I Could Have Helped Vinny Gambini (My Cousin Vinny) Relax and Focus…Really!
In the movie “My Cousin Vinny” (if you haven’t seen it…CHECK IT OUT!) there's a hilarious scene where Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci) desperately has to focus on a court case to free his nephew Billy Gambini (Ralph Maccio) from a wrongful crime. Never mind that Vinny is not even an attorney, he’s from New York and stuck in Beechum County, Alabama (fictitious location) which is rural to say the least and it’s driving Vinny nuts because he can’t RELAX long enough to FOCUS. He hears everything while he tries to sleep from owls to coyotes, to crickets. The SOLUTION: Vinny breaks the law himself to get thrown in a noisy out of control jail cell as that’s what he’s used to in New York and consequently has the best night’s sleep he’s had in months!
Brain Waves…How Boring!
All of us relax and/or focus better in different environments. Give me a coffee shop with noise and I’m laser focused! Isolate me in Beechum County, AL and I’m Vinny begging for distractions in an effort to get blogs completed, prep for clients, and speeches framed up! However, while we’re all different, we all have the same brain waves of which only one helps us relax while the other helps us focus! Brain waves are electrical energy being generated when the brain’s neurons communicate. They’re measured in hertz (Hz) and are measured in cycles per second. Hang with me for just a little bit as it’s important to know that there are five brain waves (Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma) and one of them is OPTIMAL for relaxing while the other helps us focus!
The Alpha State and Beta State….What You Need to Know About Relaxing so that You Can Focus
At the risk of writing a blog too long to relax or focus, let me just tell you, the Alpha State (8-12 Hz) is the sound wave you want so that you can truly relax. For best results, let me give you Six ways to get those brain waves calmed down long enough to enter the Alpha state.
Drinking tea (black, green or white) - It contains Theanine which helps generate alpha brain waves
Aerobic exercise - about 30-40 minutes of exercise or yoga is a perfect way to lower cortisol (fear) and get in a relaxed state
Being in nature and just walking around, sitting, and admiring God’s creation!
A glass of wine (Now we’re talking!)....but don’t overdo it as the sugar component may play havoc getting into a deep sleep.
Positive/uplifting music - I have a soundtrack on my Spotify that instantly puts me in a great mood for relaxing
Meditation/breathing techniques (LINK to BREATHING blog) are probably the best! Making this a daily routine is CRITICAL.
So what about Focus?
Well, the beta brain waves (12-38 Hz) dominate our normal waking state where attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. There are actually three levels of Beta from a fast idle, to high engagement (figuring something out), and a highly complex wave for engaging in new experiences. Enough of the science stuff…how do I get into this Beta Super Focused State?
Spotify and other music streamers make it super easy by typing in Focus and then presto….there are countless spotify playlist for deep focus. Now, a word of warning, you’ll hear a lot of funky sounds and noises of which you’ve never heard before. However, the waves are meant to block out distractions (i.e. lyrics that immediately take you back to a date or a party and instantly you're doing karaoke in the coffee shop).
Your environment speaks volumes about where to best concentrate. As mentioned earlier, I know my Strengths (StrengthsFinder) and while Focus is one of my Strengths, I also have WOO (Winning Others Over) of which being around people (with my Spotify Focus Playlist) actually allows me to do 2 or 3X what I would accomplish in a benign environment. Knowing your makeup and putting guardrails around that environment will do wonders for intense focus sessions.
So how do you relax and focus best? Are you Vinny and need something just short of a jail cell to get the rest you need so that you can focus? Give me some ideas and I’ll throw them into a follow up blog as I talk about the other brain waves and why they’re important.
This Blog is done….Now I can Relax:)
