IF Insider — №5 — April 28, 2020
Special “Fun” Edition — April 28, 2020
In this weeks IF Insider:
Finding fun in your life by cultivating the Big 10 positive emotions, resources to explore for more fun, interest, and happiness; what we are reading, and how to join our Fast Factor 10 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge beginning on Monday, May 4
What is the IF Insider?
This email is your briefing on the week’s most compelling developments in intermittent fasting as well as innovation in practices that can be stacked with IF, such as plant-based eating, sleep hacks, natural nootropics, brain training and more, all curated by our team of entrepreneurs and ‘future-think’ scouts.
Our Mission is to introduce the power of Intermittent Fasting to entrepreneurs worldwide so they can exponentially improve their lives and businesses and the lives of the people they impact every day.
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Reclaiming Fun In Your Life
What’s this?
In our last IF Insider (IF Insider №4–4/14/20), we discussed the importance of maintaining calm centeredness in the midst of uncertainty and provided you with some great resources to help you do just that. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at those, please do so, as these suggestions will likely help a lot.
This issue’s focus is a bit more upbeat and lighthearted, as we focus on fun! Today, we are going to look at just how you can bring a sense of fun into your life, even as we all move through the day to day uncertainty of everything that is going on the world right now.
First of all, the concept of “fun” is one of those things that you recognize as you are experiencing it, but it’s really hard to define. Surprisingly there has been very little research on fun and most of it confounds fun with the idea of the flow state. The one thing that is certain is that when you are having fun, you are in a positive emotional state and that is what we are trying to achieve here.
The work of psychologist Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson on positive emotions exploded onto the scene with her “broaden and build” theory, which in 2001 described a new theoretical perspective in the area of positive emotions and had a huge impact on the then-emerging field of positive psychology.
Positive emotions “broaden” us by letting us bypass our automatic responses and look for flexible, creative, and unpredictable ways of acting as well as thinking. This lets us “build” long-lasting intellectual, psychological, physical, and social resources that will continue to serve us long after the positive emotional experience has passed.
Dr. Fredrickson is saying that when you experience a positive emotion (such as joy, interest, contentment, love and so forth), you are not only escaping being plagued by negative emotions, you are building valuable personal resources which serve to trigger an upward spiral of emotional well-being and optimal functioning. In short, positive emotions are worth cultivating, not just for the in-the-moment pleasure these emotions bring, but as vehicles for transforming us into better human beings and giving us better lives in the future.
So for our purposes, we will characterize “fun” as a purposeful seeking out and embracing anything which generates positive emotions, whether that’s a bit of good news about our world, a breakthrough in interesting technology, or a tool that is novel and helps you feel better.
The “Big Ten” Positive Emotions
According to positive psychology researchers, there are ten positive emotions we should continuously be cultivating. Let’s take a brief look at each of these:
Interest — Most people are surprised that interest is on the list, as they don’t think of this as an emotion. But interest and curiosity draw you toward learning something new and being open to ways that can help you to grow. What topic or subject have you always wanted to explore? What is calling you? Maybe now is the time to cultivate your inner adventurer!
Serenity — This is very close to the sense of calm that we discussed in our last issue and is all about being in and savoring the present moment. Serenity is letting go of your fixation on the past and also releasing your anxiety about the future. There is no better way to cultivate serenity than through some type of meditation, such as mindfulness, a mantra meditation, yoga nidra or contemplative prayer.
Gratitude — This emotion is low key. You feel a sense of joy when something great happens to you but gratitude is different…it’s cherishing that you have what you have, no matter how big or little that is. Being grateful for past experiences, whether those came a long time ago or yesterday, and pulling those into the present moment is pivotal. Keeping a daily gratitude journal, even for five minutes, is a simple and effective way to do this or even just thinking about three things for which you are grateful prior to going to sleep is a great way to end your day.
Awe — You might think you have to be in the presence of towering redwoods, looking out over the Grand Canyon or in one of the great cathedrals of Europe to experience awe. In fact, awe can be felt every day, simply by slowing down and taking time to very closely observe the moment. Yes, nature is awe-inspiring, and can be found in the smallest details. Take time to really observe the patterns seen on the surface of a leaf or the way the light shines through the trees.
Pride — Many people don’t associate pride with positive emotion, as they may have been taught that “pride goeth before a fall” or that it’s wrong to “toot your own horn.” But healthy pride is not about boasting, it’s about the social valuing of an achievement. You can be proud, not only of something you have done, but you can feel proud of others. Pride helps you to dream big and to go past your self-imposed limits to accomplish something great.
Love — This emotion is complex and multi-faceted, encompassing romantic love, the love of friends and extends to any loving and warm relationship. Love is an amalgam of other positive emotions, including joy, contentment and interest and enables you to build and strengthen your social attachments.
Inspiration — This emotion is triggered by something you witnessed, such as an unselfish act of bravery, courage or kindness, learning of the acts of others or hearing an inspirational speech. These events leave you feeling motivated, engaged and uplifted.
Amusement — This emotion is all about enjoyment and lighthearted pleasure, with smiles and ready laughter. With all of the amusing cat and dog videos on YouTube, this emotion seems fairly easy to come by!
Joy — This emotion is usually brought about by something really good that happens in our lives, perhaps unexpectedly. Joy encompasses happiness, elation and even exhilaration.
Hope — This emotion has us looking toward a positive future with optimism and anticipation, helping us to bear our present circumstances.
Why It Matters — Today, more than ever, we need a sense of fun in our lives, plus all the gifts that positive emotions bring to us. Purposefully cultivating positive emotions can help you keep your emotional ship on an even keel, even in very choppy waters.
“When fun gets deep enough, it can heal the world.” ~ the Oaqui
Resources To Explore For More Interest, Happiness, Amusement, Joy And Fun In Your Life
The Enneagram — Maybe you know your MBTI type, your DISC profile or your Kolbe profile, but you are missing out if you have not explored the world of the Enneagram. This somewhat mysterious ancient system, with diverse roots ranging from the Sufis to the Desert Fathers, will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about not only how they tick, but others as well.
“Chris Heuertz, author of a recent book on the Enneagram as a tool of spiritual growth, argues that what makes the Enneagram distinct from most personality typing systems is its interest in character — “what we develop through our inner work” — as opposed to personality — “a collection of fragments,” like our interests, experiences, and quirks. That’s why the Enneagram draws attention not to our fixed traits, such as introversion, but to our motivating fears and most comfortable vices. It is intended to be a starting point for the hard work true self-examination should galvanize.”
The difference with the Enneagram is that it allows you to see (some would say forces you to see) the sometimes painful truths we hide from ourselves and how to transform these into strengths, for example…
Ellen is a type 5 (the Investigator) with a 4 wing (the Sensitive) — Fives are intense and cerebral and tend to be perceptive, knowledgeable and innovative but can be secretive, and isolated. Since Type Four is her “wing” she can also be self-aware, sensitive, and reserved but under stress can feel like she doesn’t belong, becoming self-conscious and withdrawn.
A few of really good books on getting started with the Enneagram are:
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron
The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher L. Heuertz
The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr
Purlli — What?? A virtual cat? Yes! From Purlli’s website:
“The sound of a purring cat is one of the most comforting sounds available and can help soothe and calm you down when you’re feeling stressed. Naturally, it’s not just the sound that is important, but it’s also the presence of the warm cuddly cat. Purrli tries to recreate both the sound and the presence of your very own virtual cat through a custom sound engine modelled after real purrs.
With a purr that delicately changes over time, Purrli aims at making the experience as real and lively as possible. Just like a real cat, Purrli will call for your attention. Just be careful when adjusting the last slider, if you don’t want to be nagged in the middle of your work.”
Virtual Zoom Backgrounds — With all the Zoom meetings going on nearly every day, from business conferences to virtual happy hours with friends, why not download some snazzy, colorful, and cool virtual backgrounds to jazz up your space?
Free Courses — Netflix steps up with 20+ hours of free documentaries, no sign up required (normally $13 a month)
Udemy is offering 700+ free courses in leadership, tech, and language.
Professional Photographers of America is here with access to over 1,100+ online photography classes.
These offers won’t last so take advantage of them now!
What We Are Reading
Each issue, both Denise Wakeman and I bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading, listening to, or watching, including books, articles, videos, movies and research papers of value. This week:
Denise — This past weekend I listened to a fascinating episode of Dr. Peter Attia’s podcast, The Drive. Attia had a conversation with John Barry, historian and author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History.
Over 82 minutes, Barry describes what happened with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, including where it likely originated, how and why it spread, and what may have accounted for the occurrence of three separate waves of the virus, each with different rates of infection and mortality. He does make some connections to today’s situation and offers lessons to be learned and applied/
Ellen — The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky isn’t some flimsy pie-in-the-sky self-help book but is solidly based on science. The author, along with her research collaborator Ken Sheldon, received a one million dollar grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to fund research on the possibility of becoming happier.
Dr. Lyubomirsky outlines twelve research-backed strategies for happiness in this accessible and practical book. Available on Amazon.
Join Our 10 Day Fast Factor Intermittent Fasting Challenge
Even in this time of global uncertainty, intermittent fasting is easy, even in the …once you have the right information and you get over the first couple of weeks, plus (and here’s the key!) you have a like-minded community of other people going along on the same journey to encourage and support you.
More than ever before, optimal health and wellbeing is everything…
That’s precisely why we have put together our Fast Factor 10 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge beginning on Monday, May 4th.
Every day, Monday through Friday, for each of the two weeks total of the Challenge, you’ll get an email prompt with information, tips, and action items for that day.
Then Monday through Friday of the Challenge, we will be LIVE in the private Facebook group we’ve set up just for our Challenge participants…To answer your questions, give support, help you make tweaks to your fasting routine, and give you a place to go where you know you can get answers and accountability. We are dedicated to your success!
Joining this 10 Day Challenge will be one of the best decisions you have ever made for your health and your life…because it’s going to set you up for an easy transition into daily intermittent fasting…
With its multiple benefits, including weight loss, brain health, decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and more.
At just $2.70 per day, this is less than a fancy latte at the coffee shop that shall not be named! Come on over and join us right now by clicking here.
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Published by Dr. Ellen Britt & Denise Wakeman, Fast Factor Community
