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It can be challenging to attend a multi-day event full of visual stimulation, people trying to sell you things, loud chatter, and many conversations. How often are you leaving feeling inspired and re-energized versus exhausted and cranky? We believe there are three important steps to balancing the hustle and bustle of an event like NeoCon while also enjoying your time and keeping your immune system intact. Of course, it's important to keep yourself resourced with clean eating, regular sleep, deep breathing and hydration. Bonus points for taking time to exercise! If you really want to up your game, consider implementing the following three practices for a meaningful and memorable NeoCon experience: Presence Presence is a popular word and under-utilized skill. Are you able to be present with each conversation without thinking about multiple other things or looking beyond the person's shoulder for the next person to talk with? If you have a time limitation, consider starting your conversation by setting expectations around your availability and asking of theirs. Once locked in, remember to breathe deeply into your belly bringing energy back to yourself with each in breath. Make solid eye contact to maintain focus. ollow step #2 and be authentic by sharing whats happening in your inner experience. Authenticity Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your own skin? Pretending to be something or someone that we aren’t can be uncomfortable and exhausting. Most of the time we aren’t aware of the many ways we create this incongruency within ourselves. Authenticity starts with asking yourself, "Is what I say and what I think matching what I chose to do?" In other words, do your actions match your desired way of being? If you want to be in integrity with yourself and others try answering honestly when someone you know and like asks how you are doing. If this feels scary you can start by clarifying with them, “Do you really want to know?” If they confirm yes, tell them what is actually happening for you. For example, "Wow, it’s great to see you and I notice I have a lot of racing thoughts about the multitude of conversations I’ve just had, and I’m finding myself challenged to be fully present." This will bring a higher level of integrity to your own system as well as to the relationship. Concealing even the smallest type of information can dysregulate your system and prevent authentic connection. Appreciation If you want more joy in your life, it is important to overcome unhealthy criticism by developing a practice of authentic appreciation. Often our predisposition to criticism is the number one habit robbing us of the ability to express appreciation of ourselves and others. Try this appreciation practice as a way to begin shifting away from self-criticism. Each evening write down 5 things you appreciate about yourself. As a bonus, challenge yourself to share those things you appreciate about yourself with another. Tell them you are working on creating a habit of self appreciation and invite them to do the same. Even if they are small, find a way to move beyond the critical voice. If this is too much of a stretch, at least find something authentic to appreciate about people you interact with. It can take years of practice to cognitively restructure your internal self-talk, to generate self-appreciation and allow others to appreciate you without brushing it off. By practicing self appreciation daily, you open the doors to giving and receiving more appreciations from others with ease. In time you will likely notice your relationships are stronger and more loving. A life based in appreciation feels so much better than one guided by criticism. If you fall out of practice, simply recommit to appreciating. Practicing presence, authenticity, and appreciation during a big event can help conserve your energy and allow you to get the most out of the experience. If you're attending NeoCon, or another large event in the future, set an intention each morning when you wake up to focus on one of these three key themes. Notice what kind of opportunities show up for you to practice these skills. And watch the magic happen! P.S. We will be at NeoCon Booth 7-3012, please stop by and grab a Kombucha. #officedesign #sustainabledesign #quietthemind #presence #mindfulness #commercialdesign #commercialinteriors #reuserecycle #openoffice #neocon2019 #neoconshows

Science confirms it: too much chaotic noise in one’s environment can have a debilitating impact on the human nervous system. Unfortunately, on top of excess environmental noise, most of us are also dealing with excess mind noise on a daily basis--mental chatter that can increase stress while stifling creativity and joy. However, FSorb’s wellness experts say there is something creatives - like architects and designers - can do for a quieter mind and enhanced creative flow: get reign of your critical brain. Many people think criticism is necessary for problem solving and an important motivator for improvement. But scientists have long shown that being in a state of mental criticism—that internal voice that looks for what’s wrong in yourself, others, or your environment—is a form of mind noise that is especially detrimental to health and happiness. When active, the area of the brain responsible for monitoring and finding fault shuts down the area of the brain responsible for peak creativity, and vice versa. In other words, the inner critic cannot exist at the same time as peak creative flow. Self-criticism in particular harmful to wellbeing, and had been shown to contribute to relational conflict, depression, anxiety, negative self-image, substance abuse, and a decrease in motivation and productivity. The truth is at some point we all find things that frustrate, annoy or even repulse us, whether it’s something about ourselves, others, or life in general. Is it truly possible to “shut off” the fault-finding brain and simply ignore all there is to criticize out there (or over here)? Before you fall into the trap of criticizing yourself for being critical, give your critical brain a different thing to search for—that which you appreciate. Switching into appreciation mode has multiple positive benefits. From a health standpoint, appreciation practices reduce stress and help keep people healthy. One study showed that writing about gratitude for 10 weeks, as opposed to writing about daily complaints, resulted in greater optimism, more motivation to exercise, and fewer visits to physicians. When it comes to the workplace, 80% of people are willing to work harder for an appreciative boss, and 70% said they wish their boss thanked them more. Appreciation and gratitude have been shown to have striking impacts on brain function, increasing serotonin production (similar to the impact of antidepressant drugs), stimulating the hypothalamus (which regulates things like sleep and metabolism) and increasing dopamine, which encourages your brain to seek out more of the same trigger. In short, appreciation is a mood-boosting, weight and sleep regulating habit that’s addictive. But unlike other addictions, this one is actually good for you! One common appreciation-mastering tool is called a gratitude practice. Every night or morning, commit to setting aside 15 minutes to write a list of things you appreciate about your day, yourself, others, or your life on the whole. Other ways to practice appreciation: ~Write someone a thank you note ~Tell a friend or coworker something you appreciate about them ~Sit in a quiet place and think about something that went well At FSorb, we like to appreciate well designed acoustic environments. Whether it's a room designed with acoustic solutions, or a peaceful spot out in nature, we love the way quiet spaces boost our sense of health and creative flow. What are some things that you appreciate? Whatever your favorite ways are to practice the art of appreciation, implementing them consistently can have a powerful impact on your health and wellbeing.

As we move into a new decade, we’re plunging headfirst into the full-blown “information age.” Take one look around to our screen-filled reality, and it’s clear that we are more equipped with immediate access to a plethora of information than ever before. But more information at a faster pace means more for our minds to handle. For all the benefits of the information technology and communications revolution, there is a well-known downfall: too much information at once can overwhelm our mental capacities. For the average human, this can lead to brain fatigue, information addictions, shorter attention spans, and information contamination (making the wrong decision). So, as we’re entering into a new decade, with no slowing down in sight, how can we better equip ourselves to find mental peace when the world around us is constantly vying for our attention? At FSorb, our mission is to support people in accessing the benefits of quiet spaces, both externally and internally. So we’ve put together our top 4 tips for beating the mental noisiness that can come from "information overload” in our modern world. Avoid the Temptation to Multitask: We may think we can get more done by multitasking, but researchers show that we’re slower, not faster when attempting to do more than one thing. That’s because multitasking itself is a misnomer—instead of focusing on multiple tasks simultaneously, the brain actually switches very fast between tasks, which drains this vital organ of much-needed glucose. Some studies have shown multitasking actually decreases productivity by up to 40%. So give your brain a break and decide to focus on one thing at a time. Even 20 minutes of focused attention (turn off all distractions) can generate more productivity than you might realize. Take Daily Time for Silence: Being exposed to noise pollution impacts the human nervous system, health, learning and memory, and derails social enjoyment. Depending on where you live or work, you may feel challenged to find “quiet time,” but research is showing that silence, even for short amounts of time, is extremely beneficial. Just 2 minutes of silence relieves tension in the body and brain, lowers cortisol, adrenaline and blood pressure, and is more relaxing than listening to music. Two hours of silence can even stimulate brain regeneration. Starting a silent meditation practice is a great way to add blocks of silence into your daily life. Take Technology Breaks: Although life with technology can afford us many conveniences, don’t forget about other parts of life you value. Put down or turn off the phones, computers, and televisions for just a short period of time each day. Consider what else you might enjoy being fully present to, without any technological distractions? In-person conversations, physical activity outdoors, or hobbies like cooking or playing an instrument can all add great fulfillment to life. Take Breaks from Urban Environments: It’s not just information from our phones and computers that our brains have to process. The hum and honks of traffic, the flashing lights of storefronts and billboards, and even various city smells are all pieces of sensory information our nervous systems must take in and decide what to give attention to. If you live in an urban environment, taking breaks to spend time elsewhere, like deep in nature, can give a much-needed break to an overstimulated system. Whether it’s spending more time in nature or starting a meditation practice, make one of your resolutions this year to develop a few new habits for a quieter mind. Additionally, choose to spend more time in quieter spaces and revel in the benefits to your health and productivity. Lastly, if you’re a designer, don’t forget the immense value of enhancing a potentially noisy space with beautiful and effective acoustic solutions like FSorb.

Missouri Distributors: Dan Malinee 49 Airport Rd Ferguson, MO. 63135 (314) 522-0579 dmalinee@negwer.com www.negwer.com Sales Reps: Patty Gaus | President 3207 Sutton Blvd | Maplewood, MO 63143 314.219.5657 | 314.974.1127 www.gausacoustics.com Gregory Cuddihee Director of Design + Construction 2721 Sutton Blvd | Maplewood, MO 63143 314.219.5657 | 314.974.1127 www.gausacoustics.com

Kentucky Distributors: L&W Supply Louisville 3915 Business Park Dr Louisville, KY 40213 502-966-0361 502-964-3736 L&W Supply Lexington 164 Trade Street Lexington, KY 40511 859-231-6150 859-254-7567 Sales Reps: Seattle Doug Bixel 15125 NE 90th St. Redmond, WA 98052 844-313-7672 info@fsorb.com

Maryland Distributors: L&W Supply Halethorpe 4661 Hollins Ferry Rd Halethorpe, MD 21227 410-536-4440 410-247-8453 L&W Supply White Marsh 10521 Industrial Park Rd White Marsh, MD 21162 410-391-4440 410-574-9361 ​ Sales Reps: Midlantic Sales Group covers Maryland, Washington, DC Tom 201- C Love Point Rd Stevensville, MD, 21666 410-224-5865 tom@midlantic-group.com