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When we feel anxious, we may suddenly notice that we are breathing faster, more shallowly or that it feels difficult to take a “normal” breath. Why does this happen? Our breathing is closely connected to the way our body responds to stress and tension. What happens to the body when we feel anxious? When we see a situation as threatening or stressful, the body activates systems that prepare us to deal with it. This response can also affect our breathing. We may start breathing faster or simply become more aware that our breathing has changed. Why can it feel like we are not getting enough air? When breathing changes during intense anxiety, we may experience shortness of breath or feel that we cannot take a deep enough breath. The relationship between anxiety and breathing is complex. Research shows that some anxiety disorders are linked to changes in both breathing and the way we perceive physical sensations. This means that we may pay much more attention to our breathing when we are an...
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Υπάρχουν μέρες που το μόνο που θέλουμε μετά από μια κουραστική ημέρα είναι λίγη ησυχία. Μπορεί να μην έχουμε διάθεση να μιλήσουμε, να απαντήσουμε σε μηνύματα ή να βρεθούμε με άλλους ανθρώπους. Αυτό δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα ότι δεν θέλουμε τους ανθρώπους γύρω μας. Μερικές φορές, απλώς χρειαζόμαστε λίγο χρόνο χωρίς κοινωνικές απαιτήσεις. Γιατί η κούραση μπορεί να μας κάνει να αναζητούμε ησυχία; Η κοινωνική επαφή χρειάζεται ενέργεια, ιδιαίτερα όταν η ημέρα μας ήταν ήδη γεμάτη υποχρεώσεις, συζητήσεις και αποφάσεις. Όταν είμαστε κουρασμένοι, μπορεί να θέλουμε λιγότερα ερεθίσματα και περισσότερη αίσθηση ελέγχου πάνω στον χρόνο μας. Έρευνα στην καθημερινή ζωή έχει δείξει ότι η μοναχικότητα και η κοινωνική επαφή εναλλάσσονται και μπορεί να λειτουργούν ως τρόποι ρύθμισης της ενέργειας και των κοινωνικών αναγκών. Το να θέλουμε να είμαστε μόνοι δεν σημαίνει ότι είμαστε αντικοινωνικοί Το να επιλέγουμε λίγη ώρα μόνοι μας είναι διαφορετικό από την κοινωνική απομόνωση. Η εθελοντική μοναχικότητα μπορεί...
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There are days when, after a long and tiring day, all we want is some quiet time. We may not feel like talking, answering messages or meeting other people. This does not necessarily mean that we do not want the people around us. Sometimes, we simply need some time without social demands. Why can tiredness make us want more quiet time? Social interaction takes energy, especially when our day has already been full of tasks, conversations and decisions. When we are tired, we may want fewer demands and more control over how we spend our time. Research in everyday life suggests that social interaction and solitude can alternate as ways of regulating energy and social needs. Wanting to be alone does not mean we are antisocial Choosing to spend some time alone is different from social isolation. Voluntary solitude can give us a sense of calm, autonomy and a break from social demands. In a daily-life study, spending time alone was linked with lower stress and greater feelings of autonomy when ...
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You may start a task with every intention of staying focused, only to find yourself checking your phone, opening another tab or thinking about something completely different a few minutes later. Losing focus does not necessarily mean that we lack discipline. Our attention is affected by our surroundings, interruptions, fatigue and how demanding a task is. What happens when we try to concentrate? Attention is not simply an on-and-off switch. We have to decide what to focus on and what to ignore. When something else takes our attention away, getting back to the original task does not always happen immediately. Research on interruptions and multitasking suggests that the effects of a distraction can continue even after the interruption has stopped. Why are phones and notifications so distracting? A message, notification or sound can grab our attention even when we are trying to ignore it. In a digital environment, constantly switching between apps, messages, emails and different tasks can...
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Η εργάσιμη ημέρα τελείωσε, έκλεισες τον υπολογιστή και θεωρητικά έχεις ελεύθερο χρόνο. Κι όμως, το μυαλό συνεχίζει να γυρίζει γύρω από ένα email, μια εκκρεμότητα ή κάτι που δεν πήγε όπως ήθελες. Το να τελειώνει η δουλειά δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα ότι τελειώνει και η ψυχική ένταση της ημέρας. Η έρευνα για την αποκατάσταση από την εργασία δείχνει ότι η ψυχολογική αποσύνδεση από τη δουλειά στον ελεύθερο χρόνο αποτελεί σημαντικό κομμάτι της ανάκαμψης. Τι σημαίνει πραγματικά «αποσυνδέομαι από τη δουλειά»; Δεν σημαίνει ότι πρέπει να ξεχάσεις τη δουλειά ή να μη σκεφτείς ποτέ ξανά τι έχεις να κάνεις. Η ψυχολογική αποσύνδεση σημαίνει κυρίως ότι, όταν τελειώνει η εργάσιμη ημέρα, μπορείς να μεταφέρεις την προσοχή σου σε δραστηριότητες που δεν σχετίζονται με τη δουλειά. Αυτό είναι διαφορετικό από το να βρίσκεσαι σωματικά στο σπίτι αλλά νοητικά να συνεχίζεις να εργάζεσαι. Μελέτες έχουν συνδέσει μεγαλύτερη αποσύνδεση από την εργασία με λιγότερη εξάντληση, μεγαλύτερη ευεξία και καλύτερη ποιότητα ύπνου,...
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The working day is over. You have closed your laptop and technically have free time. Yet your mind is still going over an email, an unfinished task or something that did not go as planned. Finishing work does not necessarily mean that the mental demands of work disappear. Research on recovery from work suggests that psychological detachment during non-work time is an important part of recovering from daily job demands. What does it actually mean to “switch off” from work? Psychological detachment does not mean never thinking about work again. It means being able to shift your attention away from work during your free time and engage with other parts of life. That is different from being physically at home while mentally continuing to work. Research has linked greater psychological detachment with less exhaustion, greater wellbeing and better sleep, although these relationships are influenced by job demands and individual differences. Why is it so difficult to leave work behind? The mor...
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You are not really hungry, but you open the fridge anyway. There is nothing in particular you want to eat, yet you find yourself looking for a snack simply because you have nothing else to do. Eating out of boredom is a familiar experience for many people. Research has examined it as part of emotional eating, with boredom appearing to be a distinct factor that can be linked to food cravings and eating behaviour. That does not mean that every time we eat without obvious hunger, boredom is the reason. Hunger or simply wanting something to do? Physical hunger generally develops as the body signals a need for energy. An urge to eat that appears suddenly because we are bored can feel different. The two are not always easy to separate. Appetite is influenced not only by physiological need but also by our environment, habits, available foods and psychological state. Modern research therefore views eating behaviour as the result of multiple interacting factors rather than simply a response to ...
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