One challenge I frequently see as a coach and that most of my clients are experiencing, is negative, uncontrolled mind chatter.  We may be working on something but our brain is split between our task and the chatter.  Furthermore, scientists found that our inner experiences, that is our thoughts, consistently dwarf our actual experiences.  What we think about turns out to be a better predictor of our happiness than what we are actually doing or participating in.  We could be in a great company but unhappy simply because of what we are thinking about. That’s why my March book recommendation is around our ability to manage our chatter. 

So the book I recommend is called Chatter by Ethan Kross. Have you noticed a pattern? 

One of the simplest tools we can employ when experiencing chatter is using distanced self-talk.  Talk to yourself in the second person and use your name.  “Doing so is linked with less activation in brain networks associated with rumination and leads to improved performance under stress, wiser thinking, and less negative emotion.”  

Another way to deal with chatter is broadening your perspective.  Zoom out of your problem by thinking of your previous experience of a similar magnitude when dealing with it.  Imagine how others, or those you admire, would deal with your situation.  Also ask yourself the question: how does this situation fit in the broader scheme of your life, your world? 

Finally, and my favorite, being outside and in nature allows our neural resources that guide our voluntary attention to recharge.  We don’t need to use our voluntary attention when we are drawn to trees, gardens, grasses, and flowers as we do when making dinner, writing a book, or leading a meeting, etc.