Do you feel like your life is either too predictable or far too unpredictable? Perhaps you’re caught in the whirlwind of constant change, unable to find the stability you crave, or maybe you’re stuck in a rigid routine that feels like it’s holding you back.

What if the key to a truly fulfilling life lies in embracing both order and chaos? These two forces, often viewed as opposites, are essential components of personal growth and creativity. The secret isn’t about choosing one over the other, it’s about finding the perfect balance.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to master the continuum between order and chaos, why both are necessary for success, and how you can integrate them into your daily life.

Order: Creating Stability and Achievement

Order is the backbone of any well-functioning life. It provides structure and clarity, allowing individuals to set goals, plan for the future, and maintain a sense of direction. Without order, the chaos of life can feel overwhelming, leaving you unsure of your next steps or unable to see opportunities.

Consider the importance of creating a daily routine or having a well-organized calendar. Without these, you risk missing deadlines, forgetting important events, or failing to prioritize your goals. Order ensures that you stay on track and don’t fall into the trap of endless distractions. It’s the foundation that enables success.

But order is not without its drawbacks. When things are too structured, life can become predictable, leading to a monotonous routine that feels more like a cage than a framework for growth. Extreme order often results in stagnation. No creativity, no room for experimentation, and no space for spontaneity. This is when life becomes Groundhog Day, where everything feels like it’s just the same, day in and day out. Predictability is comforting, but it also risks keeping you from embracing new experiences and making room for change.

Chaos: The Engine of Creativity and Change

If order is about stability, chaos is about creativity, spontaneity, and innovation. Chaos shakes things up, offering opportunities for new ideas, perspectives, and approaches. It introduces the element of surprise that keeps things fresh and dynamic.

Without chaos, creativity stagnates. But when chaos dominates, it can leave you feeling lost and unsure. The absence of certainty and structure breeds instability, making it difficult to achieve any real progress. Goals become blurry, and the constant rush of new ideas can leave you scattered and unproductive.

In short, too much chaos can create a sense of being out of control, leading to high levels of stress. It’s important to allow for creativity and unpredictability in your life, but without the right balance, you risk being swept away in a sea of confusion.

Organized Freedom—The Importance of Finding Balance

The secret to a fulfilling life isn’t about choosing order or chaos. It’s about integrating both forces in a way that fuels your personal growth and creativity. Both order and chaos are essential for success, and each provides unique benefits when used correctly. The key is balance.

Too much order can stifle creativity, and too much chaos can lead to instability. The ideal approach is a system that offers structure without rigidity. We call it organized freedom. Think of this as the art of having a structured routine that leaves room for spontaneity. By integrating both forces, you create a lifestyle that is both productive and flexible, stable yet innovative.

The post Embracing Order and Chaos for Creativity, Success, and Fulfillment appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

The present connects our history to our hopes…

I have said before that I am often astounded by the passage of time. Perhaps even obsessed with it.

I intentionally practice mindfulness, savouring the present moment, whether it is the call of the loons on Bob Lake, a hike through Brookbanks Park, or the comfort of a cup of perfectly brewed tea.

Mindfulness is the deliberate appreciation of the present. It is when we stop striving, slow down, and simply be in that place in space and time. It is when we turn our attention inward, in a different kind of trance, letting the thoughts float through like clouds, without effort or strain.

But the present is not formed in a vacuum. It is built upon the past in what appears to be a linear fashion, with events riding on the back of geographical locations, time codes, sensory impressions, and relationships. All of this provides us with a personal history that gives our lives a continuous narrative thread.

When we are free from trauma, our past flows effortlessly. Moments line up like stepping stones, from then to now and on into what will yet be. These are the memories we have not yet experienced. The unfolding chapters that wait just beyond the next breath.

But trauma disrupts that flow.

It locks up the past and stuffs fragments of our life into a dark pit that cannot be accessed without therapeutic intervention. 

Hypnosis, in its gentle and profound way, is my method of choice. It allows us to get to what has been buried, neutralising the emotional charges that continue to shape the present from behind the scenes.

And when we do the work of clearing and healing, when grief, disappointment, and failure are finally acknowledged and resolved, the present moment begins to shift. It becomes a safe resting place. A refuge. A vantage point from which we can observe, rather than react.

Once the pain loses its hold, the future begins to transform. It moves from being a screen onto which we project our worst-case scenarios into a window through which we glimpse new possibilities. The colours change. The horizon opens. What once felt dangerous begins to look inviting.

And in that space, we are able to raise our sails and set a heading with hope. We steer not away from the past but with it as a silent companion. We bring the lessons forward and leave behind the weight. The present becomes an anchor and the future a promise.

When we reflect, not ruminate, we allow wisdom to settle. The unconscious mind responds to the new clarity. It begins to re-pattern and reorganise toward wholeness. Growth becomes inevitable when we offer it space and stillness.

This is something we are all able to do. We are not broken. We are not finished. We have simply hit pause. That pause is not weakness. It’s preparation.

In the quiet of that pause, we begin to notice the relics of who we were. A book on the shelf, its spine gently faded. A photograph tucked behind another. A note scribbled in a moment of urgency that no longer matters. 

These are not clutter. They are messengers. They are the gentle ghosts of our former selves, speaking in whispers, reminding us of where we have been. They are not burdens. They are bookmarks.

Each item we rediscover is a thread in a much larger tapestry. A drawer becomes an archive. A coffee mug becomes a relic. Even the way sunlight falls on the floor carries the texture of memory. The present moment, it turns out, is not a sliver. It is a braid, woven from memory, awareness, and anticipation.

Mindfulness sharpens our vision. It slows the breath. It deepens the nervous system into stillness. And something ancient inside us remembers how to simply exist. In that softening, something stirs. It is the future. Not as a demand, but as an invitation.

Hope is not fragile. It is not wishful thinking. It is a compass. It orients us. It keeps us upright when everything else threatens to tilt. The mind may wander. The heart may ache. But hope, when it is allowed to root itself, becomes something solid. It becomes the way we stand. The way we breathe. The way we move forward.

We are never just who we were. And we are never only who we are. 

We are also always becoming. 

And that becoming is guided by how courageously we sit with the moment we are in.

So take this Sunday to pause with intention. Touch the past gently. Cradle the present fully. Let yourself notice what is already here. The quiet weight of memory. The subtle pulse of now. The slow turning of something within that knows how to move forward, even when you feel still.

Let hope come without needing permission. Not as a declaration but as a quiet truth. 

Let it settle into your bones, not as something you reach for, but something you remember. You have faced storms before. You have stayed upright when things tilted. You have rebuilt, reoriented, and returned to center.

This is not the end of the road. It is a moment on the path. 

And whatever horizon lies ahead, you are not just capable of sailing toward it. You are already underway.

And whatever the future holds…

You have today.

- Mike Mandel

The post What Happens When the Past Stops Haunting You? appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

Imagine waking up every morning feeling calm, centred, and fully alive. Not dragging through the day, bleary-eyed with caffeine as life support, but energised with mental clarity, emotional stability, and physical vitality. The secret to this transformation is not hidden in a supplement bottle or buried within a complicated wellness routine. It is sleep. Proper, deep, restorative sleep.

Sleep is the body’s secret nutrient. People often treat it as a luxury, like dessert after dinner, when it is actually the main course. Nobody brags about how little oxygen they consume. Yet many boast about minimal sleep as though it is a badge of honour. In truth, chronic sleep deprivation is nothing but a recipe for disaster. Let’s explore how to build better sleep habits improve quality of life.

Why Sleep is Essential for Human Functioning

Sleep affects every system in the human body. Without it, immunity weakens, mental health deteriorates, and cognitive performance drops. Severe sleep deprivation even leads to hallucinations as the brain tries to force dream states while awake. Studies confirm that most adults require six to eight hours of sleep each night to fully recover from daily stress, learn efficiently, and maintain emotional resilience.

People are different. Some function best at six hours, others need closer to eight. Experimentation determines each individual’s sleep sweet spot. The goal is not simply more sleep but better sleep quality to recharge the nervous system.

Why Sleep is a Nutrient, Not an Optional Extra

Sleep should be treated like nutrition. It fuels the immune system, regulates hormones, repairs damaged cells, and consolidates memory. Viewing sleep as a nutrient removes the temptation to cut corners. Going without sufficient sleep is as unwise as refusing water or food.

Skipping sleep leads to emotional volatility, reduced learning, impaired immunity, and poor decision-making. Sleep deprivation is not heroic. It is self-sabotage. A healthy life demands high-quality sleep as its foundation.

Creating a Bedtime Ritual for Deep and Consistent Sleep

The human brain thrives on patterns. Regular sleep times create powerful neurological conditioning, training the body and mind to settle quickly each night. Consistency locks in circadian rhythms, reducing sleep latency and improving overall sleep quality.

Bedtime rituals signal the mind that sleep is approaching. This ritual could involve reading, relaxation exercises, or a calming routine that repeats nightly. The brain begins to associate these patterns with sleep preparation, triggering the natural descent into rest.

Preparing for Sleep with Strategic Evening Behaviours

Evening preparation determines sleep quality long before getting into bed. Avoiding liquids two hours before bed reduces awakenings to visit the bathroom. While a glass of water may work for some, excessive liquid intake disrupts sleep cycles. Alcohol, despite its sedative properties, interrupts sleep architecture, especially in the second half of the night. For some, red wine triggers fragmented sleep, while white wine does not. The key is finding out what works for you.

Supplements such as melatonin sprays support natural sleep by signalling the brain it is time to rest. Magnesium, often called nature’s tranquiliser, calms nerves and muscles, easing the descent into sleep. Herbal teas such as skullcap and hops can assist, although valerian root causes alertness in a minority of people.

Managing Light Exposure for Better Sleep

Light has a profound impact on sleep hormones. Blue light from screens mimics daylight, preventing melatonin release. Humans evolved to sleep after sunset in darkness, so it's a good idea to reduce screen exposure at least an hour before bed. Night mode settings on devices filter blue light, but avoiding screens altogether remains the gold standard for optimal melatonin production.

Darkness is the brain’s cue for sleep. Thick blackout blinds, turning off unnecessary lights, and covering LED indicators on electronics create a proper nighttime environment. Some prefer a faint light to avoid feeling claustrophobic. Again, discovering what works for you is the best strategy.

Avoiding Evening Stimulation That Sabotages Sleep

Mental and physical stimulation close to bedtime activates the nervous system when it should be winding down. News, social media, or heated conversations stimulate the brain’s analytical and emotional centres, delaying sleep onset. Similarly, intense evening exercise may keep the bloodstream full of adrenaline, making your body feel wired late into the night. Scheduling stimulating activities earlier in the day allows the nervous system to calm before bedtime rituals begin.

Creating a Sleep Sanctuary with Calming Soundscapes

Eliminating disturbances enhances sleep quality. Phones should be switched off or left outside the bedroom to prevent notifications from disrupting sleep cycles. Introducing certain sounds masks environmental noise and calms the mind. Many use smart speakers to play rain sounds or arctic blizzard soundtracks to create a consistent audio backdrop that signals safety and calmness to the unconscious mind. The consistent hum of a fan also creates airflow, adding another layer of physical comfort to the sleep environment.

Using Jin Shin Jyutsu to Calm the Nervous System Before Sleep

Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient practice from traditional Japanese medicine, calms the nervous system and balances energy meridians before sleep. Grasping each finger gently, starting with the thumb and working through to the little finger, then placing the thumb in the centre of the palm, promotes deep relaxation. Feeling a pulse in each finger is a positive sign of energetic flow. This ritual requires no belief, only consistent practice, to produce a calming effect that primes the body for restorative sleep.

You can watch Mike demonstrate this technique in the video at the bottom of this blog post.

Room Temperature and Comfort as Sleep Optimisers

Temperature plays a crucial role in sleep onset. The body’s core temperature drops slightly during sleep, so keeping the room cool enhances this natural process. Lightweight pyjamas, fewer blankets, or opening a window can create the ideal sleeping temperature. Experimentation reveals the right balance between cool air and warm bedding to maintain comfort throughout the night.

How to Return to Sleep if Waking Up During the Night

Insomniacs often visualise bright, colourful mental images while running a rapid internal commentary about upcoming tasks. This mental stimulation activates the visual and auditory cortices, preventing sleep. Good sleepers instead focus on physical comfort, speaking internally in a slow, sleepy voice. This self-soothing approach calms the nervous system, encouraging sleep to return naturally.

Listening to podcasts with calm, intellectually engaging topics or extremely boring videos can also shift attention away from anxious thoughts. This external focus prevents the mind from spiralling into wakeful rumination, allowing sleep to return effortlessly.

Gentle Waking for Maximum Morning Energy

Alarm clocks often interrupt sleep cycles, causing grogginess upon waking. Ideally, waking occurs naturally at the end of a sleep cycle. Sunrise alarms gradually brighten the room, mimicking dawn and naturally raising cortisol levels while decreasing melatonin. This gentle transition from sleep to wakefulness preserves mental clarity and emotional stability.

Training the unconscious mind to wake at a desired time using self-hypnosis is highly effective. Then, if needed, set your alarm for 10 minutes later just in case.

Harnessing the Power of Afternoon Naps

Afternoon naps provide powerful benefits for brain health and energy levels. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the ideal nap time is halfway between waking and sleeping hours. For example, someone who wakes at six in the morning and sleeps at ten at night will benefit most from a nap around two in the afternoon.

Naps should last no longer than twenty to thirty minutes to avoid grogginess. Even if you don't actually fall asleep, simply resting with eyes closed refreshes the nervous system more effectively than caffeine. Using noise masking, soft music, or self-hypnosis techniques enhances the nap’s effects.

The post How to Build Better Sleep Habits and Wake Up Refreshed Every Day appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

There’s a strange paradox in modern life. Everyone knows exercise is good, but most people still don’t do it.

If the very word exercise makes your eyes glaze over, you’re not alone. For most people, the idea of staying fit feels overwhelming, time-consuming, or downright boring. But what if fitness could be simple, sustainable, and even enjoyable? What if you could improve your energy, health, and longevity without turning your life upside down?

The truth is, exercise does not require a gym membership, a strict schedule, or a personal trainer yelling in your ear. It only takes small, consistent action. With the right approach, anyone can build strength, increase mobility, boost cardiovascular health, and feel better every single day. All it takes is a smart strategy and a few realistic habits.

This guide breaks down a no-nonsense approach to movement that works. It covers the four pillars of fitness: strength training, mobility, cardiovascular activity, and recreational movement. It also includes practical tips, time-saving shortcuts, and a powerful mental strategy using self-hypnosis to keep motivation high.

Welcome to exercise that fits real life.

Why Exercise Is Non-Negotiable for a Healthy Life

Exercise and healthy eating are the most effective tools for building a strong, resilient body and a sharp, focused mind. Daily exercise boosts mood, improves sleep, reduces anxiety, and helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and hormones.

More importantly, regular movement increases both lifespan and healthspan. Lifespan is how long you live. Healthspan is how well you live. The goal is to stay mobile, energetic, and independent for as long as possible. No one wants to spend their final years in physical decline. The aim is to feel good until the very end, then go quickly without a long, slow slide.

Exercise also reduces the risk of falls, fractures, and chronic pain. It improves bone density, joint stability, and reaction time. A stronger body means fewer injuries, faster recovery, and more freedom in daily life.

From a mental standpoint, movement builds confidence and momentum. Even a short walk can lift a bad mood. A few minutes of strength training can boost self-esteem. This is not about six-pack abs or body image. It is about function, vitality, and feeling good in your skin.

The Four Pillars of Practical Fitness

Instead of rigid workout plans or punishing routines, this approach is built on four foundational types of movement. Each one contributes to long-term health in a different way. Together, they create a powerful, well-rounded fitness strategy.

• Strength Training
• Mobility and Flexibility
• Cardiovascular Activity (Zone Two)
• Recreational Movement

You do not need to master all four at once. Start with what feels easiest or most enjoyable, then layer on the others as they become habits.

Strength Training: Build a Body That Works

Strength training improves muscle mass, boosts metabolism, and strengthens bones. It is especially important as the body ages. Loss of muscle mass begins in the thirties and accelerates after fifty. The best way to fight back is through resistance training.

But here is the good news: it does not take hours in the gym. In fact, as little as ten minutes per week can produce real results.

Focus on three core movement types:

• Push movements, such as pushups or wall presses
• Pull movements, such as ror assisted pullups
• Squatting movements, like standing from a seated position without using the hands

Perform each movement until failure, which usually takes one to two minutes per exercise. That is it. Three sessions a week of less than ten minutes total can build noticeable strength. For most people, bodyweight exercises are enough to create change.

Strength is the foundation of function. It makes everything easier: lifting, walking, climbing, and even getting out of bed. Train it simply and consistently.

For proper technique and progressions, check out reputable YouTube instructors such as Jerry Teixeira. 

Mobility and Flexibility: Stay Limber, Stay Capable

Mobility is not just for yoga lovers. It is the key to moving freely and comfortably. A mobile body can reach, twist, bend, and stand without pain or restriction. Flexibility reduces the risk of injury and helps muscles recover faster.

You do not need a mat, incense, or a 90-minute routine. All it takes is a few minutes of movement, ideally during spare moments in your day.:

• Stretch while waiting for coffee or tea to brew
• Perform shoulder rolls or neck mobility drills during TV commercials
• Do hamstring stretches while listening to a podcast

YouTube is full of helpful mobility routines from yoga instructors, chiropractors, and physical therapists. Start with basic routines and build from there. If the body is tight, go gently. This is not about intensity; it is about consistency.

Mobility supports all other forms of exercise. It also makes everyday tasks easier, from checking your blind spot while driving to putting on socks without wobbling.

A body that moves well is a body that ages well.

Cardio Without Pain: The Magic of Zone Two

Cardio does not have to mean running marathons or sweating buckets on a treadmill. The most beneficial cardiovascular training for longevity is known as Zone Two cardio. It is low to moderate intensity and focuses on building endurance and supporting heart and lung function.

The simplest way to measure Zone Two is the talk test. You should be able to carry on a conversation, but not sing a song comfortably. That’s how you know you are in the right zone.

To calculate it more precisely, subtract your age from 220 to get your estimated maximum heart rate. Then aim for 70 to 80 percent of that number.

For example:

220 minus 50 years old = 170 max heart rate
70 percent of 170 = 119 beats per minute

The goal is to spend around three hours per week in this zone. That could be walking briskly, cycling, swimming, or using a stationary bike. Spread it out through the week or break it into shorter sessions.

Zone Two cardio improves fat metabolism, reduces blood pressure, and increases stamina. Best of all, it is easy to pair with other activities like listening to audiobooks, catching up on calls, or simply enjoying the outdoors.

Movement does not need to be exhausting to be effective.

Recreational Movement: Make It Fun and Social

This is the easiest and most overlooked part of the fitness puzzle. Recreational activity is movement that does not feel like a chore. It is fun, social, and something to look forward to.

Examples include:

• Pickleball
• Volleyball
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Martial arts
• Dancing
• Power walking with a friend

Even mowing the lawn or playing with grandchildren can count. The key is to choose something enjoyable and do it regularly.

The best exercise is always the one that you actually do. Recreational movement taps into intrinsic motivation. There is no pressure, no performance, and no dread, just movement that feels good.

Micro-Workouts: Use the Moments You Already Have

Short bursts of effort throughout the day create measurable improvements in health. These are sometimes called exercise snacks or micro-workouts. They are perfect for busy people or anyone struggling to build a traditional workout routine.

Examples:

• Ten pushups before brushing your teeth
• Twenty air squats while food is in the microwave
• Calf raises while standing at the sink
• Stretching during Zoom meetings or Netflix shows

These tiny efforts accumulate. Over weeks and months, they create real change in strength, mobility, and energy levels.

Micro-workouts remove the most common excuse: not enough time.

Learn Hypnosis Online

With the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.
World Class Training—Hypnotize Anyone.

Get Started For Just $1

The post Simple Ways to Build Exercise Into Your Daily Life appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

It’s a startling concept, when you really think about it.

Imagine a street café.

A man sits alone, scanning a newspaper. At the counter, a young woman pauses, lost in thought. Near the exit, an elderly man with a cane limps toward the door, as you sit quietly, sipping coffee.

And just like that, we brush up against the hauntingly beautiful concept of sonder, a word coined by John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

The man scanning the paper is searching for a part-time job. It’s all he can manage since being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. The woman at the counter is wondering how she’s going to survive the two weeks she’s agreed to spend looking after her sister’s hyperactive German Shepherd. And the elderly man with the cane? He’s a retired neurosurgeon who still consults weekly and refuses to fade into obscurity.

Sonder is the sudden realization that every random passerby is living a life as vivid, layered, and intricate as your own, complete with their own struggles, routines, heartbreaks, victories, and secret moments of joy. And you may never know a single thing about them.

It’s a kind of emotional vertigo. Like looking up at the stars and realizing that each one is a sun, surrounded by its own orbiting worlds. But in this case, it’s not stars, it’s people. Real, beating-heart humans with rich inner landscapes you’ll never explore.

Sonder can be unsettling when it hits you full on. It’s a soft sort of awe. But it’s also an antidote to the narcissism of modern life. In an age of relentless personalization and curated social bubbles, this concept hits like a wake-up call. It reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. Other people’s stories matter, even if they remain untold.

When you sit with it long enough, it can be overwhelming. We simply can’t carry every story. So, we reduce people to roles: the barista, the Uber driver, that slovenly guy at the grocery store. It’s easier that way. But every time we collapse a person into a category, we discard the richness of their actual experience. And that’s the beginning of disconnection.

I’m writing this email from the shore of Bob Lake. I can see other cottages dotting the far side of the water. Some are empty, some filled with weekend guests. Each one holds stories. Arguments. First kisses. Quiet sadness. Board games. Laughter. Generational traditions. A million small details from lives that are just as valid as mine.

If someone in one of those cottages glances across the lake and could see me sitting here, typing away on my iPad, I’m irrelevant. I’m just an extra in the background of their story, if I register for them at all.

And they are extras in mine.

I was reminded of all this a few nights ago, watching the Blue Jays play at Rogers Centre. I looked around and felt it again, that quiet jolt of sonder. Every one of the 40,000 people in the stands was the lead character in their own unfolding story. Hopes. Regrets. Diagnoses. Promotions. Breakups. Discoveries. Plans for later. Secret dreams. The momentum of it all, it’s breathtaking when you let yourself really see it.

Once this realization lands, it can soften us. It helps us become more sympathetic, more patient, maybe even more empathetic. We begin to understand that the story we’re writing isn’t the story, it’s just one of countless others, all interwoven, all unfolding side by side.

We don’t know what others have survived. We don’t know what they’re carrying today, or what they’re about to face tomorrow. But we can choose to honor the fact that they are carrying something.

And if I can remember that, if I can hold space for the validity of the lives of my extras and bit players, it just might shift how I move through the world. It might help me be a little more generous, a little more compassionate, a little more forgiving, when our lives inevitably intersect.

And maybe, that’s enough.

- Mike Mandel

The post The Strangest Thing About Everyone You See Today appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

It’s a simple but powerful way to improve your physical and emotional health…

I watched as a beginner student in my British Jiu Jitsu class struggled to control his opponent. No matter how many times he repeated the same technique, there was no power behind it.

Each attempt to block the punch, sweep the leg, and bring his opponent to the ground failed repeatedly.

Yet he kept trying, doing the exact same thing with no adjustment, as though pure repetition would magically lead to success.

Every time he stepped in close, trying to take down his larger and stronger training partner, the man barely moved. He just stood there, calm and amused, patiently smiling at the new student’s growing frustration.

Eventually, the student gave up. He wiped the sweat from his face and said what many self-defence students say when they hit a wall: “I’m just not strong enough.”

That’s when I called over another student.

She was smaller and less muscular, but her technique was sharp. She stepped in confidently and drove her opponent into the mat with speed and control. It was the kind of takedown that would instantly end a real street fight.

The difference came down to one small adjustment.

I told the struggling student the truth.

He was holding his breath.

As soon as I showed him how to breathe fluidly through the movement, everything changed. His power increased dramatically. He was suddenly able to control and take down someone who outweighed him by a good margin.

This isn’t just a martial arts trick. It’s a universal principle.

Boxers who breathe into their punches hit harder than those who hold their breath or breathe shallowly. Proper breathing doesn’t just support your strength. It releases it.

Breath is strange. We do it constantly, but often without thinking. It happens automatically to keep us alive. You can survive for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breath.

And yet, despite its importance, most people don’t breathe well. The average person rarely empties their lungs fully. They breathe in short, shallow bursts into the upper chest. This limits oxygen flow and increases tension without them even realizing it.

But just a few minutes of intentional breathing each day can transform your physical and mental health. It can lower your blood pressure, ease anxiety, reduce inflammation, and sharpen focus.

Proper breath control isn’t just vital in martial arts. It plays a huge role in every physical activity—tennis, swimming, gymnastics, even something as seemingly low-impact as pickleball.

It’s also the foundation of practices like Yoga and Qi Gong, which have focused on breathwork for thousands of years.

Our forebears understood this deeply. Across multiple ancient languages, the word for breath and the word for spirit are identical. In Greek, it’s pneuma. In Hebrew, ruach. In Latin, spiritus. Breath and life force were seen as one and the same.

When I first started training seriously over 25 years ago, I discovered a traditional Indian exercise called Hindu Squats. I still remember my first attempt. I got through just thirty-two reps and felt like I was going to pass out. I was lightheaded, sweating, and gasping for air.

Today, I can do 250 reps without much effort. My heart rate stays relatively steady and returns to normal within a minute.

The key? Breathing.

I’ve learned to breathe into each repetition. I exhale completely and inhale fully. My breathing is loud, rhythmic, and powerful. It fuels my movement instead of fighting against it.

The difference is remarkable.

That’s why I even include breathwork in my hypnosis training. I instruct clients to take deep, steady breaths as they imagine change flowing into them. Just saying something like “breathe in all those wonderful changes” shifts their physiology. The breath anchors the suggestion into the body.

So if you want an easy, free, and incredibly effective way to improve your life, start by changing how you breathe.

There are dozens of free breathing techniques online. Search YouTube for diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, or the Huberman method. Choose one that resonates with you and try it out for a few minutes a day.

Here’s a simple starting point: inhale slowly through your nose, then exhale even more slowly through your mouth. Make sure your exhale lasts longer than your inhale.

This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s natural calm mode. It lowers stress hormones, eases your mind, and helps you feel grounded and clear.

It costs nothing. It takes only a minute or two.

Start and end your day with a few slow, deep breaths.

You’ll feel calmer. You’ll think more clearly. You’ll move through the world with more grace and power.

Because real change, real strength, and real presence all begin with the same thing.

Your breath.

- Mike Mandel

The post What One Small Adjustment Changed Everything appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

Have you ever received a gift that literally changed your life?

This exactly what happened to me when my stepmother gave me a gift certificate for The World’s Biggest Bookstore, which unfortunately no longer exists.

It sat in a drawer for a few months until I finally got around to going downtown to the store and checking out the books, hoping to find something interesting.

I found a great book, which was all about graphology, which is handwriting analysis. Skeptical at first, I quickly became amazed at what handwriting could tell about someone’s personality.

I went on to do an 18-month certification course, culminating in study in Chicago.

Over the years, I applied my analytical skills many times, for business applications and even forensic work when I was on staff with The Police Charter.

I did work for Canada Border Services, and a major zoo when they were getting threatening letters, and analyzed the handwriting of an unstable doctor for a Toronto hospital.

And it always amazed me.

Like the time I was on tour in the UK and staying at a hotel in Reading, England…

I got in late from a hypnosis and found a scribbled note pushed under my door. It was about a phone call from someone.

I didn’t understand the content of the note, so the next day I inquired at the front desk, but they had no knowledge of the note, as it wasn’t from their message pad.

I glanced at the writing and told the manager that it was written by someone who was solitary, decorated with books, loved spicy foods, and walked with a heavy tread.

Oh! That’ll be Joe, the night watchman! said the man.

Over the years, I did a college and university talk called Are you dating a psychopath? I would do a brief lecture and then the students would line up to hear all about the handwriting they provided me with, and the personalities of those behind the writing.

It got so I became really fast in extracting the key traits, often doing about 50 or 60 readings in a row.

And always, the most skeptical students stood there in shock as I unpacked the hidden jealousies, repressed emotions, desire for revenge, predisposition to violence, and dozens of other traits.

Once I was teaching in Whistler BC for New York Times bestselling author Neil Strauss and was mobbed during the break by attendees, who all wanted to know what their writing showed. One of them was a medical doctor who clearly thought it was all bunk.

What does my writing show? he asked with a smirk.

I responded that it showed very little, and he smiled triumphantly, and began to walk away. Then I asked him how he managed to conceal and deal with his nearly uncontrollable sexual aggression…

He instantly responded with just two words.

"Holy sh*t!"

He went red to the roots of his hair.

But how is it possible that handwriting tells a trained graphologist so much? The reason is large numbers of samples. For over a hundred years, writing samples have been collected and analyzed, making comparisons and asking questions like these:

What does the writing of 500 high achievers show?
What writing traits show up in successful suicide notes?
Where can we see generosity and friendliness in a sample of handwriting?

Once the patterns were identified, the researchers began to work backwards, applying what they’d learned about patterns to specific handwriting samples.

Universities like the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Heidelberg made it a mainstream branch of psychology.

That’s because handwriting is actually brain writing.

It’s a complex neuromuscular activity in the prefrontal cortex. And when the personality changes, the brain causes the handwriting to change too.

But there’s an even more astonishing aspect to this, which is if you change your writing, you’ll change your personality too.

Graphotherapy is a new field, but an amazing way to improve your life by adding or changing some traits in your writing, and here’s how:

A simple way to add self-reliance to your personality is to underline your signature in a single, left to right underscore, making sure it’s under the name, not cutting through it.

By making this your usual signature, you’ll add the ability to go it alone, when you face challenges, and have no support from others.

Another excellent trait to add is to make the loops in the small letters g and y large and full, coming back and crossing the baseline the letters rest on. This will add desire for variety, help you expand your social group, and bringing creative imagination to your available skills.

And how high up is the crossbar of your small letter T? Push it much higher up the stem, make it longer, and slightly upslanted. This adds willpower, enthusiasm, and desire to succeed; leadership traits that all high-achievers have.

Practice these traits and build them into your writing, and in about a month, you’ll notice them appearing in your personality.

It’s the easiest self-therapy in the world!

And don’t bother emailing me to look at your handwriting, because I don’t do personal handwriting analysis.

But by making just those few changes I recommended, you’ll go a long way to improving the quality of your own life.

- Mike Mandel

P.S. our Graphology program sells for $349 solo, but it's now included in the Brain Software Syndicate for the price of a fancy coffee.

The post The Note Under My Hotel Door (and What It Revealed) appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

It’s Easier Than You Think

When I was a young boy, I was captivated by magic. All kinds of it.

I loved tricks with playing cards, of course, but what really drew me in were the mental feats that fall under the broader umbrella of mentalism. I studied methods that made it appear as though I could read people’s minds or even predict future events before they happened. It felt like discovering a secret language of the mind, one that most people never knew existed.

And memory tricks were a huge part of that.

I learned to do things that seemed impressive, even impossible. For example, if you were to give me a list of random objects, pausing briefly between each one, I could repeat them back to you perfectly. Not just in the order you gave them, but also in reverse, and sometimes even by naming only the odd or even-positioned ones.

It would not matter if the list had ten items, or thirty, or more. Once you understand how memory works, it becomes surprisingly manageable.

Because here’s the real secret. Memory is not about raw intelligence or photographic recall. It is all about connection. All memory works by association.

When you connect a new piece of information to something you already know, especially in an interesting or emotional way, it sticks. That is what makes it powerful. You are not just memorizing. You are creating meaning.

The best part is that this is not some obscure magician’s trick. It is an ancient method that goes back thousands of years.

The Greeks and Romans used a technique known as the memory palace to deliver persuasive speeches without relying on notes. They did not try to remember every word.

Instead, they memorized the structure, the main ideas, and the sequence, so they could speak freely and naturally. It gave them both clarity and confidence.

I used the exact same method to prepare my keynote at HypnoThoughts Live in Las Vegas. The talk ran thirty minutes and I did it entirely from memory. No notes. No slides. Just a clear mental map that guided me from beginning to end.

Here is how it works.

You begin by choosing a place that you know extremely well. It could be a room in your home, your daily commute, or a familiar walking trail. For me, one of my go-to locations is the sunroom at the back of my house. I know every detail of it without even thinking. That familiarity is the key.

So let us say I need to memorize a list or a speech. I start by mentally placing each item at a specific location in the sunroom. The first thing I see when entering the room is the short set of steps. If the first item is a black cat, I imagine the cat lounging across the steps, refusing to move, watching me with glowing eyes as I try to step past him.

Next, I see the Scandinavian leather chair in the corner. If the second item is a glass of water, I imagine placing it on the chair’s seat, only to have it tip over and soak into the leather, leaving a spreading dark stain.

I continue in this way, walking through the room and placing each item at a new, vivid, memorable point. The trick is to use imagery that is emotional, exaggerated, or strange. If it is ordinary, your brain might forget it. If it is weird or funny or uncomfortable, your brain grabs hold of it.

To recall the list, I just walk through the room in my mind. One location at a time, one image at a time. Each picture reminds me of the item I placed there. It becomes a kind of mental tour, and because it is built on a structure I already know, the new information feels surprisingly easy to retrieve.

But there is an even simpler method that can be used on the fly.

Let us say you are going to the grocery store and you want to remember a handful of items without writing them down or using your phone. You can use a simple linking system that takes just seconds to set up.

Say your first three shopping list items are soap, a barbecued chicken, and paper towels.

You start by imagining a massive bar of Irish Spring soap. Make it cartoonishly big, green, and maybe even pulsing with light. Now imagine washing a hot, greasy, fully cooked barbecued chicken with that bar of soap. The skin slides off and the soap melts in your hands. It is absurd. And that is the point.

Next, picture using paper towels to dry off the chicken, but they stick to the skin and tear apart messily. Now you have a sequence of connected images, each one strange and vivid, and each one linking directly to the next item on your list.

You can do this with five items, ten items, even twenty. As long as you exaggerate the imagery and connect each item clearly to the next, your brain will hold onto the sequence.

The key to this is deliberate attention. You must choose to remember, rather than passively hoping the list sticks. When you engage your focus and add visual intensity, your brain responds by creating stronger pathways. On a biological level, this activates protein kinase C, which plays a role in forming new long-term memories.

And like any skill, it improves with practice. The more you use these techniques, the faster and more natural they become. Eventually, you will find yourself remembering names more easily, delivering talks without notes, or even studying more effectively for complex material.

Most people believe memory is something fixed. You are either good at it or not. But the truth is that memory is highly trainable. You just need the right tools and the willingness to use them.

Once you understand how to link new information to what you already know, your memory becomes a tool you can rely on, rather than a frustrating mystery.

You do not need to be gifted to have a great memory. You just need a method.

And once you have that, your brain becomes an ally instead of something you are constantly working against.

And next time you go shopping and find yourself smearing soap on a chicken, don’t blame me…

- Mike Mandel

P.S. our "Memory Power" program is included in the Brain Software Syndicate

The post The Memory Trick That Feels Like Magic appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

Stress creeps in quietly.

The racing mind at 3 a.m., the tension in the shoulders during endless work calls, the feeling that there’s never enough time in the day. In today’s fast-paced world, learning how to manage daily stress is no longer optional; it’s essential for staying healthy, focused, and happy.

The good news is that stress relief doesn’t have to mean booking an expensive retreat or spending hours meditating on a mountaintop. Proven, natural stress reduction techniques can be woven into daily life, calming the mind and protecting the body from the damaging effects of chronic tension.

In this blog post, you'll discover how to lower stress and anxiety naturally with simple, practical habits that anyone can start using today.

Understanding the Nature of Stress

Stress itself is not the enemy. In small doses, it helps people stay sharp, adapt to challenges, and even grow stronger. This is known as eustress, the beneficial type that pushes the mind to solve problems and the body to perform at its best.

Trouble begins when healthy stress turns into chronic distress. Daily worries, financial pressures, demanding workloads, and constant digital noise leave little room for recovery. As a result, stress hormones like cortisol stay elevated, making it harder to sleep, easier to gain weight, and far more likely to feel anxious or overwhelmed.

Managing stress naturally means noticing it early and using simple tools to reset both mind and body before it snowballs out of control.

Empty the Overflowing Stress Bucket

Imagine a slow leak under the kitchen sink. Ignore it long enough, and the bucket underneath will overflow, causing a mess that’s much harder to clean up. Stress works the same way. Each little annoyance drips into an invisible bucket.

Rather than waiting until it spills over into headaches, arguments, or sleepless nights, empty that bucket regularly with daily stress relief habits. This is the key to building resilience and staying calm, no matter what life throws your way.

Move the Body, Quiet the Mind

One of the most effective ways to lower stress naturally is also one of the simplest: move the body. Aerobic exercise helps burn off excess cortisol, releases feel-good endorphins, and shifts the mind out of overthinking mode.

Daily movement doesn’t need to be complicated. Walking briskly around the neighborhood, riding a bike, swimming a few laps, or using a treadmill while listening to a favorite podcast are all excellent choices.

Aim for what trainers call Zone 2 cardio, about 60–70% of maximum heart rate. A good check: it should be easy to hold a conversation, but singing should feel challenging. Just 20–30 minutes a day works wonders for physical and mental wellbeing.

Jin Shin Jyutsu

Stress relief can be done anywhere and anytime, even sitting on the couch. Jin Shin Jyutsu, a gentle method from Japanese healing traditions, helps calm the nervous system with just a simple hand technique.

Lightly grasp one thumb with the opposite hand until you feel a gentle pulse. Hold it for about 20 seconds, then move through each finger the same way. Finish by pressing the thumb into the centre of the opposite palm, feeling for the pulse again.

This routine clears mental clutter and prepares the mind for deep, restorative sleep. No fancy gadgets required.

Release Tension with a Full-Body Clench

Here’s a quick and surprisingly powerful trick: deliberately tense the whole body, then let it go. It sounds counterintuitive, but this method makes it easier to relax on demand.

Press the tongue gently against the roof of the mouth, clench fists, curl toes inside shoes, squeeze abs and glutes, but keep breathing steadily. Hold the tension for a moment, then release everything all at once.

Repeat this two or three times. Each round melts away hidden tension and trains the body to relax faster when stress tries to take over.

Master Relaxation with a Cue Word

Breathing techniques for stress relief are simple yet powerful. Adding a mental cue makes them even better.

Find a comfortable position, inhale gently through the nose, and exhale slowly while mentally hearing a single, calming word stretched out. Peace, calm, or even one.

Use this practice for 10–20 minutes to quiet racing thoughts, slow the heart rate, and slip into a state of deep, natural relaxation. It’s a mini meditation that resets the mind without any complicated rituals.

Use the Physiological Sigh to Relax Instantly

When stress spikes unexpectedly, a quick fix is the physiological sigh.

Take a quick inhale through the nose, pause, then take a second, shorter sniff to fill the lungs fully. Exhale slowly through the mouth.

Repeat two or three times. This simple pattern offloads excess carbon dioxide, slows the heartbeat, and shifts the body into its calm, parasympathetic mode almost immediately. Perfect for sudden stress at work, in traffic, or even before a big meeting.

Tap Away Anxiety with Mike's Six-Step Method.

Energy tapping uses gentle fingertip taps on specific points to break up stuck stress patterns. It’s quick, portable, and surprisingly effective.

Tap lightly on the top of the head, the centre of the forehead, the outer corner of either eye, under the eye on the cheekbone, and the collarbone. Finish by holding either wrist gently.

While tapping, use phrases like "I release this stress" or "This tension is leaving now." Take a deep breath, exhale, and say peace. Rate the level of stress before and after. Most people notice an instant drop.

Click here to watch Mike demonstrate this technique.

Build Breaks into the Day to Keep Stress in Check

One of the easiest natural stress relief methods is often overlooked: taking regular short breaks. Working without pause may feel productive, but it quietly fuels mental exhaustion and tension.

Every hour, step away from the task at hand for five to ten minutes. Stretch, grab a glass of water, or listen to a favorite song. Breaking big projects into smaller chunks and pausing to acknowledge each win keeps the mind sharp and stress levels low.

Give the Brain a Mini Vacation

A dedicated relaxation or self-hypnosis track is like a mental holiday. Just twenty minutes of focused listening can reset the mind, clear cluttered thoughts, and bring the body into a state of total calm.

Many find it helpful at the end of a busy day or as a midday reset to regain focus and energy. Think of it as a quick power nap for the unconscious mind.

Stay Calm, Healthy, and Resilient

Daily stress is a given, but living with constant anxiety and tension doesn’t have to be. By emptying the stress bucket regularly with these natural stress relief habits, it becomes much easier to stay calm, think clearly, and enjoy life more fully.

Move the body, breathe deeply, use simple techniques like finger holding, tapping, and clenching to release hidden tension, and take breaks before burnout has a chance to take root.

Consistency is key. Practice these methods daily, and stress will lose its grip. A calmer, healthier, and more focused mind is waiting. No wizardry required (well, maybe just a little).

The post Practical Stress Relief Techniques to Calm Your Mind and Body appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.

How the heck did we get here?

Here at Mike Mandel Hypnosis, we’ve just wrapped up a massive overhaul of just about everything connected to our business. This has been in the works for months, behind the scenes, and it has touched every corner of what we do. Our CEO, Chris, finally made the call and pulled the trigger on a simpler, cleaner, and much more effective way of operating.

And the results speak for themselves.

We now find ourselves with the largest and most comprehensive hypnosis training program on the planet, both online and classroom. We’re talking about hundreds of professional training videos, an entire podcast library, and contributions from some incredible guest trainers from around the world. This isn’t just a course. It’s a full ecosystem for learning hypnosis and NLP at a level that simply didn’t exist before.

It’s taken twelve years to get here. And when I pause to really look back, it’s honestly a little surreal how this whole thing came together. What started as a rough idea and a couple of wild dreams somehow turned into the gold standard of hypnosis training.

Back around the spring of 2013, the entire concept was still just a spark. Chris had the vision. He saw something that didn’t exist yet. I, on the other hand, was a bit skeptical. Not dismissive, but cautious. Even so, I believed in his determination, and I knew that if anyone could pull it off, it was him.

And believe it or not, it all began with CDs.

We mailed out physical CDs to customers. That was the very start of what became our training. It was humble, basic, and entirely physical. We hadn’t even shot our first hypnosis video yet. But we had an idea, and we had the willingness to act on it.

Then came the Brain Software Podcast.

This was Chris’s idea too. He wanted to give everything away. And I mean everything. Everything I knew about hypnosis and NLP. All of it. Week after week. For free.

At the time, I thought he was nuts (to use the medical term).

I said, if we give away the goods, what’s left to sell? It felt like a terrible business decision.

But here’s the thing. It worked.

People began listening to the podcast and getting real value from it. Not fluff, not vague inspiration, but actionable ideas and techniques they could use immediately. And eventually, they realized something important. What we were offering wasn’t just good. It was world-class. And when you give away that kind of value, people don’t just take it and leave. They want more. They want the full experience, packaged and structured so they can learn faster and go deeper.

That was the birth of the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy.

We didn’t wait until everything was perfect. We didn’t even wait until the curriculum was finished. We started drip-feeding our early videos to subscribers while we built the rest as we went. Our only rule was to stay a few weeks ahead of our students.

And somehow, that was enough.

We kept creating. Bit by bit. Video by video. Audio by audio. Sometimes it was just a few new minutes of content. But the Academy started to grow. And over time, those small steps began to compound into something much bigger than we’d imagined.

At first, it was exciting just to be creating something new. We were building a school from scratch. But we had no idea how far it would go. No clue how many lives it would impact.

And honestly, if I’d known at the beginning just how big this would become, I might have felt too overwhelmed to even start. It would have looked impossible from that vantage point.

But that’s the beauty of starting small.

What seemed daunting in the abstract became manageable when broken into pieces. We didn’t launch an empire overnight. We sent out CDs in envelopes. We filmed short videos. We refined a little here and a little there.

And that approach changed everything.

Slow, steady progress became our secret weapon.

One day, two psychiatrists from Singapore flew to Toronto just to train with us. That was a moment that hit us hard. These were serious professionals crossing oceans because they believed in what we were doing.

Then came the psychologists. Dentists. Medical doctors. Educators. Coaches.

And a whole lot of everyday people too. People who simply wanted to learn powerful tools to improve their own lives or help others.

The more people we served, the better we became. The better we became, the more people came to study. And that cycle just kept feeding itself.

It reminded us of the Japanese principle of Kaizen. That means continuous improvement. Not flashy, not huge, but steady forward motion. Little steps that build on one another over time.

By keeping our changes small — maybe just three percent at a time — we avoided burnout and overwhelm. But the momentum we built was unstoppable. And the results were huge.

So why am I telling you all this?

Is it just a chance to pat ourselves on the back?

Not even close.

I’m sharing this because the same principle that built the Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy can apply to just about anything in your life.

It’s the old saying: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

If there’s something big you want to build, change, or create — a dream you’ve been sitting on — this is your reminder that you don’t have to do it all at once. In fact, you probably shouldn’t do it all at once.

Start small. I mean really small. So small that it feels almost silly.

Then do it again tomorrow.

And again next week.

Stick with it.

If you do that, if you keep taking those small consistent steps, you’ll look up in a few months or a few years and barely recognize where you started.

And you’ll wonder, just like we do sometimes…

How the heck did we get here?

- Mike Mandel

P.S. We did a Video Podcast talking about how we started working together. And we published this YouTube vid explaining exactly what's new in our Academy

The post What Small Steps Can Really Do appeared first on Mike Mandel Hypnosis.