Why we all need to practice emotional first aid | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity
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0:09 - 0:12I grew up with my identical twin,
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0:12 - 0:15who was an incredibly loving brother.
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0:15 - 0:20Now, one thing about being a twin
is it makes you an expert -
0:20 - 0:22at spotting favoritism.
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0:23 - 0:28If his cookie was even slightly bigger
than my cookie, I had questions. -
0:29 - 0:31And clearly I wasn't starving.
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0:33 - 0:35(Laughter)
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0:35 - 0:37When I became a psychologist,
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0:37 - 0:40I began to notice favoritism
of a different kind. -
0:41 - 0:46And that is how much more
we value the body than we do the mind. -
0:46 - 0:51I spent nine years at University
earning my doctorate in Psychology, -
0:52 - 0:57and I can't tell you how many people
look at my business card and say, -
0:57 - 1:00"Oh, a psychologist,
so not a real doctor." -
1:03 - 1:05As if it should say that on my card.
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1:06 - 1:08(Laughter)
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1:09 - 1:14This favoritism we show
the body over the mind, -
1:14 - 1:15I see it everywhere.
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1:16 - 1:18I recently was at a friends' house,
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1:18 - 1:21and their five-year-old
was getting ready for bed. -
1:21 - 1:24He was standing on a stool
by the sink brushing his teeth, -
1:24 - 1:28when he slipped, and scratched his leg
on the stool when he fell. -
1:28 - 1:31He cried for a minute,
but then he got back up, -
1:31 - 1:35got back on the stool
and reached out for a box of Band-Aids -
1:35 - 1:37to put one on his cut.
-
1:38 - 1:41Now this kid could barely
tie his shoelaces, -
1:41 - 1:46but he knew you have to cover a cut,
so it doesn't become infected, -
1:46 - 1:49and you have to care for your teeth
by brushing twice a day. -
1:49 - 1:53We all know how to maintain
our physical health -
1:53 - 1:56and how to practice dental hygiene, right?
-
1:56 - 1:59We've known it
since we were five years old. -
1:59 - 2:04But what do we know about maintaining
our psychological health? -
2:04 - 2:06Well, nothing.
-
2:06 - 2:10What do we teach our children
about emotional hygiene? -
2:11 - 2:12Nothing.
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2:13 - 2:16How is it we spend more time
-
2:16 - 2:19taking care our teeth
than we do our minds? -
2:20 - 2:25Why is it our physical health
is so much more important to us -
2:25 - 2:28than our psychological health?
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2:28 - 2:31You know we sustain psychological injuries
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2:31 - 2:33even more often than we do physical ones.
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2:33 - 2:37Injuries like failure or rejection,
or loneliness, -
2:37 - 2:40and they can also
get worse if we ignore them. -
2:40 - 2:43And they can impact our lives
in dramatic ways. -
2:43 - 2:48And yet, even though there are
scientifically proven techniques -
2:48 - 2:53we could use to treat these kinds
of psychological injuries, we don't. -
2:53 - 2:57It doesn't even occur to us
that we should. -
2:57 - 3:02"Oh, you're feeling depressed,
just shake it off, it's all in your head." -
3:02 - 3:05Can you imagine saying that
to somebody with a broken leg, -
3:05 - 3:08"Just walk it off, it's all in your leg."
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3:08 - 3:10(Laughter)
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3:10 - 3:15It is time we close the gap between
our physical and our psychological health. -
3:15 - 3:18It's time we made them more equal.
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3:18 - 3:21More like twins.
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3:21 - 3:25Speaking of which,
my brother is also a psychologist. -
3:25 - 3:28So he's not a real doctor, either.
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3:28 - 3:30(Laughter)
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3:30 - 3:32We didn't study together, though.
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3:32 - 3:36In fact, the hardest thing I've ever done
in my life -
3:36 - 3:39is move across the Atlantic
to New York city -
3:39 - 3:42to get my doctorate in psychology.
-
3:42 - 3:45We were apart then,
for the first time in our lives, -
3:45 - 3:48and the separation
was brutal for both of us. -
3:48 - 3:52But while he remained
among family and friends, -
3:52 - 3:54I was alone in a new country.
-
3:54 - 3:56We missed each other terribly,
-
3:56 - 3:59but international phone calls
were really expensive then, -
3:59 - 4:04and we could only afford
to speak for 5 minutes a week. -
4:05 - 4:06When our birthday rolled around,
-
4:06 - 4:09it was the first
we wouldn't be spending together, -
4:09 - 4:10we decide to splurge,
-
4:10 - 4:14and that week
we would talk for ten minutes. -
4:14 - 4:16I spent the morning pacing around my room,
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4:16 - 4:18waiting for him to call,
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4:18 - 4:20and waiting,
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4:20 - 4:22and waiting,
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4:22 - 4:24but the phone didn't ring.
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4:24 - 4:26Given the time difference, I assumed
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4:26 - 4:29"OK, he's out with friends,
he will call later." -
4:29 - 4:31There were no cell phones then.
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4:31 - 4:33But he didn't.
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4:33 - 4:38And I began to realize,
after being away for over ten months, -
4:38 - 4:41he no longer missed me
the way I missed him. -
4:42 - 4:45And I knew he would call in the morning,
-
4:45 - 4:50but that night was one of the saddest
and longest nights of my life. -
4:51 - 4:53I woke up the next morning,
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4:53 - 4:55I glanced down at the phone,
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4:55 - 4:58and I realized
I had kicked it off the hook -
4:58 - 5:00when pacing the day before.
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5:01 - 5:03I stumbled out of bed,
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5:03 - 5:04I put the phone
back on the receiver, -
5:04 - 5:06and it rang a second later,
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5:06 - 5:09and it was my brother,
and, boy, was he pissed. -
5:09 - 5:12(Laughter)
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5:12 - 5:15It was the saddest and longest
night of his life as well. -
5:15 - 5:18I tried to explain what happened,
but he said, -
5:18 - 5:21"I don't understand,
if you saw I wasn't calling you, -
5:21 - 5:25why didn't you just pick up the phone
and call me?" -
5:25 - 5:27He was right.
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5:27 - 5:29Why didn't I call him?
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5:29 - 5:35I didn't have an answer then,
but I do today, and it's a simple one. -
5:35 - 5:37Loneliness.
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5:38 - 5:42Loneliness creates
a deep psychological wound. -
5:42 - 5:44One that distorts our perceptions
-
5:44 - 5:47and scrambles our thinking,
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5:47 - 5:48It makes us believe
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5:48 - 5:52those around us care much less
than they actually do. -
5:52 - 5:54It makes us really afraid to reach out,
-
5:54 - 5:59because why set yourself up
for rejection and heartache, -
5:59 - 6:02when your heart is already aching
more than you can stand? -
6:02 - 6:06I was in the grips of real loneliness
back then, -
6:06 - 6:08but I was surrounded by people all day,
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6:08 - 6:10so it never occurred to me.
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6:10 - 6:14But loneliness, is defined purely,
subjectively. -
6:15 - 6:18It depends solely on whether you feel
-
6:18 - 6:21emotionally or socially disconnected
from those around you. -
6:21 - 6:23And I did.
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6:24 - 6:26There's a lot research on loneliness
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6:26 - 6:29and all of it is horrifying.
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6:30 - 6:34Loneliness won't just make you miserable,
it will kill you. -
6:34 - 6:35I am not kidding.
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6:35 - 6:39Chronic loneliness increases your
likelihood of an early death -
6:39 - 6:41by 14 percent.
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6:41 - 6:43Fourteen percent.
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6:43 - 6:47Loneliness causes high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, -
6:47 - 6:51it even suppresses
the functioning of your immune system, -
6:51 - 6:55making you vulnerable to all kinds
of illnesses and diseases. -
6:55 - 6:58In fact, scientist have concluded
that taken together, -
6:58 - 7:02chronic loneliness poses
a significant a risk -
7:02 - 7:06for your longterm health and longevity
as cigarette smoking. -
7:07 - 7:11Now, cigarette packs come with warnings
saying, "This could kill you." -
7:11 - 7:13But loneliness doesn't.
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7:13 - 7:15And that's why it's so important
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7:15 - 7:19we prioritize our psychological health.
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7:19 - 7:21That we practice emotional hygiene.
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7:22 - 7:25Because you can't treat
a psychological wound -
7:25 - 7:27if you don't even know you are injured.
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7:27 - 7:29[Pay attention to emotional pain]
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7:29 - 7:31Loneliness isn't the only
psychological wound -
7:31 - 7:34that distorts our perceptions
and misleads us. -
7:34 - 7:36[Failure]
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7:36 - 7:38Failure does that as well.
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7:38 - 7:42I once visited a daycare center
where I saw three toddlers -
7:42 - 7:45play with identical plastic toys.
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7:45 - 7:49You had to slide the red button,
and a cute doggy would pop out. -
7:50 - 7:55One little girl tried pulling
the purple button, then pushing it, -
7:55 - 7:57and then she just sat back
and looked at the box -
7:57 - 7:59with her lower lip trembling.
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7:59 - 8:02The little boy next to her,
watched this happen, -
8:02 - 8:05then turned to his box,
and burst into tears -
8:05 - 8:07without even touching it.
-
8:07 - 8:11Meanwhile, another little girl
tried everything she could think of -
8:11 - 8:13until she slid the red button,
-
8:13 - 8:17the cute doggy popped out,
and she squealed with delight. -
8:17 - 8:21So three toddlers
with identical plastic toys -
8:21 - 8:24but with very different
reactions to failure. -
8:24 - 8:28The first two toddlers were perfectly
capable of sliding a red button. -
8:29 - 8:32The only thing that prevented them
from succeeding -
8:32 - 8:36was their mind tricked them
into believing they could not. -
8:36 - 8:41Now, adults get tricked this way
as well all the time. -
8:41 - 8:45In fact we all have a default set
of feelings and beliefs -
8:46 - 8:50that gets triggered whenever
we encounter frustrations and setbacks. -
8:50 - 8:53Are you aware of how
your mind reacts to failure? -
8:53 - 8:55You need to be.
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8:55 - 8:57Because if your mind tries to convince you
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8:57 - 8:59you're incapable of something
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8:59 - 9:01and you believe it,
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9:01 - 9:04then like those two toddlers,
you'll begin to feel helpless, -
9:04 - 9:08and you'll stop trying too soon
or you won't even try at all. -
9:08 - 9:12And then you will be even more convinced
you can't succeed. -
9:12 - 9:13You see, that's why so many people
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9:13 - 9:16function below their actual potential.
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9:16 - 9:19Because somewhere along the way,
sometimes a single failure -
9:19 - 9:22convinced them they couldn't succeed,
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9:22 - 9:23and they believed it.
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9:23 - 9:26Once we become convinced of something,
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9:26 - 9:29it's very difficult to change our mind.
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9:29 - 9:31I learned that lesson the hard way.
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9:31 - 9:33When I was a teenager with my brother.
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9:33 - 9:37We were driving with friends
down a dark road at night, -
9:37 - 9:38when the police car stopped us.
-
9:38 - 9:42There had been a robbery in the area,
they were looking for suspects. -
9:42 - 9:43The officer approached the car,
-
9:43 - 9:46and he shined his flashlight
on the driver. -
9:46 - 9:49Then on my brother in the front seat,
and then on me. -
9:49 - 9:52And his eyes opened wide, and he said,
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9:52 - 9:54"Where have I seen your face before?"
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9:54 - 9:56(Laughter)
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9:56 - 10:00And I said, "In the front seat."
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10:00 - 10:03(Laughter)
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10:03 - 10:06But that made no sense to him whatsoever.
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10:06 - 10:08So now he thought I was on drugs.
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10:08 - 10:09(Laughter)
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10:09 - 10:11So he drags me out of the car,
he searches me, -
10:11 - 10:14he marches me over to the police car,
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10:14 - 10:17and only when he verified
I don't have a police record, -
10:17 - 10:21could I show him I had a twin
in the front seat. -
10:21 - 10:25But even as we were driving away,
you could see by the look on his face, -
10:25 - 10:28he was convinced
I was getting away with something. -
10:30 - 10:34Our mind is hard to change
once we become convinced. -
10:34 - 10:39So it might be very natural to feel
demoralized and defeated after you fail. -
10:39 - 10:42But you cannot allow yourself
to become convinced you can't succeed. -
10:43 - 10:46You have to fight
feelings of helplessness. -
10:46 - 10:49You have to gain control
over the situation, -
10:49 - 10:53and you have to break this kind
of negative cycle before it begins. -
10:53 - 10:55[Stop emotional bleeding]
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10:55 - 10:57Our minds and our feelings,
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10:57 - 11:01they are not the trustworthy friends
we thought they were. -
11:01 - 11:04They are more like a really moody friend,
-
11:04 - 11:09who can be totally supportive one minute,
and really unpleasant the next. -
11:09 - 11:11I once worked with this woman
-
11:11 - 11:15who after 20 years of marriage
and an extremely ugly divorce, -
11:15 - 11:17was finally ready for her first date.
-
11:17 - 11:22She had met this guy online,
he seemed nice and successful, -
11:22 - 11:25and most importantly,
he seemed really into her. -
11:25 - 11:28So she was very excited,
and she bought a new dress, -
11:28 - 11:32and they met at an upscale
New York City bar for a drink. -
11:32 - 11:36Ten minutes into the date,
the man stands up and says, -
11:36 - 11:39"I'm not interested", and walks out.
-
11:39 - 11:41[Rejection]
-
11:41 - 11:44Rejection is extremely painful.
-
11:44 - 11:46The woman was so hurt,
she could't move. -
11:46 - 11:49All she could do is call a friend.
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11:49 - 11:53And here's what the friend said,
"Well, what do you expect, -
11:53 - 11:57you have big hips,
you have nothing interesting to say, -
11:57 - 12:00why would a handsome,
successful man like that -
12:00 - 12:02ever go out with a loser like you?"
-
12:04 - 12:07Shocking, right,
that a friend could be so cruel. -
12:07 - 12:10But it would be much less shocking
-
12:10 - 12:13if I told you it wasn't
the friend who said that. -
12:13 - 12:16It's what the woman said to herself.
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12:16 - 12:18And that's something we all do.
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12:18 - 12:20Especially after a rejection.
-
12:20 - 12:24We all start thinking of all our faults
and all our shortcomings -
12:24 - 12:26what we wish we were,
what we wish we weren't, -
12:26 - 12:27we call ourselves names.
-
12:27 - 12:30Maybe not as harshly,
but we all do it. -
12:30 - 12:34It's interesting that we do, because
our self-esteem is already hurting. -
12:35 - 12:38Why would we want to go
and damage it even further? -
12:38 - 12:41We wouldn't make a physical injury
worse on purpose. -
12:41 - 12:44You wouldn't get a cut on your arm
and decide, -
12:44 - 12:47"Oh, I know, I am going to take a knife
and see how much deeper I can make it." -
12:47 - 12:51But we do that with psychological injuries
all the time. -
12:51 - 12:54Why? Because of poor emotional hygiene.
-
12:54 - 12:58Because we don't prioritize
our psychological health. -
12:58 - 12:59We know from dozens of studies,
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12:59 - 13:01that when your self-esteem is lower,
-
13:01 - 13:04you are more vulnerable
to stress and to anxiety, -
13:04 - 13:08that failures and rejections hurt more,
-
13:08 - 13:10and it takes longer to recover from them.
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13:10 - 13:13So when you get rejected,
the first thing you should be doing -
13:13 - 13:16is to revive your self-esteem,
-
13:16 - 13:19not join Fight Club
and beat it into a pulp. -
13:20 - 13:22When you are in emotional pain,
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13:22 - 13:25treat yourself with the same compassion
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13:25 - 13:28you would expect from a truly good friend.
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13:28 - 13:30[Protect your self-esteem]
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13:30 - 13:34We have to catch our unhealthy
psychological habits and change them. -
13:34 - 13:38One of the unhealthiest and most common
is called rumination. -
13:39 - 13:41To ruminate, means to chew over.
-
13:41 - 13:44It's when your boss yells at you,
-
13:44 - 13:47or your professor makes you
feel stupid in class, -
13:47 - 13:49or you have a big fight with a friend,
-
13:49 - 13:53and you just can't stop replaying
the scene in your head for days, -
13:53 - 13:55sometimes for weeks on end.
-
13:55 - 13:58Now ruminating
about upsetting events in this way -
13:58 - 14:02can easily become a habit,
and it's a very costly one. -
14:02 - 14:04Because by spending so much time
-
14:04 - 14:07focused on upsetting
and negative thoughts, -
14:07 - 14:11you are actually putting yourself
at significant risk for developing -
14:11 - 14:14clinical depression, alcoholism,
-
14:14 - 14:17eating disorders
and even cardiovascular disease. -
14:17 - 14:20The problem is, the urge to ruminate
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14:20 - 14:24can feel really strong, really important,
so it's a difficult habit to stop. -
14:25 - 14:27I know this for a fact.
-
14:27 - 14:31Because little over a year ago,
I developed the habit myself. -
14:31 - 14:34You see my twin brother was diagnosed
-
14:34 - 14:37with stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
-
14:37 - 14:40His cancer was extremly aggressive,
-
14:40 - 14:43he had visible tumors all over his body.
-
14:44 - 14:47And he had to start a harsh course
of chemotherapy. -
14:48 - 14:53And I couldn't stop thinking
about what he was going through, -
14:53 - 14:56I could't stop thinking
about how much he was suffering. -
14:57 - 15:01Even though he never complained, not once.
-
15:01 - 15:04He had this incredibly positive attitude.
-
15:04 - 15:07His psychological health was amazing.
-
15:07 - 15:11I was physically healthy,
but psychologically I was a mess. -
15:12 - 15:14But I knew what to do.
-
15:14 - 15:17Studies tell us
that even a two minute distraction -
15:17 - 15:21is sufficient to break the urge
to ruminate in that moment. -
15:21 - 15:24And so each time I had a worrying,
upsetting, negative thought, -
15:24 - 15:29I forced myself to concentrate
on something else until the urge passed. -
15:29 - 15:33And within one week,
my whole outlook changed, -
15:33 - 15:36and became more positive
and more hopeful. -
15:37 - 15:39[Battle negative thinking]
-
15:39 - 15:43Nine weeks after he started chemotherapy,
my brother had a CAT scan, -
15:43 - 15:46and I was by his side
when he got the results. -
15:46 - 15:48All the tumors were gone.
-
15:48 - 15:52He still had three more rounds
of chemotherapy to go. -
15:52 - 15:54But we knew he would recover.
-
15:54 - 15:58This picture was taken two weeks ago.
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16:01 - 16:04By taking action when you're lonely,
-
16:04 - 16:07by changing your responses to failure,
-
16:07 - 16:09by protecting yourself-esteem,
-
16:09 - 16:12by battling negative thinking,
-
16:12 - 16:15you won't just heal
your psychological wounds, -
16:15 - 16:18you will build emotional resilience,
you will thrive. -
16:20 - 16:24A hundred years ago,
people began practicing personal hygiene. -
16:24 - 16:28And life expectancy rates rose
by over fifty percent -
16:28 - 16:31in just a matter of decades.
-
16:31 - 16:34I believe our quality of life
could rise just as dramatically -
16:34 - 16:38if we all began practicing
emotional hygiene. -
16:39 - 16:42Can you imagine,
what the world would be like -
16:42 - 16:44if everyone was psychologically healthier?
-
16:44 - 16:48If there were less loneliness,
and less depression? -
16:48 - 16:51If people knew how to overcome failure?
-
16:51 - 16:54If they felt better about themselves,
and more empowered? -
16:54 - 16:58if they were happier, and more fulfilled?
-
16:58 - 17:01I can, because that's the world
I want to live in, -
17:02 - 17:06and that's the world
my brother wants to live in as well. -
17:06 - 17:11If you just become informed,
and change a few simple habits, -
17:11 - 17:14well that's the world we can all live in.
-
17:15 - 17:17Thank you very much.
-
17:17 - 17:20(Applause)
- Title:
- Why we all need to practice emotional first aid | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity
- Description:
-
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. We'll go to the doctor when we feel flu-ish or a nagging pain. So why don’t we see a health professional when we feel emotional pain: guilt, loss, loneliness? Too many of us deal with common psychological-health issues on our own, says Guy Winch. But we don’t have to. He makes a compelling case to practice emotional hygiene — taking care of our emotions, our minds, with the same diligence we take care of our bodies.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:23
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
TED Translators admin approved English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
Ivana Korom accepted English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How to practice emotional hygiene | Guy Winch | TEDxLinnaeusUniversity |