Mind Chi

Here are the steps to take you through the Mind Chi Basic Routine:

 Step 1 – take the questionnaire for stress:

www.mindchi.com/index.php/mind-chi-self-questionnaire/

 Step 2 – take the questionnaire for resilience:

http://www.mindchi.com/index.php/resilience-scale/

Step 3 – look at the Mind Chi Basic 8 step overview:

http://www.mindchi.com/index.php/mind-chi-basic-8-steps/

Step 4 – IF you want more detail, Chapter 4 of the Mind Chi book is here:

http://www.mindchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/MindChiChapter4-Sample.pdf

 Step 5: A YouTube introduction for each step,  talks you through them one by one and then times the minute for you. The first is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLUMph1aHRU&feature=channel&list=

Then I think you can find the next 7 from there.

Step 6 - There is a timed 8 minute Mind Chi routine here, for when you are more familiar with the routine; it contains a brief introduction and the timed minute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHxzSt0hRs&list=FLM_oB62vPtV1Zxb97jBDpeQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video&noredirect=1

The maximum time you will need on only one day is 12 minutes and just 8 (or less) for the others.

Step 7 – Do your Mind Chi Basic 8 steps, taking just 8 minutes for 28 days and then retake the Mind Chi Stress & Resilience Questionnaires – see the difference for yourself!

Step 8 –   Contact Mind Chi for the Mind Chi in Action – advanced level – where you apply Mind Chi to a specific problem or goal – it becomes even MORE exciting!
Mind Chi is available for your groups, office, company or 1 to 1 Mentoring – just contact Vanda@MindChi.com

 Grab the reins of control; build your resilience and life a life of energy and joy.

Less stress & more resilience with Mind Chi

Mind Chi stress busting round the world!

Mind Chi Mentor – Ken Harrison

Ken has extensive senior management experience within the public sector, responsible for developing and managing multi-agency teams, partnerships and boards. Ken has an extensive range of Executive Coaching and Leadership skills and brings a wealth of experience to organisational change and people development.

Here are some comments from some of Ken’s happy Mind Chi-ers:

Chi in spring, with spring!

So, what about you? Do you feel spring like? Do you want to sing for joy as you start your day? Are you up for a gambol across a meadow?

Are you aware that it is almost impossible to hold opposing thoughts in your brain? If you are angry can you feel peaceful at the same time? Therefore by concentrating on positive actions, thoughts, emotions and behaviours you will push the negative, acid creating ones out of your brain. And there is yet another benefit, when you are feeling basically good and happy you can positively affect the mirror neurons of those around you. Have you noticed that some people can ‘lighten’ the room as they enter (and others can do the opposite)? Care of how create your inner ‘soup’ either may build resilience and strength or may, over years compound to very negative health results.  YOU are in control, start with these 8 simple steps and continue to perform your Mind Chi 8 minute routine every day.

Here are 8 ways to morph your stress  and increase your spring, bounce and joy of life!

1. Have a luxurious stretch before you hop out of bed.
2. Put your alarm on music NOT the news. (Set it at 5 minutes past the hour.)
3. When you first see yourself in the mirror, give yourself a big smile.
4. Wear some funny, slinky or different underwear or socks. (Be happy all under!)
5. Only listen/watch the news AFTER your day has well started (if you must!)
6. Make your first comment to family, friends or workers a positive one with a smile.
7. Watch out for and mentally (or out loud) comment on nice things you see.
8. Perform your Mind Chi Basic 8 minute routine and every day will have a spring to it!

       Energising, practical and fun ½ day Mind Chi Resilience session on 

April is Stress awareness month –  Experience  your own April bloom with Mind Chi Resilience. If you are aware that you are stressed it is crucial to now DO something about it! The accumulative, long-term effects of stress are devastating – take positive action now!

MC – Resilience Building Flier 4-13

Are you like many I ask, whose response often is that they feel they don’t deserve joy, my reply is, “Oh yes you DO!’ And furthermore, it is a motivating, exciting and energising factor, well worthwhile.
But does any busy executive really have a shot at finding joy on the job? You usually think of high-level professionals as attaining a certain level of achievement-related satisfaction and getting external rewards such as raises and promotions. Rarely, if ever, is their happiness given serious consideration. Joy certainly isn’t in the core curriculum for most MBA programs.

Achieving joy at work is not only possible; it’s a necessity. I’ve come to appreciate that happiness on the job is a leading indicator of an individual’s ability to sustain high levels of passion, performance, and productivity over the long run. If you can uncover your true gifts and find work that makes regular use of them, you’ve fulfilled your responsibility to use them wisely and you’ve optimized your chances to claim your right to enjoy the process.

You can’t always control what assignments you accept at work. But regardless of your position, the choice you make about how you approach our work is up to you. Consider examining your business priorities — the goals you’ve promised to meet — then conducting a Time and Emotion Study to see how you’ve spent your time over the past few months. How well has your use of time fit with your objectives? Follow that up by making a task map and examining how well your responsibilities are aligned with your talents. If the fit isn’t as close as you would like, try talking to your colleagues to see what you can do as a team to reassign some responsibilities.

The simple Mind Chi Basic 8 minute routine will help you to move towards joy on a daily basis.

Each step is designed to increase your awareness of how you are currently experiencing the

Heading towards JOY!

world and to   DO something about it immediately – if necessary.  Step 3, being real, looks at the incidences over the past 24 hours that you wish you had handled differently, ONLY so you can pull the lessons of what you wish you had done, ready for next time. Step 4 has you remember all your successes, large and small, maybe only you know that it took a lot of effort to complete over the past 24 hours, and you give yourself a ‘success’ token.  This helps to build your self-confidence, crucial to a good joy reading! Step 7 asks you to plan 24 hours ahead, how do you need to BE to do your activities in the best way. Prepare to incorporate as much joy as possible. The goal is to keep moving the dial on your meter closer to joy. It’s your right.

(This blog was inspired by  a blog by Allison Rimm, who  is an educator, consultant, and executive coach. She is the former senior vice president for Strategic Planning and Information Management at Massachusetts General Hospital. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/02/joy_at_work_its_your_right.html)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Stress was etched deeply across her face.
She came up to Vanda North after a presentation Vanda had made at a networking meeting on overcoming the strain of stress and building resilience. She didn’t need to tell Vanda that she needed help! So they arranged to meet.
Fast forward to six month later and although there it is still a high level of stress at their office, the staff and the boss laugh frequently and know that whatever gets thrown at them, they can cope. What a difference.
Wellbeing is a much talked about topic in the workplace today. However, with budgets all being very tight, the key question is ‘What is the return on investment (ROI)?’

THE CHALLENGE

This is a small office a letting agency.
It had recently move premises and the whole move and been a nightmare, everything that could go wrong – did! The computers and phone system was still not working correctly and in their business this was an absolutely crucial element. They had just had the ‘grand opening’ party where they had added stress of putting on an ‘Isn’t it all wonderful!’ face and rushing like mad to be ready for the date.
Then to cap it off a rat died in the roof space next to two offices and the aroma (stink!) was unbearable, the rodent  removers were unable to get at it and so they had to wait for it to stop smelling, so those extra staff had to scrunch in with the others, downstairs. It just seemed that everything was really stressful and tough going.

 THE STRESSORS
Here is the list of things which were initially causing the team and their boss to feel stressed:

Things:
Rat smell; Slow PC’s; Deposits; Emails; Gemini; Dirty cups in kitchen; Bad/slow drivers & people in small cars that think they are driving tanks!

People; communications; relationships; self:
Complaints due to lack of communication; Lack of information; No appreciation; No training; Not being able to finish urgent jobs due to already midnight!! Phone calls from irate people; No shows; The boss! Rude clients; Landlords; Tenants
Tenants! (Especially if they’re not there for appointments) Tenants who think you can move mountains in ref. to maintenance issues; Not always having the confidence

Time issues:
Too much to do, too little time; Lateness (applicants); Not enough time to do work; No lunch break; Slopping floors; Interruptions; Innovate; Being late; Not feeling like I have enough time when I’m getting ready to go out (for a meeting).

THE PROCESS

The Mind Chi intervention Process

It was agreed that Vanda would visit the office for an hour on four Thursday mornings before the office opened to the public. At the first meeting Vanda taught the group the Mind Chi Basic 8 steps that take just 8 minutes a day to do.
It was agreed that all the staff may take the 8 minutes during the work day, so as to be sure they would do it. As their ladies room was very spacious and pleasant the summary of the Mind Chi 8 steps were hung up there, so they may have a moment of peace and quiet to do the routine.
At the second meeting there were many questions and clarifications about the Mind Chi 8 minute routine and a few minor tweaks were made so that it suited each person better. For example one person is very athletic and so arranged to do about 30 seconds of strenuous movement as a way to release the strain from their body (Mind Chi step 6 – choose your BEAT) whereas others did some gentle stretching to ease tension.
At the third meeting some specific issues were discussed and some suggestions for other ways of working together were put forward, with one outcome being they would put a lunch break in place as they now realised that their brains work far better after a short break (Mind Chi step 3 – looking for solutions to negative things in the past 24 hours)On the forth meeting they refined the Mind Chi Basic process and again discussed ways they could move forward and be active to make work go well, rather than only bottling up the strain when it didn’t.

THE RESULTS

A crucial part of this project was that Suzy Dale, a specialist in workplace psychology and with extensive experience in measuring perceptions and performance at work.  Suzy worked with Vanda to craft a questionnaire at the start of the four sessions and then again at the end of the month.  Please see ’1 month later’ for the before and after results.

Please also see the write up that covered that part of the story: http://www.mindchi.com/index.php/yes-work-life-balance-is-possible-with-mind-chi/

1 month later

The measurement one month later showed an amazing result. All participants reported an  improvement in work/life balance; 80% reported an the increase of positive self talk  and almost 70% of respondents reported an improvement in  resilience, general health and coping strategies .  Half of all participants also reported a improvements in energy during and after work, concentration, decision making and self confidence. All for an investment of 4 hours of training and 8 minutes a day of performing the Mind Chi Basic routine.

3 months later

Three months passed and the Mind Chi team and Dale Associates returned to see what had happened in those three months. You can see from the attached graph that even though they still had a high stress office and there were several staff problems, plus the phones were still not working correctly… in ten of the twelve measurements participants had noticed an improvement.

6 months later 

Dale & Associates and Mind Chi followed up in another three month and six months from the initial intervention.  75% of participants reported continued improvements in coping strategies; self confidence and decision makingas a direct result of having undertaken Mind Chi. Half of all participants reported continued improvements in health, resilience, Positive inner thoughts and memory and a quarter of all participants had sustained improvements in work/life balance, concentration, sleep and energy during and at the end of the day. Here is a note sent to Vanda after the 6 month visit, so you can experience the attitude of the group.

“Vanda!!!
1)    Yes we are still having meetings on Thursday, which is nice for us all to have a get together and talk any issues through
2)    There have been a couple of new processes in place to make things run smoother
3)    Lunches…..only sometimes enough time to eat something, but the opportunity is always there should we wish to take it
4)    I walk in the door in the morning with a very cheery “MORNING” (except this morning as I was the first one in!!!)  Nicky and I have now joined a gym!!!! Which is great fun and we are really enjoying it…………… which means that we need to leave work on time. “

 CONCLUSION     Mind Chi stress & work-life balance improvement graph

From Dale & Associates:

I’ve taken the data which was consistent and have plotted it to show  % of participants who reported an improvement.  What I think it shows is that:
1.  There is a latent improvement in coping strategies, decision-making and self-confidence (ie % of participants reporting an improvement increased from 28 days post MC to 6 months post MC).
2.  The improvements participants reported in positive inner thoughts, resilience, health and work-life balance at 28 days were not sustainable (ie % of participants reporting an improvement decreased between 28 days post MC and 6 months post MC).
3.  Improvements in energy and concentration were moderate at day 28, and then decreased at 6 months.

Possible implications for Mind Chi:

1.  Early indications are that MC can lead to sustainable improvements in coping strategies, decision-making and self-confidence, but we need to be careful about the significance we attach to this study as numbers of participants are so small.
2.  Need to reinforce positive inner thoughts, resilience, health, WLB between 28 days and 6 months.  (Of course bearing in mind that other factors could have contributed to the decline in % participants reporting an improvement)
3.  Need to reconsider whether improvements in energy and concentration are desired outcome measures, and if so, how these can be bolstered in original training, and then reinforced post training.

From Vanda North of Mind Chi:

We are still in the early days of discovering what assistance people need to maintain the Mind Chi routine habit.
It is similar to how most of us KNOW what we SHOULD do for our wellbeing, time management, good relationships, etc. yet even though it feels good and we see the positive results, we can STILL stop doing it – why!?

This is what we discovered with this group. They asked for 3 monthly ‘Mind Chi top-ups’ to keep them focused and experiencing the benefits. SO this needs to be built in to a program. The original Mind Chi model did include either an in-house Mind Chi Mentor conducting on-going monthly sessions.

The initial 100% improvement in Work/life Balance at the 28 day evaluation was because it was such a crucial area at that time. No one was taking lunch breaks and most stayed late many evenings. So by discussing this topic and agreeing a solution, everyone experienced a major improvement. This was not noted at the 6 month evaluation because they had started to slip back into old habits and it no longer ‘felt’ as significant as when it was a new achievement. The ‘relativistic’ nature of the brain had equalised it’s importance.

However, I believe that it is highly significant that Coping strategies; Decision making and Self confidence increased and held an improvement amongst 75% of participants. Here are three most crucial skills for the building of resilience and managing the strain from life’s stresses.  Apart from the statistical results here are the observations of the non-tangible office attitude.

When Vanda first met the group, the atmosphere was definitely tense. The boss was in the room which was both good and bad as she was the start of the anxious atmosphere so needed to hear how the rest of the team felt and they had to be brave enough to say so!  After the first week, the team told Vanda later, they thought Vanda was crazy and was not at all convinced about the Mind Chi routine at all. However, they did it as something needed to happen.  By the end of the first month, they were actually very surprised and delighted by the really great steps forward and how very different the whole office atmosphere had become.

The third month visit, saw them still dealing with a lot of problems and the comment ‘ We still have a lot of stressful things happening, but now we have a way to cope.’ At this meeting it was decided that the boss should work several days from home and that they would all get more work done that way! There was much laughter and a wonderful feeling of cooperation.

At the six month visit, a few of them had slipped with doing their Mind Chi 8 minute routine and realised that they had created more strain for themselves because of it. So they committed to returning to the routine. However, even in this situation the ‘feel’ of the group, the quality of the interactions, ability to positively make suggestions to make better processes were all like night and day from the previous 6 months.

  ROI on Wellbeing initiatives

This is a relatively new field and an accurate definition of what is and isn’t included in the measurement of wellbeing in the workplace is still being decided. Aspects that are currently being measures and where a difference and savings may be seen include: Absenteeism; Presenteeism; Turnover; Sickness and Injury. The results achieved from the Mind Chi intervention were extremely cost effective and with a little extra support and on-going sessions the overall effect would have continued to grow and embed. To this end, Mind Chi offers Mind Chi in Action – a follow-up program that still only takes 8 minutes a day – and is tailored to addressing specific problems or goals such as time management, effective communications, seld-concept and work/life balance.

For the FULL Mind Chi Case Study for Workplace Wellbeing, Stress Reduction and Work-life Balance, please email Vanda@MindChi.com

Get a little lovin’ every day!

Is there a relationship between sex and stress?

Add YOUR caption!!

We are still celebrating February – the month of love!
SO far this month we have provided the 8 Love Potions
to power up love and reduce stress; then we suggested
on Valentine’s Day to fall in love with yourself and now
we have one more very positive addition to your Month
of Lovin’  -  this time to look at the benefits of sex in your life.

There are many actual physical as well as mental benefits.
And this is appropriate for EVERY ONE - regardless of
your age or if you have a partner or not. Here I am using
‘sex’ as also an attitude, a way of thinking, a playfulness
 and flirtyness.

COMPETITION!  Please put a caption to the picture of Vanda with that hunky chap! 

So let’s look at what you can do and the benefits to you.

1. Get a little lovin’ every day!

Dr William Glasser reported on some research where rabbits were being fed a fatty, rich diet to observe the build-up of cholesterol. At the end of the time, all the rabbits showed the build-up, except for two. It would have been easy to write that off, but the researcher decided to run the experiment again. And again there were just two that did not show the build-up expected. Really intrigued, they ran it again, this time triple checking that all the rabbits were treated the same. One night they decided to keep watch during the night to see if anything happened. And sure enough in came a lad assistant, who played with and petted two of the rabbits. When confronted, he said that he would just pick two of the rabbits from each group and on his break, come in and play with them. It was those two who did NOT show the same results as the others. So (obviously within limits) the line from this was ‘Eat what you want and get a little lovin’ every day!’

2. Sex increases self-esteem

University of Texas researchers found that boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex! (What WERE the other 236 I wonder?!)  When you feel that you are loving someone and even better if they also love you, that helps to bolster your self-esteem and self-confidence. If you are about to meet the one you love for a special date, you make an extra effort to look good, care for your body, buy some new underwear and all of that helps you to feel good about yourself. So even if you haven’t a partner at this time, go through the ritual of preparation anyway – you’ll feel good now and be ready in case you do meet someone!
Step 4 of the Mind Chi Basic 8 step routine, is to recall all your successes, large and small,  from the past 24 hours and hold on to them (deposit them in your ‘success bank’). This means that every day you are building your self-concept and esteem.

3. Sexual / sensual activities burn calories

The research showed that thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions. “Sex is a great mode of exercise,” Los Angeles sexologist Patti Britton, says. The same results may be gained from doing some wild dancing (or singing), either with a partner or alone. So get out there and wiggle your bootee and watch the calories disappear!
Step 7 of the Mind Chi Basic 8 step routine is to plan ahead for the next 24 hours. Here it as much a BE-ing state as a DO-ing. So plan to BE in a sexy, sensual mood (as it appropriate) and plan to have some enthusiastic exercise!

4. Sex improves heart health

A 20-year-long British study shows that people who had sex two or more times a week were half as likely to have a fatal heart attack than those who had sex less than once a month. And although some older folks may worry that sex could cause a stroke, the study found no link between how often men had sex and how likely they were to have a stroke. So at any age this is a wonderful thing to do, I hear so many people say ‘I am too old’ but that is an attitude mostly, love, intimacy and sensuality are very good at every age. Further, as you do get older, you may have more free time and opportunity – sp make the most of it!

5. Sex may lower your stress and blood pressure

Having sex could lower your stress and your blood pressure. That finding comes from a Scottish study of 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. The researchers put them in stressful situations — such as speaking in public and doing math out loud — and checked their blood pressure. Another study found that diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of your blood pressure) tends to be lower in people who live together and have sex often. ‘Spooning’, cuddling, stroking and just bodily contact has the same effect. This is why having a pet is also good for reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.
Steps 5 and 6 of the Mind Chi Basic 8 step routine, is where you check and change if necessary, your Body, Emotions, Actions and Thoughts. It is a good idea to do this at least once a day and more often when in a stressful situation.

6. Sex boosts immunity and may reduce pain

Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. A Wilkes University study had 112 college students keep records of how often they had sex and also provide saliva samples for the study. Those who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of IgA, an antibody that could help you avoid a cold or other infection, than other students.
Oxytocin also boosts your body’s painkillers, called endorphins. In one study, 48 people inhaled Oxycontin vapor and then had their fingers pricked. The Oxycontin cut their pain threshold by more than half. Headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms may improve after sex. So the old saying, ‘Not tonight dear, I have a headache’, should be ‘TONIGHT dear, I have a headache!’

7. Sex increases trust and builds bonds

After childhood has passed, you may have realised that it is often nicer to be the giver than the receiver. And even if you have had trust broken, you may choose to trust again as it feels better than being cynical and closed down. The hormone Oxycontin, the so-called love hormone, helps people bond and build trust. In a study of 59 women, researchers checked their Oxycontin levels before and after the women hugged their partners, or children or pets. The women had higher Oxycontin levels if they had more of that physical contact with someone they care for. Higher Oxycontin levels have also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So snuggle up — it might help you feel more generous toward your partner, friends and family and life in general, which must be a good thing.
Step 8 of the Mind Chi Basic 8 step routine, is to think of all the things / people / experiences that you love, appreciate and for which you are grateful. Doing this for one minute a day also increases your Oxycontin, so easy to do and such far reaching positive effects.

8. Sex for Better Sleep and Stronger Pelvic Floor Muscles!

The Oxycontin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, research shows.  Getting enough sleep has also been linked with a host of other health benefits, such as a healthy weight and better blood pressure. That’s something to think about, especially if you’ve been wondering why a man can be active one minute and snoring the next!
For women, doing pelvic floor muscle exercises called Kegels may mean more pleasure — and, as a perk, less chance of incontinence later in life. To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.
Sex and stress are like the dog and its tail! When you are able to have coping strategies for your stress  -  feeling loving, sensual and sexy is much easier and you will naturally look more attractive. Round the other way, enjoying sex, loving, cuddling and close relationships cause you to relax – so either way, start to do the Mind Chi 8 minute routine and experience the benefits!

COMPETITION!  Please put a caption to the picture of Vanda with that hunky chap!

This article was inspired by one called ’10 surprising health benefits of sex’ by Kathleen Doheny

Happy Valentine’s Day from Chi!

How many of you were brought up to put yourself last and that ‘loving’ yourself might mean you were either braggadocios or thinking you were unable to improve  – NOT TRUE!!!   So my BIG message of LOVE to you is – Appreciate yourself! Take time for yourself! Send out LOVE as you go about your day! Give love without any expectations and have a wonderful day.

WARNING – there are side effects! First, once you start this attitude for life, you will want to keep doing it even on days other than Valentine’s Day and second, you will find that you have reduced your stress levels and you are smiling and having a stupendous day!  Loving yourself by taking up the simple Mind Chi Basic 8 minutes a day routine will build your resilience and give you a coping strategy to build your capacity to love.

Then I saw this article and thought that Debbie says it perfectly, so I am passing it on to you, on this special day of love. 

How To Become Irresistible in Love

Fallen off your ‘New Year Resolution’