"I Canny Dae That!"

This is a phrase I hear a lot as a teacher in Scotland, for those of you not fluent in our version of English they mean "I cannot do that."

I am so relieved that here in Scotland we have avoided any suggestion to follow the example in England and Wales of a return to grammar schools.

To divide pupils at age 11, as has been suggested, is cruel and writes off a huge proportion of the population at a point where they have so much development still to do.

It seems this decision is based on old fashioned and outdated logic.

Current thinking states there is no such thing as bright and less bright children.

The pupils who perform well at the ages of 5 or 6 in school are the ones who have been parented best, there can be over a one year developmental gap at this point between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils. This gap then continues and even grows every year.

And guess which cohort will be the ones who perform the best in any test at age 11? those with the most supportive home environment.

Therefore, those who have had the disadvantage of having been poorly parented have the double whammy of a poorer education.

Which means even more people growing up believing they cannot do anything. Their confidence shattered at aged 11.

Makes me sick

Cheers

 

Money goes to Money

There is a Scottish Expression (well I think it is Scottish anyway) that says money goes to money which states that those who already have money can then invest and make even more than those with nothing.

But I think the same is true for confidence. When we feel good about ourselves we are then in a better place to then engage in activities which will further boost our confidence. Taking risks, meeting new people and trying new activities.

Sadly the opposite is true and we can get trapped in a vicious circle with our lives becoming smaller and smaller.

The secret is, I feel, is to have a least one or two things which bring us confidence. For me it is exercise but it could be anything. So have a think about a hobby or pastime that will make you feel better about yourself regardless of whatever else is going on in your life and stick to it.

Regardless of how low on self belief or energy I am feeling I always force myself out for a run or a cycle and it seems to work.

Cheers

 

The Positives of Exercise

As I have mentioned before the times of my life where I felt least confident coincided with my least active and therefore most overweight years.

I am now thankfully a decent weight although I do fight a serious chocolate addiction (better than my previous beer addiction.)

For one reason or another I didn't manage to squeeze in any training for the last few days.

However tonight I managed an interval session on the turbo trainer and what a difference.

I feel so much better!

The only problem is I have an exercise addiction as well.

Cheers

We are not alone

I heard a really interesting report on radio five live today. 

A scientist was discussing the reasons for stage fright with many actors and performers suffering horribly before a show. Some of the symptoms included vomiting and many of the victims had to fight the urge just to pack up their gear and go home before emerging onto stage. 

A famous music promoter was then asked for his contribution which totally shocked me. The names he mentioned like John Lennon, Barbara Streisand and Van Morrison are among the best in their field. Especially John Lennon, as without his music the world would be a far poorer place.

This music promoter said there were occasions when he would literally have to push singers onto stage to ensure they actually performed. Can you imagine if he hadn't been there?

Two things to be learned from this I feel. One is not to be too scared as everyone, even the most rich and famous suffer from a lack of confidence at times, even when pursuing their passion. And secondly, we all need a push sometimes!

cheers 

Dopamine

Dopamine is another brain chemical which provides mental boosts and feelings of wellbeing.

It can be boosted by eating particular foods like almonds, bananas, green leafy vegetables but also chocolate and coffee which is great news.

We can also boost our dopamine by training and exercising regularly, this is no surprise I have to say and a common theme in this blog. 

Meditation is also mentioned as a means by which we can get a Dopamine boost. There are plenty of great meditations on buddanet.com. and headspace is a good app if you want meditation without any religious context.

Finally, setting and achieving goals, even modest, ones can provide us with extra dopamine. So how about some exercise goals?

Cheers  

Serotonin

As we saw from the graphs post from a couple of days ago Serotonin appears to be crucial in developing positive feelings like love and happiness and avoiding depression.

But can we add serotonin through our diet? Apparently so.

Foods like salmon, turkey, nuts and seeds as well as pineapple have been shown to boost our levels of the all important chemical.

Cheese also gets a mention but I would avoid dairy foods in excess.

Other ways of boosting serotonin? our old friend exercise which makes sense and sunlight which is easier said than done here in rainy Scotland.

Cheers 

Yesterday's Post

I love looking into the reasons why people behave in particular ways and the graphic from yesterday shows that much of it can be explained by Seratonin, Dopamine and  Oxytocin.

But how much can we as individuals control the quantities of these in our brains?

As surely if we can control them using diet, exercise and sleep then we can have more control over how we feel. 

And if we have more control over how we feel, we can make ourselves feel more confident.

That's the theory anyway. I look forward in the future to looking in more detail at how the balance in the brain works and the power we have to influence it.

Cheers