6 things to do during a long flight!

Even though you may never go on a long trip like 11 hours these tips are useful for shorter trips too. The reason I say 11 hours is that I am sitting on a direct flight from Copenhagen to San Francisco right now writing this and that is 11 hours in the air and I came to think of how to use all that time without going crazy.

11 hours is a long time – very long time and it is easy to get stressed out if you just sit still and think about it.

I played with the thought of what one can do in this situation. You are all squeezed like sardines in a tin and moving space is limited. And I came up with these 6 activities.

1. Eating. We were served two main meals and one small sandwich snack in-between. Even though the food is not super gourmet it is good enough. These meals makes a perfect time for practicing eating slow – enjoying every mouthful. That is an art well worth learning because that is good for your digestion AND helps to reduce stress.  Also it does take some time; it is almost an art in itself, to manage to open all little packages that come on the tray without spilling on yourself – or on your neighbors that are sitting so close. You almost need to take turns to move your arms.
   
   
2. Do some work. Even if space is scares you can set up your laptop or pad at least for a limited time. If you go tourist class, like I do this trip, you don’t get electricity so the fun will last only so long. And of course it needs to be things to do offline. But there is always a text that needs to be written, like I am writing this blog right now. And also it is a perfect time to do some tidying with your files. If you have Outlook you can spend an hour or two throwing away old saved e-mails that are completely out of date now.
   
   
3. Watch a movie. On long flight you are almost always offered to watch movies. Maybe they have a movie that you wanted to watch but never got to do while it was running. That happened to me the last time I was flying long distance. I got to see the movie Boyhood that only was up for a couple of weeks in my town. Made me happy to be able to see it and I liked it a lot.
   
   
4. Study other people. This is one of my favorites, not to watch others and judge but to just observe. I learn a lot about life and about my clients this way. It gives me a big “bank of situations and behavior” that is invaluable in my work.
   
   
5. Sleep. It is easy to get a bit drowsy by the sound in the cabin. It is a constant buzzing sound – you do get used to it but it affects your energy and concentration. Depending on the time of the day that you fly it is more or less useful to use the time for sleep. In any way you can’t sleep for 11 hours.
   
   
6. Walk around. This is a very healthy activity on a long distance flight BUT it is not much appreciated by the crew. They definitely want us to sit in our seats. But you can take a walk to the toilets at least a couple of times and if possible try to stay standing for some extra minutes. To get the effect you want/need from the walking around you have to do some moves with your feet and legs while sitting – shake them, wiggle as often as you can – preferably each 15 minutes while awake. This will also keep your mind more alert.
   
   

So now you know 6 activities you can do on a flight.

What is your best tip on staying sane on a long trip? Please comment below and share with me and my readers – I also love to get feedback and learn more.

To your success – and keep smiling!

About Author:

I am a medical doctor, specialized in family medicine and health promotion and strategies. I have been a medical doctor in the Public Health System in Sweden for 25 years. The last couple of years I have changed focus from disease to health and have specialized in health promotion, work assessment, systematic health environment and other business related issues to be able to get the whole picture for my clients.

For more information: http://www.askdrannika.com

5 steps to keep your New Year’s Resolutions on track!

Halfway into January and with New Year Celebrations behind us, we have the rest of our life laying at our feet. And most of our New Year Resolutions are forgotten – or?

In most cases that is a fact!

We generally feel the euphoria of a new year – we see new possibilities – set new goals – make all kinds of promises – but then all of a sudden our daily life hits us and we are back in our old rat race. This is the life we know and it is easier to stay there than to do the changes.

Does it have to be like this?

No!

But why is it that it always happens? What is this all about? It is about your standards in life. You do your chosen rituals in life every day and you continue to do them the same way until you find a reason to change. 

It works like this! You first have to have a VISION – where do you really want to be – what do you really want to become? Then you have to have good reasons why you want that. You have to feel those reasons in your heart. You have to review and feel them every day!

It is about your standards – you don’t always get your goals but you always get your standards. That is the level you decide to be on. If you are stressed out, overweight, a smoker or anything else you might not want to be – but still always find excuses for not doing the change – that is the standard you set for yourself. 

So this is about raising your standards. You need to turn your “shoulds” into “musts”. Your “should stress less, lose weight, stop smoking or whatever” will never make any changes. You need to turn it into a” must” do these things. The “must” has to become a part of your identity – your new standard. 

We stay consistent on how we define ourselves – so if you can change the standard and stay consistent at the new level you can define yourself in a new way: ” I AM de-stressed, normal weight, a former smoker or whatever”. And you are not competing with someone else but with what you can be. What others can do is irrelevant. 

This is what you need to do:

1. Define what you want to improve?
2. Write down how it is today – what are the rituals that put you there?
3. How do you want it to be – be specific!
4. What are the rituals that will get you there – be specific
5. Start implementing those rituals and soon you will get to your new standards!

It is never too late to do changes, nor does it matter what you want to change. As soon as you start doing your new rituals other things in your life will automatically change and you will move towards the standards you want to have.

Next step is to tell the world what you are up to so people can hold you accountable for getting it done.

GOOD LUCK with YOUR new life!

What are your thoughts on this? What is a good life to you? What will your changes be? Do you have any good tips to share? Please comment below. I love to read your comments.

To your success – and keep smiling!

About Author:

I am a medical doctor, specialized in family medicine and health promotion and strategies. I have been a medical doctor in the Public Health System in Sweden for 25 years. The last couple of years I have changed focus from disease to health and have specialized in health promotion, work assessment, systematic health environment and other business related issues to be able to get the whole picture for my clients.

For more information: http://www.askdrannika.com

Christmas time is family time for me!

Just the word Christmas starts a lot of thoughts and feelings within most people. It often presses the “Stress Button” within since it is “supposed” to be the fun and healing time, but it more often tends to be the most stressful time of the year. It can be traditions to be faithful to, being alone without family, other people’s expectations and so much more. What is Christmas time for you? Today it is family time for me, but before it was just a lot of stress. I was in a rat race that I hated. But I found a solution. Here is my story:

When I was a kid I remember the hectic race going from one relative to the other on Christmas Eve. Some of them got annoyed because they thought we didn’t make the right priority in which order to visit them. We were supposed to exchange gifts and taste each other’s sweets. I never understood the fun in this – it was just a must because of other people’s expectations – and I was so relieved in the evening when we had our own Christmas evening – just for the closest family including grandparents.

When I got my own kids I decided I didn’t want to have them go through the same hassle. The first four years we did though because we lived far away and had to stick to the “family rules” when we went to visit. It was like travelling with a Circus having two small kids and all the things needed for them – thick winter clothes, diapers, strollers, toys etc. On top of all both were allergic to gluten and one also to milk protein so we had this big bag of special food and also a car-“refrigerator”. When we came back home after two weeks of that mess I was exhausted. But I had no more days off so I had to go back to work. It was a very hectic time.  

Then a solution showed up. 1993 I gave birth to one more girl and while pregnant with her we bought our summer house. During that summer, pregnant and having two small children already I realized that the next Christmas trip to the relatives would be a disaster. I just could not see myself doing the same thing with 3 kids, among them one relatively newborn. Our summer house is “winter proof” and can accommodate a whole bunch of people. 

So I came up with, what I thought, a genius idea:

ALL our relatives were told the same thing: We invite you all for Christmas, this Christmas and every Christmas ahead as long as we own the summer house. Everyone is welcome, just tell ahead. We also told them this is the only invitation you will ever get for this. We will not keep asking every year – but you are always welcome for Christmas.

Well, all relatives didn’t like it as much.  This meant that THEY had to get out of their comfort zone and take action.

We have done this ever since. The first couple of years we were 10-15 people (everyone had to bring along some food to the meals we shared) and then it decreased. The latest years we have mostly been just our family and maybe my sister and her son. The grandparents are all gone.

Still today our kids makes sure early in the fall that we will be in the summer house for Christmas. That is the place where we all find the peace and where we all enjoy the silent, slow life that gives good family time together. And of course, this is the only place Santa Claus knows of. 

So this year’s Christmas will be our 22nd in the summer house. None of our girls live at home anymore but they have ordered Christmas in the summer house this year too. For real family time.

This is my story how we created Christmas peace. 

What is your story or your best tip for Christmas peace? Please tell below. I love reading your comments!

To your success – and keep smiling!

About Author:

I am a medical doctor, specialized in family medicine and health promotion and strategies. I have been a medical doctor in the Public Health System in Sweden for 25 years. The last couple of years I have changed focus from disease to health and have specialized in health promotion, work assessment, systematic health environment and other business related issues to be able to get the whole picture for my clients.

For more information: http://www.askdrannika.com