Life hacks come in handy so often, only if we remembered them on time! And as we enter into 2021, we thought we should list down 10 of the most helpful psychological hacks that you should bookmark. We spoke to Psychologist Anagha Bhave a.k.a. @psychologywithanagha to know about the top psychological hacks everyone should know and she happily agreed to list down 10 such hacks. There’s one for every kind of person, so scroll down to check them all out and find the ones that suit you!
1. For Social Anxiety
If you have social anxiety, pay very close, mindful attention to the other person. Take notice of small things like what they’re saying, their body language, etc. This way, by focussing all your attention on an external stimulus (the other person), you will be less self-conscious.
2. Prepping For A Big Event
If you have a big event coming up that is also anxiety-producing, try practicing creative visualisation every day. If you don’t know what creative visualisation means, it is imagining the situation exactly how you would want it to play out beforehand. Just like playing a tape in your mind. This way, you familiarise yourself with the situation in advance, reducing anxiety which can improve performance.
3. Giving Criticism
Ever felt that people don’t take your criticism well even though you feel it is constructive? Next time you’re sharing constructive criticism, start with ‘I’ statements. For example, “I feel hurt/confused/annoyed when you…”. This trick usually makes the other person less defensive.
4. When Feeling Anxious
If you’re someone who experiences anxiety very often, you might have been advised to practice breathing all the time. And even though it might sound like the most common advice, it also works very well at the same time. So the next time you feel anxious, do diaphragmatic breathing. Place your right hand on your abdomen and left hand on your chest, gently breathe through your diaphragm so your right-hand moves as you inhale/exhale. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which is our body’s natural relaxation mechanism.
5. To Remember Something Important
If you want to remember something, pair it with something unique/special. The association will make it easier to remember. Because let’s be honest, we believe we’ll remember a lot of things without writing them down until we forget them and regret it later.
6. When Criticising Someone
Criticising someone can be difficult, especially if that person is known to not handle criticism well. So the next time you want to criticise someone like that, use the sandwich technique. Start by giving a positive feedback, then the criticism, and then some positive feedback again! I can speak from experience that this technique works really well.
7. Difficulty Waking Up
If you’re one of those people who can snooze 10 alarms and still be late for work, welcome to the club! If you struggle with waking up early, count down from 5 to 1 then ask yourself to get up.
8. For A Better Conversation
When having a professional conversation or talking to someone new, there are a few tricks that will help you take the conversation in the right direction. Nodding along with maintaining good eye contact helps with developing trust and agreement with the other person.
9. Dealing With The ‘What If’ Thoughts
If you constantly have ‘what if’ thoughts with negative outcomes, try to imagine the exact opposite outcome. Something extremely positive or ideal. For example, “What if I fail my exam and don’t get a job” can become ” What if I pass with flying colours and get a great job”.
10. To Remember Something You’ve Learnt
Say you’ve started a new job and your coworkers helped you learn a new thing that you’re expected to do on your own later on. The best way to remember it is by teaching it to someone else. If you want to remember something you’ve learned, share it with others! Teaching/sharing of information helps in remembering it better!
Which one of these psychological hacks do you think would come most in handy? Let us know in the comments below.
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