The 2016-adventure

The 2016-adventure continues...

Thank you for joining this adventure (If you have not done so yet, it is not too late to start).
Welcome to a journey on how to break habits. Let us stop operating on autopilot and start living a life of joy and curiosity!

There are many reasons why you would want to 'wake up'. Feel free to share the reason(s) and comment(s) about your journey by clicking on 'No comments:' below. You may influence the flow of this adventure and it may be to your benefit!

I will introduce the new experiments for the following 4 weeks:

• WEEK ONE I want to meditate for 10 minutes every morning for at least a week.

• WEEK TWO I want to let my mind wander, for 5 minutes, or for an afternoon or a weekend.

• WEEK THREE I want at least one fun activity per day.

• WEEK FOUR I want to wear a different piece of jewellery each day, like a watch, ankle bracelet or rings (even on my toes!).

You might like some of our experiments, like the 10-minute meditation (click, to see an animation) and want to incorporate it into your life or another new productive habit. You might want to form a good study habit or change something that doesn't work.

If so, here are some guidelines to help you form a new good habit:

Do the new action at the same time of the day (and possibly, at the same location). Take note that some days it might be easier than on other days, very much like surfing or swimming on a wave in the ocean. So stay with the ups and downs, without judgment.

1. Your cue to do the activity (to study for example) needs a bit of willpower to follow through. Your reaction to it is what counts, like starting a study session immediately (setting a timer and focusing) and resisting the urge to procrastinate by asking, for instance, "Do I need to check my WhatsApp messages now?".
2. Make your routine uninterrupted 25-minute focused work sessions, with 5-minute breaks.
3. Reward yourself by for example having a cup of tea or watering your pot plants.
4. A belief that you ARE capable of doing what needs to be done is vital. What other beliefs might be holding you back?


***

I provide a Complete Study Course to students and/or learners. We follow a Mindfulness Approach learning how to study and we form good study habits.

The Course is meant to give you or your children practical insight on how to learn more effectively and with less frustration. The lessons in this course can help in learning many different subjects and skills. Whether you love language or math, music or physics or history, you will have a lot of fun, and learn a LOT about how to study!

Contact Details
082 782 4747
luciabrand@cybersmart.co.za

Dans/beweging as bewuswordings-oefening

Waarom stel ek beweging voor as meditasie?

Dit is 'n uitnodiging om te dans asof niemand kyk nie!

Ons het nie 'n nuwe idee nodig om te verander nie, net 'n nuwe ervaring. Só 'n ervaring het die krag om alles te omvorm.

Om die oomblik groter te maak en ons tempo te verminder, gee aan ons die kans om oop te maak vir die ongeëkploreerde moontlikhede in ons.

Op die lewensreis waarop ons almal is, van (in die geheim) te glo ons is nie goed genoeg nie tot die absolute wete (sonder 'n tikkie onsekerheid) dat ons wel saak maak.

Dis 'n uitnodiging om af te klim van ons 'troon' af en weg te beweeg van ons mure af en onsself beskikbaar te maak vir kontak, want onder die voorgee en beskerming is daar 'n wonderwerk - jý, unieke mens!

Met bewustheid kan die kwaliteit van ons verhoudinge verbeter, ons eie sin en betekenis blom en ons vredevolheid floreer.

Dit gaan oor die tuisvoel in elke moment van ons bestaan, in ons liefhê, in ons lewe – die totaliteit daarvan.

About Nia

Nia uses systemic movement, involving the entire body with grounded moves from the martial arts, the dance arts and body integration therapies.

It’s a workout that is fun yet efficient, providing cardiovascular conditioning while inducing the feel-good sensations of movement that bring with it transformation on many levels.

Whole-being fitness begins with heightened awareness – of body, heart and mind. To achieve this, you need to turn off the automatic pilot that so often governs your movements and thoughts.

A good study habit: Focus and take a break

             A good study habit:

Four Study sessions of 25 minutes each, with 5-minute breaks. And after 4 sessions, take 15 - 30 minutes!

                       Taking a break is a sign of STRENGTH, not weakness.
               Detach completely from study or work. It integrates information!

Here are some good ways to take that break:

Motivering - Waarom doen jy dit?

What motivates you to learn or overcome difficult circumstances?

The fact that you have to compete with others and the fear of missing out or falling out can be a negative motivation. Your ego is the one trying to protect you by playing games on a ladder of some sort or hierarchy – but with closer inspection, you find that this ladder leads nowhere! Realising this, you not only meet the other person(s) as fellow human beings, but also want to make a difference in the world – fulfillment results from having meaning!

You become aware of a different kind of ladder (or stepping stones). A ladder that leads from here to there! It is your soul that has to decide where you want to be instead of where you are at this point.  With every right choice you make, you move closer to achieving your goal.

Wat is die verskil tussen die leer wat jou êrens bring en die leer wat jou nêrens bring nie?

Adolessensie kan rof wees... Fisies kry jy aknee en ’n nuwe lyf waarmee jy tuis moet raak.

Jy het geen beheer oor jou lewe nie. Emosioneel, is jy miskien onseker oor waar jy hoort. As jy met jouself eerlik is, moet jy nog agterkom hoekom jy op hierdie planeet is.

Elkeen probeer sin maak van die verwarring en vind stabiliteit by die ego. Jou ego is jou (ambisieuse) beskermer of innerlike bodyguard. Omtrent almal gebruik hierdie kortpad om hulself die gevoel van kontrole te gee. Dit laat jou meer in beheer voel as jy 'n hiërargie skep!

Wat sien jou ego?

Jou ego sien die lewe as beter, hoe hoër jy op die leer is! Alles is ’n kompetisie. Vrae ontstaan wanneer jy tussen ander is soos, “Is hy/sy laer of hoër as ek, op die leer?” En die ‘oorlog-voering’ om op te beweeg en verby te beweeg, begin...

Maar is daar regtig iets om na op te beweeg?

As jy jou siel kan laat praat, sal dit 'n ander storie wees!

Met jou siel aan die woord, kan jy jammer sê vir die keer wat jy gedink het iemand is beter as jy (toe jy opgetree het asof jy beter was as hy/sy).  Of jy kan jammer sê toe jy iemand op die leer gesit het om teen mee te ding! Of dat jy ’n ander onder jou op die leer gesit het en gemaak het asof jy wen... Of jammer voel dat jou speletjies jou bietjie minder werd gemaak het en verhoed het om ander as normale medemens te behandel (soos die mens wat jy is).

(As ouers is ons ook almal in dieselfde boot: elkeen van ons hanteer spanning soos lenings terug te betaal, kinders op te voed en/of te werk, stukkende swembadpompe ens. Maar soms voel dit asof jy die enigste een is by wie daar chaos heers!).

Is growing up really moving up? Of gaan volwassenheid nie meer oor die bewustheid dat ons saam in hierdie ding is nie? Growing up is rather moving towards one another. My ego word dan vervang met my siel wat sê, “Dis goed om jou (regtig) te sien!”of “Dis goed om jou vir die eerste keer te sien!”.

Die leer wat loop van hier tot daar waar ek wil kom.

Selfontwikkeling kan gebeur as daar ’n doelwit is - ’n rigting wat sin gee aan jou lewe. Daar is ’n goeie spanning tussen ‘hoe ek nou is’ en ‘hoe ek kan wees’. Dit help jou om te kan uitstyg bo enige moeilike situasie en jou besluite positief te beïnvloed.

Ons is mens deur ander mense. Om in die wêreld betekens te bring kan tot selfvervulling lei.  Dit voel bowendien lekker om ’n verskil te maak in iemand anders se lewe.

Elkeen besluit self waarheen sy/haar leer loop (van waar ek nou is tot daar waar ek wil kom), sodat hy/sy verantwoordelikheid daarvoor neem.

As jy byvoorbeeld moet studeer, bepaal jy self hoe jy gaan optree, nl. gee jy in of oorwin jy daardie oomblik van huiwering. Selfgesentreerdheid word vertroetel en versterk as ek verskonings maak vir die werk wat gedoen moet word.

Vir professionele individuele advies en 'n volledige studiekursus kontak my by 082 782 4747.

Lucia Brand (M Ed - Opv Slk)

Soek asb die dienste van  ʼn berader, indien nodig, wat die nodige toegewyde ure neem om meer bekend te word met jou spesifieke situasie. Ek aanvaar geen verantwoordelikheid vir nadelige gevolge a.g.v. jou interaksie met hierdie blog nie.

Students and learners: Tips on time management

Self-sabotage when studying:

Identify what YOU do to waste your time and what to do instead!

1.    Passive rereading – rather recall the main ideas without looking at the page, rereading is a waste of time.

2.    Letting highlights overwhelm you. A little highlighting here and there is okay—sometimes it can be helpful in flagging important points to also get it into your brain.

3.    Merely glancing at a problem’s solution and thinking you know how to do it. You need to be able to solve a problem step-by-step, without looking at the solution.

4.    Waiting until the last minute to study. Rather do a limited amount of work on one subject at a time.

5.    Repeatedly solving problems of the same type that you already know how to solve. Do a variety of problems.

6.    Letting study sessions with friends turn into chat sessions. Checking your problem solving with friends, and quizzing one another on what you know, can make learning more enjoyable, expose flaws in your thinking, and deepen your learning.

7.    Neglecting to read the textbook before you start working problems. Before you begin to read, however, take a quick glance over the chapter or section to get a sense of what it’s about.

8.    Not checking with your teacher or classmates to clear up points of confusion. Teachers are used to lost students coming in for guidance - it’s their job to help you.

9.    Thinking you can learn deeply when you are being constantly distracted. Set your timer to make it a short period (25 minutes) of focus.

10.  Not getting enough sleep. Your brain pieces together problem-solving techniques when you sleep, and it also practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep. You need to sleep 7-8 hours per night to think quickly and well. It makes all ELSE YOU HAVE DONE MATTER.

B. Oakley and T. Sejnowski, Learning how to Learn (UC San Diego, 2014)

B. Oakley, A Mind for Numbers: How to excel at Math & Science (Even if you flunked Algebra) (Penguin, 2014)

Studente en leerders: Kom jy agter jy staan in jou eie pad?

Self-saboetasie

Kom jy agter jy staan in jou eie pad?

"Hoekom moet ek leer?" 

Sodat jy nie werkloos is nie! 

 - Ja, daar is 'n denkbeeldige geweer teen jou kop: 

WERK!

"Maar my tyd is té min..."

NEE, maak 'n koue keuse: "Ek gaan Wiskunde doen i.p.v. games (of vul jou eie aktiwiteit in) speel."

- Iets moet 'doodgaan', sodat iets anders kan lewe!


"Eendag gaan ek - magically - 'n professionele persoon wees"...   

Nie as jy Crossy Road vir 5 ure per dag speel nie...

- Nee, dit wat jy oefen, gaan jy verbeter...


***

Wees in die proses - nie die eind-produk nie!
bv. "Ek gaan twee 25 min-sessies Algebra Wiskunde doen
- Vandag!


***
Lieg jy vir jouself oor wat jy wil hê?

Onderskei tussen die breë skouers van Arnold Schwarzenegger/wêreldvrede (waaroor jy geen beheer het nie) 

en iets wat jy 100% kan najaag soos fiksheid/vrede in jou eie verhoudinge.

GO FOR IT!

Vir ouers, studente en leerders: Hoe sien jy stres?

Hoe sien jy stres?

Hier is ’n paar klein perspektief-skuiwe wat jou kan bemagtig:

- Stres is ’n aanduiding dat jy ’n doelgerigte lewe lei.

Dieselfde omstandighede wat spanningsvol is, gee positiewe ervaringe. Dit gee ook weer, in hoe groot mate jy betrokke is by dinge wat liefde en groei in jou lewe bring.

- ’n Positiewe uitkyk – In plaas van “Hierdie toets maak my bang!”, eerder “Hierdie toets het my gedetermineerd om my bes te doen!”

Navorsing toon dat jy gesonder en gelukkiger leef en meer produktief werk wanneer jy glo dat stres jou help om jou bes te doen – selfs in moeilike en baie stresvolle tye.

- Verander stresvolle momente in geleenthede vir groei.

Herken ‘n sinvolle lewe is ook ‘n stresvolle lewe. Die stres beteken nie dat daar fout is met jou nie, maar iets waarvoor jy omgee is in gedrang. Wat is dit waarvoor jy omgee? Sien dit as geleenthede vir groei. En glo dat jy die uitdaging kan hanteer. The Upside of Stress – McGonigal, prof. by Stanford Universiteit

Benaderings om vrese te oorkom

Identifiseer die ‘Indringer-sindroom‘ - die band wat speel in jou kop wat sê jy hoort nie, daar in die moeilike situasie, waar jy is nie... bv. “Almal anders kan die vrae beantwoord, maar ek kan nie en ek gaan uitgevang word...“ Dit is baie algemeen en die mag lê daarin om dit raak te sien, naamlik: “Dit is net die indringer-sindroom; ek het al ‘n uitdaging gehad en oorwin – ek moet net stuk vir stuk aanhou werk.“

 

As jy bang is dat iemand anders eerste met iets sal wees, is dit belangrik om die groter prentjie raak te sien – kom in voeling met die groter geheel en van wat jy doen en vir ander beteken. 

Onthou die belangrikheid van verhoudinge en menslike kontak.

Roep positiewe terugvoering op.

Maak jou los van jou vak/produk/werk. “If I fully identify with my product and then it falls over, then just through classic logic I have fallen over. And that’s a really dangerous place to be in the volatile world.” Om hierdie vrees te oorkom, beveel Gunatillake die volgende denkoefening aan: “It’s not about believing the words, it’s about taking on the words and then noticing what comes up in the mind in response…I am not my Twitter bio. I am not my resume. I am not my company. I am not my work.”

Lucia Brand, 
Educational Psychology - Study Counsellor
082 782 4747

For professional and customized advice, you should seek the services of a counselor who can dedicate the hours necessary to become more intimately familiar with your specific situation. I do not assume liability for any portion or content of material on the blog and accept no liability for damage or injury resulting from your decision to interact with the website.

What is mindful studying?

1

  THE COMPLETE study COURSE - A MINDFUL APPROACH

  Mindful studying refers to the quality of being conscious of how you learn. 

1. Although you keep in mind where you have come from and contrast that with the dream of where your studies will take you; 

2. you achieve a mental state by focusing your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

  This includes noticing, acknowledging and changing behaviours that do not serve you, like

thinking you can learn deeply when you are being constantly distracted. 
Every tiny pull toward an instant message or conversation means you have less brain power to devote to learning. Every tug of interrupted attention pulls out tiny neural roots before they can grow.

 

      And another is going to bed too late. 

Your brain pieces together problem-solving techniques when you sleep, and it also practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep. Prolonged fatigue allows toxins to build up in the brain that disrupt the neural connections you need to think quickly and well. If you don’t get a good sleep before a test, NOTHING ELSE YOU HAVE DONE WILL MATTER.

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

MORE RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

  Focus.

Turn off all interrupting beeps and alarms on your phone and computer, and then turn on a timer for 30 min. Focus intently for those twenty-five minutes and work intentionally, as diligently as you can. Give yourself a small, fun reward the last 5 minutes... and a longer break after the timer goes off for the 4th time. Two or three of these sessions per day can really move your studies forward.
                                                         

 Good habits

Set up times and places where studying - not glancing at your computer or phone - is just something you naturally do.

... FOR MORE INFO, READ THE STUDY COURSE PAGE - WE FOLLOW A MINDFULNESS APPROACH TO STUDYING

Learners who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers... click to read more:

How to be more effective and less stressed in an age of distractions:

The age of Distractions

When you think you multi-task, you are actually just switching from one task to another.
And there is a cognitive and emotional cost in doing so!

In order to be more effective and less stressed: 

Focus on NOW

Plan:

                         

You need to know where you are heading, so prioritise according to when you are writing the test and what you need to know for it. Plan on your To Do Today (see picture).

Manage time:

Set your timer for 30 min for your first session and GO!

During the 25 min you can't be interrupted!

 "Learning information while multi-tasking causes the new information to go to the wrong part of the brain. If students study and watch TV at the same time, for example, the information from their schoolwork goes into the striatum, a region specialised for storing new procedures and skills, not facts and ideas. Without the distraction of TV, the information goes into the hippocampus, where it is organised and categorised in a variety of ways, making it easier to retrieve.

Cell phones too, are a distraction. Stop and know it is a recipe for addiction: you receive a text, and that activates your novelty centres. You respond and feel rewarded for having completed a task (even though that task was entirely unknown to you 15 seconds earlier). Each of those delivers a shot of dopamine as your limbic system cries out “More! More! Give me more!”

 

Sustain your focus on your learning material until the last 5 min before your timer rings - use the 5 min. for relaxation. Sustaining diffusing your brain...

The timer's ring calls you back and activates your next session.

For more information on related matters see Betterhelp.com/advice/stress/

A Good Rule of Studying

A Good Rule of Studying:

Test yourself. 

On everything. 

 All the time. 

Flash cards are your friend.

Letter to parents/students

The Complete Study Course

Dear Parents,

The Study Course is meant to give you and/or your children practical insight on how to learn more deeply and with less frustration. The lessons in this course can help in learning many different subjects and skills. Whether you love language or math, music or physics or history, you'll have a lot of fun, and learn a LOT about how to learn! 

The Complete Study Individual Course normally takes 6 weeks, but a small group course, "Study Course for 4", can be specially arranged, where they get a good look into the most important parts of good study habits.

We shall focus on
·         Focused versus Diffuse Thinking
·         Procrastination
·        Goal setting
·        Techniques to summarise
·        Planning
·         Time management
·         Memory techniques
·        Test-day itself
and Stress Management with
relaxation (breathing) exercises etc.

These are done in accordance with the person’s unique intelligence profile (My clients receive a report about their strengths) in order to realise your full potential.

Kind regards,
    Lucia Brand
    082 782 4747
luciabrand@cybersmart.co.za
     M Ed (Study Counsellor)
Unlock your mind!
        
        and Nia teacher
www.niastellenbosch.com 

   Fitness for life!

Students and learners: goal setting

Another Rule of Good Studying

Goal setting

Long term goals 

Make a mental contrast. Imagine where you've come from and contrast that with the dream of where your studies will take you. Post a picture or words in your workspace to remind you of your dream. Look at that when you find your motivation lagging.

Everyday goals

Divide your subject into smaller sections and when attending to a specific one, the rest fade into the background. Think of doing your best with the task in front of you NOW - space exercises or chapters over time. Focus on the "process" (e.g. solving math problems for 25 min every day) and NOT on the “product” (e.g. passing mathematics!).

Thumbs down to focusing on the “product” e.g. I should pass math!!

 and YES! to working a little bit everyday (It is less stressful and it doesn't cause procrastination).

PS: Look at Everyday Goals every 3 months to revise and change what is not working!

Students and learners: A Rule of Good Studying

A Rule of Good Studying

Eat your frogs first!

 ...Do the hardest thing earliest in the day, when you are fresh.