a zoom meeting

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<v Speaker 1>while checking email, or scrolling social media while watching a

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<v Speaker 1>TV show, or having podcasts on in the background while

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<v Speaker 1>you're doing something you are trying to focus on. Just

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<v Speaker 1>as with a kid, it can get you in a

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<v Speaker 1>hypercharged frame of mind. The antidote is to go on

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<v Speaker 1>a stimulation fast, as Chris calls it in How to

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<v Speaker 1>Calm Your Mind. Well, stimulation sounds like something of a

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<v Speaker 1>good thing, too much of it can make you agitated.

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<v Speaker 1>You can consciously substitute less stimulating activities for more stimulating activities.

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<v Speaker 1>So instead of checking news online, read a real newspaper.

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<v Speaker 1>The news is still there and you will still be informed,

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<v Speaker 1>but you won't also see a million ads and see

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<v Speaker 1>things trying to make you click this way and that.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of checking email constantly through the day, designate a

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<v Speaker 1>few times when you will deal with it. Four or

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<v Speaker 1>five checkens per day is still quite frequent. You will

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<v Speaker 1>see anything within an hour or two, which allows for

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<v Speaker 1>a rapid response, but you will lower the volume on

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<v Speaker 1>how much stimulation you are getting. If you are looking

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<v Speaker 1>to interact with people, talk with a friend or two

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<v Speaker 1>instead of diving into an online chat. Now there might

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<v Speaker 1>be places for both in life, but I would recommend

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<v Speaker 1>starting with the real life friends and then giving social

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<v Speaker 1>media the time left over. A real conversation with real

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<v Speaker 1>people is nice, but is inherently less hyped up than

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<v Speaker 1>one yanking you from place to place Online. Even shopping

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<v Speaker 1>comes in more stimulating and less stimulating versions. Chris noted

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<v Speaker 1>that online windows shopping was constantly making him feel more stimulated,

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<v Speaker 1>so he cut back on that. Now he only goes

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<v Speaker 1>online to shop if he knows exactly what he is

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<v Speaker 1>buying ahead of time. I'd add that many people make

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<v Speaker 1>themselves anxious by trying to speed things up. There is

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<v Speaker 1>nothing wrong with being expeditious, but if you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>time to listen to a podcast at the speed the

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<v Speaker 1>podcasters spoke, maybe you don't have time for that podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Yanking it up to two x speed is just going

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<v Speaker 1>to make you feel more hyped up, so turn down

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<v Speaker 1>the volume on over stimulating things. At first, you might

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<v Speaker 1>feel a little bored, like shouldn't I be multitasking? Shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>I get more done? Reading a newspaper is obviously doing

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<v Speaker 1>one thing, whereas when we are online reading the news,

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<v Speaker 1>we might also be checking email at the same time,

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<v Speaker 1>other messages, and maybe half working on a project, which

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<v Speaker 1>all feels better, but you are probably not doing much

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<v Speaker 1>of consequence, read the paper, then go on to the

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<v Speaker 1>other things. Do it all in sequence. As Chris notes,

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<v Speaker 1>and how to calm your mind, you will feel less

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<v Speaker 1>anxious and far more calm. That is worth playing with

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<v Speaker 1>a little boredom to achieve. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening and here's and making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's b the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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