Me Q - the art of caring for yourself
We are obsessed with measurements. We constantly measure ourselves, our environment, how we perform. We know our weight, age, height, circumference, intelligence, emotional intelligence, wealth, blood pressure, heart rate…
And we chase these measurements…often a lifelong challenge to get to the ideal weight, feeling slightly superior with a higher IQ, building the ego when the wealth indicator - fancy car, expensive shoes for everyone to see.
All these measurements track on our interaction with the world or in relation to other people.
What if we have a measure of how we take care of ourselves? An indicator of how we look after our own well-being, the way we talk to ourselves, our brain health, working on having a positive mindset, how to be your own cheerleader…the Me Quotient or Me Q.
The concept of Me Q uses a range of indicators to determine how connected we are with ourselves. Better connection improves self-belief, awakens potential, unlocks better relationships, but mostly it leads to discovering the amazing person you really are. Improving your Me Q score is not that difficult. It requires only small shifts, but it has to be purposeful, consistent and deliberate. The impact of all of this is amazing, it can change your life.
The inner voice
We all have that inner voice. The little voice that can often be very judgemental when you made a mistake, or struggling to do something. Become aware of how do you talk to yourself.
That inner voice is you talking to yourself. Do you encourage yourself or do you use harmful and hurtful words and put yourself down?
Realise that you can change that inner voice. You can be kinder to yourself. Encourage yourself. Because if you don't encourage yourself first, who will?
If the inner voice says you cannot do something, respond with an assertive: I can do this.
If the inner voice remarks that you are stupid, respond by saying - you are so wrong, I am wise, exceptional and amazing. Feel how your emotions shift, how your mindset shifts.
Filter through which we view the world
The best way to explain filtering is through an analogy.
If you buy a yellow car, all of a sudden you become aware of all the yellow cars on the road. They were always there, but now you notice them. Filtering works in the same way.
If you have a filter that always expects the negative, you will see the negative side of every situation. If you always expect something to go wrong, you will notice how things go wrong.
Changing your filter will take a deliberate focus. Because your mind is used to a certain way of looking at the world and quite frankly often set in its ways, you will have to unlearn and relearn.
When you notice you go into a negative or destructive filter, just simply ask: Is this true, is there something I am missing?
Treat your brain as your most valuable asset
Our brains are involved in absolutely everything we do, yet we seldom pay it much attention.
Neuroscientist are doing extensive research into neuroplasticity and how we can help our brains work better for us. And it is simpler than we think.
According to Dr Andrew Hubermann doing (even mild) cardiovascular exercise for 45 minutes regularly can help the memory system in the brain. Spect imaging by Dr Daniel Amen shows the impact of alcohol and drug abuse on the health of the brain.
Become aware of your own brain’s health and fitness, not only physical, but also your thoughts.
Your brain is key to your health and well being and deserves some respect.
Nothing describes the sentiment of Me Q better than the quote by Loa Tzu which has been true for centuries:
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
