Prevent stress and wasted energy
We are approaching the end of (another) strange year, a year that is still drastic because of measures that still stand in the way of all spontaneity and the winter period with again many uncertainties around COVID-19 and the seasonal flu.
It is an in-between phase where it is not yet clear how the coming months will be and this uncertainty causes unnecessary stress, associated with energy loss, for many people. How can you, in addition to using energy gum, stay positive and energized?
Staying focused and trying to keep focused on things that are important, instead of getting carried away by small annoyances that drain the energy is extremely important, especially now. Over the past year and a half, the focus has only been on people's physical health, while attention to mental health has remained underexposed. It is precisely this underexposed mental toughness that can ensure that you get an energy boost instead of a mental breakdown. You can train yourself to stay mentally healthy, just like there are all kinds of training forms to stay physically healthy.
To prepare yourself, and deal with unpleasant situations, you can use the so-called R.E.T. method. R.E.T. stands for Rational Effectiveness Training and is a relatively simple method to change unwanted behavior or emotions into more effective behavior or emotions. By changing your thoughts you’ll be able to deal with unpleasant situations in a more positive way, give your mental health and your mood a positive energy boost, and increase your mental toughness. Something we can all use, especially in this day and age!
R.E.T. method:
Step 1. Irrational Thoughts
What (irrational) thoughts can you have? Write down the most recognizable thoughts and see what disadvantages they have on you. Below are some common examples, but this is of course personal to everyone and will differ per person.
| Which situation do I recognize? | What disadvantages? | |
| 1. Extreme perfectionism | ||
| 2. Disaster Thinking | ||
| 3. Getting Frustrated Quickly | ||
| 4. Appreciation urge | ||
| 5. Setting extremely high standards |
Step 2. ABC schedule
Describe a situation where you encountered any of the above thoughts?
- What made you feel tense, irritable, or stressed? What was the situation?
- What were your thoughts?
- What were your feelings?
- What behavior did you exhibit?
- How do you want to feel in this situation and what kind of behavior goes with it?
- Which thoughts (B) are irrational and replace them with rational thoughts.
| Thoughts at B | Rational thoughts |
- Experience what these rational thoughts do to you and try to apply them more and more often.
Positive Affirmations and Visualization
Another method you can train, and use, to have more positive thoughts is to say positive affirmations early in the morning. An affirmation is a thought that you start to believe through repetition. An affirmation is based on the principle that your brain believes what it often sees or hears, which is why repetition is extremely important here. In the past, this was often dismissed as vague, but the fact that self-care, mental health, and mental awareness are on the rise, the attention given to methods like this is also receiving more positive attention. Mainly young people and top athletes experience it as valuable and stress-reducing. Especially in mentally challenging times like these, it can be valuable to give this method a try.
Affirmations are short phrases with a positive slant that program your brain to give you an optimistic view of the day (and life). The result of this can be that self-confidence is increased, mental toughness is increased and the loss of energy is reduced.
This programming can help you, for example, to maintain a healthier lifestyle, have a positive outlook on life, fulfill your dreams, build self-confidence, focus more on possibilities instead of mainly focusing on the challenges and /or problems, create new opportunities and achieve more success.
It might sound crazy, maybe almost floaty, but it's important that you say the affirmations out loud. For example, you can say the affirmations in the morning at the start of the day while taking a shower, but you can of course also choose to say them at another time during the day.
Visualization
In line with the positive affirmations is of course also the visualization of situations that can come your way. As already written above, this has been an applied method in the sports world for a long time now. Visualization creates an extremely focused mindset that ensures that you are less, or not at all, distracted while performing since it no longer seems to be an unknown situation you are going through.
Think, for example, of a slalom skier who has already imagined the entire route with gates and can therefore perform the final run with better focus and concentration. Mental coaches at many sports teams and professional athletes use visualization from an early age with talents, which significantly increases the chance of success.
Many athletes indicate that this effect can be increased by using caffeinated chewing gum as they experience that energy gum can contribute enormously to extra concentration, alertness, and focus. Although concluded from the so-called “spiderweb research” by NASA in 1995 that caffeine itself did not directly lead to an increased focus, a caffeine gum like GRIZZ Energy Gum® can contribute to increased alertness. The synergy between our high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients has been scientifically proven to increase attention, energy levels and improve focus.
In addition, pilots among people with ADHD in combination with energy gum are currently being conducted. This seems contradictory to supplement energy in ADHD, but components such as guarana and taurine can help people with ADHD to concentrate better when chewing high-quality energy gum.
The ultimate pilot field test in this area will take place during the exhausting Dakar Rally 2022, where a navigator with ADHD will experience the effect an energy gum with caffeine, guarana and taurine will have on his stress levels, concentration, focus, and alertness. Stay tuned!
