Now let’s try and do something about that.

When I was training to become a mental health nurse, a few months before my 18th birthday back in 2008, my mentor was a man for whom another person’s diagnosis label on their record was as good as irrelevant.

He was a man who saw a person for their current presentation, as a culmination of their life experiences that had led to this point in time: living a freedomless existence within a psychiatric unit for their own safety or that of the general public’s.

He was a man who saw a person – a human being – for being their own version of human. The only way they knew how. Without prejudice but with hope. Without discrimination but with inclusion. Without condescension but with candour.

It was his behaviour that fostered a culture of care that I certainly wasn’t expecting but could actively see in the eyes of the down and downtrodden. Down but not out.

It was his behaviour that fostered a culture of communication without constraints. The ability to cut through the noise and encourage openness as one ultimately led to abnormally positive patient outcomes, but most importantly, made an inherently traumatic experience more like a hopefully rehabilitative one.

Less penitentiary warden.

More becoming well, man.

I trace back much of who I am as a person to those formative years.

Instead of moving away for university (my grades wouldn’t allow) or taking a travelling gap year (my bank balance wouldn’t allow), I spent hours-upon-hours sat in the lounge area of an all-male acute inpatient ward trying, somehow, and often in vain, to be a positive influence on the people within my duty of care.

Sometimes that was simply a listening ear.

Sometimes that was subtle words of encouragement.

Sometimes that was shaping a newfound sense of self-esteem.

But no two approaches were ever the same. Every one as individual as the next. Some, in severe cases, had to follow strict care plans that included heavy pharmacological interventions with less therapeutic care.

But only in severe cases.

It’s the ‘messy middle’ that I care most about.

The surviving but not quite thriving.

Health services treat mental illness much the same as they do physical health. Observing the presentation of obvious or self-expressed symptoms, labelling them as disorderly when they’re debilitating enough, and then using medication as the primary (easiest) care pathway to predictably unsuccessful outcomes.

And we all know why that is 🤑

The model of care that I’ve been working on for over a year now is one that is based on three fundamental design principles and focuses more on the behavioural aspects of mental health treatment that’s effective in anxiety, compulsive, and traumatic-based disorders of the mind.

1. Acceptability

2. Accountability

3. Actionability

Acceptability. The ability to accept; starts with understanding and acknowledging who you are as a person. Where you’ve come from, your shining light and your blind spots, your communication language and attachment style. What makes you, you.

Accountability. The ability to be held accountable; progresses with a world that starts to revolve more around a person’s responsibilities in life than just themselves. Less main character energy, more film director. Less what happens to me, more what happens for me. Radical feedback and open communication from third-party support here is critical.

Actionability. The ability to take action; completes the trifecta by developing a bias for making decisions that are grounded in strong foundations that will lead to better mental health management. What works for me will almost certainly not work for you. Achieving a flow state of autonomous action is the ultimate goal.

How does this look in practice?

Below is a screenshot from my new mental health tracker system, MeOS, based on those principles. It doesn’t overfocus on introspection via mood and emotion tracking throughout the day, nor is it designed overtly feminine which accounts for roughly three-quarters of apps on the market today.

This tracker system is as much for people who feel they are on top of things as it is for those who are struggling. If everything’s under control, keep it that way by staying on top of your commitments. If many elements are out of control, you have the evidence to seek support and lessen the burden.

Mental ill-health doesn’t often give forewarning.

This tracker system only works in the present moment in time. It forgets the past and cannot worry about the future; giving you a clear vision to focus on the elements of life that need controlling and only requires a weekly or fortnightly check-in to update your scores with a trusted accountability partner. To help and be helped.

It’s effective because it reduces overwhelm by being your second ‘digital’ brain.

It knows the behavioural warning signs of worsening mental health because you’ve told it so. It knows the mechanisms that you need to action in order to stay steady because you’ve told it so, and it has a personalised intervention plan should your score fall below your pre-agreed threshold – because you’ve told it so.

Your mental health management isn’t solely your responsibility.

MeOS is a template that’s built in Notion, so you’re able to duplicate it and easily rearrange the examples to reflect your own situation.

Take advantage of my introductory offer as I’m giving away the template to the first 100 people who download it using the discount code FIRST100.

MeOS – Mental Health Tracker »

Unfortunately, the previous platform that we used to facilitate our relatively informal and infrequent rendezvous was closed down by its parent company, Twitter, earlier this year. And to be honest, it was a blessing in disguise as 2022 has been one of those years(!) for sure.

There’s also something to be said about the impact that impending doom we’re all now collectively facing, on top of the impending doom we all navigated through for two years prior, has had on our abilities to perform well as human beings.

Everything seems to be tougher these days.

Or have we just gotten weaker?

What used to come naturally, no longer feels that way, in particular:

• My energy levels are lower

• My creative output struggles

• My people tolerance has reduced

And I’m hearing similar stories from those close to me, too. If like me, you can’t even think about the festive break yet but it also couldn’t come any sooner, then you’re likely to be experiencing the same sort of slow burn down that we’re all going through. Acknowledgement is the first step to a healthy recovery in the New Year – the mind can only take so much.

No exceptions to the rule.

I’m interested to see how you’ve fared… 👇🏻

As inherently social mammals, we work better together as a collective force, but the best course of action we can take to manage better is to put our own metaphorical oxygen masks on first. Prioritise going for long walks, running warm baths, reading more books, cooking up a storm, start running, playing sport etc. Whatever it takes, whoever needs to be let down and whichever news bulletin can (certainly) wait.

How can one keep pouring from an empty glass?

More on mechanisms and interventions soon.

A new addition 🧡

In brighter news… earlier this year, we welcomed our first next-generation (Taylor) Penwarden into the world and we all couldn’t be prouder of Katie & Joe for bringing beautiful baby Nell into the world. They’ve blessed our families with a glorious gift and she is already so very loved. I’ve never known a love quite like it.

As a writer, it’s not often that I find myself speechless as such but when they announced their pregnancy in the summer of last year, it really did flaw me.

Especially when they delivered a hand-written card that wrote:

As Josh is not here in person, we hope you’re up to covering his role as well as yours <3

Cue the floodgates. And a promise that Nell will know all about her Uncle Josh.

Which makes it a bittersweet year for us, too, as August signified the 10th anniversary of Josh’s passing and November would have been his 31st birthday. We also returned from a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, in October which was one of – if not – the last place he visited on holiday.

I often see fleeting moments of his influence in my life and take solace in those as they come and go. But by far the greatest influence has been my dogged determination to deliver better mental health care to the masses.

A new investor 🤝🏻

Over the past 12 months, as you will have seen in previous editions of this, I’ve been working on creating a new mental health education and management platform.

A system that works for all, individuals.

That’s why I’m super excited to announce that we’ve just signed our first financial partner, albeit a silent one, to help accelerate our growth strategy for the next 12 months.

The key problems I’ve observed in over a decade of research analysis are two-fold:

1. People are generally still uneducated on mental health

2. People are generally still unable to manage theirs effectively

It’s a chicken-and-egg situation at play but it’s one that I’ve been designing a system for; which works more like a Trojan Horse concept than the current digital solutions that are as exclusive as they are inclusive due to the homogenisation by design.

The solutions I’m currently working on are:

• An educational online platform

• An integrative community

• A personal operating system

If you’re willing and able to, I’ll soon be calling out for early-stage testers to put the prototypes through their paces and give feedback to rapidly develop the first iteration. And for those fans of Notion, there’s a mega template about to launch too!

Thanks for sticking with me through the void.

A normal(ish) service will resume here on out.

Charlie

P.S. These digests are now powered by Substack, a brilliant publishing platform that’s home to some great original content too. Download the Substack Reader app for the best experience on mobile and to start following other publications too.

Music moves my mental state and it can evoke emotions at the drop of a beat, straight outta nowhere, without conscious control. Most of my deep work is done with headphones on, distraction-free, to repetitive lyric-less beats.

But as a man, like the majority of millennial men around my age, I haven't grown up with emotional fluency as part of my language of communication from paternal influences and because of societal expectation of masculine behaviour.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

It's important to note that, whilst harnessing testosterone for high performance can be a positive power to behold, this can often lead to stunted emotional maturity and, in extreme cases where substance abuse or trauma has been experienced during early developmental ages, a diagnosis of Immature Personality Disorder (IPD) occurs; with behaviours showing a low tolerance of stress and anxiety, the inability to accept personal responsibility and the reliance on age-inappropriate defence mechanisms (denial, repression and projection).

This is probably why I find myself, in certain moods, tuning into music for the key to experiencing feelings that I'd otherwise struggle to express healthily or explore deeply. And because of its intrinsic link with emotions, breathwork has the connective ability to do this too, as does some meditation practices. But all-too-often we turn to the easier, over-romanticised, self-destructive vices like boozing, gambling or dominant displays of aggression towards others.

A damn shame.

From the slow-lows of melancholia to the faster highs of euphoria, listening to music as it stimulates the temporal lobe and electrifies different parts of my brain (read: how the brain responds to music) will forever feel like a novel experience as music tastes develop.

I can't even listen to some songs because they elicit such strong sad sentiments and there are others I can't stop listening to on repeat because of the state of or entrancement they induce, every time.

Yet on the other hand, a common symptom of clinical depression is what's known as 'anhedonia' (an-hedon-ia) meaning 'without pleasure', whereby a person cannot physically experience the joyfulness of music and other endeavours that would once have been otherwise enjoyed.

Much like our musical tastes are influenced by early exposure, the role models and identity groups we associate with, our belief systems are similarly stable in that sense.

Early exposure to certain beliefs that are perceived truths at the time can become outdated with newfound knowledge, research, shifting cultural norms and updated societal expectations.

And because beliefs are relatively stable over time and perpetuated by Confirmation Bias (the psychological tendency to interpret and recall information in a way that confirms our prior beliefs), it spells trouble for inter-generational feuds.

Plenty of which we're seeing play out presently with political division, pandemic handling and progressive identities.

Most neurologists agree that the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain right at the front that's commonly associated with planning, decision making, personality expression and moderating social behaviour) is fully developed by the age of 25. And as the brain becomes more rigid in plasticity, it becomes naturally harder to develop new skills with age. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but by this point, we've appear to have figured out our world views and recognised the patterns that resonate most with us.

Two key elements that make up a person's ability to adapt well to change are their Mental Flexibility (the ability to hold two or more opposing views loosely at one time) and their ability to Unlearn (the opposite of stubborn, being able to let go of out-dated knowledge and accept new knowledge that is more relevant).

Research conducted on adaptability to change shows that as we age, we become progressively worse at practicing those two key elements. Which explains a lot.

Differing tastes in music, no matter how eclectic, is a classic example of how our individual and social group expressions can be opposing in genre but still sonically appreciated.

And if that mindset is applied to other aspects of life then I for one can see a more tolerant world that is able to:

"Share our similarities and celebrate our differences." – M. Scott Peck, Psychiatrist & Best-Selling Author

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

A rather toxic triad that can only be the borne fruits from living through many a broken system that we're all experiencing, multiplied by an incessant barrage of negativity from most angles.

(It gets cheerier, honest).

Appreciate that this relatively regular light-hearted digest you've signed up for isn't a place for political discourse, in fact, quite the contrary, but Jesus Christ (excuse for the blaspheme, Mum) it's a bit of a shit show out there.

Enough for us to choose the perceivably safer haven of neutrality and subdue our beliefs. For the best, maybe?

Whilst that may sound a little extreme. As a recovering realist turned optimist, I try not to entertain those thoughts too deeply too often.

What I've found during my regular Sunday nights of late, typically spent reflecting, researching and assimilating subjects that I hope will intrigue you, is that the tone has been more negative than usual.

Some would say that that's just it.

It's the world we live in now so respond appropriately and deal with the forces in equal measure – fight fire with fire (Metallica, et al.) and take an eye for an eye (Hebrew commandment).

But as the American author who most notably penned 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' quite rightly pointed out...

"If everyone fought fire with fire, the entire world would go up in smoke. – Lemony Snicket

And an eye for an eye is a surefire way of making everyone blind.

If they aren't fitting metaphors for current times then I don't know what is. Personally, I'd rather heed martial arts master Bruce Lee's advice and "be water, my friend" when it comes to fighting fire.

Seriously though; dealing with forces in equal measure not only disobeys the principles of negotiation psychology, but anecdotally, myself and others around me have found to be harbouring resentment with lowering levels of tolerance, preparing for conflict with no real opponents, and straight up avoiding situations when we should really be strengthening bonds and enjoying the dynamic, diplomatic nature of respectful conversation with others. Others different to us in age, race, gender, beliefs etc.

As the French do rather well.

After all, that is what makes us human.

It's not just our ability to think, feel and do with intellect that makes us human. Not if you go by one of the oldest philosophies on humanity there was, the Zulu proverb that derived from African culture – Ubuntu – meaning "I am who I am because we are."

Pronounced (oo-boon-to), it takes the first principle of human consciousness described by French philosopher, Descartes: "I think therefore I am" and transforms it into "I am because we are".

It forms part of a phrase that translates to "a person is a person through other people" therefore without people we are but human.

And that may sound like an obvious statement yet through our egos we don't often think that way, certainly not predominantly anyway.

Ubuntu is the recognition that we are who we are because of the greatness of others in our lives, right from the off, and our betterment is ultimately because of the betterment of communal support. It's a collective way of saying that when we seek to improve the lives of others then our own lives improve even more so.

Likened to Aristotle's proverb "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" from which the acronym T.E.A.M (Together Everyone Achieves More) was consequently coined.

It was popularised by the late great African leaders Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela (Barack Obama even ended Madiba's memorial speech with an ode to Ubuntu) described as a universal truth that underpins the concept of an open, communal and humanistic society.

"We achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others" – Barack Obama – Nelson Mandela's memorial service (2013).

Whilst this may seem like an ideological pipe-dream or a fanciful hope that couldn't possibly slot into Western society living. It's the principles of Ubuntu that I'll be taking into 2022 as my guiding spirit. The same principle that basketball coach Doc Rivers used that triggered the biggest turnaround in NBA history (Source).

There are two parts to Ubuntu.

The first is acknowledging that we are who we are today because of the impact of others in our communities and we have to be thankful for that, to them. However further developed we have become since. It's a humbling practice that's steeped in gratitude and by now I'm sure you're all aware of the mental fitness benefits.

Secondly, it's understanding that we have an interpersonal responsibility to be that supporting force to others in our communities in an intentionally selfless fashion that doesn't solely focus on the achievement of self-orientated goals.

So with that, my first question of the new year:

How can you incorporate the principles of Ubuntu in 2022?

If you're willing to share then hit reply and I'll drop some of them in the next edition to help those who may need some inspiration.

Until then!

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Trillby wins my vote, with notable mentions for Myrtle (from Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter) and Flanders (assuming that's so you can say "Shut up Flanders!" on the regs). Oh and there was a Stiffler in there too – no comment 🙄

Seriously though, I hope that cognitive distancing technique has been a useful one and you've managed to try it out. One question that came up a few times in the replies was how to distinguish between the Mind and Self, so here's a quick answer for you...

Does what you're thinking, saying or doing corroborate with your list of core values? If it doesn't, then your Mind is likely to be in control of that situation and a quick cross-check to your values list and their associated beliefs will steer you away from distraction and keep you true to Self.

Print them out, write them down, set them as your phone background – do whatever you can to easily reference them for discipline on autopilot.

Bittersweet Celebrations

This time last week we were celebrating Josh's 30th birthday down in North Devon, a long-time favourite seaside escape of my family's and his. And although it might sound strange to say we were celebrating, the way I look at it, the young man we knew and loved ~ lived a life filled with love and laughter for two solid decades.

Do I still grieve the loss of what he could have achieved?

Do I still grieve the loss of his boundless creative talents?

Do I still grieve the loss of his personal presence as a friend?

Yep. I don't think that'll change much, but upon reflection, this birthday felt a little different and I'm hoping that's because I've unlocked another level of the gritty grief game.

Even though a voltage of emotions were still felt, as we recounted short stories of his life happenings throughout the weekend, the overarching feeling for me was one of a sense of pride.

Pride that during his time, he honed artistic crafts in multiple creative mediums and mastered them the way he naturally knew how – to the max. Pride that during his time, he made a positive impact on all those who knew him, with that ever-resonant goofy laugh. And pride that during his time, he was expressively (unapologetically) himself.

Takes one helluva man to be so too.

My definition of a man anyway.

Respect.

I'll be passing on this sense of pride to others when I can this coming week, so here's my question to you:

Who are you proud of? For the person they've become.

Let them know about it.

Cheers then!

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Cognitive being related to conscious brain activity.

Dissonance meaning a lack of harmony or agreement.

It's a familiar feeling of discomfort that your conscious Self is aware of conflicting beliefs and behaviour.

A more common interpretation of this is a perpetual feeling of guilt that, when unaddressed, becomes a self-fulfilling cycle of obstructive habits which will be perceived by others as hypocritical – should you have been vocal before.

Guilt that will be felt if you value Personal Health highly, for example, but are unable to make the right decisions that will contribute towards habit-harmony like exercising regularly and eating healthy foods.

Now, this could be because of a stubborn hormonal imbalance zapping your energy, a strongly gripped sugar addiction, or prioritising financial gain that's leading to high levels of stress.

But either which way, it's a mental battle that only you are able to resolve. And resolve you shall, by realigning your values and their associated beliefs, e.g.

"I value {Personal Health} because it'll make me more resilient to overcome life challenges, give me bountiful energy stores and lower my chances of illness or injury."

"I believe that to have {Personal Health} harmony, I must get at least 30 minutes of exercise and two healthy meals a day with a generally low sugar and alcohol intake."

Feel free to use the above as a template for your own values and beliefs and print versions to stick on the wall as constant reminders. That'll make sure to be front of conscious mind when reasoning that either contributes to mental harmony or discomfort.

Cognitive Distancing

"Silence Chuckles! Now isn't the time." – my Self to my Mind.

Who's Chuckles? I hear you ask.

Chuckles is my Mind.

And I am my Self.

That was my Self talking aloud to Chuckles, as I often do, but don't often admit, for obvious reasons lol. Until now!

We are two separate entities for whom one (Chuckles) is the noisy background chatter, hungry for attention, narrating my life story to feed my ego in the conscious mind – the tip of the iceberg – also responsible for analysing logic and rational thought.

Uncontrolled, Chuckles distracts me from being fully present and gaining the most fulfilment from my life experience each day. And according to Trivers' theory of self-deception, in a vain attempt to save face, the conscious mind is capable of hiding the truth from itself so it can then better hide it from others.

Chuckles is, however, dutifully silenced during flow states when working in-the-zone, during meditation, prayer or breathwork, during intensive exercise, when performing or racing, when wondering with awe through a forest, swimming in the ocean, playing games with children or in-depth conversation with friends, when captivated by fiction or watching an immersive film, when writing, cooking, listening or dancing to music, singing songs, when surfing or sailing, cycling or running.

But nowadays, because we spend so much of our day questioning, judging, reasoning and comparing (overstimulated by social media and instant messaging) that we end up mistakenly identifying with the Mind as if it were our true Self.

"I can't think straight"

"I need that new jacket"

"I'm too busy to call them"

"I can't be bothered to cook"

"One or two glasses won't harm"

"I can always workout tomorrow"

Disconnecting the two is the first step to reducing daily cognitive overload and overriding your conscious mind. According to revered clinical psychologist, Steven Hayes, giving your Mind a name and conversing aloud, questioning it as a third-party, is most effective.

Silencing your own 'Chuckles' naturally encourages a deeper connection with your truer Self too, that's driven by the subconscious mind – the bulk of the iceberg – that's incapable of reasoning as it's where your core values and beliefs, emotions and feelings, habits and addictions, imagination and intuition live.

For those of you who've seen this year's Disney~Pixar animated film, Luca, you'll notice some similarities in the above when Luca's friend Alberto orders him to repetitively "Silenzio Bruno!" to dampen his inner obstructive voice – shutting down his doubts by giving them an identity, in humour.

And don't worry, you shan't develop a 'split personality' or anything of the sort by practising this. It forms part of the evidence-based mindfulness strategies used in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy developed by Steven Hayes and served globally since 1982.

So that just leaves my question this week...

What are you naming your Mind? 😅

Hit reply and let me know – funnier the better!

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

For those who felt the measurement tool will be helpful, I've since created a simple online form for selecting your scores and plotting them on a graph to keep track of your mental health over time and highlight where to aim your focuses – short and longer term.

I'm testing the tool with a small number of individuals, privately, with the hope to extend wider over time. If you'd like to be involved in the testing and future developments, hit the thumbs up at the bottom of the email and I'll be in touch.

If you self-scored out of 100 and are looking for what this means for you then here are the three initial ranges of assessment (TBC):

1. Score less than 50 indicates a serious situation and requires intervention from your local mental health community team.

2. Score between 50–75 means you're struggling with more than one element that's impacting your daily life and inevitably happiness, those specific elements require immediate support.

3. Score 75 and above means you're in a good place overall and only have a few elements that require extra focus due to other life happenings taking the limelight and improving.

More on the management side of things in future issues.

Winning The Climate Crisis War

This week, I spent a couple of days in Bristol at the inaugural Blue Earth Summit listening to keynote speeches from impassioned leaders in the climate war like Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project, Jo Morley of City To Sea and Bertrand Piccard of Solar Impulse who are all the perfect blend of dreamers and damn right doers with a natural gift to inspire, which certainly helps!

As bonafide pioneers in their fields, they are all driven to be the change that they want to see in the world rather than relying on those in positions of power who, as track records go, are limited in trust when deploying proactive initiatives for good, over profit.

Tim Smit of the Eden Project has been instrumental in securing renewable energy sources that will power Eden and up to 35,000 homes in the surrounding area of St. Austell in Cornwall by tapping into the Earth's hot water stores (geothermal) which is 10x more efficient than petroleum and is a clean and reliable source of energy to be turned into heat and electricity.

Jo Morley of City To Sea and Hugo Tagholm of Surfers Against Sewage are continuously campaigning for the reduction of single-use plastic in order to reduce demand to cut supply at source. Simple but effective. Jim Cregan of Jimmy's Iced Coffee has done exactly that by removing the plastic from their packaging and replacing with aluminium cans and bottles that can be recycled.

And last but by no means least is Swiss psychiatrist and aviator, Bertrand Piccard, the first man to fly around the world for 26 hours straight in a solar-powered plane showing us a new reality of clean air travel without the need of fossil fuels; is using his stature among world leaders to make ecological business an economically viable choice as, unsurprisingly, opposed to the moral obligation...

Quite the opposite strategy to Dr. Jane Goodall, who's new book: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide For An Endangered Planet is released on Tuesday. During a short discussion, whilst walking her dog, Bean, explained to me how they are focusing 100% on youth education and future development – ignoring the existing world leaders – to ensure the next generation learn from the irrefutable mistakes that have directly contributed to the crisis.

Whilst the current total energy supply for the UK alone paints a relatively bleak picture for renewable energy powering just 16% of usable energy in 2020, the production costs are decreasing and pressures to pass legislation are increasing.

The behaviour change and technological innovation necessary in business and politics to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations will be accelerated should demand from population adoption continue to rise.

A question I'll be considering this week:

Do my righteous intentions match my actions?

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

The concept of sensory deprivation in the floatation format was first developed by neuroscientist Dr. John Lilly in the 1950s while attempting to isolate the mind from the body for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Described as an escape from overstimulation and a rest from gravity; it's very rare, if ever, that the mind slows down to the frequency of theta brainwaves whilst still being conscious over a prolonged period of time.

That's exactly what happens when soaking semi-submerged in the pitch-black extra-large bathtub filled with half a ton of magnesium sulphate, or Epsom salt as it's more commonly known. Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral that's important for many processes in the body like regulating muscle and nerve functions, controlling blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and producing proteins, bone and DNA.

But even though magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body, it's been reported that over 75% of citizens in the US aren't meeting their recommended daily intake. And it might be surprising to hear that magnesium has been shown to be an effective anti-depressant (especially with treatment-resistant patients) and an analgesic for neurological conditions including migraines too.

So when the mind slows down to theta frequency, the connections in the brain that 'light up' are those associated with creativity, learning, daydreaming and fantasising. They're the ones most active during times of intense meditation, deep prayer and spiritual awakening (Source).

It's certainly why Aristotle, hailed by Britannica as one of the world's greatest philosophers and the first 'genuine scientist' in history, acclaimed the benefits of hypnagogic napping (the semi-lucid state between awake and asleep) for inspiration by saying:

“For when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.” – Aristotle (~350 BC).

The Float Experience

When you first climb into the tank, because the water temperature is purposely preset to the temperature of our outer skin (about 35ºC similar to a warm bath) it creates this strange illusion that you can't really feel anything external, especially as the concentration of salt has added density to the water. Once the ripples of movement had minimised and the surface became still, the mind's focus was attuned to the binaural beats being played whilst the soft lighting slowly softened more.

The six senses deprived of external stimuli in the tank were:

1. Visual (seeing)

2. Auditory (hearing)

3. Tactile (touch)

4. Gustatory (taste)

5. Vestibular (movement)

6. Proprioceptive (body awareness)

After around ten minutes of acclimatising to the environment, the lights were turned off and the music silenced. The weightless float had begun and it was at that exact moment that the sound of my breath amplified to what felt like deafening decibels as my senses were deprived of all external stimuli, only internal awareness.

What was most strange about the experience, which was misaligned with my expectations, was that as time went by I noticed there was very little thinking happening. Leading up to the float, I was worried that it wouldn't be a relaxing experience because all thoughts may surface when stimuli are reduced.

But it was the exact opposite effect by naturally moving into theta frequency brainwaves, it reduces the beta brainwaves that are associated with active thought and overthinking.

Knowing that exhaling longer than the inhale (Whisky breathing) would naturally slow my heart and respiratory rates, I tried to focus on the box breathing technique and by the end managed to get down to just over one breath per minute – which was pretty challenging considering the resting adult respiratory rate is on average twelve breaths per minute.

The box breathing technique is usually practised as per the timings below which would already take the respiratory rate down by tw0-thirds to four breaths per minute:

• Inhaling x 4 seconds

• Holding x 4 seconds

• Exhaling x 4 seconds

• Holding x 4 seconds

With enhanced relaxation, I managed:

• Inhaling x 12 seconds

• Holding x 12 seconds

• Exhaling x 12 seconds

• Holding x 12 seconds

That was a near hypoxic state with a lowering amount of oxygen being fed to the brain and this process took around 20-30 minutes to achieve. Towards the end of the float, I started to feel that familiar lucid state of consciousness with some visual hallucinations appearing too. Nothing of spectacularity, just some random swirling colours and a feeling that I wasn't really physically present in body.

Then nothing like a slight panic of claustrophobia to awaken the senses and regulate back to normal breathing again to spend the final ten minutes waiting patiently for the music to come back on!

Recovery

Once the experience was over, it didn't take too long to acclimatise back to normal but there was an overwhelming sense of contentment that I couldn't shake. One that can only be described as a mental refresh, likened to clearing the metaphorical cache.

Preliminary brain scan data implies that flotation therapy has the same effect on the brain as anti-anxiety drugs. In his recent research, Neuropsychologist Justin Feinstein compared brain imaging samples of people given the anti-anxiety drug Ativan to people who had floated and found the same dampening effect on the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and survival instincts that can often be impaired in those with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

I don't know about you but I've certainly felt the effects of a global pandemic playing out alongside the inescapable reporting of major catastrophes; so if nothing else, preventing a build up of stress or anxiety with therapy like this will be a regular occurrence for me.

My question this week is:

How are you preventing a build up?

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

How's things?

This week marked the ninth anniversary since Josh left us in person which, considering that represents nearly a third of my life is quite crazy to comprehend.

The anniversary weekend was spent with his family hiking up and down three of the tallest limestone-laden hills in the Yorkshire Dales National Park raising funds for The Good Grief Project by taking on the Three Peaks Challenge in one day. Who's idea was that?!

The Good Grief Project are a UK-based family-run charity who host Active Grief retreat weekends for bereaved families and friends to allow them the time and space to process the complexities of grief in creative and energetic ways.

As we walked side-by-side with sixteen strangers in similar situations, it was clear that the agony of grief was able to be expressed far easier in a natural environment than it's usually able to throughout the humdrum of daily life.

Agony was the appropriate word-of-the-weekend considering the challenge took us over 12 continuous hours, 25 miles in distance, 5,200ft of elevation and 60,000 steps to complete. My damn knees, jeez.

I've only done a few relatively gruelling challenges over the years and those of you who've done something similar will know just how much of a mental battle they are, often more so than the physical demands on the body.

The typified example of this came at a pivotal moment in the challenge during the third and final rest stop at around 4pm as daylight was dissipating with the thickening fog. The last team member, who had struggled to descend the brutal stone steps of the second peak with the pace needed to complete the challenge, was given the ultimatum it was now too risky for them to continue at that pace and the support vehicle would have to take them back without completing the challenge.

An incomprehensible outcome.

That ultimatum was met with an expected emotional response but then a resultant mental upshift in the courage needed to continue on with what can only be described as grief-driven physical overdrive.

Running on nothing but adrenaline and dogged determination, the final peak was somehow successfully summited in the remaining four hours, much to the adulation of all the team involved.

Rightfully deserved!

We ended the challenge with a few drams of whisky to help ease the pain and then shared stories among newfound friends who'd just made lifelong memories in the name of their loved lost ones.

Priceless.

I took my camera along and documented the day if you're interested in seeing the scenery with a few special moments captured: enjoy the views here.

Until next time.

Keep someone's memory alive today.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Aside from the alcohol-related definition, your description may include some familiar examples of where 'spirit' exists as a common noun in English language.

• Team spirit

• Free spirit

• Holy Spirit

• Guiding spirit

• Dunkirk spirit

• Restless spirit

• Kindred spirit

• That's the spirit

Or maybe include some of the following:

• She has entrepreneurial spirit

• The weather dampened spirit

• The manager lifted their spirit

• Torture didn't break his spirit

You might also have used words like 'character', 'essence', or 'heart'.

Kinda difficult to describe though.

In scientific literature, due to its inability to be measured as physical matter like most elements that make up the body are, spirit is described as something that's incorporeal; meaning that its true essence exists free from physical convention.

In religious scriptures, spirit refers to the part of a human being that connects and communicates with a deity (a perceivably supreme character in existence beyond what's physically observable).

By dictionary definition, it's categorised in three similar but separate senses:

1. Way of feeling – "her spirit was dampened"

2. Not of body – "he's still with me but in spirit"

3. Of energy – "they performed with great spirit"

Taking all of that into consideration, you might be surprised to learn that the word spirit actually originates from the Latin verb spirare meaning breathe. With spiritus meaning: breath, the force which animates life.

Here are some literal meanings of related words that you'll most probably recognise, along with their modern day interpretations:

To aspire means to breathe on.

Working with strong physical and mental exertion by aspiring to reach a goal or having an aspiration to achieve something.

To conspire means to breathe together.

Plotting or planning a scheme with others. Plotters are also referred to as conspirators and conspiracy is a synonym of plot, a secret plan or agreement between people.

To perspire means to breathe through.

Associated with the body's cooling mechanism producing sweat through the skin via the autonomous action of perspiration.

To transpire means to breathe across.

With connotations that something has happened or occurred, like a previously secretive or unknown fact now becomes known.

To inspire means to breathe in.

Derived from the religious concept that a deity breathes life into a human to give them soul. In the Book of Genesis, 2:7, Moses wrote:

"Then the Lord God formed the man's body from dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life (spirit), and the man became a living soul."

Fuelling someone with the urge or ability to take action or feel something – inspiring. An inspiration being someone or thing that was influential in the accomplishment of something.

To respire means to breathe again.

The breathing cycle of life; inhaling oxygen into the body and exhaling carbon dioxide primarily for energy management.

And to expire means to breathe out.

With connotations of coming to an end or reaching the final period of validity in its current form – to breathe one's last breath.

It's important to note that the breath itself, in essence, isn't spirit.

Spirit is essentially the presence of energy that manages a metaphysical connection within oneself, with another, with others or for others.

Spiritual connections, then, can be enhanced by active breathing, meditation or prayer; by deepening relationship intimacy; by socially bonding with others or through altruistic concern for others.

Finishing with these two questions for you:

1. Do you feel in control of your own energy?

2. How do you think your energy affects others?

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Spring Equinox has been, signifying the movement of the Earth's rotational tilt towards the Sun again after being tilted away for the winter season.

Equi(equal)nox(night) also signifies one of the two occurrences of the year when time is spent almost equally in daytime as it is nighttime.

Balanced.

The Moon's orbit around Earth isn't so circular, so a full moon that lands at the same time as perigee (the Moon's closest point to Earth during its ~27 day orbit) has its gravitation pull amplified.

Which is why those who live close to the ocean will have seen the extreme high and low tides of late.

It's our one year anniversary 🎉

Me and you. Us, here, doing this thing together every Sunday(ish). Stoked you're still with me and hopefully enjoying the reads too. It's been great to hear how certain issues personally resonate with you so please keep the comments coming through.

Whilst the externally enforced accountability should take some of the credit for the unexpectedly prolonged discipline, I'm proud of myself for showing up, 36 issues strong.

Today, I took a look back at my first issue published in March 2020, featuring a quote from Yasmin Mogahed:

“Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt, you fall. But, you keep going.”

It wouldn't be an anniversary without a reflection, so thinking back over the past year, here's the overarching lesson I've learned:

To allow myself to lean into the lows as equally as the highs.

Whilst I could certainly do more of it, reflection helps as a gentle reminder of the why, strengthening the path towards North Star and fuelling the energy cycle needed to keep persevering.

I'm now a breathwork coach 😤

That's the triumph emoji, apparently.

Who knew?

As soon as I experienced the almost immediate benefits of active breathing, which has helped hugely with freediving training too, I've been studying for a mini teaching qualification that enables me to share the science-backed secrets of breath control and guide others through harnessing their breath to balance their energy.

Nothing spiritual; just short and controlled practices to naturally dial up energy when needing to enhance focus or ignite motivation and dial down energy to regain presence from overstimulation or anxiety-induced impulsion.

If you were around for Issue #7 then you might remember the Water, Whisky, Coffee breathing practices popularised by Lucas Rockwood during his talk Change Your Breath, Change Your Life –well it's he who's been my instructor and signed off my certification.

Over the coming weeks, I'll drop in the benefits of breathwork every now and again but for those who are interested in exploring more, I'll be opening up my calendar for discovery sessions soon.

This week's question is, after a tough year and the end in sight:

How are you caring for yourself, and for others?

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Now, just over a couple of centuries later, you are 1 human being living on a planet that is soon to surpass 8 billion living people.

To put that in context, it took the human race approximately 200,000 years to reach 1 billion people and then 0.1% of that time to octuple. And at its current rate, 10 billion within the next 30 years.

Astonishing.

That's a helluva lot more people who with their basic human rights need access to food, water, clothing, education, employment, housing, healthcare and support if unable to sufficiently support oneself – according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Not only that, but with newfound online sociability, how has this impacted the measurements of equality and equity across the world?

Equality meaning that each individual or group of people is given access to the same resources and opportunities as others and receives the same treatment and support at the same time.

Equity meaning that it's recognised that each individual or group of people has differing circumstances and distributes the appropriate resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

It's proportionate allocation that's the difference.

And it's proportionate allocation that matters most when closing the gap of living standards related to the health and wellbeing of a whole population.

According to Immanuel Wallerstein and his World Systems Analysis, it's been the hangover of medieval feudalism (the imposed hierarchical structure of a state: Kings > Lords > Nights > Peasants) that developed after world empires disbanded that's keeping the current system as a hybrid function that mixes self-generating power with hyper-population growth contributing as fuel.

So with more people in the human race, does it naturally heighten competitiveness and consequently lower selflessness?

Competitive though we evidently are, we also underestimate the influence of social comparison on self-evaluation. And how perceiving wealth, relative to our peers, is more important to us than actual wealth accumulated.

In a survey conducted by Harvard School of Public Health in America, participants voted that, in the same conditions, they would prefer to live in a world where the average annual salary was $25,000 but they earned $50,000 than one where they earned $100,000 but the average was $200,000.

Competitiveness?

Or avoiding loss?

In a separate study, employees would explain externally that achieving mastery at their job was more important than achieving superiority (ranking higher than their colleagues).

But in reality, it was found that comparative ranking to their colleagues actually affected their internal self-evaluations more when job mastery didn't come close.

Misalignment.

It's easy to see why one-upmanship is a rational human pursuit too, especially when it appears to be linked to one's own happiness.

Economist Richard Easterlin found that whilst a country’s wealthier citizens are generally happier than its poorer ones, as a country becomes wealthier, its citizens do not automatically become happier— a contradiction now known as the Easterlin paradox. 

A study conducted in 2010 with 12,000 British citizens would seem to support Easterlin’s conclusion; revealing that more income only boosted life satisfaction when that income rose higher in relation to peers of a similar age group, educational level or region.

Whilst money isn't everything per se, it sure allows us a sense of achievement through ownership (houses, cars, material possessions, Instagram stories etc.), achievement through financial security, and achievement that alleviates our fear of failure.

But it's personal time, that whilst it's a limited commodity, is the only unit of currency owned in equal amounts by all; an hour of your time is as precious as an hour of my time.

So my question this week is:

When was the last time you purposefully allocated your personal time to help someone else without reciprocation?

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

When was the last time you gave yourself feedback?

And were they aligned?

I don't just mean feedback in relation to a typically insipid performance review at work, more so in relation to;

1. How you're being perceived by your peers.

2. How your behaviour is affecting yourself and others.

3. How your decisions are determining North Star progress.

According to Coa, the online mental health gym, self-awareness is not only the number one trait for emotional fitness but the critical foundation block for mental strength.

"The more aware you are, the more connected you become." – Laird Hamilton (Big Wave Surfer)

When we break down self-awareness, it's not just being in tune with our body or responsive to our environment, that's more like perception, alertness or consciousness.

Self-awareness is deeper than that.

It's having clarity of one's own individuality; with an intrapersonal understanding of beliefs, biases and behaviours that inevitably dictate how you show up for yourselves and others.

This should also include the acknowledgement of emotional injuries (inflicted upon self or from others) and the resultant mechanisms in place for treatment.

If you're sat reading this and thinking "yeah I'm pretty self-aware" then you'd be among the 95% of people who believe they are.

Yet in a recent 5,000 person study, that included reviews from nearly 800 scientific studies (conducted by The Eurich Group), it's in fact around 10-15% of people who are truly self-aware.

So what constitutes true self-awareness?

The ability to authentically describe:

• Your own character

• Your own feelings

• Your own motives

• Your own desires

The common misconception with this is that it comes only from introspective discovery by sitting in silence and observing thoughts or accessing painful and egotistical aspects that have been avoided.

However, awareness is split by internal and external influences so, therefore, has two main ways of effectively cultivating it too.

1. Internal evaluation = spending time periodically (daily or weekly) writing down what's happened i.e. the decisions you made, the habits you stuck to, urges you overcame, feelings you felt etc. in order to bring it to life and review the evidence.

2. External feedback = asking those closest to you, who you show up in different environments to (family / friends / work), to deliver constructive feedback in an open, honest and non-conflicting conversation.

You can't reach a strong level of self-awareness without consistently practicing the aforementioned. And then acting on the findings.

It's not something you can rely on your internal dialogue for either, no matter how good you are at debating both sides of a situation.

So with that being said, as we approach the first anniversary of Sunday Night Slides, I'm opening up my inbox for your constructive feedback on how you're finding it and what you'd like to see more or less of in the coming year.

Be honest!

Charlie

P.S. It's normal to feel apprehensive about doing this activity for yourself, because of our natural negativity bias: our brains react to negative stimuli faster therefore process it as a priority (necessary for survival) so this might take a little grit to overcome!

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Sharing is caring, after all.

There's currently space for 15 subscribers to join the fun, so if you want in then hit the thumbs up towards the bottom of this email and I'll send over the invitation.

Following the Social Night Slides feed also comes with your own personal Mindwave feed too, valued at $60 per year, naturally protected from the algorithms (and the COVID deniers too).

An exclusive offer for subscribers only.

See you over there on the daily!

Framing is everything

The simple replacement of a single word can change your entire outlook on a situation and therefore conditions the emotional response too.

In the following example, we reframe the internal attitude when assessing our own willingness to undertake an activity or task that could be causing friction or strengthening stubbornness to avoid.

From the begrudgingly:

"I have to..."

To the appreciatively:

"I get to..."

If the situation presented might cause an element of frustration, pain or discomfort; your attitude to framing it determines the consequential emotional reaction.

"I have to cook a healthy breakfast"

"I have to call my parents today"

"I have to do a workout tomorrow"

Becomes...

"I get to cook a healthy breakfast"

"I get to call my parents today"

"I get to do a workout tomorrow"

This subtle change reframes having to do something which infers an external obligation that one must adhere to (outside of preferred choice) to getting to do something which infers internal commitment of a privileged opportunity to be thankful for.

Interestingly, both 'have to' and 'get to' are examples of auxiliary verbs (words that help other words express their tense, mood or voice) which rather appropriately highlights how framing a situation conditions our attitude and consequential emotional reaction to it.

Feeding appreciation energy over abrasive apprehension.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Mine was... 💭

• Physically slow

• Mentally reflective

• Socially subdued

Add into the mix an uneasy state of inertia from the perpetual age of crisis we're living through and that's more than enough to knock normal hormonal control off-balance.

And the acronym above is an innocent coincidence, honest!

Whilst it's felt like the most January of Januarys there's ever been, it's somehow enabled me to achieve three things that, due to a number of excuses before (distractions, ill-discipline, de-prioritisation) didn't seem all that possible to achieve.

Especially all at once.

They were...

1. Posted personal daily updates on my private feed

2. Used active breathing to manage energy levels

3. Freed myself from a stubborn sugar addiction

Here's how I managed it.

1. Daily Updates

I've been using the new Mindwave app (mobile and desktop) for the past few months and have really enjoyed having my own personal social-media-like feed to post private thoughts, pictures, videos and voice notes, whilst attaching an emotion to every update.

Each week, you can then see a visual review of the calmness or storminess of your 'Mindwave' and have the ability to scroll back through and reflect on what happened and how you felt at the time.

If it would be helpful, I'll setup a Social Night Slides feed that's private for subscribers only to follow along and see the kind of updates that are posted, giving you ideas on how to articulate your own Mindwaves. You'll be able to contribute too if you wish!

Made it through without saying the word journalling 😅

2. Active Breathing

Next up, if you remember back to the brain hack for controlling stimulation, active breathing bridges the mind-body connection to override over/under stimulation ergo controlling energy states.

Whilst the concept of Coffee, Water and Whisky breathing has helped simplify the practice, it's been the Breathwrk app that's helped take the concept into an effective and enjoyable daily practice now almost done on auto-pilot.

It's the engaging visual follow-alongs that ensures you're present in the practice and have different exercises for whatever energy state you need controlling like calming, energising, focusing, sleeping etc.

+ the notification sound of a breath to remind you to breathe = genius!

3. Breaking Addiction

Consistent energy for days now.

According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine:

Sugar addiction seems to be the dependence on natural opioids that get released upon sugar intake. In animals and humans, the evidence in the literature shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar, from the standpoint of brain neurochemistry as well as behaviour.

Now I'm sure I've got the genetic predisposition for a sweet tooth, so the main contributors that helped break the physical craving from blood sugar spikes and behavioural aspects were:

• Setting the challenge and tracking it like a game

• Making sure protein was eaten in every meal/snack

• Trying out new guilt-free sugar-free sweet treats

Most importantly, my mindset wasn't that of total abstinence so it didn't feel like cold-turkey or tightly restrictive, just manageable.

Calm Subscriber Review

Finally, just before Christmas, I announced a little festive giveaway of annual premium subscriptions to Calm for 10 subscribers who felt like they would benefit from using the #1 rated mindfulness app in the world.

A month has gone by since then and those subscribers have been part of the Night Slides team on Calm with encouragement to use:

• Hundreds of hours of guided meditation exercises

• An entire library of over 100 imaginative Sleep Stories

• Access to all the Calm Body movement programs

Here's what a few of them had to say about their experiences:

“Just this morning, knowing that sleep might be a challenge tonight ahead of starting a new job tomorrow, I checked the Calm app to see a new Sleep Story (Red Rock Country narrated by Timothy Alexander-White) and I instantly felt more relaxed about this evening's sleep routine. It’s easy for Calm to be a part of my day for waking, meditation and a restful nights sleep.” – Adam

"I’ve struggled with sleep for most of my life but it was something that was really magnified after a traumatic event 3 years ago. I now listen to Calm every night and most nights I fall asleep straight away, this is a massive difference from before taking anywhere from 2–5 hours to fall asleep and has made a massive difference to my life." – Maria

"Loving Calm! So nice to take that bit of time everyday to reflect on your thoughts and how you're feeling. Makes you put things into perspective! Have given the 30 mediation challenge a go and it's taught me a lot about the general practice overall and now mediate more which has helped me so much mentally!" – Alice

We love to hear it!

To a fulfilling February.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Polarised.

Oh, so oxymoronic.

That in itself is a fine example too.

Derived from the fusion of two Greek words; 'oxy' meaning sharp, keen or pointed and then 'moron' meaning dull, stupid or foolish ...enthusiastically ignorant, perhaps.

Not another fitting metaphor that, in momentarily excusing my unhelpfully facetious tone, articulates climate crisis deniers so poetically as: oxymorons, lol.

I digress.

Polarised light encourages growth

According to Dr. David Macht, in the 1926 edition of the Journal of Chemical Education, plants exposed to polarised light grow fuller at a faster rate than those exposed to ordinary light.

In fact, back in the '20s, polarised light was readily prescribed to anaemic geraniums and struggling ferns to encourage growth.

The Earth's predominant, naturally occurring source of polarised light comes from the Moon reflecting the Sun's rays (reflected light is almost always polarised), so it'll come as no surprise to hear that lunar gardening – an ancient practice still continued by the slower-lived communities of the Maoris in New Zealand, Native Americans & Hawaiians and people in parts of Eastern Europe – reaps predictably abundant produce like clockwork.

So much so that John Harris, humble Head Gardener of 50+ years at Cornwall's popular Tresillian Estate, has never watered his garden yet continues to win taste awards and show prizes for his produce.

Quite astonishing.

It's based on the premise that (similar to its effect on the oceans) during a full moon, water levels in the soil are at their highest, which is why it's prudent to plant during the first quarter (half full moon) to get the benefits of rising moisture. And in the last quarter of the moon’s cycle (half empty moon), when the water levels fall to their lowest, do the digging and natural fertilising of the soil.

A practice that's all-but-forgotten, or begrudgingly ignored, by modern-day farmers and gardeners under pressure to produce high volume crops all year round.

Polarised people discourage growth

There appears to be a widening polarisation of ideologies, more so in recent times, clearly exacerbated by a highly (un)sociable media; but should we just renounce to appeasement with alternatives or is there still hope of a united humankind?

A seemingly impossible question to answer.

Or simply the dissolution of ego?

For me, it comes down to the pride of belonging.

Not the competitive, self-righteous pride of belonging that's responsible for historically significant events like the extreme Germanic pride that led to the first world war, the extreme American pride that so easily threatened democracy in the most powerful country in the world, or the extreme British pride that led to... well, only time will tell on that one.

But the kind of pride that encourages strength in enlightening communities, working towards shared initiatives not just for population longevity but for economic prosperity too; like the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) that encompasses the following measures of:

• Water availability

• Water quality

• Air pollution

• Food provision

• Habitat intactness

• Timber provision

• Pollination

• Soil fertility

• Local climate

• Erosion control

• Coastal protection.

But do they really contribute to wealth?

It's a resounding yes.

According to the 2020 Swiss Re Index, 55% of the global gross income (GDP) depends on a highly functioning BES, of which a fifth of all countries are currently in a fragile state.

Warning signs of worsening economies.

One social bias that'll need breaking down to dissolve antiquated, tribalistic identity-pride is that of Ethnocentrism:

"To apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of understanding the standards of the particular culture involved" – Ludwig Gumplowicz, Sociologist, c.1890

Education, then, being the polarised light most capable of reflecting the natural beauty of cultural diversity to encourage the growth of those living in a darkened state of supremacy.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

WORTH WATCHING

"When you do get back to spending that time together, it’s like it was yesterday. I don’t think with those friends that you grow apart, it's just that you don’t have as much time together anymore. The quality of that time I don’t think changes.” – Svein Tuft.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Much like how we hold perspectives that form judgements of the external world around us; it's ego – our self image – that acts as the internal courtroom judge mediating between personal primal desires (like instincts of survival and reproduction) and expected behaviours that guide our public identity within society.

Ego, in that sense, appears to be a positive part of personality. But alas, it's the only courtroom judge that hasn't got a grand jury holding it accountable, and with only self in mind, is the sole proponent of law and order too.

Ego can then be likened to a justice system of values and principles of conduct that we believe to be astutely accurate when making decisions, judging our own behaviour to be right and wrong, and justifying it with defence.

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself. And you are the easiest person to fool." – Richard Feynman, Physicist.

Given the popularist culture that has familiarised the façade: correlating self-promotion with success. Egotism – an inflated opinion of one's own worth – has certainly been magnified. Not only that, but it's the deep attachment to an identity group, rather than shared principles, that's most concerning.

Identity is a powerful force.

It feeds ego with purpose and a tangible aspect of self through the way we look, things we buy, actions we take and messages we promote (or don't). It provides us with affiliation and belonging to others we admire and gives us a shared sense of injustice when people from our identified groups experience maltreatment.

With the systemic and damaging inequalities faced by many groups of people, it’s unsurprising that we want to protect our identity, stand up for our rights and ensure that future generations don't suffer (survival and reproduction instincts in practice). Whilst there's currently unavoidable social disconnection, this thrusts us into the throes of survival mode which, in turn, heightens our inward focus on self.

A shared principles solution?

Communities that connect people through shared principles that are greater than themselves or their identities can permeate through social groups.

This dissolves the defence of ego that's concerned with external image, that's often driven by insecurities, by following guiding principles that offer a soulful sense of social cohesion.

Belief in better as one.

An example of a community that quite literally lives and breathes its collective importance outside of self, is that of the humble forest.

Hidden beneath the soil in the forest's underbelly is a labyrinth of fungal connections between tree roots that scientists have named the mycorrhizal network (pronounced mike-or-rise-all) or more amusingly named the wood-wide web, lol.

As Peter Wohlleben, author of Sunday Times Bestseller: The Hidden Life of Trees, explains...

"Wise old mother trees feed their saplings with liquid sugar and warn the neighbours when danger approaches. Reckless youngsters take foolhardy risks with leaf-shedding, light-chasing and excessive drinking, and usually pay with their lives. Crown princes wait for the old monarchs to fall, so they can take their place in the full glory of sunlight. It’s all happening in the ultra-slow motion that is tree time."

Focused on the long game.

Recounting a memory from his time spent immersed in woodland as a professional forester, Peter continues, with a particular canopy of beech trees in mind:

"Those two are old friends and appear careful not to encroach into each other's space. They are very considerate in sharing the sunlight and their root systems are closely connected. In cases like this, when one dies, the other usually dies soon afterward, because they are dependent on each other."

There's now a substantial body of scientific evidence that encourages Peter's somewhat idealised, anthropomorphic discovery.

Evidence shows that trees of the same species are primarily communal but will often form alliances with trees of other species for the future of their shared habitat. Trees have evolved to live as a cooperative, interdependent species that are maintained by communication with collective intelligence.

Deforestation, then, being a real-life metaphor for the disconnect between neighbours that, whilst pruning plants for the garden show, are ignoring the fact that all the fucking houses are burning down.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

WORTH WATCHING

In true Patagonia style, a beautifully shot feature, that captures the serenity and magic of forests and somehow manage to blend spirituality with science and sport. It follows a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, red cedars of British Columbia and bristlecones of Nevada as they explore an ancient story written in rings.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Perspectives, by their very nature, are one dimensional.

They are the position of your lens from which you're viewing a multi-faceted three-dimensional object from: where you are standing.

The judgements then passed, often subconsciously but also expressed as opinions, are simply what you see from where you happen to be standing.

If judgements are the resulting fruits of our perspectives, then they ultimately shape our internal justifications for the decisions we make, like the...

• People we choose to socialise with,

• Places we choose to frequent,

• Foods we choose to eat,

• Hobbies we choose to play,

• Purchases we choose to buy,

• Subjects we choose to study,

• Content we choose to consume,

• Careers we choose to embark upon,

• Causes we choose to support.

But what if our decision making capabilities are overridden?

Let's take compulsive behaviour, for example.

Without trying to oversimplify, addiction can be defined as:

"A physical and psychological inability to stop consuming" –  Dr. Vara Saripalli, Licensed Psychologist (Source).

Be it consuming activities in excess like exercise, gambling, gaming, negative thinking, sexual, social media, shopping, surgery or substance abuse like drinking, smoking or getting high.

Whilst we can all experience varying degrees of addictive behaviour. At its worst, a person suffers from uncontrollable compulsive habits that seek pleasure to suppress emotional discomfort leading to harmful consequences. It's the dependency that then intensifies.

Introspection

My personal perspective isn't stood in the position of someone who's suffered from addiction – I don't know how it feels – but upon reflection, I'm now aware of some compulsive reactionary behaviours that I struggle to control, like these few for example:

• When I feel anxious, I tend to mindlessly scroll Instagram procrastinating to induce a feeling of wanderlust as a mini-escape from the present moment that's overwhelming me.

• When the pressure of a relentless working week gets too much, I tend to seek solace in socialising with friends and depressurise by drinking the build-up of stress away.

• When I'm reminded of a painful time in my life that's been difficult to resolve or if someone's been hurt as a result of my actions, I tend to detach and seek avoidance through aloneness. (typical bloke though, right?).

So when these emotive tensions in the body are triggered by stress and pressure or guilt and shame or rejection and abandonment – addiction control is primed and ready to take over self control.

Our vulnerability to suffering from addiction blends:

1. Nature (genetic makeup passed down through DNA)

2. Nurture (developmental influences from cultural upbringing to familial discipline (or lack thereof) and social relationships)

3. Neurology (brain pain caused by traumatic life experiences like losing a loved one, losing your job, being in an accident, being abused or fighting in a war).

It's important to note here that compulsive behaviours can also be stimulated without conscious awareness and don't always appear as harmful from the offset, masking as harmlessly pleasurable enjoyment at first.

Those who've watched The Social Dilemma will know all about the algorithms in Facebook and Instagram etc. that exploit vulnerabilities in the human psyche for profit (the dopamine reward system); there's long been evidence that sugary, salty and fatty fast-food creates similar biological reactions in the body as drug addictions do; and western culture encourages binge-drinking and partying as an identity reinforcing past-time.

Awareness of intentions (the why) and intensity (how much) is key.

Extrospection

There are certain things that unless we have lived experience of standing in that position – with that perspective – we can't completely understand.

So how can we encourage understanding?

How can you see through another perspective?

Going against human nature and leaning in to connect with whatever you're finding challenging to comprehend, asking the right questions to those with that different perspective, will enable you to at least see things from their viewpoint. Start here, in the person's familiarly comfortable environment, with:

"If you don't mind me asking, I'm interested to understand..."

• How does it feel to {live with this illness}

• How does it feel to {go through addiction}

• How does it feel to {experience racial abuse}

• How does it feel to {lose your loved one}

• How does it feel to {live on the streets}

• How does it feel to {come home from a war}

• What are the kind of struggles you experience(d)?

• How was (or) is your recovery going to date?

• What can I do to make your life any easier?

Only then can we start to appreciate the view from another angle, better understand multi-faceted dimensions from a perspective other than our own, connecting to those who need it most.

FEATURED SLIDE

WORTH WATCHING

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Now, some of you might be thinking that's a sure fire strategy to controlling weight management. And, you wouldn't be far wrong in thinking that either.

In a recent study, research has discovered that long-term control of body weight is largely dependent on the areas of the brain involved in emotional regulation. And as the mind perceives stress and reacts, the body's main stress hormone – cortisol – physically disrupts signals from the part of the brain involved in self-control: the lateral prefrontal cortex.

A perfect example of this in practice would be two people's different experiences of the same rollercoaster ride.

Approach Blackpool's Big Dipper with an expectation of excitement and a positive perception: the experience is one of pure enjoyment. Approach it filled with fear and anxious anticipation: the experience is a negative, uncomfortable one, most likely to avoid again.

Both people would have had similar physical responses to a rollercoaster ride like an increase in heart rate, increased sweating, breathing faster, lightheadedness etc. but their experiences depended entirely on their internal perceptions.

So what of it?

Symptoms of high cortisol

Influences like emotional trauma, a relentlessly busy lifestyle or even participating in regular high-intensity exercise can cause high cortisol levels. Finding out how these stressors may be impacting your body is the key to alleviation.

High cortisol symptoms include:

• Excessive tiredness

• Prolonged anxiety

• Feeling depressed

• Erratic weight control

• Disrupted sleep patterns

Forth With Life stress hormone tests are available here »

Slowing your brainwaves

The mental exhaustion is real.

Whilst your brain sends messages between the ~120 billion neurons it houses, it produces equally as many little volts of electricity that use up energy resources more commonly known as brainwave activity.

The process of using energy actually produces energy too, which is why you can train yourself to run a marathon, improving your stamina, which is inadvertently what's happening when you're using too much mental energy by uncontrolled thoughts.

There are five different brainwaves that operate at different speeds depending on activity (frequencies measured in Hertz).

Ranked here from fastest to slowest:

1. Gamma – when you're concentrating hard (35Hz +)

2. Beta – when your mind is normally active (12-35Hz)

3. Alpha – pretty relaxed, passively attentive (8-12Hz)

4. Theta – very relaxed almost in sleep state (4-8Hz)

5. Delta – asleep in deepest restorative state (1-4Hz)

In order to make a smooth transition from awake to asleep, ensuring that 8 hours of rest are endured and energy resources are restored, we have to help the mind naturally slow down, going through the motions as such.

The key move is from Beta to Alpha.

Which is where most of the magic of meditation happens too.

In Alpha, the mind enters a relaxed and present state. As activity continues to slow, we begin to flush the unnecessary and allow the necessary to prevail, clarity of thought improves, retention of information is high (learning happens here which is probably why Einstein and Aristotle napped so much).

But above all, Alpha is where we experience positive, stable and balanced emotions. Any fears, worries and concerns alleviate and contentment naturally takes over.

A little festive giveaway

Whilst recovering from neurological issues, erratic sleep patterns and other uncomfortable symptoms of COVID19, I've been using the Calm app to ease my sleep transition by listening to colourfully imaginative Sleep Stories read by the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, or the educational trips along Dorset's Jurassic Coast and Switzerland's Glacier Express train, or soothing soundscapes of the woodlands and waves.

So with that in mind, I'd like to giveaway an annual Calm subscriptions to 10 readers who feel they would benefit from an improved sleep experience at this challenging Christmas time.

"The top rated app for mental fitness, designed to help manage stress, sleep better and live a happier, healthier life." – Mindful.org

If you're keen, simply click the thumbs up button near the bottom of this email and I'll run a draw with the entries and contact you directly on Friday with a gift voucher.

A hopefully Happy Christmas.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️

Treatment context that's made up of things like:

• Previous treatment experiences

• Expectations of treatment success

• Socially recommended remedies

• Familiar healing environment

• Served medication by a nurse

Whilst pain and discomfort are rooted in pretty complex brain functions, they are significantly influenced by mental fitness, internal thought patterns and the surrounding physical and social environments.

In cross-laboratory studies, when the above treatment context positively aligned, and then placebo medicine was administered, there was still healing recorded: reduced activity in areas of the brain associated with stress and negative emotion; and then increased activity in naturally occurring pain-relieving opioids and dopamine (responsible for our experience of happiness).

It was also reported that verbal suggestions of altitude-inducing headaches increased levels of prostaglandin in the blood – a key inflammatory hormone associated with the cause of migraines.

Wild.

Natural crystals in the body

Yep, it's true. The human body naturally contains crystal minerals that are fundamental to our functioning. We stand up straight because our body has a skeleton made of bones with strong calcium phosphate crystals in its makeup.

And kidney stones are basically just crystals too.

Even the NHS says so:

"Waste products in the blood can form crystals that collect inside the kidneys. Over time, the crystals may build up to form a hard stone-like lump." (Source)

In fact, many of the crystalline minerals that occur naturally in the human body, often in liquid form, impair us by causing pain or disabilities like gout and arthritis.

In electronics, crystalline acts as a transducer (converting one form of energy to another) which is pretty interesting when paired with the substance that actually holds the body together – collagen – (protein that's abundant in the bones, muscles and skin) because collagen itself is a semiconductor so it's capable of forming an electronic network...

Wilder!

Alright that was too much wild for a Sunday evening, I'm sorry, gonna tone it down next week. How's about a little festive giveaway to extend my appreciation for your support and continual inspiration.

'til then.

Charlie

FEATURED SLIDE

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️