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Youve heard plenty of solutions for stress. From meditation and nature walks to cold therapy and yoga, the list is long. But a less well-known strategy can deliver some powerful results: storytelling. In fact, there is evidence that storytelling is good for your mental health and well-being for multiple reasons. Thinking about the best ways to reduce stress has become increasingly relevant. According to Gallup, 49% of Americans report they frequently experience stress. A survey by Talker Research found that a third of people also say they expect this to be the most stressful year yet, with even more stress than the last three years. But storytelling can have a positive impact on how we feel and how we relate to others. Heres why, and how to use storytelling to feel better, enhance well-being, and beat stress. STORYTELLING BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS One of the biggest reasons that storytelling has a positive effect is because it can build relationships. Storytelling helps us find common experiences and bond. According to research, this was true from the first hunter-gatherer tribes in which storytelling helped to clarify the norms and expectations of the group and reinforce cooperation. In addition, storytellers tended to be popular. They were the people others choose to be with most. In another study where older adults wrote their life stories, researchers found storytelling reduced depression. The study found that developing stories was helpful, but the process of sharing stories and spending time together also had a significant impact on well-being. You can use storytelling to connect with others by asking questions, both at work and in your personal life. Instead of just asking someone how its going or what they did over the weekend, ask them a question that gives them a chance to tell a story: ask what surprised them lately or what made them laugh. Listen as they tell stories to answer your questions. Dont be afraid to share your own stories about things that are interesting or meaningful to you. All of these will create more space for enhanced time and connections. STORYTELLING CREATES MEANING Another key element of storytelling is that it can help us create meaning and identity. When we repeat the story about how we bravely stood up for something that was especially important to us at work, we reinforce that we are courageous. When we talk about the time we had the great idea that transformed a solution, were reinforcing our role as innovators on a team. When we share the adventures and antics that occurred on our family vacation, were reinforcing our love of family and our fun-loving nature. In one study by the Family Institute at Northwestern University, couples were asked to tell stories about their relationships. When couples developed stories about their experiences, it helped reinforce their shared identity and it gave them greater meaning and purpose. You can use storytelling to enhance well-being and create meaning by intentionally reflecting on your experiences. For example, at the end of a vacation, consider the time you spent with family and friends and what the experiences meant to you. Talk to each other about your favorite elements of your time together in order to cement your memories. Or the end of the workweek, reflect on your accomplishments and challenges and give thought to how they show your strengths and contributions to your team and your organization. Capturing these stories can help reinforce your meaning and identity. STORYTELLING HELPS US PROCESS Storytelling can also help us make sense of things. In, a survey of almost 30,000 people in 31 countries, GlobeScan found that 78% of respondents believe that the world is changing too fast for them to keep up, and its creating anxiety. Storytelling can help us think things through. We consider what happened to us, why it was important, and how we feel about it as we create a story. The process of reflecting so we can tell a story clarifies our thinking and helps us make sense of disparate facts. Storytelling can also help us put things into context and help us think about where to go next. In the Northwestern University study, when couples told stories, they were able to consider future growth and motivate themselves to be a legacy to others in their lives. A study of storytelling published in the journal Healthcare (Basel) found that when sick patients shared their stories, it helped them to make sense of their experiences and even nurture a more positive, healing viewpoint. You can use storytelling to enhance well-being and make sense of things by slowing down to reflect on whats happening and giving thought to why its important to you. Also prioritize how you might respond and how youd like the story to end based on the action you take. Use story to understand yourself and whats going on around you, as well as where youd like to go from here. THE POWER OF STORYTELLING We are moved by stories and they help us build empathy. Stories can also inspire us to take action. In fact, a study found when Super Bowl ads tell complete stories, they tend to get more views, more shares, better ratings; and they tend to result in greater sales. We prefer to learn through stories, and we thrive in communities with plenty of narrative shared among the group. When we face pressure, challenges, and struggles, storytelling helps us make connections, creat meaning, and make sense of it all.
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E-Commerce
Language is the original technology, the tool weve all used to coordinate with each other for thousands of years. Our success in lifeboth professionally and in relationshipsdepends on it. I write for a living, so youd think Id have language down. I dont. I constantly find myself knowing a word exists but not being able to think of it. What am I supposed to do? You might, in some circumstances, be able to use a thesaurus for thisjust look up a word that means the same thing as the word youre trying to think of. But what if you cant even think of a similar word? Thats where todays tool comes in handy. This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures! On the tip of my tongue . . . The next time youre in a sticky situation where you know a word exists but cant quite remember what it is, check out a site called Reverse Dictionary. Reverse Dictionary lets you provide a phrase describing a word and then get back a list of possible matches. Itll take you less than 10 seconds to start using. Ive been playing with it for a couple of days, and Im really impressed with how well it works. If I type overly willing to please, for instance, I get back obsequiouswhich was the exact word I was trying to think of. And you can get even more specific than that. Trying to remember how the fictional detective would respond to true statements, I typed how Sherlock Holmes would say indeed. The result: indubitably. I asked about dystopian to an absurd extent and got both Orwellian and Kafkaesque as answers. Just enter any phrase, and Reverse Dictionary will serve up instant word inspiration. You get the idea: Just type a phrase and find the word youre looking for. This is obviously useful for writing, where finding the right word can take a sentence from good to great. But Ive also found it a fun way to explore language. Some of the site’s suggestions are both amusing and enlightening. Perhaps youve heard about how, in German, theres seemingly a word for everything. English has a lot of words, toothere are over 1 billion words in English, in fact, and Im willing to bet you dont know most of them. If you think of an idea, theres a decent chance a word for it exists, whether you know it or not. The Reverse Dictionary is a great way to discover these hidden gems. Mostly, though, its a tool for a very specific purpose. The Reverse Dictionary isnt something youre going to use every day, and it isnt going to change your life. But in those rare moments where you know a word exists but cant quite think of it, this tool is ready for you. Reverse Dictionary is entirely web-basedno apps and nothing to download. Its free to use. There are a few banner ads, and youll see an ad after typing a query. Theres no need to create an account, and you can optionally prevent your search terms from being listed in the history. Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletterstarting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in truly delightful ways.
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E-Commerce
My family and I recently returned from an amazing four weeks of traveling across the western U.S. It’s the longest trip we’ve ever taken together, and it was unforgettable. In those four weeks, we visited: Los Angeles The Grand Canyon Red Rock Country in Sedona The Vermilion Cliffs Montezuma Castle National Monument Horseshoe Bend Peekaboo Canyon Zion National Park In addition to visiting these sights, we also spent time doing volunteer work as a family, which led to some equally amazing experiences: We visited old friends, made new ones, and drew closer together. Here’s the thing, though: This trip almost didn’t happen. As a business owner, it can be tough to take time off from work, although, admittedly, it’s much easier than taking time off as an employee. You get the feeling that if you get off the wheel, everything is going to fall apart. That customers will stop coming, or caring. That the business will fall apart. Deeper connections, personal growth Then theres the combination of bills, distractions, and other things that always threaten to get in the way. In the end, though, my wife and I made the decision to go on this life-changing adventure. A three-word phrase helped us to do so, an emotionally intelligent decision-making framework thats become a a slogan for our family over time: Experiences over things. Ive found, by generally prioritizing experiences over things, you can learn more, remember, more, and get more out of life. Lets take a closer look at why thats the case, and how you can use it to your own advantage. (If you enjoy this article, consider signing up for my free emotional intelligence course.) How ‘experiences over things’ helps you get more out of life First, lets get one thing out of the way: Things are not bad. Some things are completely necessary, like having a place to live and food to eat. And other things can bring a certain amount of joy, too. The problem is, we live in a world that’s infected with what I call more disease. Were surrounded by fellow business owners who speak only about growth. Why? Because it takes money to make moneyso, you need to make more money. That enables you to buy more things. But heres the problem with that: Its never enough. If you get infected with more disease, youll just always want moreand thats a recipe for unhappiness, because youre never satisfied. Eventually, you find yourself surrounded by more stuff than you can effectively useand you’re still tempted to buy even more. It’s a never-ending cycle. Now, contrast that with the value of experiences. When you do something, that experience becomes a part of you. The memories you create mold who you are as a person. It changes what you think about. How you act. The decisions you make. While the experience may be over, its effects continue. Enjoying the journey Now, pause for a moment and think of some of your favorite memories. Do they involve spending time with things? Or spending time with people, producing experiences? Yes, when you create experiences, this helps you to learn more, remember more, and get more out of life. How can you prioritize experiences over things? You can start by using that three-word slogan”experiences over things” to help you make decisions. As a business owner, the temptation is always there to work, work, workso you or your family can have more things. But, when you tell yourself to prioritize experiences over things, you reframe how you view the work itself. Its not just to provide things; its to provide time. Time is more valuable than money or things. Because you can spend money or lose things and get them back again. But once time is gone, its gone forever. If youre interested in getting more out of life, I encourage you: Dont buy more stuff. Do more stuff. Because the value of things always fades. But experiences last a lifetime. By Justin Bariso This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Category:
E-Commerce
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