Why Stress-Baking and Cleaning Make You Less Anxious

Five takeaways:

  1. In the early days of Covid, a baking craze arose. The hashtag #quarantinebaking became so popular that Amazon sold out of popular brands of flour and chocolate chips.
  2. It turns out there is neurological proof that homekeeping and self-care activities such as baking can help stop cycles of anxiety and depression by changing how the human brain self-regulates.
  3. When humans perceive a threat, their amygdala– a region of the brain associated with stress– begins firing. The prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion, begins working less effectively.
  4. Activities such as baking or bicycling can reset the brain and allow the prefrontal cortex to more effectively regulate emotion. They offer a sense of applied skill and control.
  5. Studies suggest that behavioral activation– as with activities like baking– can be just as effective as meditation in helping to reregulate brain activity. In the anxious early days of lockdown, this was hugely helpful as an escape.

From Sara Harrison at Wired:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Five takeaways:

  1. Management is a noble position when done right, because it offers the opportunity to build others up. To grow in responsibility and to learn.
  2. A greater consciousness about “Life Strategy” allows you to keep the purpose of your life front and center as you decided how to spend time, talent, and energy.
  3. Allocate your personal resources: allocating your personal time, energy, and talent ultimately shape your life’s strategy.
  4. At all costs, avoid the “just this once” mentality to breaking your personal code
  5. Remember the importance of humility– productive behavior stems from the humility that comes with self-deprecating behavior and good treatment of others.

From Clayton M. Christensen at Harvard Business Review:
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Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.


This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Listening to Your Body Clock Can Help Improve Performance

Five takeaways:

  1. We all know people who perform better at different times of the day. Research shows that there are also early risers and night owls when it comes to physical performance and athletics.
  2. A British study of an “athletic body clock” revealed three stark categories: Early, Intermediate, and Late.
  3. Research reveals that the physical performance of the “Early” category peaked at noon. Meanwhile, “Intermediate” peaked at 4pm, and “Late” were at their best at 8pm.
  4. When people are forced to perform outside of their body clock’s comfort zone, their prefrontal cortex, which controls sophisticated thought and logic, “remains in a disabled or ‘offline’ state” and takes a long time before it warms up to operating temperature.
  5. It is possible for athletes to retrain their body clocks to perform best at a specific time.

From Metrifit:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversations

Five takeaways:

  1. Deeper conversations help people become explicable to each other and themselves. They are tools of building self awareness and greater, more compassionate understanding of the world around us.
  2. Remember to approach conversations with a sense of awe. C.S. Lewis once wrote that if you’d never met a human and suddenly encountered one, “you’d be inclined to worship this creature.”
  3. Asking “elevating” questions (What crossroads are you at? Who do you feel most grateful to have in your life?) can spur deeper answers.
  4. Avoid questions that have a clear yes or no answer. Open ended questions allow for deeper, flowing answers. Starting questions with “What was it like. …” or “Tell me about a time. …” is a great starting point.
  5. Treat attention as “all or nothing.” Full, undivided attention will unlock deeper questions and greater conversational flow, and have a magnetic effect on your conversation partner.

From David Brooks at The New York Times:

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Note: You will need a free account with The New York Times to view this article. At the time of this posting The Times offers ten free article views per month.


This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.