Increase your maturity by consciously widening the gap between your first impulse and your actual response, allowing you to choose more effective actions instead of regretting amygdala hijacks.
Engage in mindfulness as a mental workout by watching your thoughts and feelings without judgment, and gently bringing your mind back when distracted, which strengthens brain circuits for observation and concentration.
Ask yourself simple questions like ‘What am I thinking about?’ and ‘What am I feeling?’ to tune into your inner state and become more self-aware, even without formal mindfulness practice.
Perform a quick breath exercise by taking deep belly breaths, holding comfortably, and exhaling slowly for 6-9 repetitions to shift your physiological state from fight-or-flight to relaxation.
Use simple techniques like counting to 10 or taking deep breaths to enhance cognitive control, which helps manage disruptive feelings and prevents impulsive reactions.
Before attempting to tune into others, ensure you are calm and clear, as your own emotional turmoil (fears, anger) can distort your perception of another person’s state.
Actively tune into others by observing their tone of voice, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues, as people rarely express their true feelings in words.
Cultivate empathic concern by envisioning someone you’re grateful for, wishing them well, and then extending those same wishes to yourself, loved ones, acquaintances, and eventually everyone.
Move beyond wishing others well by actively doing something to help, such as reaching out to a struggling colleague, supporting climate action, or showing accountability and transparency in leadership.
Combat loneliness and its negative health impacts by actively maintaining strong relationships, even through virtual means like Zoom calls or phone calls, especially during times of physical separation.
Build and maintain one-on-one friendships with people from different partisan, racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds to bridge divides and reduce stereotypes, even if ideologies remain unchanged.
Help children develop self-management skills by teaching them to delay gratification, such as requiring homework completion before playtime, which predicts greater financial and health success later in life.
When interacting virtually, make an intentional effort to observe fleeting facial expressions and other non-verbals to better sense the other person’s emotional state, compensating for the lack of direct eye contact.
Engage in daily meditation for maintaining progress in self-awareness and resilience, but consider going on retreat for dedicated periods to accelerate personal advancement in practice.
Practice compassion by simply stopping to talk to or offer something (food, money) to homeless individuals, as noticing them is a significant small step against their experience of invisibility.
Advocate for and seek out information on the environmental impact of products and personal habits, aiming for transparency at the point of purchase to make informed, planet-friendly choices.