The human being as a systemic being
You are not one or the other. One person at work, one person at home, one with friends and another at the children’s soccer practice. While you can adapt your behavior to the situation, everything you think and do is done with the same body and brain. So what you experience in different situations affects your whole being and you bring with you memories and emotional states that are stored somewhere in your body.
I think we are in an important shift when it comes to seeing people as systemic. We are a whole, affected by our ‘parts’. I think our parts are our internal communication (thoughts), communication with the outside world, movement, rest (sleep and recovery), breathing and diet.
How it all fits together
In recent years, there has been a lot of research on, among other things. a. the gut and the brain. How our gut flora affects our brain and how we think, etc. An unhealthy gut flora (less good diet) can lead to bacteria entering the brain that negatively affect us in various ways. About 70% of the cleansing the body does every day comes from our breath. We breathe about 25,000 breaths per day, equivalent to about 10-20 kg of air. This tells us that our breath is incredibly important, yet many of us take it for granted. We don’t have to think about breathing to live, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an important function in our life. The breath keeps us alive.
Research shows that movement affects and stimulates the growth of brain cells, and strengthens and forms new nerve fibers in the brain. Slow and more vigorous movements give us doses of feel-good endorphins. With slow movements (yoga, etc.) we also stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system (calmness). Sleep gives the body a chance to repair cells and integrate the impressions and experiences of the day. You may already know much of what I have said and this is a very rough summary. My aim is mostly to briefly highlight the different parts and show their important functions and how they are connected in the body and brain. I hope you agree with me when I say that we are systemic. Everything is connected and we need to understand that each part affects the other parts.
Internal and external communication
The last two of the six elements that I address in this post are communication, with ourselves (internal) and the outside world (external).
There is so much to do when it comes to communication. A good start in my opinion is to start self-reflecting. What do you tell yourself? How do you say things? I’ve written a previous post about the me and you sort, which is one of the ten basic sorts I look at when it comes to change and development processes. In this post, I talk a bit more about language. Do you often say “man” or expressions like “must“, “always“, “should“, “never” and “not“? Instead of saying “man”, practice saying who you are referring to when you speak. You should go to bed (Who should go to bed? Should? Need may be a softer and more undemanding option). Say I when you mean I. It is also a way to boost your self-esteem by expressing your self.
In previous posts, I have written a lot about how we can think about thoughts, to reinforce or reject them, and release more resources in us. I have also written about things that can be good to have as tools in an ongoing or upcoming change or development (anchoring, sorted feedback, frameworks, intentions, states, patterns, on/off buttons, passion in leadership, etc.) At home or at work. In a managerial role or as an employee. So I refer to previous posts so as not to be too long-winded here (look e.g. in the categories leadership, personal leadership, business climate). What I want to summarize about communication in this particular post is that just as the other parts fulfill such important functions for us, so do our thoughts and what we choose to convey to the world around us. What do you want to contribute to the world around you with your communication (speech and body language)?
You own your thoughts and conditions
We can find ourselves in tricky situations, where we sometimes have few and difficult choices to make. We may find ourselves in situations where we perceive that we are at a disadvantage. Either way, there is something that no one can take away from you or own. These are your thoughts. You have the power and own your thoughts, unless you allow someone else to influence them. You can choose which states you want to be in and use your mind to get into them. Perhaps just thinking about it can give you strength. I am not saying it is easy, but it is possible. And where there is opportunity, there is hope.
Don’t believe everything you think. Question and create the best conditions to empower your thoughts and decision-making – by creating your balance in movement, diet, rest and breathing.
Do you want to find more power, whether in your personal leadership or in another role? You are welcome to contact us and we will find an arrangement that suits you. Digitally and/or through a face-to-face meeting. You can reach me here.
/Rebecca
