CHILL LAB 超正常研究室 – 關注青少年的精神健康,讓參加者覺察及表達當下的情緒並調適自己

Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy.

If you stay in your comfort zone for too long, it is easy to relax your guard and lose the motivation to pursue better things and breakthroughs. Young people need to face challenges and problems bravely, grow from them, and become people who work hard for their dreams. Here are five tips to help you break out of your comfort zone:

 

  1. Be prepared for the best and don’t be afraid of the worst outcome

Make a detailed plan including goals, methods, steps and SWOT analysis, and predict the worst-case outcome. This will keep you informed and prepared for any difficulties.

 

  1. Plan for the final risk

With adventure comes risk, be prepared with another plan. If the results are not as expected, you can learn from them and adjust your strategy so that things will go better next time!

 

  1. Keep communicating and trust people you can trust

As you pursue a new direction, maintain good communication with friends or family and share your circumstances and challenges. Their support can provide you with a backup and relieve stress.

 

  1. Know your boundaries

When faced with difficulty, recognize your current boundaries, but don’t view them as your limit. Hard work and collaboration can help you push boundaries and create new situations.

 

  1. Don’t worry about the unknown

When facing the unknown, stay positive. If staying where you are is not an option for you, it makes sense to step out of your comfort zone. Only by bravely facing uncertainty can we embrace new opportunities.

 

Stepping out of your comfort zone is challenging, but it is also a process of growth. Keep confident and move towards your goal step by step, you will become stronger!

5 things working moms need to know

The life of a working mom is undoubtedly challenging, with only 24 hours in a day and the constant need to operate in a near-continuous mode. She must give her all at work and then fully devote herself to her family after work. To cope with exhaustion and find balance, here are six key recommendations to help working moms more easily manage both work and family life:

1.Seeking Support Networks

Under the dual pressures of work and family, making the most of available resources is crucial. Seek help from friends or relatives to assist with childcare or handling unexpected situations. Additionally, explore community resources, such as integrated youth service centers or childcare facilities, which can effectively reduce your daily burdens and allow you to focus on what truly matters.

2.Time Management

Properly organizing your daily schedule is essential. Utilize tools like calendars or mobile apps to plan your tasks and prioritize them based on urgency. A clear plan can ensure that work and family activities are carried out in an orderly manner.

3.Finding Dedicated “Mom Time”

In the midst of a busy lifestyle, carving out time for yourself is vital for maintaining mental and physical well-being. Engage in activities you enjoy, such as reading, listening to music, or taking a walk. You can also alleviate stress through exercise, healthy eating, and adequate rest to stay energized and tackle the challenges of both work and home life more effectively.

4.Building Connections with Children

Make use of small pockets of time to connect with your children, such as lighthearted conversations after dinner or completing small tasks together to strengthen emotional bonds. Additionally, set aside a weekly family time where you engage in shared activities, fostering closeness and letting your children feel valued and loved.

5.Defining Boundaries Between Work and Family

Establish clear rules to separate work and family time, such as refraining from handling work-related matters after office hours and focusing on family life instead. Learn to say no to unnecessary overtime or tasks to protect your personal time and mental well-being. After work, let go of work-related concerns to fully engage with your family, enhancing the quality of your home life.

The health of body, mind, and spirit

What do you think about ‘health’?

Usually, we focus on physical health and hope to prevent illnesses like fever or colds, but we may often neglect our mental health.

In fact, our body, mind and spirit are also important. It includes physical health, but also involves emotional and psychological well-being.

Mental health is important to physical health, they influence each other. When we effectively manage our stress, the physical problem caused by emotional issues can be reduced.

So, how can we maintain health for body, mind, and spirit? Here are some tips:

  1. Exercise regularly
    It can not only enhance immunity, but it also helps relieve stress.
  2. Maintain a balanced diet
    Ensure that you absorb the necessary nutrients to keep your body healthy.
  3. Establish a regular routine
    Create good sleeping habits to ensure adequate rest, which helps maintain bodily functions and brings happiness to us.
  4. Cultivate interests
    Set regular time from our busy life to develop personal interests, such as dancing, swimming, painting, or singing, which can bring joy and satisfaction.
  5. Practice meditation and relaxation
    This helps calm the mind, reduce stress, and enhance inner peace.

Let’s start today by establishing a suitable rhythm and routine for ourselves, to improve our physical and mental health!

Is it wrong to “enjoy the moment”?

In the fast-paced rhythm of life, we often find ourselves busy chasing future goals, neglecting the beauty of the present moment. Sometimes, excessive worry about the uncertainties of the future prevents us from enjoying the present and affects how we interact with others.

Facing life’s challenges, everyone has their own issues, and the key to happiness lies in our mindset. We can try to let go of these worries and focus our attention on our current lives, observing the moments around us that deserve careful consideration. This not only reduces anxiety but also helps us better cope with future challenges.

We can practice careful observation of the people, events, and things around us in our daily lives. For example, the first rays of sunlight streaming through the curtains in the morning bring a sense of hope for the day; in a restaurant, the aroma of food intermingles with the conversations among friends, creating a feeling of connection; even the flowers blooming by the roadside are beautiful aspects of life that should not be overlooked. When we learn to focus on these small things, life becomes more fulfilling.

The process of enjoying the present is also an opportunity for self-reflection. When we take a moment to appreciate the details of life, we discover our deep-seated desires and needs. When we learn to cherish everything in front of us, we can not only appreciate the beauty of life but also better face future challenges. Let us learn to enjoy the present and live each day to the fullest.

Have you ever regretted something?

Youth is always a beautiful time, but it passes so quickly. When you suddenly wake up to it, you might regret not having cherished those precious experiences sooner.

Have you ever regretted something—whether in academics, love, friendship, or family? Do those regrets take root in your heart, impossible to erase, leaving you wishing for just one chance to make up for them?

Everyone wants to live without regrets, but when we compare “what we did” with “what we could have done,” realizing we didn’t make the best choices, regret often follows.

“If given the chance to choose again, would you make a better decision?” Everyone thinks something like this when regret strikes, wishing they could do everything perfectly without remorse. Yet, the more we dwell on regret, the deeper we sink into it.

Every decision we make brings either positive or negative outcomes and emotions for our future selves. This often leaves us uneasy or frustrated about the unknown future—after all, no one likes to live with regret.

So why not take advantage of the youth, time, energy, and strength you still have to minimize regrets? Set a practical plan, then start moving forward step by step, working toward your goals and creating your own youthful memories.

Being Strong Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Cry

Have you ever heard the saying, “Strong people don’t cry”? This statement equates crying with weakness, leading people to hold back tears and bury their emotions deep inside. However, true strength isn’t about completely suppressing our emotions but about understanding how to face and handle various feelings.
Psychological research shows that crying is an important emotional release mechanism for humans. When we cry, our body releases various chemicals, including oxytocin and endorphins, which help relieve physical and mental tension and provide emotional comfort. At the same time, tears can carry away stress hormones, helping us regain our sense of calm.
Tough people know when to allow themselves to be vulnerable and understand the importance of accepting their emotions. Crying isn’t about avoiding or giving up; it’s a process of rest and healing. Just as the sky becomes clearer after rain, timely crying can help us unload our burdens, reorganize our thoughts, and continue facing life’s challenges.
Therefore, don’t be afraid to let tears flow when feeling sad or stressed. Letting yourself cry and giving yourself a moment to breathe is an important step toward mental well-being.

How to overcome Post-Holiday Blues?

Have you ever felt inexplicably depressed after a long holiday?

 

This is a very common situation. Holidays can help us to relax and relieve stress from work, which makes us feel relaxed and happy. But after the holidays, we have to return to work and our busy daily life. It may be difficult for us to get adapted again and we may tend to be anxious.

 

To overcome this situation, we can try to do more exercise, which is good for our health, and also help our body to release endorphins to improve our mood.

 

Apart from long holidays, we can also try to take time to do more things that we are interested in during weekdays, so that we can look forward to the time after work, this can avoid us being stressful all the time.

 

The good memories of the long holiday can certainly accumulate positive energy for us, and on weekdays, we can also try to find things worth to be looking forward to so that we can always stay positive.

Six Steps to Resolve Conflicts

On the third day of the Lunar New Year (Chi San), it’s a good time to reflect and resolve interpersonal conflicts. Here are six detailed steps, along with everyday examples, to help you effectively handle disputes:

1. Calm Down

When a conflict arises, emotions can often cloud judgment. It’s important to temporarily calm down and avoid emotional reactions. When you feel angry or frustrated, take a few deep breaths, count to ten, or briefly leave the scene to engage in relaxing activities like walking or listening to music to help yourself regain composure.

Example: If you have a disagreement with a colleague over work tasks and feel emotionally charged, you can tell them, “I need some time to calm down; let’s discuss this later.” This way, you can avoid emotional reactions that could lead to more unnecessary conflicts.

2. Clarify the Issues

Identifying the core issue of the dispute is crucial. You can ask yourself several questions:

  • What is the specific reason for this conflict?
  • What are my needs and feelings?
  • What are the other person’s position and needs?

Specific Approach: Write down the main points in your mind or on paper. This will help keep the focus during subsequent discussions.

3. Open Dialogue

Choose an appropriate time and environment for the conversation, ensuring both parties have enough time and space to communicate. Avoid discussing sensitive topics when emotions are high or in public settings. Use phrases like “I feel” to express your feelings and listen to the other person’s thoughts.

Example: If you and a friend disagree on travel plans, you could meet at a quiet café and say, “I feel we have some differences in our travel plans, but I want to hear your thoughts.” This can promote understanding and prevent emotions from escalating.

4. Find Common Ground

During the discussion, emphasize shared goals and look for solutions that both parties can accept.

Example: When you and a colleague have different opinions on how to approach a task, you can identify a common goal, such as improving team efficiency, and then collaboratively explore how to achieve that goal. This can reduce opposing emotions and foster cooperation.

5. Develop a Solution

Based on the consensus reached, clarify each person’s roles and actions, and set a practical timeline to ensure both parties feel accountable.

Example: In a close relationship, if there’s a dispute over financial management, you can decide to create a joint budget plan and agree to review expenses and income monthly. This ensures that both parties can accept the solution.

6. Follow Up and Reflect

After resolving the issue, regularly check in on progress and have follow-up discussions with the other person to confirm each other’s feelings and thoughts. Learn from the experience to enhance your ability to handle similar situations in the future.

By following these six steps, you can more effectively resolve conflicts, promote harmonious relationships, and strengthen every connection. So even on the third day of the Lunar New Year, you won’t have to worry about arguments!

Relationships Need More Authenticity to Grow Closer

When we are unwilling to share our true feelings and thoughts, we unknowingly build a wall between ourselves and others. This concealment not only fails to maintain relationships but also makes it harder for others to understand our authentic selves. To break down this invisible wall, we can open our hearts and show our true selves to others. Here are three steps that can help us build more genuine connections:

Step 1: Understand Your Own Feelings
Before expressing your thoughts to others, it’s essential to understand your inner needs. For instance, you might want others to listen to your feelings earnestly and provide comfort when feeling down. Only by understanding your own needs can you express them more accurately to others.

Step 2: Find the Right Moment for Conversation
Regular communication is essential to strengthen relationships no matter how busy life gets. Take the initiative to create opportunities for heart-to-heart talks, whether during dinner or cozy moments before bedtime. When sharing, stay present and honestly feel each other’s presence.

Step 3: Invite Response to Your Sharing
After sharing, actively invite the other person to express their thoughts, and listen to their perspectives and feelings with an open mind. This two-way communication helps both parties better understand each other’s inner worlds, naturally bringing you closer together.

Maintaining relationships isn’t just about daily interactions; it requires both parties to be willing to show their authentic selves. We create deeper connections when we let down our guard and open our hearts to share our inner feelings. By understanding our needs, seizing the right moments for dialogue, and encouraging sincere two-way communication, we can gradually break down barriers and elevate relationships to a more intimate level. Remember, sincerity is the key to bringing people closer together, and only by showing our authentic selves can we elevate relationships to the next level.

Three Ways to Get Your Children to Open Up to You

Many parents lament the decreasing communication with their children, who become reluctant to share their daily experiences, leading to growing distance in parent-child relationships. The key to building effective parent-child communication is creating a safe and trustworthy environment for dialogue. Here are three practical methods to help open your children’s hearts.

Method 1: Practice “Non-judgmental” Listening
Parents must learn to control the urge to criticize or give immediate advice when children share. Instead, listen with an open and accepting attitude. For example, when children share academic frustrations, avoid rushing to blame or lecture; focus first on understanding their feelings. Children will be more willing to share their thoughts when they feel accepted.

Method 2: Show Empathy and Patience
Parents should learn to empathize first when children face difficulties rather than rushing to solve problems. For instance, when children encounter interpersonal issues, you might say, “That must be upsetting. Would you like to talk about what happened?” By showing empathy, children feel supported and understood, naturally becoming more willing to open up.

Method 3: Create Daily Conversation Opportunities
Set aside relaxed times for daily conversations, such as during dinner or before bedtime. Avoid deliberately discussing grades or academics; chat about exciting life events or experiences with friends. Parents can also share their own experiences, making conversations natural and two-way. The key is maintaining a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, making communication enjoyable rather than stressful.

Building good parent-child communication requires time and patience. Parents need to learn to set aside their authoritative stance and treat children with care. When these three methods become daily habits, they will build a trusting and loving parent-child relationship.