The Work-life Insight
Jersey City, N.J. (December 21, 2021) – As the demand for shared office spaces increases, one local coworking space, WorkSocial, is expanding its Jersey City office space footprint by 6,000 square feet to accommodate the growing number of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and consultants seeking the company’s offerings.
The expansion work at 111 Town Square Place in Jersey City begins in February and will be open to clients in April 2022.
Since 2016, WorkSocial has been providing coworking spaces and private offices for rent that provides small businesses and individuals a refreshing alternative to home-based work or meeting in public places like coffee shops. Members benefit from a dedicated on-site service team, upbeat culture, state-of-the-art technology, access to private offices and group conference rooms and business services like reception, mailing services, WIFI, and more.
The expansion will include additional offices, six new meeting spaces, and five phone “booths” where clients can take private calls. “This is such an exciting endeavor,” explains Natasha Mohan, CEO. “It was designed by an all-female minority team and inspired by offices at Google and Facebook.”
The coworking trend was already growing rapidly before 2020 but COVID-19 changed how people worked, particularly in the business-dense Tri-State area. When it was clear many companies were asking their employees to work from home, WorkSocial sprung into action, making sure their locations in both Jersey City and New York City were open and adhering to strict social distancing and sanitizing protocols. The effort paid off.
“Working from home can be isolating,” explains Natasha Mohan, CEO of WorkSocial. “Our clients wanted to be able to go somewhere where they could access everything they needed but without worrying about safety. That trend continues now, with the rollercoaster we are seeing with the COVID-19 variants.”
COVID-19 also brought a significant increase in people leaving – or losing – their jobs and pursuing their own business dreams. In fact, according to Census Bureau’s data, nearly 1.4 million applications were filed to form new businesses through September of 2021. Comparatively, 2020 had around 1 million and 2019 had 987,000 during the same time periods.
“Our space and services are ideal for new start-ups that are learning what resources they need and how to manage them,” says Mohan. “We provide that support so they can concentrate on their business and not have to worry about office space, technology or support services. We provide a professional mailing address as well so they aren’t sending mail to their apartment, for example,” she adds.
Importantly, WorkSocial allows small businesses to offer their employees a pleasant and highly functional work environment without the burden of overhead.
Mohan says the new space they are building is already 60% reserved. “It gives us great joy to be a resource to the people and teams who work at our facility. There is so much creativity and energy; it’s exciting to come to work here every day.”Since 2015, WorkSocial has been offering highly functional, pleasant coworking spaces in New Jersey and New York City to teams, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals.
Our mission is to provide a workspace that supports small business endeavors, community outreach, mentoring and entrepreneurial needs while promoting a well and happy lifestyle. For more information or reservations, please visit:
Think about a moment of self-care. Chances are, it didn’t happen at your office.
Self-care has habitually been saved for outside work hours. So it probably won’t come as a shock that conventional working spaces aren’t necessarily mental health-friendly.
But since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, traditional offices appear to have been radically modified. Stationary, inflexible cubicles are being reimagined into open spaces where workers can freely exchange ideas, mobile tables replace individual desks, open kitchens are fully stocked, and assigned seating is out the door.
Coworking spaces are changing the future of how we work and championing a new era of self-care in corporate America. Here’s how.
The Post-Pandemic Workplace
Currently, the number of people occupying coworking spaces in the United States is close to a million. While the future of work can still seem a little uncertain, coworking is a positive change brought into the workplace due to the pandemic. Blended workplaces are predicted to be the new ‘norm.’ Some people will work from home while others work from the office on specific days.
Coworking spaces are designed to accommodate people’s unique behavioral habits. Physical offices must now adjust to a more forward-thinking, creative working environment where workers have the tools they need but still feel a sense of flexibility and autonomy. At the same time, more companies are seeing that the social aspect of the working environment is one of the most critical parts of the physical workplace.
The relaxed atmosphere is usually influenced by the fact that people who work in coworking spaces could be from various companies, professions, etc. This usually means there’s less of a sense of competition.
Leaving the One-Size-Fits-All Mentality
Companies of all sizes and sorts are starting to ask their employees how, when, and where they want to work. Flexibility at work in regards to workspace preference and scheduling is vital for well-being.
Allowing employees to have more say in their own workplace experience is a slightly newer approach to the individualized, task-oriented workforce that’s taken over for the past 70 years. Additionally, corporate America is an increasingly competitive terrain for recruiting and retaining talented workers. Coworking spaces that cater to self-care is another way for companies to rise in the “war for talent.”
The Benefits of Coworking Spaces for Mental Health
With the onslaught of coworking spaces also comes a significant focus on wellness and well-being. From lush outdoor areas with tables and chairs for meetings to large indoor spaces that resemble a mini-city inside a building, coworking spaces offer some long-overdue mental health benefits in the workplace.
The most productive coworking spaces offer an atmosphere that helps establish a healthy balance between business and private life. With the challenges of everyday life, there’s sometimes a need for quick breaks in a relaxing environment. These spaces are particularly beneficial for individuals who do not have great self-care habits. Encouraging self-care in the workplace often leads to better practices outside of the job.
The Self-Care Crisis in Corporate America
It’s no secret that Covid-19 brought a slew of anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues. From the stay-at-home orders, sudden change in routines, and the overwhelming sense of worry, the impact on mental well-being is drastic for some.
Coworking spaces give employees better tools to foster good self-care habits. For one thing, most coworking spaces offer a stimulating atmosphere through exceptional room designs, colors, and plenty of natural light. These uniquely designed spaces also allow employees more flexibility. Workers often have access to different working stations depending on what they need at that moment. For example, they can work solo in a quiet private area, host a meeting in a designated room, or relax, eat, and socialize in the open lounges. Accommodating workers’ individual needs throughout the day allows them to work when they feel most motivated.
Fresh air, daylight, and personal choices can go a long way. Once companies ensure workers have everything they need - including space, office supplies, flexibility, and good self-care practices, they can start to focus their energy on doing their jobs, as the rest is provided to them.
While we can’t say yet if flexible, fluid coworking spaces are short-term or permanent, we can say the office environment is continually evolving. Coworking spaces have the potential to be part of the future of work. Why? Because physical working environments should focus more on our mental well-being.
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic decoction used as a traditional medicine in several Amazonian regions. The ritualistic use of ayahuasca has spread throughout many countries, making it necessary to study its risks and benefits. Two sub-studies were designed for this investigation. In sub-study 1, a psychiatric interview and a battery of questionnaires were administered to subjects (n = 40) before their first ayahuasca use. Two follow-ups were conducted at 1 and 6 months. In sub-study 2, the same interview and battery of questionnaires were administered to long-term ayahuasca users (n = 23) and their scores were compared with those of the ayahuasca-naïve group. In the first assessment, nearly half (45%) of the naïve users were found to meet the diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder. After the ayahuasca use, more than 80% of those subjects showed clinical improvements that persisted at 6 months. The questionnaires showed significant reductions in depression and psychopathology. Regarding sub-study 2, long-term users showed lower depression scores, and higher scores for self-transcendence and quality of life, as compared to their peers in sub-study 1. Further controlled and observational naturalistic studies assessing the eventual risks and potential benefits of ayahuasca are warranted.
Introduction
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage that results from the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria Viridis, plants rich in β-carbolines (harmine or tetrahydroharmine, among others) and N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), respectively. DMT is a partial agonist of serotonin (5-HT) receptors, but it can interact with other receptors as well (for a review see Carbonaro & Gatch). The hallucinogenic effects are primarily caused by the combination of the monoamine-oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibiting properties of β-carbolines and DMT, which results in the oral bioavailability of the latter.
Ayahuasca has been traditionally used in several communities of the Amazonia, but in recent decades its use has spread throughout the world4, first to urban areas of Brazil, where syncretic religions such as Santo Daime, União do Vegetal and Barquinha were established, and then to other contexts, including several countries of the world where ayahuasca retreat centers have been developed and/or new shamanic groups exist.
Concurrent with this increased public interest in ayahuasca ceremonies, there has been major interest from the academic and biomedical fields regarding its potential health effects. Data from observational studies suggest that ayahuasca and its active ingredient DMT may have anxiolytic properties. Furthermore, it has not been associated with increased psychopathology or with impairments in neuropsychological functioning. An open-label clinical study found significant therapeutic benefits among patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) after the administration of a single dose of ayahuasca. Additionally, one randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was recently published, showing that, compared to placebo, a single ayahuasca dose was associated with significant reductions in depressive symptoms in MDD patients.
The mechanisms through which ayahuasca produces therapeutic effects are not completely understood. First, DMT is widely found in plants and mammals, including humans. It acts as a partial agonist at 5-HT receptors, and several studies have shown that the 5-HT2A receptor site could be the main target. Additionally, neuroimaging studies (described below) show that the neural effects of ayahuasca, in both healthy and depressive subjects, are mediated by brain areas rich in 5-HT2A receptors. As far as β-carbolines are concerned, they also show potential neuroprotective effects besides their MAO-inhibiting properties.
Beyond the complex affects the isolated compounds have on different neurotransmitter systems, there are neuroimaging studies that can help clarify ayahuasca’s potential mechanisms of action. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies reported that ayahuasca increases blood perfusion in frontal brain regions, the insula, the left nucleus accumbens, the left amygdala, the parahippocampal gyrus, and the left subgenual area. This pattern suggests that ayahuasca’s effects are related to introspection and emotional processing. Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have observed activations in the occipital, temporal, and frontal areas of the brain. Remarkably, even with eyes closed, levels of activation in the occipital area were consistent with the visionary experience. Ayahuasca also activates the frontal cortex and areas involved in episodic memory. Furthermore, in one study using MRI, an inverse correlation between cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and intensity and duration of previous ayahuasca use was observed. This is highly relevant due to the direct implication of PCC in the default mode network (DMN), and it suggests that regular ayahuasca use could potentially lead to structural changes in certain brain areas. Evidence of decreased DMN activity after ayahuasca use supports this finding.
Due to the current crisis in psychopharmacology and the lack of effective medications for the treatment of psychological or neurological disorders, alongside the continued exoticization of indigenous cultures, the number of people attracted by alternative medical practices such as the ritualistic use of ayahuasca has been increasing. Given this context, the effects of ayahuasca should be assessed especially in those people who have no previous experience with the decoction. This would help to avoid the bias present in retrospective observational studies for which only long-term users were recruited. Those users could be resistant to some of the ayahuasca’s adverse effects, allowing them to use it without perceiving any harm, and thus they tend to participate as volunteers in the studies. However, by analyzing the experience of first-time users, this bias may be better controlled for and more accurate information about the overall effects of ayahuasca on novice users can be obtained.
There are some studies that have focused on the assessment of first-time ayahuasca users. Osório et al. and Sanches et al. reported the effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression in an open-label study. Fast-acting antidepressant and anxiolytic effects were reported that persisted after 21 days. Palhano-Fontes et al. published the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) in which ayahuasca was assessed for the treatment of severe depression and significantly reduced depressive symptoms. In those clinical trials, although patients were naïve ayahuasca users, there were carefully selected according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Barbosa et al., in a non-controlled study, found significant decreases in psychiatric symptoms after initial experiences with ayahuasca among a non-clinical sample. Barbosa et al. found similar results in a follow-up study of the same sample. No adverse effects were reported, and those who began to use ayahuasca regularly showed improvements in role-emotional and social functioning scores according to the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Trichter et al. analyzed potential changes in spirituality (measured with the Peak Experience Profile, the Spiritual Well-being Scale, and the Mysticism Scale as quantitative measures, and an interview as a qualitative measure) after the first ayahuasca experience of 54 people and found that the experience did not result in significant changes.
Due to our fieldwork, we know that there are dozens of groups of ayahuasca users in the Spanish territory alone, which is a situation that could be relevant to public health. While some authors describe the communitarian use of ayahuasca as a healthcare system, some case reports are being published with information about psychotic episodes induced by ayahuasca. When elucidating the potential risks of the ritualistic and communitarian use of ayahuasca, an RCT approach,, would not fit well with the context and the complex variables involved in such ritualistic settings. However, observational studies represent a useful and valuable tool for gathering more generalizable data. In this case, we designed two observational sub-studies: In sub-study 1, a longitudinal assessment of first-time ayahuasca users was conducted. Since it is difficult to find a control group/treatment/condition in order to compare results, we designed a sub-study 2, where the baseline assessment of that same group was compared with a group of long-term ayahuasca users. In this way, it is possible to find potential differences that may be attributed to the regular use of ayahuasca or, on the contrary, are common conditions that may explain personal traits that may lead one to get involved in regular ayahuasca use and other spiritual and/or alternative health practices. for a schematic diagram of the study.
Schematic diagram of the complete study.
Results
For sub-study 1, we recruited 28 women (70%) and 12 men aged between 20 and 65 years (X¯¯¯¯X¯ = 35). The majority (95%) of subjects were from Spain. Regarding education, the majority (54%) of the sample graduated from university. Most participants were atheists (84%). The majority of the sample (59.2%) wanted to take ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes, mentioning emotional or psychological issues. Other motivations included self-exploration (29.6%), curiosity (11.1%), to have a psychedelic experience (11.1%), receiving insights regarding professional development (7.4%), or to start on a spiritual path (3.7%). Regarding the types of ceremonies that participants attended, 40% were neoshamanic (led by westerners who traveled to a South American country to learn the methods of traditional medicine), 37.5% religious (mainly Santo Daime, but also other religious groups derived from classical ayahuasca religions), and 22.5% psychotherapeutic (a typical Western approach, in which a psychotherapeutic setting is used, without religious or shamanic content) ceremonies. As is common in longitudinal studies, a smaller number of subjects was retained during follow-ups. While 28 subjects participated in the 1-month follow-up, 15 subjects participated in the 6-months follow-up. At baseline, eighteen subjects (45%; 77.7% women) met the criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders (50% with comorbidity). The most prevalent diagnoses were generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 6) and substance abuse/dependence (alcohol = 2; cannabis = 2; lorazepam = 1).
Table 1 Sociodemographic data of the sample.
At the one-month follow-up, the 18 subjects (77.7% women) who met diagnostic criteria were interviewed again. Eleven of them (61%) no longer met the criteria for any psychiatric disorder (0% of comorbidity). Four of these subjects (22.2%) presented fewer psychiatric diagnoses than at baseline. One subject (5.5%) met the criteria for a different psychiatric diagnosis than at baseline. Finally, one subject (5.5%) who did not meet the criteria for any psychiatric disorder at baseline did so during the follow-up, meeting the criteria for GAD. Thus, 7 subjects met the criteria for psychiatric diagnosis at this time-point. One subject had taken ayahuasca once more since the first assessment.
At 6-months follow-up, 15 subjects (60% women) continued their participation in the study. Five subjects took ayahuasca again since the 1-month follow-up. Only 8 subjects from the initial 18 who met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder were interviewed. Among those 18 subjects, only 2 still met the criteria for psychiatric diagnosis. According to the available information, the subjects who met diagnostic criteria at baseline but did not at the 1-month follow-up continued to not present diagnostic criteria for any psychiatric disorder. The participant who did not meet the diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder at baseline but met the criteria for GAD at 1-month follow-up still met the diagnostic criteria for GAD at 6-months follow-up. No other subjects met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder, as only 3 subjects met the criteria at the 6-months follow-up.
Regarding the data from the administered questionnaires, at one-month follow-up, lower scores were found for two scales of the Symptom Check-List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R): anxiety (d = 0.54), and hostility (d = 0.62). At 6-months follow-up, lower scores were obtained for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) (d = 0.72) and in the role-emotional scale (d = 0.74) from the SF-36 questionnaire.
Table 2 Means and confidence intervals obtained in sub-study 1.
Regarding the subgroup analysis of data from the sample that met criteria for diagnosing psychiatric disorders, all of the CIs overlapped between assessments. However, a tendency was observed in scores obtained by most of the questionnaires, as they decreased significantly (data not shown).
Regarding the analysis of potential differences between subjects who dropped out of the study and those who remained, there were no significant differences in any variables, neither at one-month nor at the 6-months follow-up. However, some tendencies with notable effect sizes were registered. At one-month follow-up, subjects who dropped out of the study tended to obtain lower scores in CAPE-depression symptoms frequency [t(35.2) = 2.6, p = 0.01; d = 0.75] and the depression dimension of SCL-90-R [t(37.3) = 2.3, p = 0.02; d = 0.69].
Sub-study 2 was conducted in order to determine if any differences in assessed variables were due to ayahuasca use or previous conditions. In this sub-study, the baseline data of the sample for sub-study 1 were compared with long-term ayahuasca users’ results for the same variables. We recruited 10 women (43%) and 13 men aged between 32 and 64 years (X¯¯¯¯X¯ = 45). The majority (78.3%) of the subjects were from Spain. Regarding education, the majority (32%) of the sample graduated from university. In terms of religious beliefs, most participants were atheists (34.8%). The mean number of ayahuasca ceremonies that participants attended was 70 (ranging from 50 to 100 ceremonies). Only two participants (9%) met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. One subject met the criteria for suicide risk (for attempted suicide), GAD, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); the other subject met the criteria for suicide risk (for past attempted suicide) and antisocial personality disorder. See Table 1.
Analyzing data collected through the questionnaires, we found statistically significant differences between long-term and ayahuasca naïve users in the HAM-D score [t(53.5) = 2.1, p = 0.03; d = 0.49], the self-transcendence scale from the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R-67) [t(61) = 4.6, p < 0.001; d = 0.51], and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref) score [t(61) = 4.3, p < 0.001; d = 0.51].
Table 3 Means and standard deviations from the sub-study 2.
Regarding the subgroup analysis involving only the sub-study 1 participants who met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder, more differences were found between those participants and the sample of long-term ayahuasca users. Differences were found in HAM-D score [t(39) = 2.6, p = 0.03; d = 0.77], CAPE-total distress score [t(39) = 2.2, p = 0.03; d = 0.68], CAPE-depression symptoms frequency [t(39) = 2.8, p = 0.007; d = 0.87], CAPE-depression symptoms distress [t(39) = 2.9, p = 0.006; d = 0.89], CAPE-negative symptoms distress [t(39) = 2.4, p = 0.01; d = 0.74], Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) score [t(39) = 2.3, p = 0.02; d = 0.70], ST scale from TCI-R-67 [t(39) = −3.5, p = 0.001; d = 1.10], RE scale from SF-36 [t(39) = −2.5, p = 0.01; d = 0.79], and WHOQOL-Bref score [t(39) = −3.6, p = 0.001; d = 1.10].
Discussion
Since ayahuasca use is expanding both internationally and locally in the Spanish context, the aim of this study was to observe the effects of ayahuasca on psychological and health variables in naïve ayahuasca users. This will help medical practitioners to understand possible adverse effects as well as potential therapeutic uses.
We performed two sub-studies. Regarding sub-study 1, 40 ayahuasca-naïve subjects were assessed before using ayahuasca for the first time, and they were followed up with at 1 and 6 months after. Following the usual pattern of participants in complementary and alternative medicines, the majority of the sample consisted of women with higher education.
The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) interview showed that 45% of the sample met the diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder. This finding is in line with the main reasons reported by participants for attending ayahuasca ceremonies, which include the treatment of mental health problems and to achieve psychological well-being. Remarkably, at the 1-month follow-up, 61% of participants who initially met the diagnostic criteria no longer met the criteria for any psychiatric disorder. Additionally, 22.2% of participants showed a decrease in the number of psychiatric disorders for which they met the diagnostic criteria, reducing the high prevalence of comorbidity at baseline (50%) to 0% at the 1-month follow-up. Overall, 83.2% of participants reported a clinical improvement. This improvement lasted until the 6-months follow-up. This finding is surprising, considering that this clinical improvement reported in the psychiatric interviews was not fully identified by the questionnaires used. A reduction in psychiatric diagnoses based on clinical interviews after the initiation of ayahuasca use is consistent across studies. These results are also consistent with a recent study published by our group where it was found that half of a large sample (n = 380) of long-term ayahuasca users reduced or eliminated their prescription drugs after they began to regularly use ayahuasca.
Only one subject met some criteria for a new psychiatric diagnostic, specifically for GAD, after using ayahuasca for the first time. That subject met the criteria for this disorder at 6-months follow-up. There are several reports regarding adverse effects of ayahuasca, leading some of them to psychiatric diagnoses. In order to obtain more information, the questionnaire scores for this case were checked, and it was noted that the scores on every psychopathology scale from the SCL-90-R decreased notably at 1-month follow-up. At 6-months follow-up, half of the scales of the SCL-90-R increased again, following the general trend of the whole sample. In the clinical interview conducted using the MINI, this subject mentioned that the ayahuasca experience went well, and the traumatic termination of a partnership that they were experiencing was a more probable cause of the anxious state.
Regarding changes in psychological and psychopathological variables, there were improvements in the HAM-D at the 6-months assessment, in anxiety and hostility from the SCL-90-R at the 1-month assessment, and in the role-emotional scale from the SF-36. The only variable that showed consistent change in the 6-month study period was depression as measured by HAM-D, which improved at every assessment. Although differences between baseline and the 1-month follow-up did not reach statistical significance, the scores decreased by half. This improvement was more evident at the 6-months follow-up, where differences between measures reached statistical significance. This finding is in line with previous research in which ayahuasca showed antidepressant effects at 7 and 21 days after its controlled administration in a clinical setting. Our sample was not clinical, but 45% of subjects met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. The same pattern of improvement was observed in the role-emotional scale from the SF-36. A similar study with a sample similar to ours also found long-term improvements in the role-emotional and social function scales from the SF-36 questionnaire.
Confidence Intervals showing significant differences through different assessments in sub-study 1. HAM-D = Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; SCL-90-R = Symptom Check-List-90-Revised; SF-36 = The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form.
Psychopathology scales of anxiety and hostility from the SCL-90-R only improved at 1-month, but not at the 6-months assessment. This tendency was observed for many scales, despite not being statistically significant. A general trend of improvement at 1-month follow-up was observed, while this improvement progressively decreased up until the 6-months follow-up. This can be clearly seen in Table. This pattern suggests that the potential therapeutic benefits of ayahuasca are temporary and do not persist in time, except for the case of depression. Several studies comparing ritual long-term ayahuasca users with non-users or with normative data have found better SCL-90-R scores and better scores for other psychopathological and psychological measures in users This may suggest that the long-term benefits of ayahuasca use depend on maintaining regular use.
The size of the sample decreased at both follow-ups. Therefore, we wanted to understand any potential limitations in that regard, so we conducted comparisons between drop-out subjects and those who remained in the study. Despite not obtaining significant results, subjects who scored lower on depression symptoms frequency (CAPE), and depression and hostility (SCL-90-R) at baseline tended to remain as study participants at least until the first follow-up. There were no significant differences nor notable tendencies between subjects who quit and those who remained until the last follow-up regarding any variable. This finding suggests that people with a high degree of distress may feel better after ayahuasca use and, subsequently, be more motivated to collaborate with researchers.
When only participants who met diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder were analyzed, all the confidence intervals (CI) of variables overlapped between assessments. However, they indicated remarkable decrease over time in HAM-D scores, in the psychopathology scores measured by SCL-90-R at the 1-month follow-up, decrease in AAQ-II scores at each assessment, and increase of the WHOQOL-Bref score in the same manner. This also suggests an improvement in psychopathological status as it was also found using the MINI, but the sample may have been too small to observe significant differences using CIs. Despite reporting a clear tendency on the questionnaires used, this was not enough so that the CIs did not overlap.
In order to better understand if the eventual differences found between assessments in sub-study 1 were attributable to the use of ayahuasca or to extrapharmacological variables, including the passing of time, or if there are any pre-conditions that may lead a person to get involved in ayahuasca use, we performed sub-study 2. Only the measure of depression, assessed with the HAM-D, showed significant differences between non-users and long-term users, where the latter scored better than the former, a finding consistent with the long-term antidepressant effects of ayahuasca14,15,16. In previous studies, the acute administration of ayahuasca reduced the functional connectivity (FC) of the default mode network (DMN)21, which could be related to the improvements made on a depressed condition. Moreover, it has been observed that the acute administration of the psychedelic tryptamine psilocybin also reduced the FC in the DMN in patients with MDD and resulted in a decrease in depression scores that lasted for at least 6 months. Therefore, both the lower scores found at months 1 and 6 in naïve users and the lower scores for depression found in our long-term users, as compared with the baseline scores of subjects from sub-study 1, may reflect an actual mid-term antidepressant effect of ayahuasca. Due to the complex effects of ayahuasca, both pharmacological and psychological, employing an integrated approach involving different disciplines would be necessary to explain its efficacy. It has been observed, for example, that ayahuasca acutely enhances mindfulness-related capacities, such as decentering or acceptance, and psychological process variables such as personal values could also be involved in therapeutic outcomes. These capacities seem to be maintained during the after-glow period and also have persistent effects over the long-term. Long-term effects may also be associated with the integration of the experience into normal life (e.g. by reconciling unexpressed/unresolved emotional energy), and thus with improvements in psychotherapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, some authors suggest that the psychedelic experience or the mystical-type experiences that psychedelic drugs induce can also explain their therapeutic effects. Finally, as ayahuasca is generally taken in ceremonies for which small or large groups of people gather, its communal use can also be viewed as exerting potential benefits, since feeling part of a community can have an important therapeutic impact.
The other measure where experienced users scored higher than naïve users was self-transcendence (ST). There are multiple studies that have shown that psychedelics can induce long-term personality changes. In sub-study 1, subjects did not change their scores in ST between assessments, but in sub-study 2 long-term users scored significantly higher than non-users in ST, a result that has been consistently found in previous studies as well. It has been suggested that ayahuasca users’ higher ST scores could be partially explained by their participation in religious practices such as Santo Daime. However, in the study by Bouso et al. the samples (ayahuasca users and non-users) were matched for religion, age, and gender, so the difference in that study could be attributed to the ritualistic use of ayahuasca. In the present study, the number of atheists was lower in the group of long-term ayahuasca users, but only 13% of participants were Santo Daime members. Taking all these data into account, it is reasonable to think that higher scores in ST may be a direct consequence of ayahuasca use. A previous study found differences in cortical thickness in several brain areas to exist between long-term users and non-users of ayahuasca, suggesting a physical brain modification after regular ayahuasca exposure without any apparent neuropsychiatric consequences (there were no differences between groups in their performance on psychiatric and neuropsychological tasks). In that study, researchers found a correlation between ST and cortical thickness in the posterior cingulate cortex1 Psychedelic drugs may therefore offer an interesting tool for investigating the stability of personality traits and their brain correlates.
Regarding the differences between naïve ayahuasca users’ and experienced users’ baseline scores for quality of life as assessed by the WHOQOL-Bref, they are also consistent between sub-studies. Although in sub-study 1 there were no significant differences between assessments, there was an actual clinical improvement between them . This is consistent with previous research where regular ayahuasca use was associated with a better mental health status or with improvement on psychopathology scales, as was also observed in sub-study 1.
When comparing long-term ayahuasca users with the sub-study 1 subsample of psychiatric diagnosis (n = 18), the number of variables in which significant differences are found increases. This is reasonable in light of the much smaller number of long-term ayahuasca users who met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder (9%). Ayahuasca-naïve users who met the criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis scored poorly for depression (HAM-D), positive symptoms frequency (CAPE), depression symptoms distress (CAPE), negative symptoms distress, in AAQ-II questionnaire, self-transcendence scale (TCI-R-67), role-emotional (SF-36), and WHOQOL-Bref. Despite not finding statistically significant differences between assessments among the subgroup of naïve users with psychiatric disorders, remarkable improvements were observed for several scales measuring psychopathology and quality of life. This lends support to previous research that found that ayahuasca users gained therapeutic benefits or experienced an enhanced ability to solve personal problems.
The main limitation of this study is that there was no control group with which to make comparisons to determine the impact of the intervention. In order to minimize that limitation, we designed sub-study 2. Coherent results were found both between sub-studies and with previously published research. However, further studies using larger samples should consider potential differences between the type and setting of the ceremony.
This study assessed naïve users of ayahuasca in order to collect data regarding its overall effects on psychiatric condition and psychological status. Since ayahuasca use has become globally popular as a self-help practice, it is important to better understand its potential risks and benefits. General mid-term adverse effects were not observed in this study, although some secondary acute reactions were observed in some individual cases (e.g. anxiety) and will be reported in a separate paper. Additionally, from a clinical point of view, there was a substantial decrease in psychiatric symptomatology after the first use of ayahuasca, which persisted until the 6-months follow-up. The most evident improvements were found with regards to depression. These improvements in depression found after performing clinical interviews were also demonstrated by the psychiatric rating scales. Better scores for depression were also observed among long-term users when compared with ayahuasca-naïve users at baseline. The results obtained in this study help to inform us about the effects of the ritualistic use of ayahuasca on mental health. These results suggest that the use of ayahuasca in controlled settings may offer therapeutic benefits. Future studies with larger samples are warranted in order to better understand 1) the more specific effects of ayahuasca use on public health and 2) the reasons why those initiated in ayahuasca use continue to use it or not.
Methods
Sub-study 1
Sample
Several ayahuasca ceremony leaders from different parts of Spain were contacted and asked to inform us when ayahuasca-naïve subjects called them to participate in their ayahuasca ceremonies. Subjects willing to participate contacted the authors. In this way we recruited 40 ayahuasca-naïve subjects (28 women) for sub-study 1.
Measures
Sociodemographic information. Age (years), gender (male/female), nationality, maximum educational level, religion, and motivation for participating in ayahuasca ceremonies were collected from participants.
Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; Sheehanet al.; Spanish version: Ferrandoet al.). MINI is a short structured diagnostic interview that includes DSM-IV and ICD-10 psychiatric disorders. It is a short but accurate tool for use in both clinical trials and epidemiological studies.
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D; Hamilton; Spanish version: Ramos-Brieva). HAM-D is a questionnaire used to rate the severity of depression through the assessment of various aspects, such as mood, suicide ideation, insomnia, anxiety, or somatic symptoms. A score of 0 to 7 is considered to be normal, while a score of >7 is indicative of depression.
Community Assessment of Psychic Experience (CAPE; Stefaniset al.; Spanish version: Fonseca-Pedreroet al.). CAPE was designed specifically to evaluate psychotic-like experiences in epidemiological studies in the general population. It contains 42 items and measures psychotic-like experiences using eight sub-scales (Total Frequency score; Total Distress score; Positive Symptoms Frequency; Positive Symptoms Distress; Depression Symptoms Frequency; Depression Symptoms Distress; Negative Symptoms Frequency; Negative Symptoms Distress) based on a dimensional approach.
The Symptom Check-List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis; Spanish version: González de Riveraet al.). The SCL-90-R is a self-report questionnaire that assesses 9 psychopathological symptomatic dimensions. It includes 90 Likert-type items that are scored from 0 to 4: Somatization (SOM), Obsessive-Compulsive (O–C), Interpersonal Sensitivity (I–S), Depression (DEP), Anxiety (ANX), Hostility (HOS), Phobic Anxiety (PHOB), Paranoid Ideation (PAR), and Psychoticism (PSY). The scale also provides 3 additional psychopathological indices: General Severity Index (GSI), Positive Symptoms Distress Index (PSDI), and Positive Symptoms Total (PST). For all of these scales, higher scores imply worse symptomatology.
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II; Bondet al.; Spanish version: Ruizet al.). AAQ-II is a measure of psychological flexibility that shows good test–retest reliabilities. High scores imply worse psychological flexibility.
Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R-67; Cloninger; Spanish version: Pedrero-Pérezet al). TCI-R-67 is a 67-item self-report questionnaire, in which items are rated between 1 (completely disagree) and 5 (completely agree), that measures seven domains of personality: Novelty Seeking (NS), Harm Avoidance (HA), Reward Dependence (RD), Persistence (PER), Self-directedness (SELFD), Cooperativeness (COOP), and Self-transcendence (ST).
The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form (SF-36; Ware & Sharebourne; Spanish version: Alonsoet al.). SF-36 has been used in many healthcare settings. It has 8 individual subscales divided across physical and psychological domains: Physical Function (PF), Role Physical (RP), Bodily Pain (BP), Global Health (GH), Vitality (VIT), Social Function (SF), Role Emotional (RE), and Mental Health (MH).
World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref; WHO; Spanish version: Lucas-Carrasco). WHOQOL-Bref is an abbreviated 26-item version of the WHOQOL-100. It is an assessment tool with cross-cultural validity that is used to assess the quality of life.
Procedure
The interview and questionnaires were administered before ayahuasca-naïve subjects attended their first ayahuasca ceremony. One-month and 6-months follow-up were conducted in order to observe potential changes in variables assessed.
Statistical analysis
An analysis based on confidence intervals (CI; 95%) was used. CIs were calculated for each of the variables and assessments. When two CIs of the same variable did not overlap between different assessments, we calculated and reported the effect size (Cohen’sd). A subgroup analysis involving only those subjects who met psychiatric diagnostic criteria was conducted.Two Student’sttests were used to analyze potential differences between those subjects who quit the study at both follow-ups and those who did not. Effect size (Cohen’sd) was calculated and reported. Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons.Pvalues under 0.001 were considered statistically significant.
IBM SPSS Statistics v.20 was used to analyze the data. An on-line calculator of effect size was used
Sub-study 2
Sample
The same ayahuasca ceremony facilitators were asked to inform us when ayahuasca-experienced subjects (inclusion criterion was established as the participant having taken ayahuasca more than 30 times in their lifetime) called them to participate in their ayahuasca ceremonies. Subjects willing to participate contacted the authors. A total of 23 ayahuasca-experienced subjects (10 women) were recruited.
Measures
The same measures were used as in sub-study 1.
Procedure
The interview and questionnaires were administered in one single assessment.
Statistical analysis
Student’sttest was used to compare the means obtained for both samples of sub-study 2. A subgroup analysis was conducted involving only the sub-study 1 subjects who met psychiatric diagnostic criteria and comparing them with the sub-study 2 sample.
IBM SPSS Statistics v.20 was used to analyze the data. An on-line calculator of effect size was used
Ethics
This study (inclusive of sub-studies 1 and 2) was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Autonomous University of Madrid), Spain. Written informed consent was obtained from all volunteers. All experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations.
Credit:
Post- Daniel F. Jiménez-Garrido
Website: https://go.nature.com/3FdKsks
You set aside the first hour of your day to work on a strategy document that you’ve been putting off for a week. You haven’t been disciplined about getting to it, but you’ve had one crisis after another to deal with in the past week. Now, finally, you’ve carved out 90 early morning minutes to work on it.
First, however, you take a quick peek at the email that has piled up in your inbox overnight. Before you know it, you’ve used up the whole 90 minutes responding to emails, even though none of them was truly urgent.
By the time you walk into your next meeting, you’re feeling frustrated that you failed to stick by your plan. This meeting is a discussion with a direct report about the approach he’ll be taking in a negotiation with an important client. You have strong views about how best to deal with the situation, but you’ve promised yourself that you will be open and curious rather than directive and judgmental. You’re committed, after all, to becoming a more empowering manager.
Instead, you find yourself growing even more irritable as he describes an approach that doesn’t feel right to you. Impulsively, you jump in with a sharp comment. He reacts defensively. You worry for a moment — and rightly so — that you cut him off too quickly, but you tell yourself that you’ve worked with this client for years, the outcome is critical, and you don’t have time to hear your direct report’s whole explanation. He leaves your office looking hurt and defeated.
Welcome to the invisible drama that operates inside us all day long at work, mostly outside our consciousness. Most of us believe we have ourselves. In reality, we have two different selves, run by two separate operating systems, in different parts of our brain.
The self that we’re most aware of — the one that planned to work diligently on the strategy document and listen patiently to your direct report — is run by our pre-frontal cortex and mediated through our parasympathetic nervous system. This is the self we prefer to present to the world. It’s calm, measured, rational, and capable of making deliberate choices.
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The second self is run by our amygdala, a small almond-shaped cluster of nuclei in our mid-brain and it is mediated by our sympathetic nervous system. Our second self seizes control any time we begin to perceive threat or danger. It’s reactive, impulsive, and operates largely outside our conscious control.
This second self serves us well if a lion is coming at us, but the threats we experience today are mostly to our sense of worth and value. They can feel nearly as terrifying as those to our survival, but the danger we experience isn’t truly life-threatening. Responding to them as if they are only making things worse.
It’s in these moments that we often use our highest cognitive capacities to justify our worst behaviours. When we feel we’ve fallen short, we instinctively summon up our “inner lawyer” — a term coined by author Jonathan Haidt — to defend us.
Our inner lawyer is an expert at rationalizing, avoiding, deflecting, dissembling, denying, disparaging, attacking, and blaming others for our missteps and shortcomings. The inner lawyer works overtime to silence our own inner critic, and to counter criticism from others. All this inner turmoil narrows and consumes our attention and drains our energy.
The problem is that most organizations spend far more time focused on generating external value than they do attending to people’s internal sense of value. Doing so requires navigational skills that most leaders have never been taught, much less mastered. The irony is that ignoring people’s internal experience leads them to spend more energy defending their value, leaving them less energy to create value.
In our work with leaders, we’ve discovered that the antidote to reacting from the second self is to develop the capacity to observe our two selves in real-time. You can’t change what you don’t notice, but notice can be a powerful tool for shifting from defending our value to creating value.
A well-cultivated self-observer allows us to watch our duelling selves without reacting impulsively. It also makes it possible to ask our inner lawyer to stand down whenever it rises up to argue our case to our inner and outer critics. Finally, the self-observer can acknowledge, without judgment, that we are both our best and our worst selves, and then make deliberate rather than reactive choices about how to respond in challenging situations.
To improve your capacity to self-observe, begin with negative emotions such as impatience, frustration, and anger. When you feel them rising, it’s a strong signal that you’re sliding into the second self. Simply naming these emotions as they arise is a way to gain some distance from them.
Also, watch out for times when you feel you’re digging in your heels. The absolute conviction that you’re right and the compulsion to take action are both strong indicators that you‘re feeling a sense of threat and danger.
In our work, we provide leaders with small daily doses of support — reminders to pay attention to what they’re feeling and thinking. We’ve also found it helpful to build small groups that meet at regular intervals so leaders can share their experiences. A blend of support, community, connection and accountability helps offset our shared impulse to stop noticing, push away discomfort, and revert to survival behaviours in the face of perceived threats to our value. A good starting place is to find a colleague you trust to be your accountability partner and to seek regular feedback from one another.
Finally, it’s important to ask yourself two key questions in challenging moments: “What else could be true here?” and “What is my responsibility in this?” By regularly questioning your conclusions, you’re offsetting your confirmation bias — the instinct to look for evidence that supports what you already believe. By always looking for your own responsibility, you’re resisting the instinct to blame others and play the victim and focusing instead on what you have the greatest ability to influence — your own behaviour.
A deceptively simple premise lies at the heart of this deliberate set of practices: see more to be more. Rather than simply getting better at what they already do, transformational leaders balance courage and humility in order to grow and develop every day.
Credit:
Post- Tony Schwartz
Website: https://bit.ly/3kXJ2mf
Considering your return-to-the-workplace strategy? Avoid these common misconceptions to foster a healthier, happier, more productive environment
When COVID forced the world to quickly adapt to a remote work environment, many of us thought that we were facing our biggest workforce challenge. But as leaders and employees grapple with how to move forward post-pandemic, we’re quickly realizing that our greatest obstacle may well be re-entry into the workplace.
From the very beginning of the pandemic, we knew work would never look the same, and discussions surrounding “back to normal” quickly changed to “the new normal.” But as much as we’ve hyped this concept, no one has been able to define it: Employers are struggling to outline what expectations they should have for employees, who in turn are wondering how they will adjust, again, and rework their schedules to accommodate their employer’s expectations.
On top of all this, many people are reexamining what a successful career looks like and are trading cutthroat, always-on jobs for roles that allow for more flexibility and meaning – a trend that’s becoming known as the “Great Resignation.”
When we started writing our book, Work Better Together: How to Cultivate Strong Relationships to Maximize Well-Being and Boost Bottom Lines pre-pandemic, we had no idea just how timely it would be – because if there is one thing that the pandemic taught us, it’s that social connection is vital to every part of our lives, including work. Now the big question is: Do we all need to be in the office to cultivate and nurture those connections?
In some ways, organization leaders are stuck between a rock and a hard place: If they let employees continue to work from home, social connections will suffer. But if they force employees back to the office, many will leave for more flexible opportunities. Thinking in terms of either/or will only make re-entry more difficult.
Here are four fallacies to keep in mind when it comes to workplace re-entry:
1. False: Everyone needs to work the same way
Let’s face it: Little has changed when it comes to the workweek and workday. It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of workplace flexibility came on the scene. More progressive companies that provided flexible policies (and the culture to support it) were relatively rare.
Now that we’ve all experienced workplace flexibility, there’s no going back. What people value in their careers has changed. Where, when, and how people work probably doesn’t need to be determined by leadership – instead, organizations should empower their teams to create ways of working that are best suited to the preferences and needs of their people. And because every person and every team is different, you will likely see a lot of different approaches across the organization.
2. False: You must be in-person to innovate
Many employers that insist on everyone coming back to the office are stuck on the idea that innovation can happen only when people are all physically together. And there will certainly always be a place for in-person connection – it plays a vital role in building connections and supporting collaboration when done with intention. But physical togetherness is not a panacea for innovation.
If your teams aren’t innovating like they should be, the problem is probably not location. Instead, look at the culture. Every company and team may look different, but all workplace cultures require four things to thrive: trust, empathy, well-being, and psychological safety. Organization and team leaders who prioritize these things will be better positioned to retain talent by fostering a workplace in which people can bring their best selves to work every day. This in turn leads to more innovation.
3. False: Everyone is tired of technology
We know that Zoom fatigue is real because we’ve experienced it. But technology shouldn’t be the reason to bring everyone back to the office – after all, everyone will continue to use it whether they’re in the office or working from home.
Instead, strive to be more intentional and thoughtful about how you use tech on the organizational, team, and individual levels. Leaders should ensure that effective collaboration platforms are in place so employees don’t need to rely on conference calls to get work done remotely. Teams can agree on boundaries that define when and how colleagues communicate. And on the individual level, everyone should take responsibility for creating space in their day for technology-free time.
4. False: Employees will leave, and you can’t do anything about it
Some of your team members probably started planning their exit as soon as they read the first “return to work” email. You know it’s happening, but what can you do about it?
Better understanding the needs of your team members can help you come up with solutions that work for both your employees and the business. Building open lines of communication and encouraging honest discussions will build trust, strengthen relationships, and may help you retain more people.
While re-entry has caused anxiety, it has also presented an opportunity for organization leaders, teams, and employees to apply the lessons of the pandemic and create a healthier, happier workplace culture.
Credit:
Post- Jen Fisher, Anh Phillips
Website: https://red.ht/3j2vIww
At Virgin, we believe that all businesses – regardless of size or sector – should be led by purpose. This is why I’m so proud to see how Virgin Media is living up to its purpose of ‘building connections that really matter’. I spoke to Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Office of Virgin Media, as part of my Purposeful Leadership interview series and I was really inspired by what he had to say.
We talked about everything from accountability and authenticity; to making your purpose practical and evolutionary; building a culture of belonging; balancing your personal purpose with a business purpose; involving your people; having brave conversations to create positive change; and so much more.
Jeff brought so much energy to the discussion. Every time I speak to leaders who are genuinely driven by purpose, I am always blown away by their passion and commitment to making every business decision through a purpose lens. It's this drive and focus that helps businesses reach such ambitious purpose and sustainability targets, and turn talk into action. As Jeff put it:
“When you start talking about being purposeful, people assume it’s at the expense of being performance-driven. This, for me, is an ‘and’ not an ‘or’.”
When you look at the impact the company has made over the last five years, and it's current Meaningful Connections Plan, the proof is in the pudding.
This solutions-focused, action-driven approach to business is ingrained in Jeff’s character and is a wonderful trait in a leader. In his own words:
“My dad used to say to me: ‘I can’t hear what you’re saying, because your actions are deafening me,’ and I really believe that.”
I just loved this... well said Jeff’s Dad! Speaking of character traits, Jeff also listed these six qualities as being particularly important in becoming a purpose-driven leader:
- being driven
- keeping a focus on performance
- being empathetic
- being inclusive
- making sure you listen
- trusting others
I was also particularly interested in Jeff's ‘cultural triangle’ theory. As he stated: “Leaders make choices, and choices determine culture.” It’s this understanding that your purpose and your values need to be embedded from the very top, that makes the Virgin Media O2 leadership team so effective. At Virgin, we often take a different approach to the traditional business norms, and, as Jeff and I discussed, the triangle is often inverted to make sure culture is co-created by the people. This ensures that everyone has a say in driving change and in making business decisions.
Jeff understands purposeful leadership better than almost anyone I’ve met, so I hope you find our discussion insightful. To close, I’d like to share Jeff’s personal purpose statement, which really says it all:
“My purpose is to realise my own potential, by helping others to realise theirs.”
Credit:
Post-Holly Branson
Website: www.virgin.com
Tips to Loose 20 Pounds Rapidly
Losing weight can be incredibly challenging regardless of whether you’re looking to lose five pounds or 20.
Not only does it require diet and lifestyle changes, it also takes quite a bit of patience.
Fortunately, using a mix of proven strategies can simplify and expedite weight loss.
Here are 10 of the best ways to quickly and safely drop 20 pounds.
1. Count Calories
It may sound like a no-brainer, but counting calories is one of the easiest and most effective ways to start losing weight fast.
Weight loss occurs when you use more calories than you take in, either by reducing your intake or increasing your physical activity.
While cutting calories alone is generally not considered a sustainable way to lose weight, counting calories can be an effective weight loss tool when paired with other diet and lifestyle modifications.
Keeping track of your calorie intake can increase your awareness of what you’re putting on your plate, giving you the knowledge you need to make healthier choices.
Interestingly, one review of 37 studies found that weight loss programs that incorporated calorie counting led to 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg) more weight loss than those that didn’t.
Try tracking your calorie intake by using an app or a food journal.
Summary - When paired with other diet and lifestyle changes, counting calories can help you make healthier choices to increase weight loss.
2. Drink More Water
Upping your water intake is a simple way to boost weight loss with minimal effort.
In fact, one study found that pairing a low-calorie diet with increased water intake before meals resulted in 44% more weight loss over a 12-week period.
Research shows that water may enhance weight loss by bumping up metabolism, temporarily increasing the calories your body burns after eating.
According to one study in 14 adults, drinking 16.9 fluid ounces (500 ml) of water boosted metabolism by 30% after 30–40 minutes.
Drinking water with meals can also keep you feeling full, reducing your appetite and intake.
For example, one small study showed that drinking 16.9 fluid ounces (500 ml) of water before a meal reduced subsequent calories consumed by 13%.
For best results, drink at least 34–68 fluid ounces (1–2 liters) of water per day to maximize weight loss.
Summary- Drinking water can temporarily increase
metabolism and reduce appetite to enhance weight loss. For best results, drink
at least 34–68 fluid ounces (1–2 liters) of water per day.
3. Increase Your Protein Intake
To lose 20 pounds fast, including more protein-rich foods in your diet is absolutely essential.
A high-protein diet has been associated with decreased belly fat, as well as preserved muscle mass and metabolism during weight loss.
Protein can also help reduce appetite and decrease calorie intake.
One study in 19 adults found that increasing protein intake by just 15% increased feelings of fullness and significantly reduced calorie intake, belly fat and body weight.
Another study showed that consuming a high-protein breakfast decreased levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, by a much greater degree than a high-carb breakfast.
Meat, seafood, poultry, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds are a few healthy sources of protein that you can easily add to your diet.
Summary – Protein has been shown to decrease belly fat
and body weight. It may also promote feelings of fullness to reduce calorie
intake.
4. Cut Your Carb Consumption
Decreasing your intake of refined carbs is another useful strategy to accelerate weight loss.
Refined carbs have been stripped of their nutrient and fiber content during processing, resulting in a final product that is nutrient-poor.
What’s more, they typically have a high glycemic index, which means that they are digested and absorbed quickly. Rapid digestion leads to spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, followed by increased hunger.
Consuming high numbers of refined carbs has also been linked to increased body fat and weight gain.
For instance, one study in 2,834 people found that a higher intake of refined carbohydrates was associated with increased belly fat while a greater intake of whole grains was associated with less belly fat.
Another small study had similar findings, reporting that a diet rich in whole grains decreased both body weight and calorie intake compared to a diet focused on refined grains.
To get started, simply swap out refined grains in pastas, white breads, cereals and pre-packaged products for healthy, whole-grain alternatives such as couscous, quinoa, brown rice or barley.
Summary -Refined carbs can increase hunger levels and
may be associated with increased belly fat and weight gain compared to whole
grains.
5. Start Lifting Weights
Resistance training is a type of exercise that involves working against a force to increase muscle strength and endurance.
Adding resistance training to your routine can bump up fat burning and metabolism to help you burn more calories, even while at rest.
One review showed that 10 weeks of resistance training may increase metabolism by 7%, stabilize blood sugar in those with diabetes and lead to 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of fat loss in adults.
Meanwhile, another study in 94 women suggested that resistance training preserved fat-free mass and metabolism after weight loss, allowing the body to burn more calories throughout the day.
Get started by hitting the gym or doing body weight exercises at home, such as squats, planks and lunges.
Summary – Resistance training can help increase
metabolism and preserve fat-free mass, helping you burn more calories
throughout the day.
6. Eat More Fiber
Fiber moves slowly and undigested through your gastrointestinal tract, slowing the emptying of your stomach to keep you feeling full longer.
One study in healthy men found that consuming 33 grams of insoluble fiber, which is commonly found in wheat and vegetables, was effective in decreasing both appetite and food intake.
The satiety-boosting effects of fiber could produce big benefits in terms of weight control.
One review reported that increasing fiber intake by 14 grams per day was linked to a 10% reduction in calorie intake and 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) of weight loss over a four-month period, even without making any other diet or lifestyle changes.
In addition, a 20-month study in 252 women found that each gram of dietary fiber consumed was associated with 0.5 pounds (0.25 kg) less body weight and 0.25% less body fat.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds are all excellent sources of fiber that are integral to a healthy weight loss diet.
Summary – Fiber keeps you feeling full to reduce
appetite and intake, which may boost weight loss.
7. Set a Sleep Schedule
While there’s no doubt that switching up your diet and exercise routine are the two most important routes to losing 20 pounds, the amount you sleep could also play a role.
In fact, one study in 245 women showed that both sleeping at least seven hours per night and getting better sleep quality increased the likelihood of weight loss success by 33% .
And just as getting enough sleep can set you up for success, sleep deprivation can cause the pounds to slowly pack on over time.
One study following 68,183 women over 16 years found that those sleeping five hours or less gained an average 2.5 pounds (1.14 kg) more than women who slept at least seven hours per night.
Another study showed that even a single night of sleep deprivation can increase levels of hunger hormones, which could lead to increased appetite and weight gain.
Try practicing a bedtime ritual each night, sticking to a routine and minimizing your intake of caffeine before bed to establish a healthy sleep cycle and enhance weight loss.
Summary – Getting enough sleep and improving sleep
quality could benefit weight loss. Conversely, sleep deprivation can lead to
increased hunger and weight gain.
8. Stay Accountable
Staying accountable to your weight loss goals is key to long-term success. There are many different ways to do so.
For example, weighing yourself daily has been associated with increased weight loss and a reduced risk of weight regain compared to weighing yourself less frequently.
Research also suggests that keeping a food journal to self-monitor your intake and progress can help you lose more weight and keep it off longer.
You can also try partnering with a friend or joining an online weight loss community to increase your motivation and stay on track towards your goals.
Summary – Staying accountable can help increase weight
loss. Weighing yourself daily, keeping a food journal and pairing up with a
friend are all effective strategies to enhance weight loss.
9. Add Cardio to Your Routine
Whether you’re looking to lose one pound or 20, adding cardio to your routine is a must.
Cardio, also known as aerobic exercise, is a form of physical activity that increases your heart rate and helps strengthen your heart and lungs.
What’s more, it increases the calories your body burns to aid fat and weight loss.
One study in 141 overweight and obese participants showed that cardio exercise alone was effective at inducing significant weight loss.
In fact, performing cardio to burn either 400 calories or 600 calories five times per week for 10 months resulted in an average weight loss of 8.6 pounds (3.9 kg) and 11.5 pounds (5.2 kg), respectively .
Another study had similar findings, reporting that six months of cardio exercise alone decreased body weight by 9% in 141 obese older adults.
To maximize weight loss, aim for 150–300 minutes of cardio each week, or about 20–40 minutes every day.
Walking, running, jumping rope, rowing and boxing are some easy and enjoyable cardio workouts that can amp up weight loss.
Summary – Cardio can increase your body’s
calorie-burning quota to boost both weight and fat loss.
10. Eat Slowly and Mindfully
Mindfulness is a practice that involves becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings while also shifting your focus to the present moment.
Eating slowly and practicing mindfulness can help increase weight loss and decrease intake while also allowing you to enjoy your food.
For example, one small study demonstrated that eating slowly led to greater increases in satiety hormones and feelings of fullness than eating at a faster pace.
Similarly, a study in 30 healthy women showed that eating slowly resulted in decreased calorie intake and greater feelings of fullness compared to eating more quickly.
Another review of 19 studies found that mindfulness interventions were able to significantly increase weight loss in 68% of studies.
Try minimizing distractions while eating, chewing your food more thoroughly and drinking water with your meal to help yourself slow down and enjoy.
Summary- Eating slowly and practicing mindfulness can
increase feelings of fullness, decrease calorie intake and enhance weight loss.
The Bottom Line
Though losing 20 pounds can seem like a major challenge, it can be done quickly and safely by making a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle.
For best results, mix and match these tips to enhance both weight loss and overall health.
Credit:
Post-Author: Rachael Link, MS, RD
Website: https://bit.ly/35tfftp
A few weeks back, I was delivering a presentation on the future of remote work to a group of private equity leaders based in New York City. The session was organized by Robert Landis, a founding partner of the Origination team at Riverside Capital, a lower- and middle-market private equity firm with an incredible track record over three decades of investing.
Riverside invests in mostly founder-led businesses, and I recently read about one of their biggest “exits” to date, selling a business for more than 60 times its purchase price.
I joked with Landis about the potential size of the tombstone for that recent deal. A tombstone is a glass or plastic desktop plaque that commemorates a transaction and notes the different parties who were involved. In the investment world, it’s essentially a trophy, and most people in the industry display them proudly—you may have even seen them sitting on a desk in the past.
Landis responded to my joke by revealing that he’s not a big fan of tombstones. He explained that there is little to learn from them, and when they sit on your desk, you can become complacent, overconfident, and overly-focused on past accomplishments.
Landis was much prouder of a practice his firm created that is effectively the opposite of a tombstone: they call it “Lessons from the Loo.”
Plastered in the bathroom of Riverside’s office is a “Lessons from the Loo” poster, which displays details and learnings from the investments Riverside has made that did not have a positive outcome. The lessons include both specific information about each deal, and repeatable patterns that may crop up in future potential investments and, fittingly run the risk of the investment going into the…well, you can probably guess.
Every time employees at Riverside use the bathroom, they are reminded not of their incredible track record, but of where the firm has erred, and what the team can learn from those missteps.
The partners at Riverside have been right far more often than they’ve been wrong. Their choice to display the lessons from their failures so prominently is indicative of a culture that prioritizes learning and being transparent about failure. Great organizations want employees to share failures openly so that mistakes are not repeated. It’s okay to fail, but it’s not okay to keep making the same mistake; the former is often an error of omission, while the latter is an error of commission.
“Lessons from the Loo” is also a not-so-subtle reminder to employees to keep their heads below the clouds.
I asked Landis how many times they’d lost all their money from an investment, a rare occurrence in private equity. He noted that while it had only happened a few times, they were often for the same reason. In most cases, the founder had committed some sort of fraud, whether through a lack of integrity, falsification of financials or omission of key risks during the process of due diligence. Essentially, those deals were doomed before the relationship even began. Cataloging these failures—and recognizing this pattern—has led Riverside to create new processes designed to root out these issues in a prospective deal.
That takeaway reminded me of something I heard years ago, paraphrased from a Warren Buffet quote: “It’s hard to do a bad deal with a good person and a good deal with a bad person.”
While it’s important to celebrate our individual wins, people and organizations who win the most over the long run learn from their mistakes and don’t repeat them. That includes making sure you are careful to do business with the right people in the first place.
Quote of the Week: “One mistake will never kill you. The same mistake over and over again will.” –Harvey Mackay
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Post Author: Robert Glazer
Website: https://bit.ly/3pTa2Vj
Mark Dixon, CEO of IWG, said that WeWork will need a miracle to meet its recovery goals and become profitable.
The statement was made during a conference call this week, where Dixon discussed his own company’s expected dip in profits for this year.
“I mean [WeWork] is talking positive, but the actual numbers all went completely negative,” said Dixon. “If they’re able to achieve it, we, as a company, would be very happy, because it will mean we will achieve it as well.”
Although WeWork has been working to cut its massive cash burn, it still lost $2.06 billion during the first quarter of this year. However, the company is still planning to go public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company.
IWG reported over a $879 million loss during the first quarter of the year, which is a significant dip from the $167 million in profit it had during the same time last year.
The company also told investors that it is anticipating profits for this year to be “well below” 2020 levels due to new strains of Covid-19 and continued lockdowns.
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Post Author: AAYAT ALI
Website: https://www.gensler.com
by Brian Kropp and Joe Coyle
Summary. According to Gartner data, 94% of midsize businesses will have some mix of in-office, remote, and hybrid employees when they reopen their offices. While the desire is to return to “normal” as quickly as possible, the reality is that the workplaces employees…more.
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was rampant speculation that one of the long-term implications would be the end of the office. While the workplace will undoubtedly become a hybrid environment with more employees working remotely at least part of the time, the reality is that companies will still have offices. In fact, according to a poll of more than 200 respondents conducted during a recent Gartner webinar, only 1% of midsize companies are planning on becoming fully remote organizations. On the other end of the spectrum, only 5% of midsize companies are planning on having all employees come back to the physical workplace. The remaining 94% will have some mix of in-office, remote, and hybrid employees.
As more individuals are getting vaccinated, business leaders need to shift their thinking from the abstract question of where employees will work to the reality that there is a specific day on the calendar that some kind of return to the office will actually occur. That day appears to be approaching quickly, as the same Gartner poll found that 69% of midsize companies are planning on reopening their workplaces in the second half of 2021. The question of how to return to the office will be more challenging than the abrupt shift to remote work was in March of 2020, given the variability of rules, regulations, and people’s vaccination status.
Vaccinations Aren’t the Entire Solution
The poll showed that the majority of employees support the idea of their employer mandating Covid-19 vaccination. However, only 8% of poll respondents said they’re actually planning to require proof of vaccination as part of their return-to-workplace strategy. The most common approach midsize companies are taking is to strongly encourage vaccination but not ask for proof of vaccination status (48%) and to ask employees to self-report if they’ve been vaccinated (36%). Unfortunately, these two approaches will leave employers in the dark as to the degree to which their employees have actually been vaccinated.
Insight Center Collection
While there has been discussion around vaccine passports as a way to prove one’s vaccination status, there are several reasons why they’re not ideal. First, the speed at which they’re being developed is lagging behind the speed at which companies are planning to reopen their offices. Second, different states are considering different strategies: For example, Texas and Florida have recently announced that employers will not be allowed to use them, but other states like New York and Illinois appear to be positively inclined toward them. This variability in approaches across states will make it difficult for employers with distributed workforces to create comprehensive policies.
Many employers are also hesitant to collect this information due to privacy and legal concerns. Chief human resources officers have indicated that because vaccines are part of an employee’s health care record, collecting information about who has been vaccinated could potentially be considered crossing a privacy line. Legal concerns could emerge if an employee has an adverse reaction to a vaccine their employer required them to get. Additionally, an employer might be sued for creating an unfair set of conditions for employees who choose not to get vaccinated. Even if the law is on the employer’s side, the reputational damage that could result from a legal fight doesn’t seem worthwhile for most companies.
How to Foster a Safe Environment
The net result of these factors is that employers will be reopening offices to some number of unvaccinated employees. Here are four strategies midsize companies can use to navigate how to open up the workplace in a way that maximizes employee safety and productivity.
Announce reopening plans well in advance. Many employees harbor concerns about how safe the workplace will be. Communicate your company’s reopening plan to employees well in advance of the actual date. Communications should indicate the actual safety measures you’ll have in place, as well as enhance perceptions of safety. For example, if employees commute primarily via mass transit, they’ll also be seeking guidance or reassurance about the safety of their journeys to work.
Define and communicate your hybrid work strategy. Gartner’s 2021 Hybrid Work Employee Survey of more than 2,400 knowledge workers found that 54% of employees agreed that their employer’s approach to flexibility will impact whether they’ll stay at their organization. A hybrid approach will allow employers to meet employees’ new flexibility preferences.
Despite widespread plans to adopt hybrid models, just 21% of HR leaders polled in Gartner’s recent webinar indicated they have a clear vision for the future role of the physical workplace. Creating a hybrid strategy that works and makes employees feel safe requires companies to clearly communicate when people should work from the office and when they should work from a different location. For example, Dropbox announced a “Virtual First” strategy, defining the purpose of the office as specifically for collaboration and community-building and not for individual work.
Create Covid safety moments. Leaders in oil and gas and manufacturing have long embedded safety moments in their workplaces to prevent injuries from occurring. This same mindset needs to be adopted across industries to create Covid safety moments. Leaders and managers should set aside a short amount of time per day to remind employees about the importance of Covid safety measures in the workplace.
This will become even more important as vaccines continue to be administered and employees start to let down their guard. These safety moments will be the most effective if leaders enable employees to talk to their colleagues about them, as peers are often more trusted than leaders or HR on workplace issues. A 2019 Gartner Global Labor Market Survey found that employees and candidates trust current employees the most for information about working at a particular organization. Employees talking among themselves will be an important part of creating a safe workplace.
Set guardrails around vaccine conversations. The development and rollout of Covid-19 vaccines have created an unparalleled interest in the efficacy of and experience with vaccinations more broadly. As employees return to the workplace, they’ll naturally discuss whether or not they’ve been vaccinated. Those who haven’t been vaccinated might get excluded from certain interactions like getting lunch together. Others might look down on those who have been vaccinated.
Leaders and managers need to communicate what conversations and behaviors are acceptable in the workplace regarding each individual’s vaccination status. While leaders might be tempted to simply ban all conversations about vaccination status, this isn’t realistic given the desire for employees to talk to each other. Rather, organizations should remind employees that vaccinations are a personal decision, and they shouldn’t pry or question their colleagues’ choices. Without these guidelines, companies risk not only uncomfortable interactions but discriminatory behavior between employees based on their vaccination status.
While the desire is to return to “normal” as quickly as possible, the reality is that the workplaces employees return to in 2021 will not look like the ones they left in 2020. Encouraging employees to get vaccinated is good, but it’s not enough. The companies that are thinking about safety, flexibility, and clear communication will have the most success as we enter another period of profound change.
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