Tag: Humans Being More training

Do You Know Who You Are?

Published on by Nikken

Who you are or your sense of identity, refers to your perception of the collection of characteristics that define you.1 Your abilities, beliefs, morals, likes and dislikes and everything that motivates or demotivates you, all contribute to your sense of who you are.

People who are clear about these many aspects of themselves generally have a strong sense of who they are, while those struggling to identify these characteristics may have a less defined sense of self.

Your identity affects your relationships, your work and your overall emotional health. When there isn’t a clear sense of self, you may find it difficult to make decisions, interact in group settings and in a nutshell, know what you want.

Sometimes groups help answer the question, “Who am I?” Membership in groups provides a sense of belonging, a social role which helps in identity. The “me” in who you are transforms into the “we” of belonging to a group. Not everyone enjoys group activities, but as the saying goes, “No man is an island.” At some point in time, you have to interact, develop relationships and bonds.

According to psychologists, groups usually outperform individuals; however, the other side of the coin is that groups tend to be underachievers. For example, a single person working on a paper will get less done in an hour than four students tackling the paper as a joint project. On the other hand, people exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.2 Psychologists also found that people trying to generate creative new ideas in group brainstorming sessions usually put in less effort and are less productive than those creating new ideas individually.3

Whether you are a loner or more of the gregarious type, impacts your sense of who you are. Even people who choose to live separate and apart from others, may join groups to meet their psychological and social needs.4

As your sense of self evolves, ask what brings you happiness, what is your purpose in life and how do you live accordingly? Do your choices and decisions reflect your own true interests or someone else’s?

No matter how gregarious you are, alone time helps you get to know yourself better. So, be a team player, but also be independent. And if you’re interested in finding out more about who you are together with like-minded individuals, check out Humans Being More training online with Jeff Isom!

1 https://www.healthline.com/health/sense-of-self

2, 3, 4 https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychology-of-groups

Self-Care is Self-Empowerment

Published on by Nikken

As the old saying goes, “Prevention is worth a pound of cure.” A big part of prevention in the area of Wellness involves taking good care of oneself. Mothers and fathers too often are so busy taking care of their families that they don’t pay enough attention to their own health. The truth is, we can take care of others only if we are in good enough health ourselves.

According to the World Health Organization, self-care not only helps to promote better health, but it can also help people cope better when illness hits. Specific forms of self-care have also been linked to different health and wellness benefits. For example, exercise, having a sense of purpose in life and consistently getting restful sleep are all connected to living a longer life. On a daily level, a wholesome self-care routine is believed to help reduce anxiety and stress, improve energy levels and social interactions, and boost resilience and happiness.

What makes for an effective self-care plan? Since each of us is different, with varying priorities, body types and mental dispositions, an effective self-care plan needs to be customized. Consider what in life is overwhelming to you. At Nikken, we use the 5 Pillars of Wellness as a way to achieve balance. These 5 Pillars serve as a gauge to assess what we need to work on most in our lives. Is it physical (Body), mental (Mind), Family, Finances or social standing (Society)? Which of these areas stress us out and require the most attention? That’s how to devise a self-care strategy.

•          Make a list of the different parts of your life. This can be work, school, family members, non-family relationships, community events you’re involved with, and so on.

•          Evaluate what stresses you out. Then think about what you can do to ease the stressors. Sometimes easing stress requires setting boundaries and saying “no” without feeling guilty. In other words, we need to recognize when our plates are full and when they’re overflowing. Prioritize.

•          Think about the things that make you happy. Consider the activities that produce a relaxing effect. It can be as simple as a daily walk, a swim, a self-massage, grounding and meditating, talking to a friend or favorite relative, playing with a baby or your dog, listening to the birds—so many small and simple things that we sometimes forget to appreciate.

•          Taking care of yourself is just like everything else we learn to do: practice makes perfect. If we haven’t been practicing self-care for a long time, we’re not going to have a great plan we can work with right away. Take small steps, but do take a step. Take a deep breath and tell yourself: “It is ok.” Exhale and get on with it.

•          Every single day, take time to do something for yourself. It doesn’t matter whether it’s making your favorite cup of tea or going in a room and having a good scream. You know yourself best and whatever works for you is what’s best for you! Do not judge yourself!

•          Realize that your self-care strategy can change from day to day, definitely from year to year. Go with the flow. Assess and reassess your personal needs and adjust your plan to fulfill the changes in your life.

The International Self-Care Foundation includes health literacy as a pillar of self-care, meaning that any steps you take toward better understanding health information you need to make appropriate decisions about your health and well-being counts as self-care, too.1   Good self-care can help decrease the number of visits to a health practitioner but it also requires that we know when we need to get checked out by a doctor or hospital.

We can certainly make it a point to be knowledgeable in the six basic areas of Wellness and self-care: Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Appearance, Sleep and Mindfulness. At Nikken, we practice Active Wellness through the 5 Pillars of Wellness and our products reflect our commitment to self-care. Our magnetic, support, energy, PiMag® Water and HEPA air purifier products address Health & Fitness, we have organic Kenzen® Nutrition, True Elements® marine organic skin care addresses Appearance, Kenko Sleep Technology provides solutions for Sleep and Humans Being More training to emphasize Mindfulness.

1 https://www.everydayhealth.com/self-care/