Power Poses, Sauna's, Confidence & Proven Motivation Hacks (1)

The newsletter which curates & delivers the best mind hacks, mental health tips & high performance strategies to you every single week.

🧠 MIND HACK

'Power Poses' (Or… The Physiological Hack For Melting Away Stress, Boosting Self-Confidence & Taking Massive Action!)

Popularized by Amy Cuddy in what has become one of the most watched TedTalks of all time...

Lots of amazing research has found that by merely changing your 'body' (specifically: by sitting or standing in certain 'power poses'), it can make a massive impact on how you feel, your stress levels, your confidence & even your likelyhood of taking action

For example, they found that when people stand straight, with their shoulders back & their head up, arms either on their waist... (kinda like Superman or Wonder Woman would stand - the graphic on the left of the picture above)...

When you stand like this, for as little as 2 minutes...

What happens is that testosterone shoots up, on average, about 20%...

Note: Testosterone is not just a sex hormone...

Increased testosterone (in both men & women) is associated with better heart health, less fat & more muscle, stronger bones, improved mood...as well as better memory, reasoning & more certainty/assertiveness.

So, when people stand in this 'power pose', you become more assertive...

They also found in these 'power poses', ‘cortisol’ (a.k.a. the 'stress hormone) drops by 15% or more... (again, in as little as 2 minutes!) 

Plus: combining these things together, you’re about 33% more likely to take an action on something (instead of backing out, procrastinating or putting it off ‘for later’.)

So, if you need more confidence, self-belief, or motivation, what can you do?

Answer: change how you stand/use this power pose.

More specifically, you can catch yourself, pause & ask yourself a question like...

'How would a confident person stand or move?'  

Or, even more broadly in life...

'How would I look if I was confident right now?'  

What would I wear? 

How would I stand? 

How would I walk / move?  

How would I shake that person's hand? 

How would I speak? 

And this is actually the biggest insight right here...

This whole thing — mind, body, emotion, how you feel — it's all connected & congruent...

Meaning, when you feel confident & good about yourself you will naturally & automatically (without even thinking about it!) look, dress, walk, talk & move a little differently than you would otherwise...

Your body language will be different...

You speak a little differently...

(compared to if you're fearful, anxious, or unsure of yourself)

And the insight is that you can flip this too (it works both ways around!)...

For example, they did a study on happiness...

Obviously, when you're happy, once of the things you do a lot more of is smiling. 

So, the equation might look like...

More happiness = More smiling.

But, they tested this the way around...

They wanted to see if you could flip this equation...

If... more smiling (also leads to) more happiness?

Turns out that it does!

The research showed that it works this around too...

When they got participants to start smiling (even if they weren't happy to begin it... they had to force the smile to begin with)... as they did this, they actually over time, started to feel happier... at which point, the smiling will start to feel natural!

Now, how does this link back to confidence again?

Well, while true confidence is not about banging your chest & pumping your first...

...it becomes more silent, more subtle, smooth & unspoken over time...

That being said, this is a good starting point… (& fast, proven way to boost testosterone, lower cortisol & therefore boost your feeling of confidence — all in an instant!)

(note: this is also referred to as the AS-IF technique)

Speaking of confidence… if you'd like to learn more about how to apply this (as well as other powerful & proven psychological methods for eradicating self-doubt & boosting self-esteem & confidence) check out the full Potencia course on the topic, titled

🏃 MIND & BODY HACK

Use ‘Heat Exposure’ (Incl. Hot Showers, Baths, Sauna’s & Steam Rooms) To Boost Relaxation, Enhance Cognitive Function & Improve Your Sleep!

We wrote about this in our '💪 Potencia Body' newsletter, but we also wanted to cover it here as the benefits of 'heat exposure' (including hot showers, baths, sauna's, steam rooms & more) is not just physical, it's also mental & emotional…

That's right, not only do these practices boost your immune strength, improve respiratory function, reduce inflammation, as well as lower your risk of disease & all-cause mortality…

...but since the mind & body are tightly interconnected, all of these changes in the body can also create radical changes in stress, mood, brain function & overall wellbeing.

Here are just some of the scientifically validated mental & emotional health benefits of heat exposure (incl. hot showers & baths, sauna’s, steam rooms, warm compress & other practices):

1. Reduced stress

Heat exposure can help to reduce stress by promoting relaxation & reducing tension in the muscles. This can help to improve overall mental and emotional well-being...

2. Improved mood

Heat exposure can also help to improve mood by increasing the production of endorphins, which are natural mood-boosters!

3. Enhanced cognitive function

Heat exposure has been shown to improve cognitive function & memory in some studies.

This may be due to the increased blood flow and oxygenation that occurs as a result of the heat exposure!

4. Improved sleep

Another amazing benefit of 'heat exposure' is it can help promote relaxation & reduce stress, making it easier to fall asleep, as well as to stay asleep during the night.

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💡 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘’There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.’’

William Barclay

🔥 FREE EBOOK

Inside this guide, you'll discover not 1 or 2, but 7 proven, practical & highly-effective 'hacks' that you can apply into your life to... eliminate procrastination, multiply motivation, accelerate your progress & achieve even your biggest, most ambitious goals:

Specifically, in this 43-page guide, you’ll learn:

  • Why setting "S.M.A.R.T goals" may actually be sabotaging your success… (plus: how to set goals in a way that releases the most "dopamine" in your brain, boosting motivation & helping you achieve more, faster!)

  • The "nail & hammer” framework & strategy (& how you can apply it right away, to unleash up to 900% more motivation from any & every goal you set!)

  • The part of your brain that really controls motivation… AND a simple hack (used by business icons, world leaders & world-class athletes) to practically apply this information in your own life, almost instantly, to further multiply motivation!

  • How to eradicate self-doubt, break limiting beliefs & “hack your belief” (note: once you learn this specific hack, you’ll be able to tune into an unstoppable feeling of self-confidence on demand!)

  • The #1 simplest, easiest & fastest way to reduce overwhelm, eliminate procrastination & make rapid progress on your goals… (no matter your age, race, experience, or background!)

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