00:00 : you Welcome to Diary of a Dreamer, where resilience unlocks your potential. I’m Tasha Eizinger, and each week I’ll bring you powerful stories and practical insights from my own experiences and inspiring guests. Whether you’re facing challenges or chasing dreams, this podcast is your go-to for motivation, building confidence, and practical tips for transforming obstacles into opportunities. Be sure to check out my website, TashaEizinger.com. 

00:34  : Let’s dive into today’s episode and start turning your dreams into reality. Today we are with Aviva, one of my friends who we’ve been trying to coordinate this now for, I don’t know, like a year? At least, yeah. Let me make sure that I read this because I want to… 

00:56  : clearly articulate who Aviva is and what she does, because it’s really important work, Aviva, what you’re doing. And I want to make sure I give it full justice here. So after studying neuroscience and behavior at the University of Notre Dame, Aviva set out to use applied neuroscience to help individuals, communities, and organizations thrive through the challenges they face. 

01:21  : In particular, Aviva has a passion for applied neuroscience in preventative healthcare, work performance, and international relations. She is currently working as a team member at OptimalWork, founded by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Majeres, where they use psychology, neuroscience, and virtue ethics to help professionals grow in resilience and work performance. So I’m sure people are like, oh, this makes sense of why you’re on Diary of a Dreamer. 

01:48  : OptimalWork members who experience anxiety find healing through the method too. Based in Washington, D.C., Aviva has spent the past two years collaborating with international peace-building scholars and practitioners to design neuroscience-based methods that reduce effective polarization and advancing global conflict resolution. That’s so important, Aviva. What you’re doing, we need it, and I know you’re seeing it everywhere. 

02:18  : Thank you for being here. And thank you. Thank you for having me. It’s a joy. So I want to do the fundamentals first of Eva, because I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about what neuroscience is versus a neuroscientist versus psychology. So first, can you break down like what is the difference between a neuroscientist, which is what I thought your title was, and studying neuroscience? 

02:47  : Yeah, totally. So a neuroscientist usually means someone who has gotten a doctorate degree, a PhD in neuroscience. Some masters people call themselves neuroscientists as well, but in academia, that’s somewhat looked down upon. And I am neither of those two things. I got a bachelor’s of science in neuroscience and then was blessed enough to work for someone who is doing cutting edge neuroscience work. But I am a humble student of neuroscience. 

03:17  : Which I love. And hopefully you’re always, even if you become a neuroscientist, you will always be a learner of it. Hopefully. Yes. It’s kind of like the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist then. Different. But the fact that there is a difference is also the case. So a psychologist has a PhD, a doctorate, or a PsyD, which is another form of that. And then a psychiatrist has an MD, a medical degree. 

03:44  : And so interesting is actually a lot of psychiatrists aren’t really taught how to give therapy. They’re taught the medication side and have to supplement their education for a deep understanding of giving therapy to people. Awesome. And then just one more of like the fundamentals. So I feel like there are people in any type of mental health work that will use neuroscience, but there’s a difference between psychology and neuroscience. So can you explain the difference between the two? 

04:13  : Yeah, so there’s a variety of definitions, but I guess the one I’ll pull from is more so showing the differences, but then the overlap between the two. So the differences primarily are the fact that neuroscience focuses more on biological mechanisms and chemistry and physics and mathematics of the brain, while psychology is more so the behavior side of the person. And this is a… 

04:39  : very somewhat casually said, but ask someone to study neuroscience with psychology. But neuroscience, we often tease our psychology friends because honestly, some of their original science is not science at all. But now we can say that they have plenty of science and I do work for a psychiatrist, so I must agree with that. I love this. Yeah, I feel like psychology can kind of be like a pseudoscience sometimes, right? Like it’s… 

05:06  : more like predictions is what they used to do. Now you can actually show, is it like brain scans to validate what you’re finding and then to predict behavior? Can you do that? Totally. Yeah. And so that’s why there’s more of an overlap now in neuroscience and psychology, because what makes a lot of neuroscience interesting is behavior. And then what makes psychology real is neuroscience, in my opinion, but also in a lot of opinions. 

05:34  : academia. So, well, with my mere, you know, elementary education degree, it totally makes sense what you’re saying. And I completely agree. And granted, I will say that, I mean, original psychology, this is kind of getting off the science train for a second and more kind of getting on the philosophy and like history train. But in my understanding, the original design and purpose of psychology was to provide a theory of the psyche, the soul of the person that was distinct from theology. 

06:02  : Because before psychology existed, there was biology. That was its own thing. And then there was theology. And that’s like basically religion explained kind of the psyche, the behavior of humans in relationship to God. But psychology was basically the non-religious version of that that explained what happened with the spirit of the person. And that eventually tied itself to biology, creating neuroscience. That’s interesting. Yeah. It makes sense what you’re saying. 

06:30  : Yeah. So I say that for a reason. I said that like, oh, maybe psychology is not real until it was tied to neuroscience. But I do acknowledge that there’s other forms of truth. And so original psychology got rid of theology, but still had a philosophy in it. And I do believe that philosophy can convey truth. And in fact, it’s the whole purpose of philosophy. But yeah, before it took a little while before. 

06:56  : psychology actually rooted itself in anything beyond a philosophy and just general observations. Interesting. Well, and what I love is all of it is trying to understand who we are, why we are the way we are, how to become better human beings. And I think 

07:17  : when you’re saying like the neuroscience of relating it to people that’s what makes it interesting and fun is like why do we do this and how and so what are some of the things that you’ve learned in neuroscience that has benefited you in your day-to-day life huh um well um when you ask that question i think of like what has benefited me in terms of utility versus just um joy 

07:44  : Yeah. And I think from the I’ll start with joy. I think there’s there is a beauty in neuroscience and the order of it and its connection to the other functions or rather its direction of the other function of the body, how it directs the human person, but also how it’s affected by social. um dynamics um and then also political orders so i i would say first neuroscience was a place of or a study of inspiration for me i saw the connections across all industries and and across all of life really um now from the side of utility um i think that in the beginning neuroscience showed me little things like how do we learn and how the brain processes information 

08:29  : and how it’s the process information in small chunks and so on, and how I could use that to learn better, to memorize, to have a deeper form of learning, understanding the hormonal mechanisms behind bonding with people like oxytocin release, also stress, cortisol release versus adrenaline, and then adrenaline versus noradrenaline. And what does all that mean? Basically, like what is, how can we reshape the brain’s response to stress to be something of excitement and growth? 

08:58  : And that’s where I think OptimalWork, because OptimalWork does beautifully put together neuroscience, psychology and philosophy to give practical neuroscience that people can use. And that’s hard to find these days, honestly. So I would say that neuroscience was more so it reflected a lot of ancient truths that a lot of us already knew and adds more dimension and understanding as to how to live. 

09:26  : a wise prudent and um healing life that’s amazing and so Aviva i might have to have you come back and we’ll just do a perimenopause segment because like i’m in the trenches of that right now and you said hormones anxiety and neuroscience and i’m like ding ding ding 

09:52  : I would love to come back. Does OptimalWork help perimenopausal and menopausal women specifically? Indirectly, yes. We have women of all ages who use OptimalWork and find tremendous benefit in the challenges they face. So yes. Okay. So any woman in the We Do Not Care Club should look into this because we need all the help we can get, Aviva. It is a wild ride. 

10:19  : that really is like a perfect segue into anxiety uh which of course does affect so many people so so many people so can you share like how can we move from that like stress is bad and terrible and but it’s actually in some ways it’s here to serve us and benefit us so like how like what’s the difference and how can we move to it not being this evil thing 

10:48  : That’s a great question. There are so many ways to approach this, but I’ll take this path. First things first, anxiety is neither good nor bad in itself. The experience of anxiety is neither good nor bad. I think one of the leading causes of anxiety, especially in Gen Z, is the lie. 

11:12  : That anxiety itself is a threat to your health, your wellness, and your ability to live well. That is a lie. There are forms of anxiety approached the wrong way that can lead to all the illnesses and the threats that people are talking about. But that’s a different thing. 

11:32  : Okay. I was just going to argue like, no, wait a minute. What about all the studies showing the inflammation? And okay, go ahead. Keep going. That’s how it’s approached and how it’s shaped that matters. And I think not enough people talk about that. I mean, not to get too much into philosophy, but there’s a very deterministic perspective on the brain and mental health where you don’t really have much choice and there isn’t really ultimate hope. So a lot of it’s just kind of an existentialist coping with your reality. But it’s beautiful to know that hope is written in the brain. It is written in the brain and you can actually reshape and harness your anxiety to become a positive energy that helps you grow in skills to more. 

12:15  : to help you uh channel your actual action towards living out your ideals and also to help you bond with people more deeply um and this again is something i learned through OptimalWork and Dr. Kevin Majeres and it changed my life and now i have the blessing of seeing it change the lives of many people around us or really anyone who does the method i love it so what are some practical things 

12:39  : to like, I’m totally on board with like the mindset shift, you know, like I kind of tease before I do any type of public speaking, my heart starts racing. And instead of being afraid of it, I’m like, it’s showtime. That means I’m ready. Right. So we can do all of those kinds of like mindset shifts. Like, okay, I can be on board. It’s here to serve me. It’s not necessarily good or bad. I can make it good. What are practical things that people can do if they’re feeling that anxiety coming into their body? Yeah. So first step, 

13:08  : is get that anxiety from your body back into your brain. And that’s the difference between the anxiety that hurts versus the anxiety that serves you. And the way to get your anxiety from your body to your brain is to do mindful breathing. There’s a variety of ways of doing it, but the most powerful and effective and quick way of getting your anxiety back into your brain to become that positive adrenaline that makes you more intelligent and more socially. 

13:35  : bonded is by breathing inhale excuse me by inhaling four seconds pause two seconds and exhale four seconds pause two seconds this is that sends a signal from your chest to your brain saying i’m okay let me use this energy to be more intelligent more focused and more present to the people in front of me makes you more alert it actually expands your intelligence 

14:01  : Yeah. All the time like that. Okay. Through your nose. Yeah. And the part that really solidifies this change in the brain is paying attention to the tension in your chest, paying attention to the tension in your chest. And that’s the mind. That’s like the anchor. Otherwise you’re just breathing and you could be worrying while you’re breathing and that doesn’t do anything. But if you just let go of your thoughts and worries and. 

14:31  : focus on that tension that is the quickest signal to your brain that you are safe and that this energy can serve you okay mindfulness i was gonna say what makes me really happy about what you said Aviva and the conversations that we had you know before this recording of course i know who you are on some level um 

14:54  : But I was a little concerned that you’re going to say, oh, you’re just going to logic your way through it. And that’s not what you’re saying. And unfortunately, I think a lot of people try to do that. They’re like, oh, I’m safe. I’m fine. I just need to get over it. And what you’re saying is change your focus. From all the anxiety, change your focus into your breathing and taking in those deep breaths to help calm your body and feel safe. So you’re not saying you’re not like. 

15:22  : not feeling the emotions, you’re aware of it. You’re actually drinking them in. You’re drinking into the anxiety. And actually for those who try to use mindfulness to get rid of anxiety, it doesn’t work for them because actually the point of it isn’t calming yourself. It’s the opposite. It’s channeling your focus into something good, into growth. And that’s the difference between being excited for a party versus being afraid of a lion. Like it’s the same energy in your body and it’s up to your response to shape that. 

15:51  : So that’s the first step, especially when you’re highly anxious. The second step is the reframe. So that’s where the thinking comes in, but a very particular form of it. There’s different phrases for the same action. Reframing, cognitive reframing, cognitive reappraisal. And that basically is where you reactivate your prefrontal cortex by asking yourself the question, how is this challenge an opportunity to grow? 

16:19  : in a skill ideal or bond or all three and by ideal we mean like who you want to be patient perseverant kind cheerful magnanimous loving service oriented whatever it is for you whatever really motivates you in that moment attach the ideal and that gives motivation and more intelligence that unites your left and right hemisphere so that your creativity is leading to practical and then growing in a skill that i mean challenge is always 

16:47  : provide that opportunity. And then ultimately the bond service, excuse me, like service to others, bond, the relationship with someone else, that is the ultimate motivating factor to doing anything. Yeah. So that’s cognitive reframing. Like you said, it’s not saying everything’s okay. And it’s not this toxic positivity. It’s actually taking advantage of an opportunity to grow through the challenge you’re experiencing. And yeah, just 

17:16  : to be clear when you do the mindful breathing and tell your stress center the amygdala that you’re okay their stress center the amygdala does not understand language at all it only understands approach and avoidance so when you mindfully breathe you’re approaching the anxiety itself which tells your brain to let the anxiety pass and next time start your anxiety at a lower level 

17:38  : And so it’s over time that you can reshape your emotions. But in the moment, all you can do is give the signal for next time and let your brain harness that anxious energy to become excited energy. Interesting. So what you’re telling me is that when I was experiencing some PTSD, I would just tell my amygdala, like, you need to settle down. I’m fine. Like, that was not a great idea. No. Yeah, it just it doesn’t compute. And I’ve been in it. 

18:06  : I’ve been through periods or I went through a period before OptimalWork where I did experience both high excitement and high adrenaline and high anxiety. And there was a very short time, very blessed that it was not longer, that I had panic attacks. And because I was someone that likes my structure and like controlling my life at the time, I would try to, you know, reason my way out of a panic attack. And for those who haven’t experienced it, it’s basically where your anxiety peaks like to attend. 

18:35  : And everything feels overwhelming and like, yeah, you get dizzy, all these things. It’s horrible. It’s a horrible feeling. And the secret that I want anyone who’s had a panic attack or friends to have panic attacks to know is when a panic attack comes, all you can do is let it peek and pass. For every emotion you’ve ever experienced, it is not to be controlled, it’s to be drunk like a glass of wine. Let it peek, let it pass. It always does that when you don’t try to control it. And so when one embraces a panic attack and drinks it in, 

19:05  : that is the quickest way to let panic attacks never come back again in the future. So yeah, to your point, sort of. That’s interesting. So don’t be afraid of the panic attack. it doesn’t hurt you what hurts you is trying to control the panic attack or high anxiety that’s where your anxiety stays peaked because when you’re trying to control the anxiety you’re trying to avoid it and when you try to avoid and that goes back to your brain your amygdala is like oh avoidance that means that the signal was good they need to avoid more so let me send you more anxiety does that make sense oh my goodness this is making yeah this is making so much sense you’re really good at explaining things thanks so all right so 

19:44  : with anxiety can come high cortisol right over time if you try to control anxiety yeah so let’s say all right we’ve got people who are listening and they are past the point they’re like oh no i’ve got high cortisol i’ve had it for a while what are some healthy ways to release that well through the first two steps we said mindfulness reframing so when you’re in the in the moment mindfulness reframing and then the third step 

20:11  : just for the moment. And then I can talk about supplemental things to help for the future. Is that okay if you do it in that order? Yeah, please do. Yeah. To already help with that when you’re in the midst of both the long-term anxiety and the short and like, and in the moment, mindfulness is already going to start regulating your system. Um, reframing, which is how can I grow through this? Cause it, it, it takes you out of that threat mode and into opportunity mode. And then the third is like actively challenging yourself by breaking down whatever, like you’re experiencing into a series of steps. So whatever you’re in right now, 

20:39  : literally list out steps and then do them and do one at a time because basically anxiety is your brain’s way of saying, I don’t know what to do. This is beyond me. I don’t have steps. So I’m just going to put you into avoidance mode so you can run away because that is the only step. And so when you create steps, that is the quickest way to tell your brain, this is good. Let me use the energy. And then you just do the steps. So that’s in the moment. And before I go to supplemental things, what do you think? Okay. So here’s my question then. All right. So 

21:09  : I’m imagining moms hearing this saying, okay, I can’t write down the steps. I’ve got kids pulling at me. I’ve got my boss telling me what to do. Like I’ve got too much to do. Like what kinds of steps do you mean? Do you mean like literally in the moment, like, okay, right now I need to breathe. I need to reframe. And then the next thing I’m doing, I’m just going to get a glass of water. 

21:30  : Like, is that what you mean by steps? Yeah. And it’s also, I mean, if you don’t want to write it down and if we can’t, that’s totally fair. But yeah, just having in your head, like do the mindfulness, do the reframe, take a glass of water and just maybe even list two steps, two different things you can do to take on the challenge. So you can grow in the skill, grow in the ideal, grow in the bond. Granted, I am talking super generally. So if you want to pull up a very specific example, we can put that to practice now, at least. 

21:59  : hypothetically what i’m feeling like you know because i want to make sure i’m understanding what you’re saying so i feel like okay i’m going to do my deep breathing i’m going to reframe i’ll say okay i need to let’s say edit this podcast right there’s a lot of steps to it so then i’m going to say okay first thing i’m going to get a glass of water and then i’m going to open my computer and sign in 

22:21  : That’s beautiful. So actually we teach many things on our platform and our masterclass. And one of them, especially for those who get like procrastinate, is teaching them the cost of entry illusion, which is the idea that like, oh, this is super overwhelming. I can’t take it. But often when you eventually do it, you’re like, oh, it’s not half as bad as I thought. Or maybe it’s just not as bad as I thought. And to catalyze that process, the quickest thing you can do is make the first few steps stupidly small. 

22:50  : And that gets your brain into it. It’s like, okay, we’re safe. We’re okay. But if you can actually design the rest of the steps to whatever you’re about to do and then set a stop time, which is a whole other thing, then your brain, the anxiety will get worse as you’re starting. But then as you’re going through each step and focusing, it’ll just go away and you’ll just experience a positive enthusiasm. And the best part is when your timer goes off. 

23:15  : you feel peace and joy and energy and not burn out and that’s what i first experienced by surprise when i encountered um OptimalWork in my studies so yeah that’s that’s how it looks okay so just uh get through the first little bit like you can do it right the first little bit the little stuff so what are some like other supplemental things people can do yeah so um what i’m gonna say i’m sure our friends have heard already but i’ll just say it again because it’s the good old truth 

23:44  : Exercise. And why? Because it causes stress. And whenever you actively challenge yourself, afterwards you have a higher dopamine baseline. You have the endorphin release. So the solution to anxiety is causing yourself more stress in a positive growth-oriented way. That way your brain starts realizing, oh, challenges are good. So exercise is just one form of that. Waking up, like jumping out of bed. 

24:13  : Okay, wait a minute. You have totally lost me, girl. Like I get out of bed and I’m like, what’s happening? I can’t open my eyes. Yeah, I’ll explain why it’s important and also confess that I am no consistent follower of this. But when I do it, my days are so much better and my anxiety is much lower. Or rather, my anxiety becomes positive, nor adrenaline or adrenaline in the brain that drives my growth. So what happens when you don’t jump out of bed? That’s your way of telling your body. 

24:43  : Today is a threat. Oh, that’s not good, Aviva. I know. And so, again, I say this as humbly as I can because I myself, knowing this, still don’t listen to what is good all the time. You’re not a robot. It’s humbling to work for this company, though. I will say that in the best way. But yeah, so basically when you don’t jump out of bed. 

25:12  : And you avoid the day. That’s your way of telling your body and your mind today is a threat. And so then every your entire tone, your filter, the color of your day is dimmer. You’re more hesitant towards everything else. You’re groggy for a longer period of time. Now, on the other hand, oh, well, there’s so much to say this. We have multiple podcasts and lessons. Another note that I’ll add for now is that. 

25:36  : But I think it’s like for every second that you wait, it gets doubly more difficult to actually get out of bed. So it’s not made easier. I think there’s this illusion that the longer you wait in bed, you kind of slowly get yourself out and it makes it easier. It’s actually the opposite because avoidance kind of like. So hitting snooze, I hit snooze like that bad, isn’t it? It doesn’t give you more sleep too. And so it sure doesn’t, it really doesn’t. 

26:02  : Yeah, and I mentioned deadlines earlier, and there’s a lot to say on that, like stop times. The best way to teach your brain to be more resilient, effective, productive, and open to challenge is by giving it limits. And when you… 

26:14  : Give a limit to your sleep time. You tell your brain, I will wake up at this time no matter what. And what’s beautiful is that the brain responds by putting all your sleep cycles in its best capacity in the time that you give it. And granted, we recommend seven and a half hours. That’s another thing we recommend, good sleep. Jump out of bed, but also give yourself seven and a half hours of sleep. And then also the most important hours of sleep are between 10 p.m. and midnight. So it’s better to go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at around five than it is to go to bed at like 2 a.m. and then wake up at nine. 

26:44  : Oh my goodness. I’m going to be downloading this transcript and everything you’re saying. Okay. So let’s backtrack exercise. First of all, you know, for people who are listening and are like, okay, I can’t go to the gym. I hate exercise. Like is walking, like even just going for a walk with a friend at a park or something like that. Is that exercise enough? Or do you mean we need to get our heart pumping and sweating? 

27:10  : Cardio is really important. And so I think we can put it in the notes because I’m not remembering the exact like minimal like workout that we recommend. But I think what I from what I recall, excuse me, from what I recall, I think it’s about 30 minutes of running where you do like 90 seconds sprint and then like 30 second break, like multiple times, something like that. 

27:30  : afterwards we can add it to the notes the actual workout because i’m not recalling now but yes cardio is very important it doesn’t have to be running but it does get that blood pumping and it gets your brain more willing to take on challenges you’re much less anxious so yeah cardio and whatever form you choose is vital and how many days a week do you recommend i would say at least maybe three to four days a week perfect because i know like for the 

27:55  : listeners who are in the phase of life that i am where it’s like the perimenopause menopause all that we’re hearing lift heavy we need to do muscle strength so for people who are listening that are like okay so now i gotta run and now i gotta do like listen Three days a week, let’s say cardio, and then three days a week, maybe strength training. I’m not a trainer by any means, but that’s kind of what I’m hearing from you, Aviva, to make it a little more doable for people who are overwhelmed, right? Yeah, and if possible, morning workouts are better than night workouts, but night workouts are better than no workouts. So that’s another thing to be aware of. I will keep going just because this third point is really important. Do not eat processed food when you can. Avoid it. 

28:38  : processed food causes a lot of anxiety and also just it’s poison and so obviously life is short you can only control so much um and it’s nice to enjoy cake every now and then um but just if you can avoid processed food and eat real food eat foods with nutrients and there’s many forms of different diets that work well that goes a long way it goes and aldi is a great like aldi is a great like affordable 2

9:03  : place too to get like frozen berries and frozen veggies and things like that um as well because i agree like the more we can give our bodies good things like the better it is all around you are what you eat yeah and you have your brain and your gut too yeah peter joe’s is pretty affordable as well um but yeah healthy food goes a very long way for anxiety for adhd like it’s 

29:28  : Doctors and physicians are more so finding that what you eat really determines most of your health, which is wild. But yeah, the list goes on. But I would say those are three things. And then if I add one more, I could add many more, but if I add one more, find a way to make someone else happy. Find a way to serve someone else, even if it’s like doing something they don’t even notice, because that reminds your brain that we’re not here for ourselves. 

29:53  : and it gives your brain the brain food it needs we are made to be in relationship with other people um yeah so that’s another thing i’d say fine you know what so would this be helpful i’m gonna show this shirt i’ll have to tag where i got it i don’t know if you can read it can you read it Aviva dear person behind me the world is a better place with you in it love the person in front of you that’s beautiful isn’t that beautiful i saw that online and i’m like 

30:18  : you know just even that i’m like i wonder who’s gonna read it and think i needed that message today yeah that’s really beautiful so words of affirmation are huge so this is not neuroscience and i don’t know if it’s really much of psychology but if you’ve heard of the five love languages yes i have i love those are great ways like the five love languages are words of affirmation which you have in your sweatshirt um and words of affirmation that are 

30:40  : genuine right people can feel some people are like oh i don’t like being complimented because you can feel when a compliment’s not real and it’s performative so being really intentional about the words we say to other people are huge words of affirmation acts of service quality time physical touch and gift giving um But yeah, acts of service is a very special one. And actually, I think one of the greatest verbal ways to love someone is to listen to them. And when they stop talking, wait four seconds before you speak. Because I think it’s after three seconds that it starts getting awkward or it’s when the love begins. Like silent love is huge. And it usually takes about three to four seconds for someone to completely finish your thought. I’m a New Yorker, so it takes much less time. 

31:25  : On average is consistent, silent love. And you know what I like about what you’re saying there is if you pause as well, when somebody is done talking, sometimes they keep going. Exactly. And then they actually share what they really needed to share. Oh, this is such a beautiful conversation of Eva. Okay. I have more questions for you. So, okay. Backtracking exercise, nutrition. 

31:54  : jumping out of bed. Like, oh my, I think I’m going to try to make it as silly and funny as possible to jump out of bed. And then what was the fourth thing? A service. Find a little to serve someone else. In your house, best a family member. That’s usually the toughest one. Supposed to other things. yeah so just little acts of service for your loved ones or strangers like what about like even just sending a text message to somebody like hey i’ve been thinking about you i hope you’re having a great day like yeah anything any act of like getting out of yourself i love that i love that okay so let me see what are a few like you’re already sharing a lot of things that we can do on a daily basis uh to help us have a better life which 

32:39  : is what this podcast is all about is helping people become their best right so what are a few like daily habits that we could do to become the best version of ourselves wow um where my mind went um surprised me this is the diary of a dreamer and so i would encourage 

33:02  : this message of being a dreamer by explaining a bit about the brain in a very surface level manner. When you imagine your dream and give time for that, give time to contemplate and ponder upon and reflect upon and open your imagination towards your dreams fervently, religiously, ritually, your brain actually starts paying attention to any opportunity to complete that. If you don’t dream, 

33:32  : your dreams will never happen. Literally, because your brain will not provide pathways for that completion. But when you take time to dream, your brain in the background starts preparing you to actualize it. So that’s the first thing I’d say. Do it for yourself and do it for the people around you because we need more dreamers. We need more dreamers who, not to pull from Cinderella, don’t see the world as it is, but as it can be, who have that loving courage. So I would say start there. 

34:02  : I would say read a book that is related to that dream or the work that you want to be doing so that you can learn from heroes who knew how to actualize, who knew how to dream and knew how to actualize those dreams. And then third, I would say if you don’t use our tool, then use the practice of it. Work in one hour to 90 minute chunks. Do not work for eight hours. 

34:29  : you will burn your brain out you’ll get much less time oh my heart Aviva needs a second so i’m like an achiever who lately has been kind of hard on myself because i cannot work the same number of hours i used to straight through like i was somebody i could just power through and keep going it doesn’t work that way anymore so are you saying like take an hour or 90 minute chunk 

34:54  : do some work and then like what kind of a length of break five to 15 minute break after that okay people can handle longer but that’s just like the the average recommendation i wouldn’t do more than a couple hours honestly that’s where you have brain toxins that start getting released um your brain literally gets flooded and it turns out that and i’ll share it by means of a story what is unexpected happens when you do this um so there’s i think it was a friend of dr majors um who is a piano tuner 

35:23  : A piano tuner, you said? Tuner. And he decided one day when he was tuning the piano, instead of going back and forth, that he would completely focus on one key at a time. And when he did that, he thought it would take double the time, but it only took half the time. And so that’s more on multitasking. But when you take that and then on top of that, you add a deadline, you actually get like five times the work done at your best. 

35:51  : so you’re being less productive when you don’t have stop times okay so a stop time and then for 5 15 minutes oh that’d be a great time to get in like a little mini walk workout don’t look at your phone that’s not going to be a rest um phone is actually a form of brain work yeah don’t don’t do it say that again about the phone it’s a form of brain work it drains you yeah it’s not a way to recharge at all no it’s quite draining especially social media 

36:19  : um but yeah so i would say that dream big learn from the people who dreamed and acted and then start working on that dream by doing it in your work and uh and doing work well through what we talked about the same three skills can be used reframing mindfulness challenge see how you can grow in the next hour of work in a skill ideal or bond breathe the tension into growth and then make very specific steps and stop 

36:45  : when you said you would because that trains your brain to know oh you actually stopped when you say you will so the brain makes you much more effective and helps you finish in the time you’re given and there i think there were some philosophers that work spreads itself out into the time that it’s given something like that um time and time is bendy time is bendy and so it’s worth putting deadlines so that we actually could be a lot more effective and joyful and peaceful 

37:10  : And it’s almost like you’re building trust within yourself too. Like I said, I was going to stop, or I said I was waking up at this time, or, you know, you’re building that trust within yourself, which I think is really important as well. Yeah. And with other people, a lot of people think they have like compartmentalized. 

37:27  : They have a compartmentalized brain where there’s like this is my work person. This is like my family person. This is me with my friends. And when you actually live that way, there’s a lot of cognitive dissonance. Your brain doesn’t function well that way. So what’s more often what more often happens is what your work brain is actually how you approach work is how you approach people and how you approach everything else. So when you shape yourself through your work, you shape who you are. There is no difference from the brain’s perspective between work. 

37:54  : in between a loving conversation or between getting um your podcast prepared or changing your child’s diaper it’s all the same it’s all the same spirit Aviva i’m gonna have to have you back because i like i so this is what i’m gonna do i’m gonna apply these things that you’ve learned and then when i interview you again then i’m gonna say this is the progress i’ve seen from what you taught me this is huge 

38:21  : Yeah, I’m so glad to hear that. And Dr. Majors has a podcast too. So he covers a variety of topics from parenting to running your company, to exercise, to fear itself. Yeah, it’s amazing, honestly. Tell everybody what the name of the podcast is so we can all check it out. The OptimalWork Podcast. It’s pretty simple. The OptimalWork Podcast. Okay. I love it. Okay, so. 

38:46  : How can people get in touch with you or OptimalWork? And I know you also have like a promo offering because I’m hoping people are listening, Aviva, thinking these are very practical, doable things that I can implement to live happier, healthier, and better. So I would love it for people to know how to get in touch with you. Yeah. So basically just email me at Aviva at optimalwork.com. 

39:14  : That’s the quickest way. I’ll also be giving regular webinars through LinkedIn. So if you’re on LinkedIn, just show up, say hi, and we can chat. And then third, for our discount, we’ll be offering a 30% discount through Diary of a Dreamer. So we can put that in the notes as well. Wonderful. Thank you so much, friend, for being here. I loved learning from you. Like we’ve had a lot of conversations, but not quite like this. This was great. Thank you. It’s so good to see you. 

39:47  : Thank you for tuning into this episode of Diary of a Dreamer. I hope you found the stories and tips shared today to be a source of motivation and strength. Remember, every challenge you face is a chance to grow and move closer to your dreams. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with anyone who could use a boost of encouragement. Please check out my website, TashaEizinger.com.