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Mindful Meals This week's exercise is inspired by Carlo Petrini's Slow Food Movement. By focusing on helping people "rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking," the Slow Food Movement made us rethink how our food was being sourced, produced and consumed. Have you ever done a little sheet caking? Food is one of the many important sources we turn to for mood boosts, celebrations, and cultural tradition. Yet, food isn't always something we turn to as a source of deeper personal connection and mindfulness.  Introducing Your Mindful Meal Exercise What It Is A 15 minute eating meditation.  Why We Love It  We all eat at some point each day. Why not use that as an opportunity to restore your mind and your emotions? How It Works When you sit down to have a meal tomorrow, commit to making it a mindful experience. That means no scarfing and no distractions (e.g., cell phones, chitchat, reading material). As you begin, bring your attention to your food and the full experience that surrounds it. Ask yourself: How does the plate look? What colors do I see? What is the texture like? Where did this food come from? How does my body feel right now? With each bite, be aware of the sensations and movements involved. How does it feel to pick up the utensil? What sensations occur when I move the bite to my mouth? What do I notice as I chew? When you've finished your meal, notice how you feel.  On a scale of 1-10 how hungry are you? Do you notice a difference in your level of hunger when you eat mindfully? Did you notice a difference in how you felt a few hours after your mindful meal? Can you really apply mindfulness to a meal? Yes. According to Harvard nutritionist, Dr. Cheung, by "being fully attentive to your food" you can begin to understand your engrained habits around meals and transform the way you eat. Here are some tidbits to learn more: To learn more about how eating cake can boost serotonin in the brain, check this out.  For more on how others practice mindful eating, check this out from NYT. To learn more about Dr. Cheung's research on mindful eating, check out Savor. To learn more about mindful eating from the Zen teacher who helped popularize it, check out Thich Nhat Hanh's book. Shout. It. Out. To Angel Hu for her expertise on this exercise! Missed out on past treks? Click Here Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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The Insider/Outsider POV This week’s exercise is inspired by Adrian Furnham’s work that describes the value of being an outsider. What do Albert Einstein, Dan Aykroyd, and Christina Hendricks all have in common?  They were considered to be outcasts as kids. While outsiders often struggle with identity and social acceptance, the perspective they gain can provide value to help themselves and others to succeed. Introducing Your Insider/Outsider Exercise What It Is An opportunity to embrace the outsider perspective. Why We Love It  There is a lot of talk about inclusion these days but not a lot of real conversations about how being different can be a good thing. This exercise takes a step back and reminds us that being an outsider certainly isn’t easy, but the perspective it can provide can be invaluable. How It Works Get together with a few friends or teammates and take a moment to share a time when each of you were considered to be outsiders -- on the outskirts of the ‘in-crowd.’ Recall how you felt, what you experienced, and why you had outsider status.   Share what you learned from being an outsider. Are you more understanding of differences of opinion? Are you able to see things from multiple points of view?   Now, reflect on parts of your life where you might be more of an insider than an outsider. Consider: How you can work differently to welcome perspectives outside of the norm? What can you do differently to make outsiders feel more welcome?  What makes outsiders so well equipped to succeed? According to this Psychology Today article, while outsiders have ‘to work harder to be accepted,” they exhibit three characteristics that position them well to succeed -- vigilance, understanding and flexibility. Interested in learning more? Here are some additional tidbits: To explore how you can create a more inclusive work environment, try these four tips. To explore the key characteristics of inclusive leaders, check this out. To learn more about other celebrity outcasts, read this from Buzzfeed. Amped about this Trek? Drop us a line at treks@lifetrekkers.me or follow us. Missed out on past treks? Click Here Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

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Your Daily Weather Report This week’s exercise, inspired by world famous restaurateur Danny Meyer’s take on self-awareness, is about using your personal weather report to prevent the spread of the emotional flu. Has another person's mood ever infected your emotional state?  This phenomenon, called emotional contagion, occurs when one person's emotions trigger a similar response in others. Introducing your personal weather report exercise. What It Is A way to check yourself by checking in with yourself. Why We Love It  Our moods have a great deal of influence on how we perceive the world and how others perceive us. By doing a personal weather report, you'll uncover how your mood and the emotional state of others has a direct effect on your daily experience.  How It Works When you wake up tomorrow morning, write down your personal weather report. Are you feeling warm and sunny? Arid and dry? Cool and cloudy? Then, note if your mood shifts over the course of the day. When it shifts, what are you doing? Who are you with? Was the shift a positive or negative one? In the evening, compare your morning weather report against any mood shifts that occurred throughout your day. Consider the role you and those around you played in shifting the mood. Is there anything you would do differently tomorrow to manage your emotional state? Are emotions seriously contagious? Yes. And emotional states don't just spread through face-to-face interactions. They can spread digitally too. Tisk, tisk, Facebook. Here are some additional tidbits to learn more: To track your daily emotions, check out this LifeHacker form.  To explore how to be more positive without being fake, check this out. For dealing with a mood crusher, try these five tips.  To learn more about how emotions influence work performance, read this.  Shout. It. Out. To Beebe Xia for her insights on this exercise. Missed out on past treks? Click Here Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@trekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.