Even during stressful times, like the emergence of Covid-19, animal companions also serve as friends throughout the day and help to fight loneliness. Having a pet in your life allows you to witness their cute acts, such as how they ask for a belly rub, their facial expressions, and how they follow you around. 

It’s not only limited to cats or dogs; hamsters or reptiles can also bring joy in various ways. You might also get more excited to go home after a long day at work to see their cute acts.

Loving and taking care of pets at home is shown to improve the owner’s well-being through the numerous benefits they provide. This article will present to you how loving pets will improve your mental health, physical health, and social life.

How pets can support mental health

Stressful life events always come and go. For example, after spending a whole day in meetings or you have to complete deadlines for your study, coming home to pet and hugging your pet somehow makes you feel less exhausted. 

Taking care of your little furry friend and seeing their cute acts always puts smiles back on your face. Even touching a pet’s smooth fur or hard shell is known to be soothing, and they are known to be able to reduce anxiety.

Study shows that pets also care for you as much as you care for them. Some people said petting their furry friends helps them satisfy the “tactile part of living that is essential for people.” Pets also provide companionship and a sense of security. This way, pets serve as a safe relationship for their owner and build owner resilience.

Training and playing with your little buddy helps develop deeper connections that benefit both you and your pet. Their cute acts while playing are also able to distract you from current stress and make you feel much better. 

How pets help improve physical health

It is important to have routines with your pets. Whether you’re walking them outside, playing together in a park, or even just spending time to give them attention is good for both of you, especially your health. Owning a dog and routinely taking them to walk is known to give you some benefits such as:

• Lower medical costs;
• Greater chance of surviving a heart attack; and
• Lower blood pressure, triglyceride, and cholesterol.
  

This is beneficial, especially for those in the pension years. Getting more active daily with your pets will definitely make your day. Having this routine also shows how much you love your dog since your buddy is healthier and happier. 

Additionally, your pets also can accompany you with your exercise. Whether it is a home workout or yoga, you both can get healthier together!

Social benefits of having a pet

There are vast amounts of people who also own pets, and each pet also has its own community, like cat lovers, dog lovers, or even reptile lovers. You may also find them while you’re shopping for your pet’s food or when you walk your dog to the park. 

Pets serve as social lubricants that help you connect with others easily. Owning a pet is known to improve social connectedness, foster strong relationships with other pet owners, rekindle old friendships or form new friendships, and strengthen existing relationships. You can easily start a conversation with others with your pet stories, and they may respond with their pet stories too. 

Other social benefits from your furry friends also come from them. They accompany you even in stressful times or when you feel lonely. Pet is known to be important to serve as your social support. Studies show that pets can compensate for your need for companionship and interaction with other humans. Even when you feel lonely, you can count on your furry friends.

In conclusion

Having a pet not only improves your well-being but can also be one of the most rewarding relationships in your life. They can provide you with a sense of purpose, and believe it or not, your pet has just as much love for you as you have for them. 

As long as you keep your relationship with your beloved pet healthy, there is nothing to worry about. You won’t feel much stress and anxiety, get healthier together, and bring more colors to your social life. And for those of you who aren’t pet owners, it’s time to consider a furry friend in your life.

If you would like to see more resources on human-animal bond, check out the Wellbeing Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Wellbeing Science Labs today.

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But, maintaining a good performance would be a challenge for most employees, and may even cause stress. Stress is associated with burnout, illness, and low level of mental health. Both organization and the employee must find a path to good performance without costing individuals’ well-being. So, how do you keep a healthy good performance in the workplace?  

Entering the flow state is one way to keep your performance and also not be stressed about it. In this article, you will understand what the flow state is, its many benefits, and how to achieve this state.  

The flow state

In 1976, Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly, a Hungarian-American Psychologist observed an artist working on a painting, single-mindedly, fully focused on what he was doing, and ignoring his hunger, fatigue, and discomfort.   

This phenomenon he called flow — a state of optimal experience and maximal concentration. In this state, you lose your self-consciousness and temporal awareness of your surroundings. You are also able to feel total control, effortlessness, and complete concentration on the present moment (here and now).  

The flow state is known to have a significant positive effect on performance, especially in work activities. This state allows you to show greater performance under the task that you are working on and other tasks such as helping colleagues or additional projects voluntarily. Other benefits from inducing flow are increased satisfaction in work and improved well-being. Because of the flow state, you will be able to increase your skillset and in the meantime, complete challenging tasks, making you feel more competent in your work. 

How to enter and foster the flow state

To enter the flow state, you must understand the basic principles of flow. According to Mihaly, there are three main components of flow: clear goals, clear feedback, and a balance between the challenge and skills. Here are steps to enter and foster the flow state:

Set goals 

This means you need to understand what the task structure is and what you want to achieve. It has been known that having a clear goal enhances self-direction and helps to fulfill the needs for autonomy and competence, which cause more flow (Weintraub, Cassell, & DePatie, 2021). You can use goal-setting techniques to channel your attention to your work, improving your concentration and reducing unproductive work. 

Focus on things that you’re currently doing 

Focus your attention on what is in front of you and what you need to do. This is the fundamental component of the flow state. Focus of attention helps to promote a positive flow state.   

You can improve your focus by adopting an external focus. External focus means focusing on the effect of body movements. An external focus avoids the disruptive effects of self-focus on the monitoring and control of movement (Weintraub, Cassell, & DePatie, 2021).  

Avoid interruptions 

It is important to note that a flow state only happens when you focus on one thing that you are doing. Multitasking on your task is interrupting the flow and thus reducing your performance.   

You can put on your earphone and play flow state music, or simply put away your phone and tablet. Remember what you need to do and focus on what you are doing.

Keep up with the practice

The key aspect of flow is the balance between challenge and skill. Performing the same task every day without any challenges only leads to boredom. You should stretch your skill with each task every day to achieve flow.   

Balancing challenge and skill also means you need to upgrade your capability in each task. Therefore, accepting a task that is a little more advanced than your skills would be necessary to be in the flow state and foster it.

Finish your task at the end of the day 

It sometimes becomes a habit where employees leave their tasks for the next day. But, a study found that leaving a task for tomorrow just makes you more anxious and thus disturbs your performance. By finishing tasks every day, or by simply meeting your progress goal will help you to experience the flow state and also improve your well-being. 

In conclusion

Entering and maintaining the flow state in the workplace is important for both your performance and well-being. Supervisors can also contribute to fostering employees’ flow state by giving more constructive feedback and coaching to improve employee skills and performance. Fostering a flow state in the workplace not only benefits employees in the long term but also ensures company success.

To learn more about the flow state, check out the Happiness Science Labs. The lab produces courses, certifications, videos, podcasts, and other learning resources using the research of the Institute for Life Management Science. Visit Happiness Science Labs today.

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These are some common questions that someone may have at some point lifetime. Understanding the self and knowing the meaning of life is essential for the continuation of human beings. Reaching the “True Self” and having a purpose in life are known to have significant implications such as improvement and maintenance of well-being, better physical health, self-development, and even reduce mortality rate across the lifespan.

Given the importance of understanding the self, it is important to know how to do just that. Mindfulness is the answer, the key to unlocking the gate to the higher self. It has been known that mindfulness improves individuals’ awareness and focus on the body.

How mindfulness relates to a higher sense of self? First, you need to understand what mindfulness is.

In this science-based article, you will know the origin of mindfulness, how it relates to the sense of self, its benefits, and several practices that you can do to reach a higher sense of self. You will be able to reach a higher sense of self with mindfulness practice and an understanding of what is inside you and the world you live in.

Understanding mindfulness

From a historical perspective, the concept of mindfulness was first introduced through the Buddhist concept “sati”. “Sati” was translated from Pali word by a British scholar, Thomas William Rhys Davids in 1881. The translation was based on his understanding of the Mahasatipatthana Sutta. “Sati” stressed the impermanence of all phenomena, and the repeated application of this awareness to every experience (Sun, 2014).

Creswell (2017) explains that mindfulness grounds attention and awareness in one’s present moment of experience. Both attention and awareness are focused on the body sensations, emotional reactions, mental images, mental talk, and senses. This monitoring feature of mindfulness is known as “watchfulness” or a “lucid awareness of each experience that presents itself” by scholars. 

Mindfulness isn’t just being aware and paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. Being mindful also means allowing, or being non-judgmental or non-evaluative about present moment experience (Non-judge) and refraining self from impulsive reactions to the experience (Non-React) (Baer et.al., 2006).

The most common practice of mindfulness is meditation: a practice of “self-regulation that focuses on training attention and awareness to bring mental processes under greater voluntary control and thereby fostering general mental well-being and development and/or specific capacities such as calmness, clarity, and concentration” (Davis & Hayes, 2011). Mindfulness meditation is a specific way of paying attention, a process of non-judgmental awareness, and an attitude of openness and acceptance (Xiao et.al., 2017).

Mindfulness isn’t exclusively only practiced in meditation. It can be practiced everywhere and at every time. 

How mindfulness relates to the sense of self

The main purpose of mindfulness is to bring awareness and attention to the body in the present. Mindfulness, both in Buddhism and psychology, is viewed as the key to understanding the nature of the self and obtaining spiritual well-being (Xiao et.al., 2017). 

Numerous known studies explore the relationship between mindfulness and self. In Western societies, mindfulness is linked to many aspects of the self such as self-exploration, self-experience, self-transformation, self-compassion, self-acceptance, self-perspective change, self-consciousness, self-concept, self-deconstruction and reconstruction, self-referential processing, and so on (Xiao et.al., 2017). Because of its close relationship, mindfulness is practiced to improve positive self-attitudes among people.

Sense of self is “an individual’s feeling of identity, uniqueness, and self-direction” (APA, n.d.). Individuals need to understand their sense of self. Individuals can start to view themself as temporary, interdependent, and shifting dynamically, rather than as a permanent, unchanging entity (Xiao et.al., 2017). By adopting this perspective, one should be able to view the impermanence of life and have a deeper understanding of the meaning of life (Chu & Mak, 2019).

Mindfulness is known to increase authentic self-awareness, therefore, encouraging individuals to perform behaviors that are consistent with their needs, values, and interests. It has been suggested that mindfulness boosts “authentic functioning” (being aware of and regulating oneself) and helps individuals to become aware of their “true self” (Chu & Mak, 2019). Thus, mindfulness may act as an ability to discern understandable patterns in life to make the entirety of life coherent and comprehensible.

Benefits of having a higher sense of self through mindfulness

The main purpose of understanding both mindfulness and a sense of self is that you will be able to experience a sense of self as a temporary, interdependent, and impermanent entity. It has been known that mindfulness affects many aspects of life, including the self. But, what exactly are the benefits of mindfulness regarding self?

Enables self-development

Reaching a higher sense of self is also a self-development process. You should be able to develop the desired attitudes toward yourself, others, and your system of values. Those individuals may show some higher quality of self such as being responsible, reflective, aware, self-accepting, self-respecting, integrity, congruent, and so on (Xiao et.al., 2017). Therefore, reaching a higher sense of self is one step ahead of the “true self”.

Clarifies purpose in life

As a trait, mindfulness enhances your awareness of self and contributes to a sense of purpose in life. This way, mindfulness may foster the sense of the main goals of life, aims, and direction of where your life is headed. Thus, life is experienced as more meaningful as the person becomes more aware of his/her purpose in life. 

Enhances meaning of life

There is a mechanism of mindfulness to reach a higher meaning in life. Mindfulness approaches your ability to attend to yourself with an open attitude, thus cultivating the knowledge and awareness of internal constructions and processes of self (Chu & Mak, 2019). Therefore, mindfulness fosters the authenticity of self and can improve the meaning of your life.

Mindfulness practices to reach a higher sense of self

The most common practices of mindfulness for a higher sense of self are mindfulness meditation and Mindfulness-based Interventions. But, each practice has its domain of focus when it comes to learning to be mindful. There are four domains of mindfulness that need to be mastered to reach a higher sense of self (Nilsson, 2014):

Body

The body is also known as the physical dimension of mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness in the body dimension is focusing on the body state of the being. This practice aims to heighten awareness with the sense of sensory presence and attention in everyday activities such as working, cleaning, eating, and so on. So, your activity of the day won’t be an “autopilot” but rather attended in the present. 

There are several practices of mindfulness to improve body awareness such as Yoga, Body Scanning, and Meditation (either sitting or walking meditation).

Mind

The mind in this sense is the mental dimension of the being. To reach the higher sense of self, you must be able to resist and ignore the constant flow of thoughts, feelings, and desires of the conscious mind. Some challenges that you may face when practicing mindfulness mind such as restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and some unpleasant memories, suddenly emerge during the mindfulness practice. Those experiences are called “the monkey brain”, leading to difficulty to remain focused on what’s currently happening in the present. 

With this goal in mind, practicing 15 minutes of focused breathing with standard mindfulness practice can lead to improved mental and emotional regulation, and also may reduce negative automatic thoughts.

Social

The social dimension is one of the most important aspects of mindfulness that needs to be cultivated. To reach a higher sense of self, you must be able to have empathy and compassion toward others. But first, you must cultivate these aspects among their closest circle of social life. To achieve this goal, individuals may practice any mindfulness activities that are mentioned above, within groups. Under the supervision of a competent instructor (as the leader), performing activities such as yoga and meditation can foster healthy interpersonal dealings among the members.

Existential

The existential dimension is the last aspect that needs to be understood. You must understand the importance of your existence. This dimension is essential not only for physical and mental well-being but also for giving you a broader sense of life. 

To reach this essence with mindfulness practice, you should have personal balance and greater awareness of the present moment’s meaningfulness, through a self-reflection process of your life experience and also through active involvement in the world.

In conclusion

To understand the sense of self, you must understand what’s within yourself and what’s within the world you live in. Mindfulness can open the gate to a higher sense of self — the authentic self. Keep in mind that, mindfulness can be practiced with everyday activities like driving, working, doing chores, and so on. The key is to bring awareness and attention to the present moment. To reach a higher sense of self, it’s important to have a holistic mind, to realize the impermanence of things, to let go of what has been passed, and to look forward to life. That way, you will understand each essence of life, and the meaningfulness of each day, thus reaching enlightenment for yourself.

If you would like to learn more about mindfulness, visit the Wellbeing Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other learning materials. Check out the Wellbeing Science Labs today.

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