mercurious-minds-blog

[mercurious-minds-blog]

The Essence of Meditation|4 Exercises You Can Start Right Now

There is a popular misconception that it takes a lot of time and effort of proper meditation to feel its benefits. Meditation, to a lot of people, is a lot of work. They think that there are many levels to it. People who think that way are generally confused by the traditional religious or spiritual aspect that surrounds meditation because Buddhism and Hinduism, where meditation originates, focuses on such details. Basic raw and practical meditation can produce results for you right here, right now. Since your goal is not to attain some sort of mystical enlightenment but to just live in the present moment and focus your mental energies, the benefit is almost immediate if you do it right. This training teaches you the ins and outs of practical meditation, without any religious or supernatural ideals, so you can come up with a solution that works best for you!

Life Today is Stressful

We live in a very stressful world. You probably don't need me to remind you of that fact. Why are we so stressed out and feel so much pressure? Why does it seem like contentment and peace are so hard to find? Well, for most people, they simply just have too many duties, responsibilities, distractions and routines taking up their time and attention. If you were to dissect your daily schedule, you probably would fit into this category. There's just so much that you have to cram into your mind every single day. It is no surprise that a lot of people develop the following symptoms of stress: They have short attention spans. When they read stuff online, they can barely pay attention until another item shows up on their Facebook timeline and they forgot about the stuff that they were reading before. They don't really read materials, they just scan. That's how short most people's attention span is. Next, stressed people overreact emotionally. It seems like everything that you perceive or become aware of is some sort of judgment or is somehow, some way, related to you. You personalize everything. You may be reading too much into things. And it’s no surprise that you tend to react emotionally and possibly end up making decisions or say things that you come to regret later on. Another symptom of too much stress is simply a lack of patience. You don't feel like you want to stick around for anything. This is a very serious problem because it can lead to road rage if you're stuck in traffic. This can lead to violent disagreements with friends and family members. You might hurt your relationships because you simply have grown impatient in dealing with people. People are people. It often takes time for people to get their act together. Finally, you get this generalized sense of anxiety and frustration. You can't quite put your finger on it, but you feel that something is missing in your life. You feel that something is just not right. Not surprisingly, it's very hard for you to find peace and contentment. It seems that, at any given second, something wrong might happen. It may lead to you losing money, or it may lead to you suffering from some sort of illness. Whatever the case may be, something's off. Something's not right. Rarely do you feel that if your world is perfect. It is no surprise that, given these symptoms, the western world suffers from several systemic dysfunctions. In the western world, there are high divorce rates. Too many people quickly conclude that their marriage is simply not worth saving, so this blows up the divorce rate. People are just not that patient with their relationships. Another symptom involves the high levels of drug use. This is particularly deadly in the United States because of the current opioid epidemic gripping that country. Some people have always self-medicated to deal with stress and anxiety. Maybe they smoke weed, maybe they do cocaine, maybe they shoot up heroin. Whatever the case may be, it numbs or suspends the pain for at least a period of time until they have to go back to "the real world." Finally, the western world, as well as Japan, has always suffered from high suicide rates. This is another reflection of the prolonged systemic dysfunction produced by depression, stress and anxiety. If you need proof of this, just look at the top prescribed medications in any given year in the United States and many parts of the "developed" world. What do you see at the top? Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. This is guaranteed. In the top ten of prescribed medications, you will always see those two. Something's got to give. Unfortunately, most of the time, it is you. Thankfully, there is a better way to handle your mental resources. You don't have to stress out. You don't have to freak out. You don't have to be emotionally on edge every single time. You don't feel like something wrong is going on or something's about to get knocked loose. The best thing about this better way of handling your mental resources is that it is 100% drug free. No chemicals are involved. You deal with your mind as it exists. You don't have to buy a machine. And you don't have to put anything foreign into your body. It is called MEDITATION! Meditation works with how your mind works. You're not going to hypnotize yourself. You're not going to be under the mental control of another person. Meditation enables you to remain in 100% control of your mind. You call the shots. You pick the method, and you work with it. It works on your schedule, on your own terms, and based on your needs. Sound awesome doesn’t it? Aren’t you sick and tired of the regular, and many times costly, ways you deal with stress, anxiety, and the daily strains of modern living? Wouldn’t you like to try easing your stress a better way? Maybe you’ve tried meditation but for one reason or another it didn’t stick with you. Well, below are ways that you can use to find the method that’s right for you.

What is Meditation?

What is meditation? We have already established that it is not some sort of metaphysical, spiritual or mystical state that you enter. It's definitely not some sort of attempt to achieve some sort of alternate reality or navigate some sort of spiritual truth. Instead, meditation works with how your mind already operates. The bottom line is, if your mind did not have a self-correcting system to achieve some sort of balance or some sort of inner peace at some level or another, you would have gone crazy a long time ago. Meditation really all boils down to getting in touch with that and becoming more aware of that inner machinery so you can call it into action when you need it, on your own terms. Your mind is a very powerful biochemical machine. It has all sorts of gears, processes and systems. Meditation just simply taps into this amazing interconnected network of internal systems that manages your personal reality to make the system work for you instead of against you. To get an understanding of how these systems work, imagine that you are looking at the world from 500,000 feet. At that distance, the world is a globe. You can see the clouds at the surface, and you can see some storms. And when you sink deeper, let's say, to 200,000 feet, you can see the storms up close. You can see the lightning, you can see the movement of the air. You can even see the surface of the waters. You can see the heat of the deserts. There's a lot of commotion. There's a lot of stress. But when you sink another 200,000 feet, you can see everything up close and personal. There's a lot of turbulence. Then you sink further, 500 feet under the surface. It starts getting calmer but you can still see some mild disturbance from the surface. But when you get to the core of the earth, it's surprisingly stable. In fact, it's a molten core. It barely moves. It's just liquid because of all the heat and pressure from the surface. But it is very, very stable in the center of the earth. Your mind is the same. When you drill down enough, things get calmer and calmer despite how traumatic, turbulent, and stressful the surface area of your mind becomes. When you get to the core, you can take a lot of comfort from the fact that it will always remain calm. It has to be this way because, as I said earlier, if humanity did not develop in such a way that our minds have some sort of self-correcting core system that's always stable, we would have died as a species a long, long time ago.

Meditation is All About Getting to Your Core

Practical meditation is all about getting to that inner core. It's all about getting to that part of your mind that is always at peace. It has these mechanisms that ensure that you keep going back to this sense of peace. Believe it or not, really stressed out people, people who are going through a living hell as far as their emotions, their relationships, their career, their finances, and everything else in their life, actually have a calm inner core. Unfortunately, that's just buried in all the stuff that's taking up all their mental energy. But it's not going to go away. It's always there. You are programmed by biology to have a calm inner core, otherwise, you would have gone crazy a long time ago. The bottom line is simple: meditation is all about living in the moment. That is where we reconnect with our calm inner core. Here's the twist, though. Meditation is an art, not a science. If meditation was a science, like some sort of equation that you just plug in variables into and you will get the same predictable result, then we wouldn't be here. Instead, it is built to be adaptable and to respond to any dynamic situation or stimulus life may throw at you. It evolves alongside life, just like art. And like art, it is personal in nature, because you have to go through the process of making your own choices and methods to clear up your mind, so you can lock in on the present moment. That's how you reconnect with your deep, abiding inner core of calm and serenity. Now, with that said, although meditation is an art and not a science, it's been scientifically studied thoroughly. In fact, there are at least 200 peer reviewed, hardcore scientific studies of meditation. A lot of this was done in the 1970s. Meditation has many proven benefits. But don't think that what we are discussing is some sort of experimental or completely new method. No. Its effects have been known for quite some time. In fact, in many parts of the world, it's been practiced for well over 1,000 years. If you're reading this, chances are, you already want to try your hand at meditation. There's a high probability that you probably already know some, if not all, of the 10 major benefits of meditation. Just to be clear, these are just the 10 most commonly reported benefits of meditation. The actual list of meditation's benefits is quite long. Benefit #1: It slows down your mind Part of the reason why people are so stressed out is because they have a thousand things on their mind. They're just so focused on so many things at the same time that they spread themselves too thin. They're not very patient, they don't have much focus, and it's very easy for them to drop the ball. It's very easy for them to spend day after day thinking that they really haven't done much with their time or the opportunities presented to them. By learning how to meditate on a regular basis, you slow down your mind. You're able to focus and appreciate one thing at a time. This is not a step back. In fact, this is a great way of reclaiming your ability to focus and control the many different areas of your life. Benefit #2: It relaxes your mind Focus is one thing, relaxation is another. You can be focused on something that really stresses you out and take care of the problem. However, once the issue is done, you may still be stressed and tightly wound. Meditation enables you to completely relax your mind. It is a great way of not only taking off stress, but also relaxing your mind. You get inner peace, you get serenity. Benefit #3: It relaxes your body There's a tight connection between your body and your mind. The less stressed your mind becomes, the more relaxed your body gets. These two are strongly tied to each other. Studies have even been done showing how your emotions and mental state can contribute to sickness and disease. By working on your mind, you go a long way in relaxing physically. Benefit #4: You gain perspective Part of the reason why people are so stressed is because they think that they're jumping from one emergency to another. They are literally caught in the end-of-the-world every single crisis. It's as if they're putting out one fire after another. Well, it turns out that most, if not all, of the things that you're stressed out about are nothing to stress out over. In the big scheme of things, they are really small potatoes. When you adopt a daily or consistent meditation practice, you get to see the big picture. Gaining perspective enables you to achieve some level of inner peace. Benefit #5: You create distance between your emotions and your perception One of the most common symptoms of stress is when everything seems to revolve around who you are, your personal value, and your goals in life. In other words, every small disappointment becomes a giant failure. When you don't agree with somebody else, instead of leaving it at a fairly shallow level, the disagreement becomes really personal. You really have a tough time letting go of your emotions. Well, when you learn how to meditate, you create distance between your emotions and perceptions. Just because you perceive certain things, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to interpret things in a very emotionally negative way. The more you meditate, the calmer you feel. It doesn't have to be the end of the world. It doesn't have to be all about you. Life doesn't have to involve a tremendous amount of unnecessary drama. Benefit #6: Your focus increases in power Where your focus goes, energy flows. Unfortunately, if you're stressed out, it's very easy for you to try to focus, but there's really not much power left. You can't muster the willpower needed to get stuff done, regardless of how much you think you've set your mind to something. At some level or another, something is sapping your energy. It's just leaking out of you and you really can't, for the life of you, focus like a laser. When you learn how to meditate and control your mental processes, your focus grows in strength. You are able to target specific tasks with your willpower. When you do this, you become a more effective and productive person. Benefit #7: Your focus increases in clarity Just as focus involves willpower, focus also involves clarity. Things start to make sense. Things fall into place. Unfortunately, if you're under a lot of pressure, it's easy to suffer from brain fog. Everything looks like the same, everything is fuzzy, and it's hard for you to tell which is which. You don't even know what your priority should be or not. It is no surprise that regardless of how much focus stressed people try to put on certain tasks, they can't get anything done. It's as if they tried to impose their willpower to do certain things, but it turns out that they're doing the wrong things at the wrong time to produce the wrong results. They end up chasing their tails. When you meditate, your focus not only grows in strength, but it also grows in clarity. You start using your values as your filter as to what to focus on. This can have a tremendously positive result on your productivity as well as your sense that you are able to make things happen in your life. Benefit #8: It lowers your blood pressure In research study after research study, scientists have discovered that consistent meditative practice actually lowers blood pressure. This is a big deal because there is a cardiovascular disease epidemic in the United States and other developed nations. As people live more sedentary and high-stress lifestyles, heart-related issues are killing more and more people. If you meditate, you tend to naturally lower your blood pressure, and this can possibly prolong your life. Benefit #9: It can speed up emotional healing If you have a tough time forgiving people, by learning how to meditate, you can gain emotional distance from painful or anger-inducing memories. Sooner or later, you are able to see things in perspective, and this puts you in a position to forgive. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that if you meditate, you will automatically forgive people who you feel have done you harm. That will still be your choice. However, when you meditate, you start viewing things in perspective, and it's more likely that, if you want to, you can forgive and move on. This can go a long way in helping you heal emotionally. Benefit #10: Can bolster psychological repair I wish I could tell you that all of us came from ideal childhoods. I wish I could tell you that we all had great pasts and that we've always hung out with great people and we've always had amazing times. It would be awesome if we all came from nurturing, loving relationships and families. Unfortunately, that's not true. There are a lot of us who have suffered psychological wounds and are having a tough time recovering. When you meditate, you tend to gain perspective. This enables you to put yourself in the position to start looking at the past as well as the present consequences of your past with a fresh set of eyes. If you feel that you've been victimized, if you feel that you've been harmed in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to continue looking at yourself the same way. Again, just like with speeding up emotional healing, meditation only puts you in this position. You still have to choose this benefit. It doesn't just happen automatically. Keep the 10 benefits above in mind if you're still hesitating or feeling apprehensive about meditation. While it is a commitment, please keep in mind that, in most cases, its advantages definitely outweigh whatever real or imagined disadvantages people may see with a meditation practice.

Practical vs. Esoteric Meditation

Earlier I mentioned a couple of misconceptions that tend to hold people back from adopting a personal meditation practice. It really all boils down to a sense that meditation is, somehow, some way, religious and mystical, or is some sort of superstitious practice. We live in a very secular time. We'd like to believe that we are guided by reason and science. Given this context, it is entirely understandable why people have second thoughts about meditation. A lot of this really flows from the dichotomy between practical and esoteric meditation. Esoteric meditation is really the historic practice of meditation. In this context, meditation is practiced in connection with some sort of higher religious goal or some sort of mystical objective. If anything, meditation is not the centerpiece. Rather, it's a complementary practice to what should be the primary goal, which is to attain enlightenment or some sort of spiritual release. Esoteric Meditation Esoteric meditation is rooted in Eastern philosophy. The whole idea of Eastern philosophy is that life is suffering or that there is such a thing as karma and eternal rebirths. The whole point of any kind of spiritual exercise is to gain a perspective that enables people to break out of this eternal series of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth. Meditation has historically been associated with this thinking because meditation is one practice that enables people to start seeing life from a completely different perspective. This would enable them to think, talk, and behave differently enough for them to break the pattern of karma or the attachment that keeps them trapped in that mystical cycle of birth and rebirth. As you can tell, this involves a tremendous amount of religious and spiritual concepts. Sometimes chanting is involved. People who practice meditation in this context say "ohm" or they use some sort of spiritual mantra. They also engage in yoga and other physical exercises that have spiritual connotations. Practical Meditation Practical meditation simply strips away all the esoteric, religious, spiritual and mystical layers of meditation. Instead, it looks at the meditative practice based on the core mental processes that enable people to self-repair to such an extent that they do not go crazy. In other words, instead of dwelling on the surface differences, practical meditation goes to the structural components of the meditative act itself and strips away anything that is unnecessary. It also focuses on one non-religious, non-spiritual or non-mystical goal, which is to achieve focus in the present moment. We're not even talking about peace or about some sort of inner serenity, harmony or what have you. Although those emotional states and experiences can and will happen, practical and fully secular meditation is all about achieving some sense of mental clarity in the here and now. There's no past to worry about, and no future to obsess over. Using that, we get a tremendous amount of benefits. Starting now, I'm going to lay out the different purely secular methods of achieving a meditative state. Now, a lot of people might argue whether these methods are "classical" meditative techniques. But as I've mentioned earlier, we really couldn't care less about whether it's traditional, classical or what have you. Instead, our focus is to learn the basic practical and doable techniques that enable people to focus on the present moment. This is the key to relieving stress and removing unnecessary life pressures. The first method I'm going to teach you is the SEAL quick stress relief method. This method was pioneered for the US Navy SEAL program. SEAL stands for Sea, Air and Land teams. These are highly trained, mission critical military units run by the United States Navy. They are the seasoned military specialists that often see action first in any kind of armed conflict. In other words, you have to have your wits about you. Usually, they get sent in to clear out an area, they plant bombs, they do sabotage, they do all sorts of highly stressful military work. It follows that the US Navy invested a tremendous amount of money to enable these military specialists to achieve instant or almost instant peace of mind right before they do a task. If they're in the middle of a firefight or they are in the middle of a very sticky situation that can be fatal, they get the US Navy invested in this training to help them calm down and remain focused on the task at hand.

The SEAL Method

The SEAL method is actually pretty straightforward. You breathe for a few seconds. It could be 4 seconds, it could be 10, as long as it's not too long for you to be uncomfortable. You breathe, and then hold. And then you release, and then you hold. Basically, you breathe in, and then you hold it for however many seconds. You then release your breath, and then at the end of that stage when all the air has left your lungs, you hold it for the same number of seconds when you were breathing in. You repeat this about 3 to 8 times. Again, as long as it's comfortable. Guidelines When you're doing this, you don't think. You know you're doing it wrong when you're thinking. Instead, you should just focus on what you're doing. Focus on the air coming in, focus on holding your breath, then focus on the air going out. If you keep repeating this with your focus solely on your breath and what your body is going through, the relaxation will come. Your mind will start to unclench. You're no longer worried about stuff at work. You're no longer worried about your relationship. You're no longer worried about your childhood. You're no longer obsessing about that person you can't forgive. None of that matters. Instead, you focus on the here and now. That's when the relaxation comes. Ideally, you should start with the SEAL method for quick stress relief. This is the easiest meditation method and it delivers the quickest results. Once you learn to de-stress using this technique, you should then go deeper by adopting the methods described coming up.

Counting Your Breath

With this next method, you're just going to focus on the natural flow of your breath, and nothing else. By doing this, you achieve a tremendous amount of relaxation. If you practice this long enough, you can achieve a very deep and abiding sense of inner peace. It's fairly straightforward. There are really no "moving parts." It's not complicated at all. Preparations First, you need to find the right spot. Generally speaking, you should do this in an area where you're not going to be disturbed. There should be no distractions in terms of what you can see, hear, smell, taste, touch. It should be a place that will be only available to you for around 10-15 minutes. It doesn't really take all that long, but you have to be in the right spot for a long enough period of time for this meditative technique to benefit you. Second, you're going to close your eyes. This is a technique that you cannot do with your eyes open. Remember, we're going to avoid any kind of distractions. These distractions can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched. So you close your eyes, and just focus on one thing and one thing alone. Third, focus only on your breath. How are you going to focus on your breath? You're going to focus on it by feeling it, hearing it, watching it, and counting it. Imagine seeing the air enter and exit your your nose and lungs. Feel and imagine seeing your diaphragm pulling down and expanding your lungs as you breathe in. In other words, you turn your "mental camera" to your breath. Count each exhale up to 10 and then restart back at 1. The key here is to feel it with your body and see it in your mind's eye. Eventually, these two sensations will line up. So it diverts your attention from the stuff going through your mind as well as the stimuli that your body is picking up. Instead, everything is focused on your breath. Your conscious attention is focused solely on your breath. You breathe in slowly, and you breathe out slowly. Everything is focused on the area of your body where the breath is coming in and going out. The key here is to not control your breath. The key is to not be self-conscious. Instead, you're just paying attention to this natural flow. When you feel that there's a strain in your lungs, you're doing it wrong. It means you're being self-conscious. It means that you're trying to force things. This should not be forced. It is actually effortless. You're just basically turning that mental camera that you have from obsessing about all these stresses or drama happening in your life to just focusing on your breath. That's all it will be focused on. And if you keep this up long enough, you will become very, very relaxed. It leads to a tremendous amount of inner peace. However, let me tell you, in the beginning, it's going to be quite difficult. You might even feel bored. You might even feel like you're wasting your time. It's because this is something new. Your mind is not used to thinking this way. After all, your mind has grown accustomed to thinking about a thousand different things at once. It's used to using up a tremendous amount of energy. Now you're using very little energy and you're focusing on only one thing. As you can imagine, that takes some getting used to. The good news is, it's worth doing because the calm and relaxation that you get will be priceless.

Present Sense Mindfulness

With this technique, you focus on what you see in front of you. In other words, you're going to be meditating or practicing mindfulness with eyes wide open. You're just working with your awareness. You're training your awareness on one thing and one thing alone. Steps to Present Sense Mindfulness The first step is to practice the breathing patterns that you learned earlier. Focus on your breathing until you achieve a sense of relaxation. Do this with your eyes wide open. You can do this in a room with no other people, but there are objects in the room. Ideally, you shouldn't do this in any place where there are loud noises or music. Next, you're going to focus on an object in front of you. It can be a tree, a park bench, it can be a house. It doesn't really matter. What's important is that you put all your focus on that one item alone. The key is to look at that item. You're not out to enjoy it, you're not out to judge it, you're definitely not out to analyze it. Instead, you're just looking at it. The key here is to see clearly. You're going to basically be looking at all the details. It's not like you're searching for something. Instead, your job is to just take it all in. It is kind of like taking a very thorough, high resolution snapshot of that item that you've chosen to look at. Next, once you have determined that you've seen all there is to see about the object, the next step is to pay attention to what that object would smell like, taste like, feel like in terms of texture, and what would it sound like. In other words, you sense it in 3-dimensions. You take it in with all your senses. This enables you to lose your focus on everything else. When you do this, your mind is being filled with the stimuli of that object and that object alone. You have no space left for stuff you have to worry about at the office. You have no mental resources left for that time when your best friend stabbed you in the back or did something that made you hold a grudge for a long time. All that stuff gets pushed out. Instead, you're just cramming all the sensory data that you are willfully taking in based on that object that you have chosen in front of you. This enables you to lose focus on everything else and focus on that thing in front of you. This enables you to reset how you normally focus on things in your life. The reason why you're so stressed out is because you're hanging on for dear life onto so many different things, and they layer on top of each other. And at the end of the day, all this willpower and this mental energy is just basically wasted because you're hanging on to so much stuff. When you practice this meditative technique, you push a reboot button for your mind and let go of all that stuff that you're clinging to. And instead, you just fill it with this stuff that you take in, and that you flush out. Eventually, this leads to mental hygiene because you will develop the mental discipline to zero in on an issue or a set of data for however long it takes to produce; let's say at work or in an argument or even dealing with a relationship, and then let go.

Watch Your Emotions Like Clouds

Once you have done the previous meditative practices, the next step is to meditate in such a way that you let go of emotional attachments. Let's get one thing clear, part of the reason why we're all so stressed out and anxious is because our memories are not emotionally neutral. When we perceive certain things, we tend to react a certain way because we have been trained by past experiences to respond that way. What if I told you that, in many cases, we respond in a very unproductive or downright negative way? We could be responding in more neutral or more positive ways and our lives could be more productive. Instead of wasting a tremendous amount of emotional and mental resources feeling negative, angry, frustrated, guilty, upset, you name it, we can focus more on feeling appreciated as well as content. It's all a choice. But unfortunately, if we hang on to these past memories and we judge them in a predictably negative way, we lose sight of the fact that we can always choose our judgments. We feel that our negative analysis is just who we are. It's part of our identity. It's part of our personality. Well, it isn't. It's always a choice. With this technique, you gain some freedom from the emotional roller coaster ride that you feel just takes you to negative territory like clockwork. Here's how it works. Step #1: Count your breath Go back to the earlier method where I taught you how to count your breath. Watch your breath. Count it. Focus on your breath. At a certain point, you will relax. You can use the SEAL method, or you can use the more intensive breath counting and watching method I discussed earlier. Whatever the case may be, keep doing it until you sense relaxation. Step #2: Close your eyes Once you feel that you have reached a certain level of relaxation, close your eyes. Everything should go black. Allow yourself to relax even deeper. Allow yourself to slow your thoughts down. Stop counting and just focus on the calmness of the darkness. There's nothing to prove here. You don't have to be somebody that you're not. You have nobody to impress. This is just you and your thoughts. It's just calm, pure darkness. No light, no color, nothing to get worked up about. Step #3: Focus on your thoughts Once you have relaxed, pretend that you are in some sort of movie theater and you're sitting back and you're seeing scenes. These are your thoughts. When you assume that perspective, you would realize that you're thinking a lot. If you're a normal person, a lot of mental images flash through your mind. In fact, we go through so many mental images, oftentimes we're not aware of them all. So sit back and just see your thoughts play out. Step #4: Make sure not to judge or analyze your thoughts Here's the thing that you will be doing differently. Most people have no problem seeing mental images flash through their mind. But the problem is, once that happens, they get emotionally caught up. For example, you had an ex who cheated on you, stole from you, or otherwise did bad things to you. How do you think you would feel when you see something that reminds you of him or her? You probably don't feel all that good. Now, with this technique, when the mental image or the picture or the likeness of your ex comes to your mind, the rule is that you let the image flash, but you will not judge. You're not going to analyze it. You're just going to acknowledge that "This is the image of my ex," "This is the image of my boss," "This is a scene from my childhood," "This is a scene where I was let go at work," "This is a scene at jail." Whatever the case may be, you're seeing all these mental images, but you're not judging. You are acknowledging. It's very important that you know the distinction. You're not engaged in pretending to not see something. For example, if there was a fire in your childhood, you're not going to say, "Well, this was a happy moment in my childhood." Instead say, "This was a fire in my childhood." But this is going to be different from "This is a very traumatizing childhood memory that basically destroyed my life because I lost both my parents." Do you see the difference? There's no judgment here. The first case involved just describing the facts. Nothing more. Nothing less. The second case includes a lot of analysis and commentary. These lead to you getting thrown off track. Learn to spot the difference. You just say, "This is a fire that happened when I was a child." It's stripped out of all emotional baggage. It's stripped out of all emotional trauma. Acknowledge, and describe in a very objective, flat and neutral way. This is not going to happen overnight. If you are carrying around a very heavy weight, maybe child sexual abuse, maybe you were unjustly punished. Whatever the case may be, you just need to focus on what you see. It doesn't make it any less real, mind you, but you're just acknowledging it because we're not engaged in self-delusion here. We're not trying to trick ourselves or hypnotize ourselves into thinking that these events, which ultimately are very traumatic and hurtful, did not happen. Do not judge. Do not analyze. Just acknowledge it, and then move on to the next step. Step #5: Let your thoughts pass like clouds A popular pastime as children involves just laying back on the grass and watching the clouds pass by. As we get older, we don’t really have the time to do such relaxing and meditative activities. One person would say, "That's a bicycle." Another would say, "No, that looks more like a dog." There is, of course, no right or wrong answer. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Every person’s guess was as good as all others. It is a lot of fun because we were exercising our imaginations. We were, after all, just watching clouds pass by. There were countless clouds before them. And there will be countless clouds after them. They are here one moment and gone the next. I want you to do the same with your thoughts but let them pass like clouds. Just like clouds, your thoughts just pass through. Let them pass. Don’t deny them. Don’t pretend they are something else. Don’t argue with them. Don’t bargain with yourself. Just observe the ‘thought clouds’ honestly. In other words, when the mental image flashes, acknowledge it without judgement. And then the next step is what makes it really powerful. When you acknowledge, you then let it pass like a cloud. Just like a cloud, it's going to zoom over your head. It might linger slowly, depending on how strong the wind is. But you just let it pass. Eventually, it will pass. Step #6: Enjoy the emotional distance When you repeat this over several weeks, you start noticing emotional distance. Mental images, memories or what have you, that used to throw you off track no longer do. Maybe there was a memory that used to make you cry like you were on autopilot, now you don't do that. You just say, "Well, that happened to me when I was 4 years old and my housekeeper was in that memory," then you let it pass. "Well, that happened to be, and my boss said something and I was let go and I found another job." You let it pass. "Well, that was my best friend and my ex-girlfriend." You let the memory pass. You do this over and over again, and the more successful you become at it, the greater the emotional distance. Eventually, all that stuff that used to drag you down and hold you back is left in the past. Congratulations.

The Best Way to Practice Meditation

Meditation is like working out. When you work out, you put a lot of stress on your muscles. That's how they get bigger. That's how they get leaner. That's how they get stronger. The same applies to your mental muscles. Because that's what meditation is. It's a mental workout. Physical muscles get soft if you don't challenge them or you don't put pressure on them. With meditation, you're going to challenge and put pressure on your mental muscles. Believe me, it is quite a workout to let a mental image just pass over your head like a cloud without judging it. For example, there was an episode of your childhood that used to burn you through your core because it was really humiliating, it was disgusting. Whatever it was, it takes effort to do that. But that's how you challenge your mental muscles. And the more pressure you put on it, the stronger it gets. Practice Daily The good news here is that you don't have to spend all day meditating. In fact, if you're doing that, you're overdoing it. That's probably going to do more harm than good. Instead, focus on spending no more than 15 minutes a day. Even just periodically, for 2 or 5 minutes at a time between tasks will help. With meditation, just like with physical exercise, a little bit of consistency goes a long way. So focus on your meditative practice for at least 15 minutes to 1 hour every day. That is plenty. Associate Your Meditative State with New Stimuli This is for advanced students. Usually, by this point, it will probably take months, if not years. But most people, if they're consistent, will reach this point. When you perceive any new stimuli, allow yourself to focus on your meditative state. You're basically linking the meditative state of peace, calm, inner serenity and harmony with stimuli that normally upsets you. For example, if you work with an ex, it can be quite uncomfortable, awkward, and frustrating. This person broke your heart, this person cheated on you, or you're embarrassed because it didn't work out. Whatever the case may be, it's going to be very hard to handle that stimuli. After you've meditated, and you've gained some emotional distance, allow yourself to look for that stimuli and link it with a meditative state. In other words, you are replacing the stress, discomfort, and embarrassment that you normally feel when you perceive that stimuli, maybe it involves seeing the face of your ex or hearing his or her voice, whatever the case may be. Now, you're replacing it with a meditative state. The meditative state, of course, involves a sense of calm, being in control, clarity, peace, healing, restoration. So instead of that person's voice or image just stressing you out, upsetting you, now, it calms you down. You say to yourself, "I'm okay. There's nothing to get hung up about. I can deal with this situation, this person, these memories at a certain level. And I'll be okay." Sure, in the beginning this is going to be difficult because of your mental habits. When you are just starting out, the urge to go back to your old reactive patterns, with its rush of negative emotions, seems to be all but irresistible. This is the hardest part. But you will overcome. Choose to override this ‘natural’ tendency and it will get easier and easier to respond to life’s stimuli based on your highest values instead of your feelings or whatever is convenient or easy. The more opportunities you seek to practice your newfound power over your emotions, the stronger your mind becomes. It also makes the link between certain ‘positive’ stimuli and positive emotions or positive mental states. Of course, none of this happens all at once. It takes time. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day. Still, every time you successfully choose to focus on being calm and successfully recall the mental calmness of your meditative state, the easier it gets. The secret is practice. Interestingly enough, to get the practice you need, you actually have to seek out and be aware of situations or stimuli that stress you out. That’s the only way you can test our your ability to recall a calm inner peace. Usually, people do not need help recalling stressful, embarrassing, traumatic, or painful memories. Start there. Since these are thoughts, you have a lot more control over the thought and the outcome. Compare the above to testing out your meditative recall skills on actual people. People can be quite random. Maybe the annoying person in front of you in line at the grocery store or the boss breathing down your neck, watching your every move. You might have a very sticky situation on your hands and there’s no ‘rewind’ button if you end up saying or doing something that harms your relationship or takes it to a much lower level. Regardless of how you do it, give yourself the opportunity to constantly test out your ability to recall that state of mental calm, serenity, and peace. In that special space you have built for yourself within your mind, there is no need to prove anything. You don’t have to be somebody else. There are no painful memories. There is no worrying future. Instead, you just have calm in the here and now. Understand that you always have this available. Get some hope from this fact. Call this link at will. Once you have trained yourself to remember that meditative state when situations present themselves, the next step is to call it at will. Meaning, you yourself will trigger that meditative state. When you have reached a higher level of practical meditation because that sense of calm, release, and objective distance that you feel with your emotions pretty much persists on a 24/7 basis, you no longer need stimuli. You only need to choose to call that meditative state to being and it happens. You now know it like the back of your hand.

Summary

All the things that I've taught you here are the product of several years of meditation and mindfulness practice. There are lots of pitfalls, there are lots of dead ends, there are lots of false leads and false positives. I've weeded all those out and I've presented to you core meditative practices that work. However, these materials will not work for you until and unless you commit to doing them. It's really important that you go through this training in order. Don't skip. Don't jump ahead. Focus on it one step at a time. This way, you will be able to fully benefit from the techniques that I have described in this training. It is also important that you focus on consistency. A lot of people think that meditation is just another activity that they engage in because they're looking for a result. They are looking for some sort of solution. While that may ultimately be the truth, please understand that you must look at meditation and mindfulness as ends in and of themselves. In other words, they're not just means to an end. They don't just enable you to go to where you really want to go. Instead, they ARE your destination. They must find some sort of value in doing them. That value must be in the act itself. If you're able to do this, then it becomes part of you. It becomes part of your personality in addition to your daily routine. You will then be able to put yourself in a position where you will level up your ability to focus, stay in the present moment, achieve emotional distance and emotional clarity. Ultimately, it's all a choice. You have to exercise that choice. You have to be responsible for yourself, your thoughts and your actions. Start Today One of the most common problems people experience with meditation is the fact that they feel that they would be able to only do it when things are right. They feel that they have to feel a certain way. They think that certain conditions have to be present in their life for them to do this. What you're doing is just giving yourself excuses to not start. I'm telling you, if you don't even get yourself to start, you are failing. You're not dealing with your stress, you're not getting your life back, you're not setting things in order as far as your mental peace and tranquility are concerned. You're achieving nothing. You might be thinking that you're researching book after book about meditation, but what you're really doing is you're just giving yourself an excuse to not start. You have to understand that when it comes to any kind of profound personal change, our number one enemy is ourselves. The Paradox of Self Sabotage You know how frustrated you are. You know that you feel that something is missing in your life. You know that you're not fully content. You understand that meditation can help you achieve some sort of balance. You understand that meditation can lead to a greater sense of inner peace. Why in the world would you want to get in the way of that? Why would you sabotage that? Well, it's actually quite simple. We're all creatures of habit. We get accustomed to things. We grow attached to things. Once you do and think things a certain manner, you feel that you're stuck in that pattern. You feel that you're not capable of going outside of that pattern. Ultimately, at some level or another, most people would rather deal with the devil they know rather than roll the dice and take chances with something better. They know they're not happy. They know that things could be so much better, but they are afraid of trying something new. These are the issues that you have to confront with. They will crop up sooner rather than later. I share them with you and I shine a light on them at this point in the training, so you can spot them a mile away. Understand that when you start bargaining with yourself about why you should not meditate at the appointed time, you're basically giving in to this. This is all too predictable and to be expected. Now that you know that you're going to be playing all sorts of games with yourself, stick to your resolve. Stick to the game plan. Understand that there's a lot at stake. You are trying to get your life back. You're trying to gain control of your emotional and mental processes. You can be so much more productive, and you can be so much more effective if you overcome your old patterns. Unfortunately, if you allow yourself to make all sorts of excuses and justifications to go back to your old way of thinking, you give up a tremendous future for convenience. You've grown to love your chains. The French Enlightenment thinker and philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau quoted a powerful saying. Rousseau said, "Man was born free, but everywhere he is in chains." This quote, of course, is all about political philosophy. But Rousseau was right on a personal level too. We are born free. We are born with a tremendous amount of possibility. We are born with a tremendous amount of personal power. We have it in us to do great things. If you are doubtful of this, just think of the great thinkers, builders, and innovators of this world. Think about people who managed to build vast fortunes even though they were born with nothing. People have potential. All of us do. If successful people can succeed, you can too. How do I know? Well, each choice you make is an exercise of power. You have all this unlimited potential in you. And it all flows from the fact that you have a choice. Your choice gives you power of the things you think about, talk about, and the things that you think you are capable of doing. But the reason why you feel so powerless, so limited, so small is because you've allowed yourself to live in a neat, tidy little box. This box indicates what you can and cannot do. This box indicates what you are, what you're about, and what you are not. Nobody put you in that box. You chose to be in that box. You chose to live in a mental prison. It's as if everybody's walking around with this tremendous amount of personal potential, but they're looking at their chains. They're saying to themselves, "I'm a victim. I'm wearing these chains." Little do they know that the key is in their hands. Understand what is at stake. You have no excuse. You only have choices. I wish you nothing but victory. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

81 General Holistic Healthcare Tips

Use these 81 holistic tips to help improve your health.

Improve your posture. It is important to keep your spine as straight as possible so that your muscles do not strain and contract unnecessarily. Also, in order to keep energy circulating throughout your body, it is important to keep your spine straight and nerves unhindered. Consider learning from an Alexander technique instructor. The Alexander method is a way to retrain the body to remain correctly postured in order to prevent and eliminate the possibility of problems such as muscle strains, nerve damage, stiff necks, and many more issues. The purpose of this technique is to eliminate unnecessary tension within the body and to teach the body to position itself correctly.Consider “trigger point massage” for pain relief. If you are plagued by continuous pain and conventional pain medicines are not working to help eliminate it, consider this special type of massage. It will help to not only ease the pain - but to eliminate its source as well.Try acupuncture. Acupuncture is a type of holistic/alternative medicine that has been commonly practiced in the eastern part of the world for thousands of years. Five thousand years ago, the intention of acupuncture was to prolong life. With many alternative medical techniques, the intention is to prevent rather than to cure a specific or general ailment. The oldest recorded practice of acupuncture was over 5,000 years ago. Basically, acupuncture is used to stimulate the nerves in the body and as a result positively affect all of the other bodily systems.Try Reiki healing. Reiki is a healing art that uses the body’s energy to begin and further the healing process. It is performed by using one’s hands to follow a specific pattern of massage, in order to stimulate energy movement throughout the body. There are many reiki healers who are specially trained to perform the healing massage, or you can read about it or take a class to become a proficient reiki healer yourself.Consider a complete body cleansing. There are many different products on the market today that can help you to eliminate toxins from the body and increase the efficiency and overall health of your body. A complete cleanse will remove toxins and other harmful matter from your kidneys, liver, and intestines. Generally how the work is you follow a strict dietary regimen for a week or two while the cleansing process occurs. Most people who try this agree that it makes them feel healthier and they often report a fair amount of weight loss after the process is complete.Try to avoid television. Believe it or not, television actually induces negative feelings in most viewers as a result of the commonplace violence and gossip. Television viewing is not nearly as relaxing as some people claim. Try giving up your television shows for a week, replacing them with other activities. You will most likely find that you are better rested, happier, and less stressed at the end of that week.Don’t forget to relax. No human being is equipped to function in a constant stress mode. It is unhealthy to have a life filled with all work and no play. Some of the most common health problems that result when a person doesn’t relax enough include high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and other digestive disorders. Be sure to take some time out for yourself at least once a week, preferably once a day. This can help to prevent, and in some cases eliminate these chronic health problems.Consider biofeedback therapy. If you are experiencing health problems and cannot seem to find the source, a biofeedback therapist will monitor your body and how it reacts to daily activities in order to find out where it is not performing optimally. In this treatment, you would wear a monitor that actually records how your body is reacting while it is turned on. If you are an athlete suffering from muscle problems, you might want to consider this treatment to determine whether you are properly resting your muscles between activities.Improve your sleeping habits. One of the best things that everyone can do to improve their well being is to moderate their sleeping patterns. Unfortunately, poor sleep is a habit learned by nearly everyone during the teenage years. It is critical to allow your body the time it needs to wind down and relax so that you can be rejuvenated. If you feel tired during the day, when you awaken in the morning or exhausted before bedtime, it is a sign that you are not getting the right amount of sleep. This could be too much, or too little. Try setting aside eight hours for sleep each night, getting into bed no less than half an hour prior to the time that you want to be asleep. If you do this for a few weeks, you will find positive improvements in your overall health and productivity. Do your best to avoid stress and exertion within an hour of your bedtime. Consider having a cup of chamomile tea before bed or using lavender infused oil in order to help induce a sense of relaxation.Breathe mindfully. The process of mindful breathing is a form of meditation; however, it is also a great way to get more oxygen into your blood and tissues. If you start right now and pay attention to how you are breathing, it is more than likely that you will find yourself breathing quite shallowly. This is not a healthy breathing pattern. You can start out by just inhaling completely and then slowly exhaling completely. If you take one minute to just do this focused breathing each day, you will find that you feel better during that minute. And, you will catch yourself paying attention to your breathing several times throughout the day. If you are stressed or tired, take a minute out of your day to breathe mindfully.Try reflexology. Reflexology is a technique of applying pressure and stretching the hands and feet in order to send nerve signals to other parts of the body. Through the careful application of reflexology, practitioners can affect the health of various organs and parts of the body. There are many resources available if you would like to learn more about the practice of reflexology.Meditate for better well being. The basic definition of meditation is to concentrate on some object or thought in order to quiet the mind. There are many different types and styles of meditation however, the one thing that is consistent is that not every technique will work for every person. Everyone can benefit from some type of meditation. Take some time to read about different techniques or talk to a holistic healer for more information about what might work for you.Stop the music when meditating. Just as you would probably accomplish more during a study session without music, the same holds true for meditation. While some people will play music while they meditate, there is a question about whether music serves simply as a distraction. Try turning off the music for a week, and see for yourself if you are able to accomplish more with a quiet atmosphere.Accept that there is no clear and easy path. Many people spend so much time looking for the easy route that they forget to appreciate the joys of the road. Changing your perspective will take time, but try to begin thinking of obstacles as stepping stones along the path of your life.Be nicer. Positive energy is contagious. If you do something nice for someone today, chances are that before long that person will do something nice for someone else. Little things go a long way, and if you are doing nice things for people, you will begin to create a snowball effect of niceness. Many holistic healers claim that there is no more powerful medicine than love and that simply giving or receiving affection such as a hug can raise the spirits and begin to heal the body. Don’t forget to be nice to yourself!Avoid clutter. Clutter is an energy buster. If your bedroom is cluttered, the energy will not flow as freely as it should and your sleep will be affected in a negative way. Not only that, but clutter is frustrating because it often keeps you from finding something that you need in a few seconds. Take the time to eliminate clutter, but start small with one area at a time Ooherwise, you risk overwhelming yourself with a lot of work. Other people and thoughts can clutter your life too.Be gracious. Gratitude is extremely powerful, and remembering to say thank you for even the littlest things can be a powerful positive change. Expressing gratitude is much more pleasant than expressing frustration, and it will eventually begin to replace the negative habit of complaining that we all get used to sometimes.Consider a peroxide bath. Hydrogen peroxide is known for being a highly effective astringent that removes dirt and toxins from scrapes and cuts. It can do the same thing for the rest of the body as well. Simply add a quart of peroxide to your hot bath and soak for a few minutes to check for tolerance. If you don’t have any irritation that doesn’t stop quickly, add a second quart and soak for about ten minutes. The peroxide will pull toxins from your skin and help you to flush toxins better afterward.Consider a liver flush. Gallstones form in the bile ducts and the gallbladder and may be to blame for medical problems that go otherwise unexplained. By performing a liver flush you are helping your body to eliminate the built up toxins and gallstones. If you are interested in instructions for a liver flush, you can find them at any reputable holistic healer or online. If you have any health problems or suspect that you might, you should speak with your doctor prior to performing the process. In any case, a clean liver equates to a healthy body.Eat bentonite clay. Yes, clay in its naturally occurring form is fantastic for treating many different health ailments that might go otherwise untreated. Liquid bentonite clay is available and can be taken several times a day to help with problems of the liver, headaches, arthritis, and skin disorders. Clay masks are fantastic for the skin, and when used after a good exfoliation they can remove impurities and toxins from your skin.Consider transpersonal therapy. If you have found that standard therapy is not working out for you, this is an approach that helps many people to feel more comfortable. In this type of psychotherapy, the therapist and the patient focus on making a significant connection with one another in order to remove anyone from a superior position. Many patients have found that when they feel a connection with their therapist, they feel that they can be more open-minded and receptive.Be mindful instead of bored. If you feel bored, or feel as though you are stretching every minute to its fullest extent in order to get things done, you are probably a good candidate for the practice of mindfulness. Through mindfulness, you are going to get to the root of what is causing you to feel stressed or bored. Often there is something deeper that is causing you anxiety and through this technique you are likely to discover what that something is. The premise is to let go of pain and to allow thoughts to flow freely. By trying to suppress feelings and control thoughts, you are actually doing your body more harm than good.Pay attention to your dreams. Dreams can tell you a lot of information that you might not otherwise realize. Therapists believe that through our dreams we become aware of personal struggles, fears, and internal conflicts. Consider keeping a dream journal where you record at least the major themes of what you are dreaming. Do this as soon as you can after waking, so that you make sure to get the essence of your dreams. Pay attention to patterns, serial dreams, and symbols that seem to reappear often. Find out what these things represent to you by meditating on the symbol or theme or look them up in a dream dictionary for the generally accepted explanation. While this may not represent the meaning for you, it will give you a place to start.Study your hands to remember your dreams. If you are experiencing personal conflicts, feeling stressed, or would just like to gain a new level of access to your inner thoughts, consider learning to control your dreams to make them work for you. By concentrating on your hands several times throughout the day, asking yourself if you are dreaming, you will start to remember to look at your hands while dreaming. If you can control your hands in your dreams, you will already be able to change the course of your dreams and play an interactive part. This can include bringing specific people into your dreams or even asking them to leave. Try this technique and you will be amazed the first time that you are dreaming, and realize that you are actually able to do more than just watch what is happening.Try yoga to overcome depression. If you are suffering from depression, practicing yoga may help you to overcome the symptoms and get to the root of what is causing the problem in the first place. Through the practice of yoga, you are attempting to connect to your spirit and to reconnect your mind and body and you may start to see the symptoms of depression begin to decrease almost immediately.Learn about your constitutional type. In Indian traditions, Ayurvedic medicine focuses on treatment of patients based on how their constitution relates to the elements of water, fire, earth, space, and air. According to this centuries-old practice, it is believed that diet, activities, and healthcare can be specifically targeted to the individual. There are a number of factors that help determine your constitutional type according to Ayurvedic teachings. You can work with a practicing Ayurvedic doctor or you can find information about type determination online.Pay attention to your colors. Although you may have stopped paying attention to color as a young child, there is definitely some benefit to examining what colors you tend to use, enjoy, and prefer. Color is directly associated with body energy and emotions. Sometimes you may feel out of balance and the colors surrounding you can provide you some insight. For example, if you tend to wear a lot of red or to surround yourself with red, you may be over stimulating your emotions. However, if you frequently feel tired or listless you might want to add more red to your wardrobe. Try changing the colors in your wardrobe to better suit your emotional needs during any particular time in your life. For example, if you feel that you are in need of a personal change or that you need to build your self-esteem, consider wearing more purple, as this color is known for its connection with self-healing. If you are stressed, try wearing light blue. Green's a great color to add when you feel like you have recently made a personal accomplishment since it is a color known for renewing effects.Try magnets for pain relief. Magnetic therapy is becoming a very popular method for treating chronic pain and conditions that cause chronic pain. Magnets are shown to increase blood flow through the body by as much as a third. This increased circulation is a great way to alleviate pain. Studies have shown that applying magnets to an injury will help to increase the healing rate because the magnets correct the polarity of the body cells and increase the overall health of the area where they are applied. Healing will be faster and pain will be less when you apply magnets.Try bioenergetic therapy when you are feeling depressed or tired. Bioenergetics is an alternative therapy that includes a combination of different techniques used together to help your body fight off illnesses, depression, and other conditions. Practitioners observe the patient and form a treatment plan that works to correct things like breathing patterns and stress levels in order to begin identifying and alleviating problems that are being experienced. This therapy combines biofeedback with talk and touch therapy, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling specific way determined by each individual patient.Play an active role. If you have decided to see a holistic practitioner, one of the things that you need to realize when you get started is that this is not the passive medicine that you may have experienced in the past. The practitioners are there to guide you as the patient however, you will need to make a significant effort and work with your practitioner to determine the best treatments for you and to increase the effectiveness of the treatments. Many patients find that taking an active role in treatment makes the effects more immediate and tangible.Focus on the dance of life. Life is ever changing and ever adapting. Sometimes we all get bogged down in our day and forget to take time out for ourselves. It is beneficial to take at least some time each day to work on personal growth and healing. Spending time working on personal growth in some way will make you more aware of the ups and downs of your life and give you tools for dealing with whatever comes your way throughout your life.Try a natural caffeine detox. If you have been promising to give up coffee or to cut down, you might need to actually remove the effects of caffeine from your system with a detoxification process that includes chamomile. This extract helps to calm you while washing caffeine from your system. You can use chamomile tea, or a specially developed compound designed to detoxify the body.Try working with a holistic athletic trainer. If you are an athlete, you might benefit from the experience of working with a holistic trainer who focuses not only on injury recovery, but also on performance analysis, counseling, and injury prevention. Through the holistic approach, your mental and physical needs will be addressed and you can improve your performance significantly as a result.Add some fun to your inner work with transpersonal art therapy. Through this practice, you will create artwork and accomplish personal transformations as your work progresses. Don’t worry, no previous experience or talent is required and this type of counseling can be very effective even for young children.If you believe in your body’s ability to heal itself, try osteopathy. Osteopathy is commonly regarded as an excellent way to strengthen the body after an injury, however, it is also known as an excellent treatment option for those with headaches, digestive disorders, and several other health problems. The intent of an osteotherapist is to correct problems with the skeleton in order to alleviate or prevent illness and injury.Try a homeopathic approach to ADD. ADD is becoming one of the most commonly issued diagnoses among young children and adolescents today. Unfortunately, the treatment options are limited and most include the use of strong medications with terrible side effects. Homeopathic treatment includes not only natural medicines but psychological counseling as well. The goal is to treat the patient, and not the disease. There are many traditional physicians who will work with you to develop a homeopathic treatment plan and many holistic physicians who specialize in this type of treatment.Get real allergy relief. If you suffer from allergies, you already know the frustration of treatments that just don’t work. Sure, they may mask symptoms for a while, but they are not going to provide lasting relief. Homeopathic allergy treatment is different because instead of treating the symptoms, the goal is to strengthen the body to a point where it can resist the allergens that are behind the symptoms. A patient can expect to be given medications that make their immune system build upon itself to create a natural defense.Listen to more music. Sound therapy is becoming commonplace in homes with newborn infants and older adults. There are many benefits of sound therapy including calming and increasing the patient's sense of overall well being. Find soft music that you enjoy and try playing it at the lowest possible volume in a quiet room. You will find that before too long if you are quiet and relaxed, you will hear the music as though it were at full volume.Become familiar with aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a simple way to change your daily life. Through the use of essential oils, it is possible to get access to wonderful therapeutic results. Aromatherapy has been a popular holistic health topic for thousands of years and many people will tell you that the promised benefits are completely accurate. For example, consider placing a few drops of rosemary oil on a cotton ball and dabbing it on your forehead during a headache. Or consider placing a drop of lavender oil on the light bulbs in your bedroom for enhanced relaxation during sleep. Consult a pharmacist, holistic specialist, or a book on essential oils to determine if one or more could help you to improve your well being.Nourish your soul. Just like mind and body, the soul also needs nourishment to continue to grow and develop. Your soul is what provides you with energy and vitality. Everyone has different soul food, however, most find that their soul is nourished by a walk outdoors or spending time with friends and family. If you take the time to listen to your inner voice, your soul will tell you what it needs. It is important to take the time to listen, otherwise, you can lose your soul and not be able to find out what it is that you are missing. Just a few moments of quiet each day and you are bound to learn something that can change your life.Make your bedroom only for sleep. In today’s busy world, there is a tendency to turn the bedroom into a home office and multipurpose room. This is not recommended, as the bedroom should be instilling a sense of relaxation and restfulness.Eliminate the cause of health problems before trying to treat the symptoms. So, for example, if you are suffering from indigestion it makes more sense to eliminate the foods that are causing the problem than it does to take medication after the pain starts. Holistic healers are looking to heal the whole body and, therefore, it is believed that first, you stop doing the things that are harming you then, replace those things with actions and nutrients that are better for you. This can apply to the body, mind, and the soul.Get more vitamin D. Supplements are one way to increase your Vitamin D intake, however, the best way to get this nutrient is from sunshine. The human body synthesizes Vitamin D that is absorbed through the skin when exposed to sunlight. Many people are not getting the sun exposure that they require because of the risk of skin cancer but in moderation, sunlight is very beneficial.Take vitamin C prior to sun exposure. Getting a sunburn is definitely unpleasant. By taking an extra dose of vitamin C prior to beginning your sun exposure, you are boosting your skin’s natural defenses. If you would like increased protection, consider adding vitamin E as well.Soothe your stomach with oranges and fennel seed. Make a mixture of a tablespoon each of orange peel and fennel seed added to two cups of water. Boil and then steep this tea. Add honey to sweeten the tea and drink it when you are suffering from indigestion.Drink rosemary tea. Rosemary is a common kitchen herb known for its ability to stimulate the senses. If you are feeling tired but have a lot to get accomplished, you might do well to drink some rosemary tea. It is also an excellent remedy for headaches.Use ipecac syrup to stop vomiting. While this is one of the common ingredients in most home first aid kits, you may not realize that it is also a homeopathic remedy for vomiting when taken in very tiny doses. While ipecac will not do much for patients experiencing nausea, it will work wonders for you if you are experiencing continuous vomiting. A homeopathic physician or pharmacist can recommend exact dosages for you.Take ginkgo for better concentration. Ginkgo is known for its ability to stimulate the mind and to help the brain to metabolize nutrients correctly. In some cases, the herb has been noted to reduce the effects of aging and to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Ginkgo leaves are ground into a powder and the extract can be used in many different forms. A few years ago, it became very common to see ginkgo added to just about everything in the supermarket. A homeopathic physician can help you to determine whether you would benefit from a ginkgo supplement.Mix garlic and honey. If you are at risk or suffer from high blood pressure, consider eating a teaspoon of minced garlic with 2 teaspoons of honey every day. Honey and garlic are known for being healing foods, and when combined they are extremely beneficial to the circulatory system.Try magnesium for leg cramps. Many people suffer from cramps in their legs, particularly in the calves. Drinking more water will probably help to relieve the frequency of cramps and adding magnesium to your diet is a great way to eliminate them completely.Try belladonna for ear pain. If you have an ear infection or ear pain, belladonna extract could possibly help to alleviate this pain. This extract helps to reduce inflammation in the blood vessels, one of the common causes of ear pain. Other ailments for which belladonna will help include toothaches, fevers, restlessness or insomnia, and eye pain resulting from dryness.Take St. John’s wort for stress. This plant extract is known for its ability to help relieve the symptoms of depression, grief, and anxiety. You can also try taking St. John’s wort for any injury that causes sharp pains or a repetitive stress injury. This supplement is commonly added to teas and is also widely available in capsules and tablets.Consider poison ivy for an ankle sprain. Although it is not commonly thought of as a good thing, poison ivy extract is actually an excellent pain reliever for sprains and strains. Sometimes the extract is given to patients with severe flu symptoms or even arthritis.Use chamomile for teething. Many homeopathic remedies for teething contain chamomile extract, which is known for its calming effects. The safest way to use this extract is in a cream or gel designed specifically for teething babies. There are also capsules designed to be placed under the baby’s tongue to induce calmness and relieve pain.Use onions to relieve allergy symptoms. Onions are an excellent treatment option for those suffering from allergies because the root is completely natural and proves to be very effective at opening nasal passages. Instead of just eating an onion, an extract should be taken in tiny doses until the body begins to ignore irritants and develop a defense against other allergens.Try lavender on your feet. If you suffer from athlete’s foot, you already realize that there is little you seem to be able to do in order to stop the affliction. That is true with traditional medications. However, using oils of lavender, garlic, and tea tree in an alcohol solution will help to ward off the problem once and for all.Try peppermint oil for headaches. If you get chronic tension headaches and have found conventional medications to be failing, it might be a good idea to consider trying peppermint oil. A few drops of this oil can be placed on a cotton ball and applied to the forehead. Take a few minutes to relax and allow the oil to penetrate the skin. The same technique is also useful for sore muscles.Sleep better with a sesame oil scalp massage. Warm a small amount of sesame oil and massage into the scalp before washing your hair in order to induce sleep. This can also be an effective technique to stop a headache. Scalp massage, in general, is a good treatment option, however, when combined with sesame oil the effects are felt better.Try passionflower extract. If you suffer from anxiety disorder, depression, or hyperactivity, passion flower extract can help eliminate daily anxiety, calm hyperactivity, and relieve stress. The calming effects of this extract are also thought to help with high blood pressure.Use natural methods to reduce stress. One of the most commonly treated medical conditions in the world today is anxiety disorder. Thankfully, nature provided us with natural stress relievers like passion flower, lemon balm, lavender, and valerian to name a few. Consider trying these various extracts to test their effect on your anxiety and stress levels with essential oils, teas, and other forms.Try feverfew for headaches. Feverfew has been used for centuries by medical experts to treat rheumatoid arthritis and migraine headaches. This root is known for its ability to reduce swelling and fevers as well. You can try a tablet or even a feverfew tea.Try vitamins C and B for a hangover. If you happen to overindulge with alcohol, you should immediately drink a glass of water and take some B and C vitamins. This combination will start to remove the alcohol from your bloodstream and start the process of recovering so that you feel better faster.Try bee products for arthritis and joint pain. If you suffer from stiff joints or arthritis, consider trying bee venom in any of its popular forms. You might try a cream made from royal jelly, eating raw honey, or even using bee venom itself. If you are interested in experiencing the healing relief of bee venom, contact an apitherapist, who will actually administer bee stings to your affected joints. If you are allergic to bee stings, you should not consider this treatment.Try ginger for joint problems. If you experience joint pain or stiffness, you might benefit from ginger caplets or simply more ginger in your diet. Ginger is an antioxidant that is known to assist the body in preserving cartilage. You can find ginger supplements in any health food store.Try coriander oil for joint pain and stiffness. Coriander oil or extract can be added to mineral oil for massaging sore joints or it can be brewed as a tea. Try making a 1 to 5 solution in an oil of your choice, letting it sit for 24 hours and then applying to sore joints.Stop sneezing with echinacea. This herb has been used for thousands of years to treat the symptoms of the common cold. It is thought to be an excellent immunity booster. There are many different forms of echinacea currently on the market. Depending on whether you are taking it as a preventative supplement or to treat current symptoms, the dosage may differ.Add more B vitamins to your diet. Foods rich in B vitamins are thought to be some of the most beneficial to the human body. B vitamins are excellent for the nervous system, the skin, and are even used to treat respiratory problems like asthma. Foods like brown rice, baked potatoes and fish are high in B vitamins.Improve your food choices. Many people who eat unhealthy diets believe they are following a sound nutritional plan. However, those same people often do not include fruits and vegetables with every meal and often eat meals on the go without giving it a second thought. If you want your body to perform at high-efficiency, you must provide it with high-efficiency foods. This means more whole, raw foods and as few preservatives as possible.Plan your eating ahead of time. This is one of the things that nutritionists will tell you to do when you want to improve your eating habits. For one thing, you will not be hungry if you are prepared with a meal schedule. Also, you will not be tempted by sugar and caffeine throughout the day when you have plenty of healthy alternatives on hand.Drink more water. Most people cannot honestly say that they drink nearly enough water. In fact, many people do not realize how much water they need to drink throughout the course of a day. You should focus on drinking half of your body weight in ounces each day. So if you weigh 160 lbs, drink around 80 oz’s of water a day. In order for your body to function at its optimal level, you need to make sure that you are drinking enough. Dehydration can occur when you are not getting enough water and there are many dangerous and bothersome side effects that come with it.Eliminate the color white from your diet. In general, foods that are white in color contain little in terms of nutritional value and are in fact better eliminated completely. This includes white potatoes, white bread, white pasta, crackers, and rice that are not made from whole wheat. You can eliminate these items or replace with foods that have a higher nutritional value like whole wheat bread and pasta, sweet potatoes, and brown rice.Eat more foods that are acidic and alkaline. Consider modifying your diet to include foods that are acidic and alkaline, because many holistic experts believe that this is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy body. Foods like meat are high in acid. Fruits and vegetables tend to contain a high alkaline content. One of the reasons that this will improve your health is that your body will contain far less bacteria when it has a proper PH balance.Don’t overdo the grains. Consider reducing the amount of grains and other carbohydrates that you are eating on a daily basis. The typical food pyramid emphasizes eating a large quantity of starches, however, nutritionists believe that focusing more on fruits and vegetables will keep you healthier overall.Consider adopting a raw food diet. This is where you eat only unprocessed and uncooked foods. Often, the damage done to the body by food occurs because of the additives and preservatives that are used in the preparation. While most people find that they cannot sustain this type of diet for an extended period of time, some have transformed their life and health through raw food consumption.Avoid foods with added supplements. Believe it or not, nutritionists do not recommend supplements for the sake of adding more nutrients. You should try to obtain the nutrients you need through the foods that naturally contain them. And if you require supplements, you are far better off just taking supplements. One nutrient that seems to be added to everything these days is calcium. The amount of calcium being added to products like orange juice is so minimal that it really will not help you to overcome a deficiency.Eat a teaspoon of honey every day. Honey is known for its amazing healing properties and because it contains 100% natural sugars, it is a safe and effective way to give yourself an energy boost. Honey is good for your skin, your circulation and for the cells of your body due to a high content of antioxidants.Nourish your body. Holistic healers believe that malnutrition is often responsible for many commonly occurring health problems, meaning that if the body does not get what it needs, illness will be the result. Imagine if you completely avoided calcium. The result would be brittle and broken bones and teeth. Well, the same applies for many other important nutrients. So be sure to keep giving your body what it needs to stay healthy.Eat a better diet for better skin. Holistic specialists who deal with dermatological problems will tell you that most skin problems are related to the foods you eat and the quality and amount of nutrients that you ingest. They will most likely point at food-based toxins that seem to be keeping your skin from functioning effectively. One possible treatment that might be suggested is liver detoxification, considering that the liver is responsible for filtering most toxins out of the body. If you are suffering from a skin problem such as acne, eczema, or some other sort of condition, the answer may be as simple as drinking more water. Improperly hydrated bodies lead to skin that is not supple and nourished enough to stop these conditions.Treat your skin with jojoba oil. Jojoba oil, in its many forms, is an excellent supplement for your skin and hair. This oil is known for rejuvenation of the skin as well as repairing hair and scalp problems. Consider using a shampoo or body wash that contains the oil in order to have healthier skin and hair. The effects will be seen almost immediately.Do not use anything on your skin that you would not also eat. While you naturally are not going to eat soap, you should purchase products that contain natural substances and little in the way of toxins or potential irritants. Otherwise, you are requiring your skin to work harder to eliminate toxins.Try sulfur for acne relief. If you suffer from teen or adult acne, it might be worth trying a sulfur-based cream specially formulated to work on skin lesions. Sulfur is a naturally occurring substance in the body, and therefore it is completely safe There are a number of conditions that can be helped by sulfur, in addition to acne. These include liver damage, shortness of breath, pink eye, and lactose intolerance. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Easy-To-Make DIY Salve Recipes

Supplies You’ll Need Double BoilerStrainerStirring DeviceSalve containers or Small JarScaleSmall bowl for measuring oilsOil thermometer A Helpful Tip If you find that your salve is too hard, just reheat and add a bit more oil. If it is too soft, reheat and add more wax. It is very forgiving. You can play with the proportions to find the consistency you like. Just make sure you write down the added wax or oil so you know what you liked for next time.

Harmful Ingredients used in Muscle Creams

Methyl Salicylate. Methyl Salicylate is a chemical relative of aspirin but much more toxic and is dangerous to consume orally. If enough of it is absorbed through the skin, then it is possible to reach toxic levels. There has been one report, back in 2007, of a 17-year-old girl named Arielle Newman dying from an accidental overdose because her body had absorbed a toxic level of methyl salicylate.  The chemical enters the bloodstream through the skin and both heat and exercise (which increase the blood circulation) increase the absorption of methyl salicylate. Signs of overdose from methyl salicylate are tinnitus (ringing in the ears), rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, nausea, dizziness and convulsions – and, if not immediately treated can lead to heart failure, respiratory arrest, and death. Camphor. Doctors at the American Academy of Family Physicians report that camphor has no redeeming medical value. It is often included because of its ability to overwhelm the nerves of the skin so that they cannot properly send pain signals for some period of time. This action of overwhelming the nerves produces the familiar tingly icy-hot feeling that masks pain. Products containing high percentages of camphor need to be used with caution and care. Excessive amounts of camphor rubbed on the chest can cause seizures and in pregnant women, the poisons in the oil of camphor can transfer through the placenta to the fetus, causing birth defects and stillborn births. Additionally, it is exceptionally dangerous for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease because it interferes with the medicine used in Parkinson and increases the toxicity level. Petroleum. Many topical creams and lotions contain petroleum. Petroleum-based ingredients can have negative side effects and have been found in breast tumors and aggravated acne. Also, Petroleum jelly and oils are designed so that they remain on the surface of the skin and cannot penetrate very deeply (if at all) into the subcutaneous tissue. So, unless your injury is limited to the surface area of the skin, petroleum-based formulas cannot make contact with the injured cells.

Herbal Infused Oils

An optional step to salve making is to infuse your base oils with herbs, and you can do this two ways. The first and quicker method is to slowly heat dried herbs and base oil together. Very similar to making tea, except you are replacing water with oil. Be careful not to apply too much heat because you don’t want to destroy the beneficial properties of either the oil or herbs. The slower method is to store the dried herbs and base oils in an amber colored mason jar and place it under adequate sunlight for 3-6 weeks. The benefit to this method is that you nullify the risk of burning your materials. In either case, you should use enough oil to fully submerge any herbs. And the amount of oil you use will determine the amount of beeswax or butter (shea, cocoa, etc) you will need to get the consistency you want. Using dried herbs is important. Any quantity of water left in the plant material becomes a breeding ground for mold and bacteria to grow. It’s very handy to have some knowledge on herbs used for treating wound. Almost every day a child will manage to get him or herself hurt while playing, thus having these quick easy remedies available would eliminate the need to run to a medical facility often. The aloe herb contains compounds that can reduce inflammation, swelling, and redness of wounds. This herb should be applied directly to the wound after a simple cleaning exercise is done to rid the wound of any unwanted particles. The naturally secreted gel works wonders for superficial wounds. Calendula is another herb that can successfully treat wounds. The flavonoids and antioxidants it contains helps to speed up the healing process by increasing the blood flow to the wound. This ingredient can be applied topically and is also a popular ingredient in creams and ointments. Slippery elm, a tree native to North America, can also be used to treat wounds but should be applied around the wound and not directly into an open wound. Other more familiar herbs used to treat wounds are lavender which not only helps the healing process but also acts as a germ-killing agent. Tea tree oil also disinfects while healing wounds. This particular herb works at quite a fast pace in the healing process. Echinacea, Marigold, and Myrrh are also good healing agents for wounds. All these can be applied to the wounds by simply adding them into your salve.

Rosemary Neem Foot Salve

Ingredients 4oz Lanolin1oz Raw Beeswax1 ½ oz Olive Oil infused with calendula flowers, plantain leaves & comfrey leaves½ oz Shea Butter¼ oz Cocoa Butter ½ tsp Neem Oil¼ tsp Sea Buckthorn Oil1g Vitamin E Oil1g Lavender Essential Oil1g Rosemary Essential Oil1g Fir Essential Oil1g Tea Tree Oil1g Rosemary Extract Directions Begin by making your herb infused olive oil. You can do this by following the explanation earlier mentioned. Once you’ve infused the olive oil, strain the oil through cheesecloth or strainer into a suitable mason jar.After you have your infused oil you are ready to make your foot salve.Start by weighing out the beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter and lanolin using a digital scale and placing them into a double boiler to melt. Remove them from the heat when done.Measure out the neem oil and sea buckthorn oil and add to the salve base.While you wait for the mix to cool, use a small bowl to weigh out the essential oils. Add the oils to the salve base only after it has dropped below the essential oil’s flash point. Mix well, then pour into glass salve jars or tins and allow to cool completely. The leftover herbal infused olive oil can be substituted for any of the carrier oils in other recipes like soapmaking.

Burn Salve

Ingredients 4 tbsp Raw Honey1 tbsp Jojoba Oil1 tbsp Aloe Vera 1oz Beeswax Directions Melt your beeswax in a double boiler (this can easily be done by placing a ceramic bowl in hot water).After melted, mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir well, then pour into a small container or salve tin.

Warming Salve For Sore Muscles

Ingredients ¼ cup Coconut Oil¼ cup Olive Oil1oz Beeswax¼ tsp Ground Pepper¼ tsp Ground Ginger10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil10 drops Clove Oil Directions Melt your beeswax in a double boiler. You can accomplish this by filling a small saucepan with water and use a clean, empty can for this step. Measure and add the coconut and olive oil to the bowl, along with the ground pepper and ginger. Bring the water to a simmer, and then let the mixture warm in the hot water for 20 minutes.After the base mixture cools below the essential oil’s flash point, add the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils, then pour into a small container or salve tin.

A Little Bit Warmer, Sore Muscle Salve

Ingredients 1 cup Grapeseed Oil3 tbsp Ground Cayenne1oz Beeswax2 tbsp Turmeric2 tbsp Ground Ginger Directions Melt your beeswax in a double boiler.When melted, add in all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Warm over medium heat for 20 minutes.Let cool for a bit and pour into a small container or salve tin.

Super-Strength Sore Muscle Salve

Ingredients 1oz Beeswax4 tbsp Habanero Powder2 tbsp Ground Pepper1 cup Jojoba Oil Directions Melt your beeswax in a double boiler. When melted, mix in the remaining ingredients and let heat for 20 minutes.Let cool for a bit and pour into a small container or salve tin. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

101 Self Help Tips to Find Motivation and Reach Your Goals

Everyone has big dreams, and we tend to make even bigger plans to fulfill them. Unfortunately, as time passes, we tend to lose motivation and enthusiasm in working toward reaching our goals, leaving us stuck in the same place, toiling away at our 9 to 5 jobs, trying to earn just enough money to survive. Each of us has a positivity inside that serves as the source of our great ideas and accomplishments in the world. In exerting more effort in finding our motivation, we can achieve our ultimate goals and find the passion in our lives. Utilize these 101 Self Help Tips to kick out the negativity and eliminate the stress that has been controlling your life. Don’t wait, break the barriers that are keeping you from reaching your goals, break free from the cocoon, and finally win control over your life.

Tip #1 – Make a Deal with Yourself

If you want to overcome procrastination and start getting things done, you need to make a deal with yourself. This deal can be either big or small. For example, you can tell yourself, “When I’m done with these reports, I can take a walk in the park and enjoy some ice cream.�� Giving yourself something to look forward to once you complete your task can keep you motivated to get things done.

Tip #2 – Leave Yourself Messages in the Morning

There may be mornings when you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see. This can quickly kill any motivation you have and quickly ruin your day. To avoid this issue, find a message that will inspire you to be your best, even if you don’t look or feel it. Using a dry erase marker, write the self-affirming message on your bathroom mirror. This will help build your self-image and help you start your day on a positive note.

Tip #3 – Don’t Hit the Snooze Button

One phrase that can quickly zap your motivation, "Just five more minutes." When you hit your snooze button, you're starting your day off by procrastinating the inevitable task of getting up and going. Having an extra five minutes in bed in the morning isn't going to do you any favors and will kill your motivation.

Tip #4 – Practice Positive Self Talk

If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, start practicing positive self-talk. When your alarm goes off in the morning, instead of grumbling and hitting the snooze button, tell yourself, “I can do this!” By affirming yourself in this way, it will make it easier for you to get out of bed and get going in the mornings.

Tip #5 – Stay on a Regular Schedule

Knowing what to expect can keep you motivated, which is why it’s important to know your daily schedule and stick with it as much as you possibly can. While things do happen that can interrupt a schedule, knowing that you have one planned and in place can make it much easier to keep on track and still stay productive during the day.

Tip #6 – Breakfast is Key

Eating a healthy and balanced breakfast is the key to starting your day out right. Food is energy, so by eating in the morning and choosing the right types of foods, you will remain focused on your daily tasks and goals. Even when you feel pressed for time, have a go-to meal that will give you the nutrition you need to start your day off right.

Tip #7 – Have a Morning Routine

Having a morning routine can help you gain motivation to propel you into the rest of your day. Knowing what to expect and knowing that once it’s done what comes next will help you make it through your day. Changes in your routine can make it difficult to think clearly and have a productive day. However, doing the same general activities in the same order can help you get going.

Tip #8 – Participate in Morning Exercise

Take a morning walk or head to the gym first thing in the morning can increase your motivation for the rest of the day. Regular exercise can improve your blood flow and keep you from feeling sleepy or lethargic throughout your day. Even participating in a simple stretching routine in the morning can help to increase your blood flow and get you moving.

Tip #9 – Take One Step at a Time

Concentrate on one action at a time. If you think about everything you have to do, then your energy levels will feel even lower. Take your routine one step at a time and don't focus on what you have left to do. When you only focus on the immediate action, you won't mentally deplete what energy you have left.

Tip #10 – Keep Moving Forward

Once you get moving, keep moving. Energy isn’t something that lives in a bottle and can be taken on a whim. Sometimes you have to force yourself to keep going. Maintaining your momentum increases the chances that you will continue to be productive and finish what you started out to accomplish in the first place. Don’t fool yourself by telling yourself that you’ll be able to do it later. This is nothing more than procrastinating and will ultimately leave a lot of unwanted tasks sitting on the back burner.

Tip #11 – Reward Yourself

When you are faced with a difficult task or situation, setting up a reward for when you complete it successfully can help you remain motivated. Rewarding yourself for completing difficult tasks can keep you motivated to keep going with the job and accomplish it in the time frame you've set.

Tip #12 – Leave Yourself Notes

Leaving yourself encouraging notes in places that you often look can make you feel better about yourself. Writing encouraging notes to yourself can help to remind you that you can do it and make it through whatever challenges that life throws in your direction.

Tip #13 – Track Your Progress

When your list of to-dos seems longer than what you have completed, take a moment and think of everything that you’ve accomplished during a certain period. While you may not be where you wanted to be at that moment, you need to remind yourself that you completed some of your tasks. Giving yourself that small pat on the back will help to keep you motivated and help you to continue with whatever tasks you still need to complete.

Tip #14 – Make Small Goals

It is extremely easy to feel overwhelmed when you set your standards and your goals too high. Setting small and attainable goals from the start will help you stay motivated when you reach them so that you can move on to the next step. When you set your goals too high, to begin with, you can become discouraged too easily and feel overwhelmed.

Tip #15 – Work on One Project at a Time

You may think that multitasking is a good idea until you realize you have unfinished projects on your list. Not only do you still have to complete each of the projects, but it makes you feel like you can't even achieve one. To keep your motivation, you need to focus completely on finishing one project at a time, seeing it through to the end before you begin the next one. Not only will this keep your motivation because you’ve achieved what you set out to do, but you will become more productive.

Tip #16 – Turn to Others

Those around you can be great resources when it comes to finding your motivation. Find some supportive friends and family who can help you achieve your overall goal and provide you with the motivation you need when the going gets tough.

Tip #17 – Clear Your Mind

When you start to feel completely overwhelmed, it's best to step away from the situation and take a deep breath. Allow your mind to relax and clear itself from the stress that it might be currently experiencing. Going into something with a clear mind will provide you with the fresh perspective that you need to help you stay motivated and productive.

Tip #18 – Think of Things the Energize You

If you lack energy, you can think about things that energize and motivate you to give you the necessary boost to get moving. Using whatever the thought is that will drive you, allow it to replay through your mind over and over again as you pursue the not so pleasant tasks that you might be facing when you're less than motivated and lack energy.

Tip #19 – Listen to Upbeat Music

Music has the uncanny ability to dictate your moods. Upbeat and positive music can help you get going when you have low motivation. Try finding upbeat music that you like to listen to and play them when you lack energy and motivation and see if they won’t have a positive effect on your motivation and energy.

Tip #20 – Find Your Mantra

A mantra doesn't have to be long; it just has to get you excited. When you lack energy and feel unmotivated, it’s those few words that remind you what matters to you and get you to take action toward achieving the goals you’ve set for yourself.

Tip #21 – Plan a Routine

Developing a plan and sticking with it is a great way to keep yourself disciplined. Taking the time to have a set routine and sticking with it on a regular basis can help keep you in line and keep yourself motivated throughout the day. It will take some time to get a productive routine down, but once you have it, it’s a quick way for you to ensure that you are disciplined and able to stay motivated throughout the day.

Tip #22 – Keep to Your Routine

Unfortunately, life has a way of interrupting our plans, no matter how prepared we think we are. However, it's how you handle these distractions that will ensure you find success. So, when you see that something is interrupting your routine, work on getting past it as soon as possible, so you can get back to your routine and carry on as if the interruption never happened. When you can stick with your routine, you are more likely to keep the momentum of your day in high gear.

Tip #23 – Have the Same Routine Daily

It can be incredibly confusing if you change your routine too often. Have one routine and work towards keeping it consistent from day to day. A routine can help you continue a steady flow throughout your day. It might take a bit to get your routine in place, but once you do, you will get the driving force that will help propel you through your day.

Tip #24 – Set Specific Goals

Goals are an important part of your motivation. If you don't know what you're aiming for, then you'll do nothing but walk around in circles. Having specific goals in place before you go for it will help you find your motivation so that you can reach those goals. By knowing what you want and what you can gain from the activity will give you the motivation to give it your all.

Tip #25 – Define Your Life to Fit Your Goals

Knowing what you want to accomplish is a good factor to motivate you to succeed in achieving it. Once you know exactly what you want and what goals you need to set out to achieve it, carefully structure your activities around those goals. This can be simply telling yourself that you want to be at this place at this specific time.

Tip #26 – Organize Your Day

Take a few minutes in the morning to organize your day. Organizing your day can help you stay productive and motivated throughout the day. There is nothing more discouraging than not being able to find what you need and having to waste valuable time looking for it. Taking a few minutes to plan ahead and organize how you want to spend your day can help to keep you on track.

Tip #27 – Utilize a Pinup Board

Hang a corkboard someplace where you'll see it daily and pin your goals to it. Looking at your goals on a regular basis can help to rekindle lost motivation and get you back on track to pursuing them. This is an inexpensive and quick way to visually motivate yourself and keep you working toward accomplishing your goals.

Tip #28 – Talk Through Your Motions

When you talk through what you’re doing, you tend to pay better attention to what you’re doing. This can save you a ton of time because you won’t wander around aimlessly and forget what you wanted to do in the first place. When we are more aware of what we are doing, we tend to make each movement count.

Tip #29 – Celebrate Small Victories

When you don't want to get moving and feel lethargic, praising yourself for the small things that you've accomplished will help motivate you and keep you on the right path to reaching your goals. While it might seem silly, it really can be a great motivator, especially when you're lacking the energy and drive to get through the day.

Tip #30 – Compete with Yourself

Competing with yourself can help you to get moving faster. Competing against yourself to do better than you did the day before can make you want to step up your game and push yourself to do better than before. There are many different ways that you can compete with yourself, so you can become better and improve your motivational goals.

Tip #31 – Challenge Yourself

Find motivation and self-discipline by challenging yourself to complete new tasks on a daily basis. Challenging yourself daily to complete new, more difficult tasks, can keep you excited and make you want to continue trying and can help you improve your habits.

Tip #32 – Allow Others to Challenge You

Competition with others will fuel your desire to continue on the journey to reaching your goals. Use those around you to help you become more self-disciplined and help you find motivation and success. A little competition can go a long way in helping you go further and accomplish more than you would under your own power.

Tip #33 – Filter Your Mind of Negative Thoughts

Before you can set your goals and be motivated to discipline yourself, you need to start filtering the negative thoughts out of your mind. This will allow you to begin to focus on what matters. Unless you cleanse your mind of poisonous thoughts, you will find it impossible to think clearly and believe in yourself.

Tip #34 – Talk Kindly to Yourself

To rid yourself of the negative thoughts that you nurture, you have to pay attention to your self-talk. In order for you to be able to move forward and reach your goals, you have to build a positive mindset. A positive mindset starts with talking kindly to yourself. It takes a lot of courage to be kind to yourself, but it is necessary if you want to find yourself in a better place.

Tip #35 – Develop a Can-Do Attitude

To effectively push yourself forward and embrace challenges, you have to develop a can-do attitude. Doing this requires a commitment to yourself that you will do whatever it takes to become more disciplined and that you will strive for what matters most to you despite all odds.

Tip #36 – Develop Positive Affirmations

One way to ensure that you follow through with your goals is to turn them into affirmations and repeat them daily. When you repeatedly say something to yourself with deep conviction, you affirm in your mind and compel it to accept that suggestion and to work toward fulfilling it. As soon as your mind accepts the suggestion as the absolute truth, it will focus its energy on it and make you take meaningful action to reach your goal.

Tip #37 – Break Your Bad Habits

If you want to become more disciplined so you can achieve your goals and become more productive, you need to get rid of all the bad habits that keep you from being the best version of yourself. Your habits shape your life, so if you want to build a good, meaningful life and accomplish all your goals, you need to eliminate the bad habits that keep you from fulfilling your mission.

Tip #38 – Make an Action Plan

Without an action plan, you won't be able to move toward your goals efficiently. A plan of action will provide you with a step-by- step guideline for moving toward each of your goals. With an action plan in hand, you can complete necessary tasks every day that are needed to achieve your goals. Break your big goal, into smaller, more manageable steps and work on them daily.

Tip #39 – Have the Bigger Picture in Mind

If you have difficulty starting tasks or you lose your motivation, stop what you’re doing and recall your end goal and think of the bigger picture. Recall why you’re pursuing the particular goal and reiterate to yourself the importance of having self-discipline for achieving your goals.

Tip #40 – Focus on the Present

If you want to make continuous progress, it is important that you learn how to live in the present. Thinking too much about the future can overwhelm you, making it extremely tough to work on the current task effectively. Likewise, when you live in the past and continue to remember the setbacks you've experienced, you're unable to take the meaningful action you need to continue to move forward.

Tip #41 – Learn from Your Experiences

Every experience that you go through, be it good or bad, should be seen as a learning experience. If you make a mistake, don’t regret the mistake and don’t feel bad about making it. Instead, focus on what you can do to improve. Accept each challenge and obstacle happily and wholeheartedly to stop yourself from fearing setbacks.

Tip #42 – Take a Step Back

Many people tend to jump right into their day without thinking it through. They have a list of chores in their mind and are planning on when they can complete which chore. However, without fail, something gets forgotten. To keep this from happening to you, take a deep breath when you first wake up and take a step back from your busy mind. Take the time to write down your tasks so you have an idea of how much time each one will take so you can more effectively plan how you will tackle the list.

Tip #43 – Have a Plan

One of the easiest and most effective ways to ensure your success is to have a plan for accomplishing your to-do list. This is the one step that often gets skipped. Take time to think about where your tasks fit into your day. By planning and breaking down larger tasks, you can accomplish the more important tasks before tackling those tasks that might not be essential.

Tip #44 – Stick to Your Plan

If you throw you plan out the window at the first opportunity, not only have you just wasted your time, but you run the risk of quickly veering off track. When you make a plan, stick to it as closely as you can. While things will happen to prevent your day from going exactly as you planned, you tried to make your plan work the way you intended it to. Learn to quickly deal with the other stuff that comes up and find your way back to your plan.

Tip #45 – Allow Time for Rest

If you’re busy, rest might be a foreign concept. Too often, people will push aside their personal needs in order to accomplish what it is they set out to do. To keep your motivation and reach your goals, you need to make a point of taking a break during your day. Depending on your circumstances, this can mean treating yourself to lunch, having a coffee date with a friend, or finding some time to read a few chapters of your book. Make it a point to have some time to rest so that you don’t burn out.

Tip #46 – Prioritize

Sometimes, it’s just impossible to accomplish everything on your list in a given day. There will be those days where everything wrong will happen, eating up your time. When you plan out your day, make sure to plan to complete your most important tasks first. Give yourself enough time to accomplish them. If you have time to work on other things after you’ve finished, that’s great.

Tip #47 – Write Your Tasks Down

In order to properly plan your day, you need to know what you’re going to need to do in that day. Take some time in the morning to write down your tasks. By seeing what you need to do, you’ll be more likely to get it done. When we get busy, we tend to forget tasks that we needed to accomplish.

Tip #48 – Schedule Your Day

Take the list of things you want to accomplish and make a schedule. Consider how much time each task should take to complete. With this information in mind, aim to complete certain tasks at certain times during the day. While it might not always work out the way you plan, at least you have some structure to your day.

Tip #49 – Take Other Schedules into Account

If you don’t live alone, you need to make sure that you’re aware of the schedules of others in your household. If you have children, their extracurricular activities can impact your schedule. Make sure that you know what the other members of your household are doing and when they are doing it, to save yourself frustration later.

Tip #50 - Plan for the Unexpected

You may have the best laid out plans, but it never fails that something will happen that ruins those plans. Make exceptions in your schedule for things that might come up that you hadn’t planned for.

Tip #51 – Carry a Schedule

Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, activities, and conversations for a week. Doing this will help you to understand better how much you can get done during the course of a day. You'll have the opportunity to see how much time is spent producing actual results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, actions, and conversations.

Tip #52 – Decide What Results You Want to Attain

Five minutes before you start a task, decide what results you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. After completing each task, take five minutes to determine whether you achieved your desired results.

Tip #53 – Create Time Management Goals

Eliminate your personal time-wasters. The focus of time management isn't actually changing time but changing the behaviors that waste time. For one week, set a goal to not engage in your biggest time-wasting activity, and see how much time you can gain.

Tip #54 – Utilize Time Management Tools

Whether it’s a software program, phone app, or Day-Timer, the first step to effectively managing your time is knowing where it’s going and planning how you’re going to spend your time in the future. Time management tools allow you to easily schedule events and set reminders, making your time management efforts easier.

Tip #55 – Learn to Say No

Making a lot of time commitments can teach you how to juggle various engagements and manage your time. However, it can easily be taken too far. At some point, you need to learn to decline new opportunities. You should only be taking on those commitments that you know you have time for and that you truly care about.

Tip #56 – Don’t Multitask

Multitasking doesn’t work. Rather than splitting your focus to accomplish numerous tasks, devote your entire focus to the task at hand. Find a quiet place to work and cut out all distractions. Concentrate on one task at a time, only moving on when you’ve accomplished the task.

Tip #57 – Be Organized

Being organized will save you a ton of time. Create a filing system for documents and make sure every item has a place to be stored. Unsubscribe from email lists that you don’t want and streamline everything you can.

Tip #58 – Batch Related Tasks Together

Different tasks demand different kinds of thinking, so you should allow your mind to continue to flow with its current zone rather than unnecessarily switching to something that is going to require you to re-orient.

Tip #59 – Eliminate the Non-Essential

If you want to stay motivated and reach your goals, you need to identify the excess and remove it from your life. By removing the non-essential tasks and activities, you can become more and more in touch with what is significant and what deserves your time.

Tip #60 – Leave a Buffer-Time Between Tasks

Allow yourself downtime between tasks to breathe and clear your mind. When you rush from task to task, it can be difficult to appreciate what you're doing and to stay focused and motivated.

Tip #61 – It’s Not About You

It is important to remember that 99 percent of the time, how people behave is not about you; it’s about them. You will never truly change your mindset if you don’t realize that the behaviors of others have nothing to do with you.

Tip #62 – Don’t Take Things Personally

Don’t take things that happen personally, because everyone has underlying issues that are not apparent on the surface. Stop making baseless conclusions based on a tiny amount of information that you have of others.

Tip #63 – Try to Find the Good in Everything

Life is too short to live in misery and blame everything else on your problems. Never blame, complain or take things personally. Instead, focus on the more important things in your life, those things that you are grateful for.

Tip #64 – Collect References that Reinforce Your Positive Belief

Deliberately collecting references to reinforce your positive beliefs will help to weaken your limiting beliefs. Think about two or three positive beliefs that will benefit you the most and start to collect real-life evidence to support these selected beliefs.

Tip #65 – Practice Visualization

Visualization is an effective technique for changing your belief and reaching your goals. Your mind can’t differentiate between something vividly imagined and real life. Using visualization can provide your subconscious mind with manufactured pieces of evidence that will reinforce positive thinking in your mind.

Tip #66 – Avoid Negative People

The people you surround yourself with have a tremendous impact on your mind. If you spend most of your time around negative people who always put you and your abilities down, you would never feel confident.

Tip #67 – Avoid Instant Gratification

Avoid seeking instant gratification. The good feelings you get are only temporary and will disappear quickly. Instead, you need to follow your heart’s calling. Put your best effort into everything you do, and you will experience long-lasting, happiness and satisfaction.

Tip #68 – Live up to Your Values

This is one of the single biggest factors that determine your self- esteem. To raise and maintain high self-esteem and shift your mindset, it is important to take action and move toward living up to your values.

Tip #69 – Stop Comparing Yourself with Others

We are all unique, so stop comparing yourself with others. Instead, you need to learn to accept yourself completely, then find your purpose, your mission, and work on it with all your heart.

Tip #70 – Look for the Good in Other People

What you give out, you will receive back 100 fold. If you give out love and care to others, you will get affection and support back. If you give out anger and hatred, you will receive the same in return. When you treat others well, you feel good in return.

Tip #71 – Practice Meditation

The best way to become more present in your daily life and change your mindset is to practice regular meditation. Meditation trains your mind to be in the present moment.

Tip #72 – Completely Focus on Present Activities

Learn to be more aware of the environment around you when participating in your day to day activities. Really look at things, noticing small details like shape, colors, taste, weight, smell, etc. This will allow you to cultivate present moment awareness.

Tip #73 – Be Aware of Your Thoughts

Start paying attention to the thoughts that are going on in your brain. Don’t judge. Don’t label any thought as good or bad. Just observe them objectively. Stop taking ownership of your negative thoughts.

Tip #74 – Minimize Activities That Stop You from Being Present

One of the best ways to be more present and change your mindset is to minimize activities that make your brain dull and unable to focus on the present. Some activities make you present, and some don't. If you aim to become more present so you can accomplish your goals, then you have to remove activities that aren't helping you accomplish those goals.

Tip #75 – Face Your Fears

When you expose yourself repeatedly to your fears, it can begin to lower their intensity. It can help to take the sting out and make it more manageable for you.

Tip #76 – Have Faith in Yourself

One of the core pillars of strength against fear is faith in yourself, your vision and your ability to succeed. Believe in yourself and your vision and know that you have all the resources you need to become the person you want to be and reach your goals.

Tip #77 – Trust in Your Own Value

Don’t let any compliments boost your ego or any criticisms shake your confidence. Always do your personal best at the moment and continually look for ways to improve next time.

Tip #78 – Be Optimistic

Nothing is certain in life. When you expect the worst, you tend to fear the unknown. Instead, realize that you've been given a choice to create the future you want. In life, you get what you expect, so try and find the good in every situation and the people around you.

Tip #79 – Always Show Your Real Self

Always show your true personality. Never be afraid to fully express your thoughts and feelings. Let the world know who you are and what you stand for, and you'll come across as a genuine, confident person who inspires people to break out of their own shells.

Tip #80 – Always Speak Your Mind

If you don’t think that anybody understands you, then you need to speak up and be assertive. Let people know who you are and what you need. This is the only way they can clearly understand you.

Tip #81 – Have an End Result in Mind

Having a clear focus on where you want your efforts to end up is an important part of setting attainable goals. Having an ultimate goal will help you as you try to achieve the smaller goals you have made. Having a solid focus will help you achieve more.

Tip #82 – Break Down Larger Goals into Smaller Parts

Help yourself reach your end goal by breaking it down into smaller steps, rather than becoming stressed by trying to accomplish it all at once. When you take on too much at one time, you can become stressed, which might cause you to abandon your goal completely.

Tip #83 – Set Reasonable Time Frames

If you try to do something too slow or too quickly, it can throw you off focus. Give yourself an ample amount of time to complete each goal, to make sure that you get the results that you’re aiming for. Be reasonable and set time frames on your goals and your achievements.

Tip #84 – Stack Your Goals

Working on your goals in a stacked method, allows you to work toward a new goal while finishing out the goal you were already working on. This will help you to start the next step while finishing the previous step. This helps you keep the overall goal flowing.

Tip #85 – Move on to New Goals When You’ve Achieved Your Other Goal

Often times, once you complete a goal that you have set out to achieve, you might feel like you’re stuck in a rut. This can become frustrating because you feel like you’re no longer moving forward. Don’t let doubts hold you back. Begin to work on new goals as soon as you feel as though you have accomplished your previous goals.

Tip #86 – Have Benchmarks

Check in with yourself frequently. Creating a schedule to check on the progress of your goals will help you to understand better where you are and what you need to work on next. Set a regular time for you to check up on yourself and be honest about the progress you are making.

Tip #87 – Start with the Basics

Once you’ve set the goals that you'd like to pursue actively, you need to start at the beginning. Take the time to figure out where you need to begin and take the process in small steps.

Tip #88 – Start on Small Goals

When it comes to setting goals, you’ll find that some of them will be larger than others. Identify the goals that you can handle on a smaller level and work up from there. After you’ve learned to put some goals into action, you will figure out how you can tackle the larger goals to make them a reality.

Tip #89 – Prioritize Your Goals

Some of the goals that you set will be more pertinent to the place you are in your life and your career. Try placing importance on certain goals and set some aside until you feel you are ready to give them your full attention.

Tip #90 – Don’t Take on Too Much at Once

Often when you are busy, you tend to take on much more than what you can handle at once. The strain of taking on too much can cause you to become stressed and result in you losing focus on what is really important. Always be aware of what your limits are an act accordingly.

Tip #91 – Have Someone to Keep You Accountable

Another way to can continue to work toward your goals is by having someone who can help to keep you accountable. By having someone to ask you about your progress or about how you feel about the goal can help you keep your goals in the forefront of your mind, so you can continue to work toward reaching them.

Tip #92 – Don’t Become Discouraged by Obstacles

Life is full of obstacles and challenges. If you allow these things to stand in your way, you will never succeed in reaching your goals. When you face challenges in life, you have to find a way to face them head on and make it through the fire and to the other side.

Tip #93 – Look for People Who Share Similar Goals

Even if you already belong to an existing support group, there is always an opportunity to add to it and make it more diverse. They don’t have to be people you’ve known for a long time but can be people you’ve encountered throughout your life that can offer you solid advice to make your goal easier to accomplish.

Tip #94 – Use Your Family and Friends as Sounding Boards

Your family and friends are who know you best. They might be able to offer you advice that is extremely helpful and that you may never have thought about yourself. Their advice can help you to pursue your goals with more ease.

Tip #95 – Learn to Let Go of Negative Forces

There will always be at least one person who will do whatever they can to discourage you from your goals. Don’t let these people have a part in your life or your goals. Let them go and remove the negativity from your life.

Tip #96 – Talk to Your Support Group Regularly

Having a support group will help you make sure that you can talk about your worries and frustrations and get the advice you need to continue on your journey to making your goals into realities.

Tip #97 – Listen to Advice

Take the advice that is worth listening to and make it a part of your goal. Don’t think that you know everything. Allow yourself the vulnerability to know when you need to take advice or let the advice go.

Tip #98 – Be Open to Change

Change can be difficult for everyone. However, the more open to change that you are, the easier the transition will be when you are ready to make changes in your life. There will come a point in your life where things will need to change in order for you to be successful. Don’t fight it, embrace it and continue moving forward.

Tip #99 – Set Your Sights High

It’s okay to dream. You can get more done and be more successful when you take the time to set your goals and ambitions higher. Don’t be afraid to set your dreams high.

Tip #100 – Think Beyond the Present

Having the ability to look past the present and set your sights on your future and your goals can make your current situation temporary. You can only go as far as you allow yourself to go.

Tip #101 – Don’t Settle When More Can be Done

Settling when you know you can do better, only cheats you out of what greatness your life can really hold. You can realize more success when you push yourself further. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Cleaning the Air: Researchers Turn CO2 Back Into Coal

Researchers at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have developed a breakthrough carbon capture technology to turn carbon dioxide back into solid carbon using liquid metals. This new technology offers a safe and fairly inexpensive way to remove harmful CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere. While the research isn’t complete just yet, it’s a major step in safely delivering carbon dioxide back into the ground. There are other ways in existence to capture and store carbon dioxide, but most involve compressing the gas into a liquid form and injecting it into the ground. Although it is a good method, there are concerns about it being economically practical and environmentally safe, as leaks from the storage sites can potentially do more harm than good. Being able to directly convert CO₂ into a solid is a much more sustainable approach. “While we can’t literally turn back time, turning carbon dioxide back into coal and burying it back in the ground is a bit like rewinding the emissions clock,” says Dr. Torben Daeneke, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow. “To date, CO₂ has only been converted into a solid at extremely high temperatures, making it industrially unviable. By using liquid metals as a catalyst, we’ve shown it’s possible to turn the gas back into carbon at room temperature, in a process that’s efficient and scalable.” https://youtu.be/03gWgCN61F0

How Carbon Conversion Works

The technology to turn carbon dioxide into solid carbon was developed by Dr. Dorna Esrafilzadeh, a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow in RMIT’s School of Engineering. The design uses a liquid metal catalyst with surface properties that conduct electricity extremely well while chemically activating it. The carbon dioxide is dissolved in a liquid electrolyte solution mixed with a small amount of the liquid metal, which is then charged under an electrical current. This allows the CO₂ to slowly combine into small, solid flakes of carbon on the liquid metal surface which are removed as the process continues. This process of converting carbon dioxide into solid carbon comes with two beneficial side effects. First, the carbon created in the process can hold an electrical charge and becomes a supercapacitor which could be used in machinery such as vehicles. The second side benefit is that a synthetic fuel is created as a by-product from the carbon conversion process, which could have many industrial purposes. The paper on RMIT’s research was published in Nature Communications. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Energy Harvesting Trees Might Be the Next Big Thing to Power the World

Energy harvesting trees are probably the greatest thing in solar history. Imagine a forest of trees generating electricity for entire blocks and cities. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they would also blend in seamlessly anywhere. Solar Botanic, a London based company, is leading the industry in this revolutionary technology. Energy harvesting trees are much more efficient than your typical solar energy systems. Traditional solar energy requires a lot of space and at times, expensive transmission networks which ultimately results in a loss of power. These solar trees, however, not only generate maximum amounts of electricity with little land usage through the combined large surface area of each leaf, but they also double as wind turbines. Solar Botanic’s technology makes use of “nanoleaves” which are thin, leaf-like solar panels that reflect only a small portion of sunlight and turns the rest, including UV rays, into usable electricity. Not only do the nanoleaves make use of photovoltaics (transforming light to electricity), it also has thermovoltaic properties (transforming heat into electricity) that work even after the sun has set. In addition to gathering energy from the sun, when the wind pushes the nanoleaves back and forth, it stresses piezoelectric components which generate electricity. The stronger the wind, the more electricity is generated. One tree with thousands of nanoleaves blowing in the wind can generate millions of watts. These energy harvesting trees are nothing short of amazing. One tree would be able to power a three bedroom house, while a small forest could power an entire neighborhood. On top of that, they could even be used in parking lots to power electric cars thanks to compatible attachments and the piezoelectric components mean available power, rain or shine. If that wasn’t enough to excite you, any extra electricity you don’t use can be sold back to the grid for a little extra cash in your pockets at the end of each month! What would really impress me, though, would be if the trees could somehow release oxygen back into the atmosphere, then we’d really be in business. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Yerba Santa Herb May Hold the Cure to Alzheimer's Disease

Many modern day medicines such as aspirin, artemisinin, and digoxin all get there healing properties from plants. Researchers at the Salk Institute have recently discovered a chemical called sterubin in the Yerba Santa plant that possesses potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties, which may lead to a treatment for the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. Their research was published in the February 2019 issue of Redox Biology. Age is a major risk factor in Alzheimer’s disease which is a leading cause of death in the United States. Because of this, many scientists are searching for ways to reverse the effects of aging on the brain. The identification of sterubin as a powerful neuroprotective agent is a promising step in that direction. Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon Californicum) is shrub naturally found in California. Native American tribes dubbed it “holy herb” and used its leaves to treat respiratory ailments, fever, headaches, wounds, sore muscles, and rheumatism. Senior Staff Scientist, Pamela Maher, applied a screening technique used in drug discovery to a library of 400 plant extracts with known pharmacological properties in order to identify any natural components that may counter symptoms of neurological disease. Previously, the lab used this same approach to determine flavonoids in plants that have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective attributes. Flavonoids are a group of more than 6,000 known chemicals found in almost all fruits, vegetables, and plants. Through screening, researchers at Salk Institute identified a flavonoid called sterubin as Yerba Santa’s main active component. Along with a few other components, sterubin was tested on the nerve cells of mice for its effect on energy metabolism, inflammation, and accumulation of deformed proteins known to accompany Alzheimer’s. It was found that sterubin was impactful against multiple causes of nerve cell death in that it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects on brain cells known as microglia and was efficient at removing iron, which further contributes to nerve cell damage in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. According to Maher, sterubin was a previously known compound but was largely ignored and turned out to be a much better active compound than other flavonoids studied in Yerba Santa. Their next steps would be to test the toxicity levels and drug-like characteristics in animals that display similar symptoms to Alzheimer’s disease. From there, plant-derived sterubin could possibly be tested on humans under controlled conditions until safe, synthetic derivatives could be lab generated. Typical life expectancy after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is 4-8 years. These findings prove to be very promising, as Alzheimer’s currently has no available cure and affects almost 6 million people in the United States. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Foot Massage Techniques and Benefits

Around 2,500 years ago, a Chinese physician named Jivaka Komarabhacca created a complex system of massage that eventually ended up in Thailand somehow. From there it was passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next and is still in practice today. When the Thai alphabet was developed under King Ramkamhaeng’s rule, learned scholars began to record all aspects of Thai society including healing practices like massage therapy. Unfortunately, many of the records were destroyed when Ayuthaya, Thailand’s capital, was captured by the Burmese in 1776. All that was left was what was engraved on the walls of Wat Poh, one of Bangkok’s most famous temples. Today, many different types of massage have been developed in Thailand based on the ancient teachings, the foot massage being one of them. The foot massage is one of the most interesting of those developed because of the fact that the application must be exceedingly accurate as it is based on the location of the nerves. The Thai believe that each part of the foot has a direct link to parts of the body such as vital organs and systems. Applying pressure in certain areas of the foot therefore affects their corresponding parts. Since its creation, foot massage has adapted hands as well and has become widely known as reflexology.

Foot Massage Techniques

There are many different techniques that almost every foot massage therapist/reflexologist uses and they are as follows: Sweeping and Rubbing. Many foot massages start with a gentle, rhythmic rubbing of the foot’s surface to create warmth and an increased supply of blood.Thumb Walking. The thumbs are probably the strongest fingers and are used to loosen the tendons along the edges of the foot and to apply firm, direct pressure to tense areas.Toe Rotation. The toes can be very sensitive and should be handled with care. Gentle squeezing while rotating and pulling them upwards and outwards is a technique commonly used for the toes.Kneading. Kneading is done by forming a fist with the hand and using the knuckles to press and rotate across the sole of the foot from heel to toe, and back.Cupping. This technique is more of a cool down and is just a simple squeezing up and down motion of the entire foot with one hand, while cupping the heel with the other.

Foot Massage Benefits

The benefits of a good foot massage are innumerous: Pressing and massaging the base of the fourth toe helps to heal heart conditionsFirmly pressing and massaging the base of the second toe influences the lungs and encourages better breathingMassaging between the third and fourth toe relaxes strained and tired eyes and helps to improve visionStretching and pulling the big toe relieves pain from sinusitisRotating pressure at the ball and middle of the foot eases stomachaches, and heals the kidneys, bladder, and the entire excretory systemApplying pressure to the heel has healing effects on the lower back areaStretching and rotating the ankle is therapeutic for the reproductive tractsStretching the knuckles of the toes backward improves postureMassaging the top of the foot between the first and second toed relieves inner ear pain, while massaging between the fourth and fifth toe eases chest painsKneading the inner and outer edges of the foot is beneficial to the spinePressing and gently massaging the soft spot beneath the anklebone reduces pain from the sciatic nerve and cleanses the body of bacteria and toxins by stimulating the lymphatic system With so much rotating, pressing, pulling, stretching, and massaging, the soft tissues become relaxed and invigorated and so does, quite literally, the foundation of your being. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

What Is Balinese Massage?

Balinese entrance gate Balinese massage originated in Bali, of course, and is one of many traditional massage techniques passed down from ancient times in Indonesia as a way to cure a wide variety of ailments. Bali is just one of 17,508 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia which is the world’s largest archipelagic state. Many of the islands have adopted their own massage techniques that are very similar to Balinese massage but also carry their own unique characteristics. Some of these include: Sasak massageLombok massageUrat massageBalinese BorehJavenese Lulur Like most massage therapies, the Balinese massage attempts to relax and balance the mind, body, and chi (energy) but in order to attain that, the Balinese believe that blood and oxygen must first flow freely before the energy flow can do so. The Balinese massage incorporates several healing therapies such as massage therapy, acupressure, reflexology, and aromatherapy and is incredibly unique in that way. It is performed on a standard table or floor mat and a great deal of attention is paid to the essential oils used, which can be applied either warmed or at room temperature. Essential oils with striking aromas like jasmine, sandalwood, rose, cempaka, coconut, frangipani, and sandat may all be used in a single session. For painful or aching body parts, a warmed mixture of lemon grass, cloves, and ginger is usually applied. Overall, the collection of aromas is meant to help tolerate the current condition of the body, induce relaxation, and drive away tension. In order to access the deeper tissues of the body, a Balinese massage therapist will apply different techniques such as vigorous kneading, cross fiber strokes, and skin rolling. Intense acupressure with the fingers and palms, along with standard massage techniques such as long and short sliding are also used to improve results with long lasting effects.

Benefits of Balinese Massage

Balinese massage is not at all gentle and is often compared to Ayurveda, a holistic Indian therapy which is considered by many to be extremely intense. But because of it’s high intensity, Balinese massage is very successful in reaching the deepest and most tense muscle layers to soothe and calm them. Often times it is prescribed for sports injuries, stiff and aching joints, migraines and headaches, relieving sleep deprivation and insomnia, easing breathing problems due to allergies and asthma, increasing circulation of the blood and lymph, as well as reducing stress and anxiety or depression. At it’s heart, Balinese massage is an intense yet extravagant healing system that attempts to bring the body, mind, and soul in full synchronization of optimal health, well being, and tranquility. In order to prepare properly for a Balinese massage treatment, you should give yourself plenty of time to savor the session and its afterglow, meaning don’t rush back to work and avoid driving if you can. If you are pregnant, have had a recent injury or surgery, suffer from high or low blood pressure, or have heart problems or adverse medical conditions, you should let your therapist know so that they can modify the treatment and oils to suit your needs. If you’ve decided to give Balinese massage a try, you’ll definitely enjoy the process and come out feeling completely relaxed and smelling wonderfully! Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Benefits of Massage Therapy and the Most Common Types of Massage

For decades, scientists and medical researchers from around the world have studied massage therapy in order to understand how and why it is so effective in treating such a wide range of ailments. Some benefits of massage therapy have been unanimously agreed upon by researchers and their peers, while other benefits remain as mysterious as ever. For example, it’s widely accepted that certain degrees of pressure applied to soft tissues such as muscles, will enact changes in the alignment of the muscle. It’s also agreed upon that massage therapy encourages relaxation and reduces stress, which is considered the number 1 leading cause of death.

The benefits of massage therapy that haven’t yet been fully explained often give rise to a number of theories and often follow the word “might” to express the uncertainty surrounding the theory. For example, massage therapy might help alleviate pain by blocking pain signals transmitted to the brain. This is known as the “gate control theory.” Also, massage therapy might help in improving sleep patterns, which is instrumental to pain control and healing processes. Whether understood or not, many specific cases and benefits of massage therapy with astounding results have been reported: Some students at a New Jersey medical school received massage therapy before an exam and displayed lower anxiety levels, lower respiratory rates, and a significant increase in their white blood cell counts. The National Institute of Health (NIH) discovered that weight gain in premature infants and ones exposed to HIV improved after receiving massage therapy. They also found that the recovery process of patients who received surgery was expedited. Research done at the University of Miami’s Touch Research Institute showed that massage therapy lowers high blood pressure, relieves migraines, and increases general performance and alertness in the workplace. There are additional studies that show massage therapy reduces heart rate and increases blood and lymph flow; improves the range of vision; increases the release of endorphins to reduce anxiety and depression; and relaxes tense, overused muscles while stimulating weak and inactive muscles. Massage therapy is beneficial on so many levels, many of which have yet to be discovered or explained.

Most Common Types of Massage Therapy

Balinese Massage Balinese massage is performed on a standard mat or table and brings together several alternative therapies such as massage therapy, acupressure, reflexology, and aromatherapy. A great deal of attention is paid to which essential oils are being used during these sessions. Making use of a lot of pressure, Balinese massage is not typically gentle, but is very successful in reaching the deep, harder to get muscles. Cosmetic (Facial) Massage Facial massage has been found in historical texts dating back to the third century, but was always done in conjunction with whole body massage. Nowadays facial massage can be considered as a standalone treatment and is used with the intention of slowing down the aging process and attaining younger looks. A possible cause of wrinkles is straining and bunching muscles so much that they stay that way. Try looking in the mirror and flexing your facial muscles to see where certain wrinkles may occur. Relaxing these muscles would subsequently relax the wrinkles. The benefits of facial massage reach far beyond cosmetic purposes though. It can also relieve stress and headaches, as well as sinus congestion. Deep Tissue Massage Relaxation isn’t typically the main goal of deep tissue massage. Deep tissue massage focuses on the deeper, and usually more painful layers of muscles. It’s not any different from standard massage techniques, only that more pressure is applied and focus is usually on one or two areas. Many times relief can come relatively quickly, but other times may leave you a bit sore afterwards. This is perfectly normal and all depends on the amount of tension you hold versus the amount of pressure applied. Foot/Hand Massage (Reflexology) The foot and hand massage is an interesting therapy in that it’s principles are simple, but its practice is a little more complicated. It’s believed that each part of the foot or hand has a direct link to a part of the body such as an organ or system. The application must be incredibly accurate because the points are directed to particular nerves in the soles and palms. Hot Stone Massage Hot stone massage is a technique in which the therapist uses heated stones to apply traditional Swedish massage strokes. Due to the heat from the stones, hot stone massage is amazing at relaxing and releasing tension from soft tissues. Occasionally, the stones are placed on strategic spots along the spine, hand, legs, and feet which promotes optimal energy flow throughout the body. Shiatsu Massage Shiatsu directly translates to “finger pressure” and is also known as acupressure. Originating in Japan about 1,500 years ago, Shiatsu is based on the meridian channels passed down from ancient Chinese teachings. It’s techniques include applying pressure, tapping, squeezing, and stretching with the fingers, palms, knuckles, and elbows (as opposed to needles in acupuncture) in order to encourage optimal chi (energy) flow. Unlike many other massage therapies, shiatsu can be given with clothes on and is usually done on a floor mat. Sports Massage Sports massage is a specialty massage developed with athletes in mind. It was created in order for athletes to give their best performance before an event and help with recovery afterwards. However, it is beneficial to all, athlete or not. Sports massage techniques mainly include kneading and vibrations in order to loosen any tight muscles or stiff joints and encourage proper blood flow. Swedish Massage Since it’s creation in the early 19th century, Swedish massage has become one of the most popular forms of massage in the western world. Using Swedish massage as a base, many other therapies have been developed including deep tissue massage and sports massage. It was originally created as a means to increase blood circulation, relieve muscle pains, and to increase flexibility, but since then many other benefits of Swedish massage have been discovered. Thai Massage Thai or “yoga” massage is a combination of acupressure, Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga. No oils or lotions are used during treatment and the recipient usually remains clothed. Rather than the typical rubbing and kneading of muscles, in Thai massage, the body is compressed, pulled, stretched, and rocked. During the massage the recipient is positioned in a variety of yoga-like poses that is combined with deep and rhythmic pressure using the feet, legs, arms, and hands. A full session can last up to two hours and may include the cracking and pulling of fingers and toes, and even walking on the back. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

You’ll Never Achieve Your Goals If You Keep Waiting For The Motivation

One of the biggest mistakes people make when seeking to achieve a goal is to wait for inspiration and motivation. Imagine if everyone on this planet waited for motivation to get work done. Productivity would drop to nothing, and our economy would collapse. Since productivity has improved over the years, it's not likely that it has anything much to do with real motivation other than people doing the things they have to do in order to achieve a goal. That goal may be set by them or their employer. It doesn't matter who set it - it's set, and someone is going to get it done. How sad that in some cases people fail at so many things simply by ignoring the fact that motivation isn't really necessary; only doing is. They sit around waiting for inspiration to come wondering why everyone else is doing better than them, and they're waiting for some spark of motivation that will never arrive. You can avoid this issue by realizing the truth. Motivation Doesn't Exist Past The Initial Desire You probably have heard of the myth of the starving artist who can't paint or the writer with writer's block. It's interesting that these creative professions have the same myth, like weight loss, that some secret motivation has to come to achieve success - some mysterious spark of inspiration that will get you off your butt to do what you need to get done. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Doing, Not Thinking, Gets Results Time and again, the people who are truly successful in their own lifetimes, are not people who wait for a spark. They are people who get up out of bed every single day, rain or shine, and do things that lead to an end result of success. The successful painter paints every single day and if they hate marketing, they hire someone to do that for them. The successful writer, writes; the successful doctor, doctors. If you want to be successful at something, do it. Live it. You will succeed. Successful People Are Not Smarter Than You Many people get blocked by thinking that someone is better than, smarter than, or any "than" than them. The truth is, successful people aren't smarter. Take a look at the most famous actresses that you know. Without exception they are simply people who do their craft every single day, and more times than not, they are simply being themselves in front of the camera. They are doing it, not thinking about doing it, and not dreaming of doing it. They go to auditions, get rejected, and then get up the next day and do it again. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals Learn about the acronym S.M.A.R.T., which stands for "specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely." Every goal you set should meet that standard. After all, if you cannot be specific enough about what you want so that it can be measured and you can act on it in a realistic manner in a specific time frame, it's not really a goal; it's a dream - perhaps a pipe dream. Envision Success Some people think vision boards are a bunch of hocus pocus but the truth is, being able to truly visualize yourself experiencing success goes far in helping you actually create success in your life. There are people who are good at seeing it in their mind and believing it, but others need more. Try making a vision board to see your dream down on paper so that you can then decide how to make your S.M.A.R.T. goals. Follow a Schedule It can't be stated enough. Doers do. Successful people do. A "to do" list isn't going to cut it; you're going to need to make a schedule and stick to it. If you want to write a 10,000 word eBook to sell to your target audience, you need to start at the end point, then work your way back to today making a schedule that is realistic and that you really can follow to get the work done when you said you wanted it done. Then let nothing stop you. Experience Success Set some smaller goals so that you can feel what success is like. If you've never once stuck to anything, you can't know what success feels like and you have nothing to push you forward. People who experience success like to experience it again, and the more success you experience, the more you're going to realize that you can. It's self-fulfilling. Repeat Everything Finally, keep doing it over and over again. With anything you want to achieve, set the goal, track your success and do something every single day toward achieving that goal. Again and again. It's really that simple. Motivation is a figment of the imagination, and not something that most people have. Most people get up in the morning by hitting the snooze button a few times, and most people do not feel especially happy about doing certain things. What they feel happy about is the end result, the deliverable. Place your focus there and you will not need any motivation because you will be successful.

10 Goal Setting Tools to Help You Succeed

You can use an old-fashioned paper and pen to make and set your goals, but what's the fun in that? Today there are so many wonderful online tools and software that can help make goal setting fun and easy. When something is fun and easy, you're more likely to stick to it long enough to actually achieve the success you desire. 1. Goal-Buddy - Using this cloud-based software, you can name, set, and manage your goals easily. It leads you step-by-step through questions for what your goals are so that they are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely) goals. Then you can use the system to track your goals through milestones that you set as the days go by. 2. Mint - If you need to get control over your finances and want to set up goals such as establishing a six-month emergency savings account, start a business and other goals, you can use this software to track your financial success and projections. 3. Basecamp - This is really a project management system, but any goal has to have actionable steps involved or milestones and tasks to take to reach success. You can use Basecamp for any type of actionable steps and it will even email you a reminder to do the task. This can work with your business life or personal life. 4. Google Calendar - Where were we before Google Calendar came alone? Unorganized, for sure. This is such a handy calendar that you can use for the most important areas of your life. Be it family, personal, financial or physical - you can set your goals and work your way back inserting actionable steps and tasks to do each day. You can then let it email you a daily task list so you never leave anything out. 5. VisonBoard.me - This is basic vision board software that you can use to create your vision board and then print it out. You can also use something like Pinterest to create a vision board if you need to be fancier about it. It's fun to create a vision board, paste it on your wall, fridge or in public so that you can see the reality of your dreams in person. 6. Lifetick - If you want a very in-depth goal setting software, this is it. It helps you traverse the four important areas where you should be setting goals and then view how they overlap and work with each other. This software helps you define your core values, and develop S.M.A.R.T. goals as well as track everything. 7. GoalsOnTrack - This software is a lot like Lifetick, but it has features that help you "chunk down" any goal into reasonable and easy-to-follow steps. Their whole idea is that you want to do less but get more. This software's features encompass the 80/20 rule and puts it to work for goal setting and achieving. 8. Goalscape - If you like to visualize your goals in pictures, charts, and graphs then you might like Goalscape. You'll create a kind of wheel with your goal in the middle and everything you need to do to reach the goal will circle it. So you can see it in one glance. 9. BizOnTrack - If you need software to help you set business goals and team goals, then this is the software you want to try. It will help you and your team work together to ensure that everything stays organized and tasks are done on time. The statuses of tasks are able to be reordered and marked accomplished to help you see where you are in any goal. 10. Smart Goals Templates - If you like templates, these are some free goal setting templates that are based on filling in the blanks for your goals. They will help you go over the various goals setting steps needed to achieve results in both your personal life and career and business life. Whatever type of software (if any) you feel you need to use for goal setting and goal realization is up to you. The important thing is that you visualize the results of any goal, write it out, and then take steps toward achieving the goal. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Are One of These 15 Limiting Beliefs Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals?

Many people have issues with goal setting due to placing obstacles in their own way. Everyone has conscious or subconscious ideas that can become limiting beliefs, stopping us from achieving our goals if we let them. Sometimes these beliefs are instilled in us in childhood, and other times, we create them ourselves. Some of the most common barriers to goals setting involve fear and lack of belief in yourself enough to even set a goal, much less follow steps toward achieving them. Perhaps if you know some of the most common goal setting obstacles, you can work toward overcoming them. An example of a limiting belief that can get in your way of success is how you see yourself with money. If you believe you will always struggle and always be poor, chances are you'll set yourself up for failure. A limiting belief that you're poor and that you always will be poor becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The same can be said about anything negative in your life that limits you - whether it's career, education, or personal, such as being healthy and of normal weight. If you see yourself a certain way, it can be hard to change that view and let go of that limiting belief.

1. "It's useless"

The idea that nothing you do will make a difference is that you believe that any action you take won't make a difference. "It doesn't matter if I work out an hour a day, I won't lose weight anyway." How do you know? Have you tried to do anything for longer than a couple weeks?

2. You Don't Want What You Think You Want

Some goals are set because other people want them for you. If you don't really want what you say you want, it will be very difficult to set a goal for that thing. Be sure that you've set goals for the right reasons and that it's something you really want. Write down the pros and cons of any goal and know why you want to achieve that result before setting it in stone.

3. "It's hopeless"

 Anytime you use the word "never," it's a clue that you're focusing on a limiting belief. For example: "I'll never have any money because you need money to make money."

4. You Don't Truly Understand the Importance of Goal Setting

Many people think goal setting is just hocus pocus and doesn't really work. If you don't really understand the power behind appropriate goal setting, it can be hard to take the time out of your day to truly set a goal. To understand the importance of goal setting, read several books about success and you'll find that the most successful people set realistic goals, and then worked that goal into their schedule every single day. Even people who experience "overnight success" didn't really achieve everything overnight. It was many nights of following a plan that brought results.

5. "I'm helpless"

When most people feel uneducated or helpless, they blame their circumstances instead of working to change them. "I can't manage my money because I don't know how" sounds insightful, but the part that's missing is the feeling of helplessness when all you need to do is take a personal finance course or buy, read and practice the lessons in "Personal Finances for Dummies."

6. You're Not Really Sure How to Set a Reasonable Goal

If you've actually tried to set a goal before but didn't experience results, it's probably because you just don't know how to set a goal. It's not as easy as just writing down a dream. Goals aren't dreams. They are realistic, specific, achievable end results that you want to see. Take the time to learn the best goal setting techniques in order to experience goal setting success.

7. "It's the universe"

 Sometimes a limiting belief has to do with the idea that outside forces that you can't control are at work keeping you down. You can't find a job or get clients because the economy sucks, where you live is depressed, you don't have the right clothing and so forth, but you do nothing in your power to change it because it's destiny. "Everything happens for a reason"-type of thinking can be very limiting and make you feel powerless.

8. You're Scared of Failure

Many people do not bother setting goals because they have a self-limiting belief that they'll fail anyway. Therefore, if they do not set a goal, they won't have to be a failure. But remember that the idea of planning to succeed over planning to fail is realistic. No goal setting is a recipe for failure; goal setting is a recipe for success. When you accept that you can only achieve real success through goal setting, you'll overcome this obstacle.

9. "I'm worthless”

The way you see yourself is important because if you think of yourself as someone who doesn't follow through, who doesn't succeed and who can't change their life, you'll avoid goal setting like the plague. You're the only person on Earth who can control your actions, so you're the only one who can set the goals for you, and the only one who can make yourself feel worthwhile. The idea that you're not smart enough or good enough to do what you really want can be a very strong limiting belief system. You feel you're not pretty enough, smart enough, or good enough to have something, so you don't take the steps to achieve it, because you don't feel that you deserve it.

10. You're Afraid of Judgment

Sometimes people are scared to set a goal for something because they see it as outrageous. For instance, let's say that you want to go back to college to get a Master's degree, or you want to start your own business. You fear that if you set that goal, and other people know about the goal they'll judge you harshly for wanting it or for some other imagined issue. If you are worried about what others think of you, it's time to dig deep inside yourself and get over it. The truth is, what you think of yourself is more important than anything else. When you stop judging yourself, you'll stop worrying about the judgment of others.

11. "It's genetic” 

While there are certainly some instances where genetics play a huge role in a person's life, the truth is that almost everything that is genetic can be fixed with the right mindset, training, exercise, and outlook. You're not stuck with your genetics, but if you think you are, you may not try any of the things to pull yourself out of the rut you're stuck in.

12. You're Afraid of Success

Believe it or not, some people are literally afraid of success. They feel too much pressure surrounding success to actually make goals to be successful. They are more comfortable in their role as someone who is not successful or who is "normal" instead of as someone who sets a goal, works toward achieving it, and is seen as a success. The truth is, there will always be people who want to tear you down once you achieve some success, but the saddest thing in life is regretting not doing something. Most people regret the things they did not do much more than the things they did do - right or wrong.

13. "I'll fail"

The truth is the fear of failure is something most people have as a limiting belief. "I'm a bad public speaker so if I do it, I'll be judged, and I'll fail anyway so why try" is a common refrain. But, how can you set that belief in stone if you haven't tried?

14. You Don't Really Believe It's Possible

People avoid goal setting because they simply do not see the vision of what can be. They don't believe. They don't picture themselves fully at the point of success, experiencing success. Since they think it can't happen, they don't try. But, the truth is, you can't know for sure about anything unless you follow the steps necessary to reach a goal. You can dream big, and reach for the stars. Trying is more important in most circles than actually making it. And, chances are that if you really try, you will make it after all.

15. "I'm different"

The belief about being different isn’t always necessarily bad, but it can be very limiting. You don't want to be who you are because you're different and you'll be looked at as different by other people. You're afraid to be who you are, and because of that, you don't even know who you are, and you're too scared to find out due to fear of rejection and ending up alone. Chances are though, that there are many people out there just like you. Goal setting is imperative if you want to truly see all your dreams and visions come to fruition. It doesn't matter if it's business oriented or personal - setting a realistic and achievable goal and then working toward realizing that goal on a daily basis does work. You just have to do the work. If you ever notice any of these thoughts or phrases go through your head, try to disconnect from them, and turn them around to "why not me?" instead of "why me?" Always ask "why not me?" because the truth is, you're not feeling anything different from anyone else who has made goals and achieved them. The difference is in the doing, not the intelligence or talent. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

This New

High-tech fabrics with thermal properties that keep marathon runners cool or high-altitude hikers warm are nothing new, but until now there has never been a material that does both by changing its insulating properties in response to the environment. Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a “smart” fabric that automatically regulates the amount of heat that passes through it depending on conditions. For example, when conditions are wet and warm, such as on a hot summer day, the fabric allows heat from the body to effortlessly pass through. But when conditions become cool and dry, the fabric retains the body’s heat. A paper on their work was just published in the journal Science. Infrared radiation is the primary way the body releases heat and is the focus of this new technology. “This is the first technology that allows us to dynamically gate infrared radiation,” said YuHuang Wang, a UMD professor of chemistry and biochemistry and one of the authors of the paper. The researchers created the fabric from specially engineered yarn coated with a conductive metal. Under hot, humid conditions, the strands of yarn contract and activate the coating, which changes the way the fabric interacts with infrared radiation to allow more heat to pass through. The base yarn for this fabric is made from two different synthetic materials—one absorbs water and the other repels it. The strands are then coated with carbon nanotubes, a special class of lightweight, carbon-based metal. Because the materials of the fabric both repel and absorb water, they warp when exposed to humidity from a sweating body. The contracting and warping brings the strands of yarn closer together which opens the pores in the fabric and most importantly, modifies the electromagnetic coupling between the carbon nanotubes in the coating. “You can think of this coupling effect like the bending of a radio antenna to change the wavelength or frequency it resonates with,” Wang said. “It’s a very simplified way to think of it, but imagine bringing two antennae close together to regulate the kind of electromagnetic wave they pick up. When the fibers are brought closer together, the radiation they interact with changes. In clothing, that means the fabric interacts with the heat radiating from the human body.” Depending on the tuning, the fabric either blocks infrared radiation or allows it to pass through. The reaction is almost instant, so before people realize they’re getting hot, the fabric could already be cooling them down. Reversely, as a body cools down, the gating mechanism works in reverse to trap heat. “The human body is a perfect radiator. It gives off heat quickly,” said Min Ouyang, a professor of physics at UMD and the paper’s other corresponding author. “For all of history, the only way to regulate the radiator has been to take clothes off or put clothes on. But this fabric is a true bidirectional regulator.” More work is needed before it can be commercialized, but according to the researchers, materials used for the base fiber are readily available and the carbon coating can be easily added during standard dying processes. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

How to Set Goals and Create a Pattern of Success

How to Create a Pattern of Success

Once you experience success, you will be able to look back and realize that you achieve all success pretty much the same way. You set a goal, follow through on the tasks needed to be done for achieving results, keep an open mind, learn from others, track your successes and learn from failure. It's the same thing, over and over again. And it works. If you want to create a pattern of success in your life, you can start now by learning the secret that successful people know. Successful people are only special because they are doers and they follow through. They are not smarter than others or any more motivated; in fact, it is entirely possible you are smarter on paper than they are. It's more likely that you just don't follow through. Become a Goal Setting Expert Start at the top and learn how to craft the best goals for yourself. Know that the goal is something that can be accomplished and know that the goal is measurable before you finish writing it. Most of all, make sure it's a goal that you really want to achieve. Schedule Everything Schedules are very important to the success of reaching any goal in life. To Do lists pale in comparison to a well laid out calendar of tasks and activities that get you from point A to point B. Ensure that you look at your schedule every morning and every night and note when you succeed on sticking to your schedule and when you don't. Noticing a pattern of activity can be helpful in fixing a poorly written schedule as well as staying realistic about whether or not you're sticking to the plan. People who achieve are doers. If you want to get something done, schedule it no matter how silly it might seem to you. If you put it in a schedule at a particular time, and not just on a generic "to do" list, it will be more likely that you get it done. For instance, if you have set a goal to write a 80,000 word novel by a certain date, then you should know how many pages you need to get done each week and which days you can work on it, which times, hours, and how long it takes you to write a page. Successful writers write; they don't wait for inspiration to strike. They schedule it, and do it. The same can be said for anything you want to achieve. You don't wait until you want to do it; you do it on schedule. Automate the Mundane There are a lot of things that need to be done but that can escalate easily into "busy work," which doesn't get you closer to your goal. Bookkeeping, for instance, is something that can be accomplished today, with the right software, almost automatically. You can schedule payments to happen automatically; you can also use software that enters everything for you in the ledger. Freeing up time to focus on your scheduled activities that must be done to achieve the goal is a more productive use of time. Get Outside Expert Help To be a success doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. You're not on your own. The best scientists, professors, doctors, lawyers, and CEOs have assistants who help them look great. You too can hire outside help and contractors to help you do the tasks needed to reach your goals. Other than doing exercise for you and things you must do physically for yourself, there isn't much you can't outsource today. Stop Reinventing the Wheel In most cases, someone has already done it before you. Someone has already worked out the kinks and devised a plan of action that will work for you too with hardly any tweaks. Learn from other people's mistakes and realize that you can gain valuable information from what others are already doing. Never Stop Learning They say it takes ten thousand hours of reading about a topic to become an expert on any subject. Keep this in mind as you look toward your future and set your goals. If you want to be an expert, you'll need to start today building up those ten thousand hours. Even if you know nothing about a topic today, you can be an expert in just ten thousand hours. Know Your Core Values As you set goals to create a pattern of success, it's imperative that you know what your core values are in terms of family, personal, financial and your physical life. Everyone has different areas they need to work on more than others - you need to know what your areas are to set realistic goals that you want to meet. Track, Assess, Repeat Nothing is ever done without the paperwork, as they say. Well, that includes creating a pattern of success. Only by setting goals, tracking and assessing the results of the goals, and then repeating what works will you create a pattern of success. Creating a pattern of success requires knowledge of goal setting, and goal achieving, and an in-depth knowledge of yourself. Starting today, you can gain that knowledge and create a real pattern of success in your life. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mercuriousmin-20"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "personal development"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4bd0f5d80dc7baa010963e5dd1e0bcde";

What Is a Smart Goal?

When making goals, it's important to learn about the acronym S.M.A.R.T. It can help you make better goals. Each letter stands for a different area of the goal. If you create a smart goal, you have created a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Timely. Using SMART goals can set you up for success in your goal setting. S - Stands for specific, which means that your goal needs to be spelled out very precisely. Using language that leaves no doubt as to what the goal is, why you want to achieve the goal, and how you will get there is very important. If you are not able to be detailed in your description of the goal, it will be hard to meet it. Take the time to do this part right. M - Stands for measurable, which means that you should be able to use this as a metric for which to determine success. If your goal can't be quantified, then it's not a full goal and you won't know how to tell when you've succeeded. An example of a measurable goal is something like: "I want to add $100 per week of income to our bank by writing five 500-word articles each week for a life coach." A - There are different things that "A" can stand for but it's usually actionable, assignable or achievable. Let's use actionable, meaning doing something for each day that will eventually result in an accomplished goal. Goals should also be achievable or you will only get frustrated. Be accurate about the time it takes to reach a goal, and what actions it takes to get there. Also, know who will be responsible for doing it. R - This can stand for realistic or relevant, and either or both are important and are true. If you want your goal to succeed, it should most certainly be something that is realistic or you will fail. It should also be relevant to your life's vision and match with your values. T - Various authors refer to the "T" in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym as time-bound, timely or trackable. All of these t's are important parts of the goal creating and setting process. If you don't set a time limit and you can't track what is happening, your goal will be hard to quantify or show as achieved. Whichever words you use to help you craft your goals, the important thing is that you need to have a process to help you make SMART goals. SMART goals are goals that you follow through on achieving and know when you've met them.

How to Prioritize Your Goals

In order to prioritize your goals, you'll need to have a good understanding of what you need to be happy in your life. There are typically four areas in which most people make goals: Family (Example: spending more time with your kids or partner)Financial (Example: Saving toward your six-month emergency cash or starting a business)Physical (Example: Being healthy and more active)Personal (Example: Getting more education, or devoting more time to spiritual pursuits) Within each of these areas are numerous concerns, but most goals can be summed up into one of these four areas. As to which goals are most important at any given time, you'll need to ask yourself some questions to determine where to place your focus. * Which goals nag at you most often? - What keeps you up at night that worries you? Are your finances suffering because you cannot earn enough money at your current job and you want to figure out how to get off the debt treadmill? This is a goal that fits in with all four of the areas above because financial stress can cause a lot of problems with your health and personal development as well as within the family. * Which goals can be accomplished most easily? - Some goals are very short term but give maximum impact without too much work. For instance, maybe you have a goal of walking 15 minutes per day. This goal may only fit in with the personal and physical areas above, but walking 15 minutes per day will not take much away from the other areas and can give you huge results and a feeling of accomplishment. * Which goals would give you the most pride in yourself? - Will you feel better if you lose 20 pounds or will you feel better if you spend 20 minutes extra with your son? Keep in mind there is no wrong answer, although being healthy might ultimately give you more time in terms of years with your son. * Which goals have the most permanent results? - When choosing whether to spend that extra money on your degree, determine how permanent the results are, and realize that no one can take that degree from you; it will always be an accomplishment. What is it worth? * Which goals will still impact me in 5 years, or 10 years? - If you start a business today, and work daily toward meeting the goals of that business, what will be different in five or ten years? How will that impact you now and in the future? * Which goals align with your core values in life? - Any goal that fits into all four areas of your life is worth pursuing if it also fits into your schedule at the time. * Which goals are completely up to you, that you control 100 percent? - Remember that you cannot control what anyone else does, so if any goal relies on the participation of someone else, and you don't have their participation, you might want to switch gears and focus on something only you control. * Which goals are just for you? - Some goals are completely personal in nature and have nothing to do with anyone else. For instance, you might want to read a particular author that has nothing to do with anything but your own pleasure. This is perfectly fine. * Which goals are just for others? - There are "shoulds" that often get in the way of proper goal setting and these are goals that are only for other people. Your spouse wants you to lose weight, your mom wants you to go to college, your best friend wants you to start a business. None of these are a good reason you “should” do something, although as long as you know going in why, then it's okay to make it a goal. * Which goals cause you the most fear? Why? - Sometimes the very thing you fear most is what's best for you to do. Look clearly at your goal and figure out why it frightens you. Sometimes it's the unknown, and like ripping off a Band-Aid, just doing it might be the best cure. * Which goals make you excited? - Some goals immediately send tingles down your body and into your mind, pushing you forward to doing it. These are goals that are easy to do and probably impact your life a lot. However, do pay attention because if it's a goal of becoming the high scorer on a video game, you might want to question your "why." When you answer all these questions, you'll be able to see how the goals practically organize themselves. Try making a chart and adding each goal to the four areas, then choosing the ones that cross the most areas to add to your schedule first. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mercuriousmin-20"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "success"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4bd0f5d80dc7baa010963e5dd1e0bcde";

Are You Setting the Right Goals for Yourself?

There is a lot more to goal setting than just picking a goal and moving forward. While that is important, it's also important to ensure that you are setting the right goals at the right time so that you can truly be successful. In order to ensure that you are setting the right goals for yourself, answer the following questions: Are You Setting Specific & Realistic Goals? It takes a little research to ensure that a goal is realistic. If you're not sure if something is actually achievable, then you've not done enough research. Once you've set a goal that is indeed realistic, then you need to be specific enough in your description of it so that it's also easy to take the goal and work backwards to create a schedule of actions needed to succeed. Are Your Goals Multifaceted? Focusing on only one part of your life is a bad idea. People live multifaceted lives and need to make goals for all areas of their lives in order to feel successful. If you have a wonderful business and career but your personal life suffers, then no matter how successful you are, you will not feel successful. Something will always feel as if it's missing from your life if your goals aren't inclusive. Therefore, make sure your goals include something from each aspect of your life. Is Your Scheduling Representative of Real Need? Once you create the schedule for yourself to reach each goal that you've set, you need to truly consider how representative it is of reality. Say your goal is to be healthy and reduce your cholesterol by 10 percent in six months, but, you haven't set aside the time needed to exercise and eat right. If you don't schedule in the time needed, you won't succeed because something will always be in your way taking time away from you. It will be very frustrating to practice your schedule because it doesn't represent reality. For instance, if you are going to exercise 30 minutes per day, setting aside only 30 minutes isn't going to be realistic. You'll probably need to set aside an hour to account for getting ready as well as cooling down or getting cleaned up to go back to work. Are You Learning from Failure? Many times when setting goals and schedules, instead of learning from failure, people give up. Using the example above, once you implement your schedule to reach the goals you have set, when you notice there are things you've forgotten to take into account, don't give up. Learn from the failure and change the schedule to be more realistic. You might find that in practice, you have to rewrite all your goals and your schedule, but this is perfectly acceptable. Many people believe failure is something negative, but the truth is, if you don't fail sometimes, you're not going to learn much and it's likely your goals are too easy. Do Your Goals Represent Your Needs and Wants or Someone Else's? A lot of people set goals that represent what someone else wants instead of what they want. This can really cause a lot of bad feelings and resentment which can derail the best laid plans. As you set your goals for your life, ask yourself if they're really what you want for yourself or what someone else wants for you. Ask yourself if you're okay with any goal you make being for someone else before you embark on your journey. It's okay to do things because of someone else, but it's important that you are honest about that and make some goals for yourself too that don't involve anyone else's needs or wants. Are Your Goals Focused Positively? When writing a goal, it's important to write it in a positive way, or at least a way that feels positive to you. In the quest to improve your life, try writing down a goal and then changing the words to sound more positive to see if it isn't more motivating. For instance, "losing weight" seems like a good goal, but for some people, it might signify deprivation. So instead, the person might frame the goal as "improving my BMI by 10 points" or "improving my cholesterol by 10 percent." Do You Have Too Many Goals Set at One Time? Just as setting too few goals can be a problem, so can setting too many. Everyone has a personal life and a career life and points in between. If you have set goals in too many areas of life at once, you might tire yourself out and get overwhelmed. Instead, pick one personal goal, and one other type of goal to focus on until you reach them, and then you can add more goals as time goes on. You don't need to do everything today. Slow and steady wins the race is a good motto to hang on to. Setting the right goals for yourself takes some thought and consideration. Don't try to set all your goals in one day - instead, set some goals in different stages and in different areas of your life, and give a lot of thought to why you're making the goal in the first place. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

2 Revolutionary Building Materials Provide A Complete Solution To Air Pollution

Traditional construction materials have extremely high CO2 emissions. Up to half of the total amount of carbon released by a building comes from the materials it’s made from, meaning our current urban development methods are very unsustainable. By 2050, we will need to house 2 billion more people. Building the way we do now will emit so much CO2 that it will blow our carbon budget in materials alone. This calls for new building materials to enter the market immediately. Thankfully, Elegant Embellishments has come up with solutions for the unpleasant toxins in the air.

PROSOLVE370e: The Smog-Eating Material

Elegant Embellishments’ prosolve370e is a self-cleaning, decorative building module that can effectively reduce air pollution when installed near traffic ways or on building facades. As a modification, prosolve370e can be installed onto existing buildings to help them clean their immediate environments. Recent studies show it is reducing the pollution of 1,000 cars per day. The tiles are made of a lightweight ABS plastic shell, joined with standard steel fixings, and coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) which fights pollution when activated by naturally occurring UV light. This isn’t the everyday TiO2 used as a coloring agent, but a nano photocatalytic version known for its self-cleaning and germicidal qualities. When it’s placed near pollution sources, the coated tiles immediately break down and neutralize NOx (nitrogen oxides) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) when they come in contact.  This neutralization process creates an end product of calcium nitrate (CaN₂O₆), which can be used as a fertilizer. When the modules are naturally cleaned through rainfall, the calcium nitrate is washed away to eventually end up in the ground to provide nutrients for soil. Inspired by fractals in nature, the modules are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. While the pattern resembles organic growth, the system is still only composed of two repeating sequences. The seemingly non-repetitive grid is derived from a five-fold symmetrical pattern that maximizes its surface area to diffuse light, air turbulence and pollution. Prosolve370e modules have been installed across the globe, with projects in Mexico, Australia, and Unite Arab Emirates and proposals for installations have ranged from carports to mixed-use/housing to hospital facades.  This is a very exciting technology and leaves for questions about where else can it be installed. Can cars be coated in the same material so that they clean pollution wherever they go? Or maybe a module that fits over exhaust pipes can be made so it eliminates most of a car’s emissions. This way, most cars won’t have to be removed from the road and people who can’t afford electric vehicles don’t have to worry about polluting the environment. https://youtu.be/Z34sFb7VXNw

MADE OF AIR

A shift is happening away from how we mine resources: specifically carbon. This new technology uses the problem of airborne CO₂ as a resource, turning captured carbon into usable, biodegradable products. It creates a sustainable circle of carbon use dubbed the “carbon loop”. Elegant Embellishments, the same company that invented Prosolve370e, developed Made of Air, a revolutionary biochar-based material designed to combat climate change. Made of 90% atmospheric carbon, it is a sustainable alternative for use in construction, interiors, furniture and more. The base material removes more CO₂ from the atmosphere than it emits in production. The conversion of CO₂ to C is an exothermic process, meaning it releases energy in the form of heat. This heat can then be stored or converted into electrical energy. This is a first in construction materials: removing more CO₂ than any building product currently available. The material uses biomass, an organic waste from plants or animals, which absorbs and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The biomass is then baked and stabilized through pyrolysis to form a thermoplastic material. A biodegradable binder is then mixed with the baked substance to create a carbon-negative material that can be molded into various forms. When it reaches the end of its use, Made of Air can be shredded and buried in the soil to replenish the carbon supplies we’ve mined from the earth or can be reformed into new products. https://youtu.be/cNKWtbVdSW8 Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Aromatherapy & Essential Oils | History, Benefits, and Precautions

Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils that have been extracted from the roots and leaves of plants, shrubs, and trees. These essential oils can be used for a wide variety of purposes. They can be used to treat medical conditions or alleviate psychological ailments to help improve your mood or to reduce your stress. Though termed as oil, essential oils normally do not have fatty constituents that define the properties of real oil.

Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels

The History of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

I think it would be appropriate to start from the beginning and briefly go over where aromatherapy started, in case any of you don’t know. The art of aromatherapy had been practiced since the earliest times. Throughout history, medicinal and aromatic plants were used to purify rooms, scare away evil spirits, treat skin and other physical disorders, in the mummification process in ancient Egypt, and in Roman baths. Though strong evidence links essential oils to ancient traditions, the formal study on their properties only started in the year 1928. Modern aromatherapy was actually identified in France by a man named Rene Maurice Gattefosse in the 1920’s. Gattefosse was a chemist and apparently so prone to getting burned in his lab he became somewhat of an authority on burns from his own personal experience. One day as Gattefosse lit his arm on fire in a panic he doused the flames in a vat of lavender oil. Gattefosse experienced immediate relief from the pain and in the days to come, the recovery process was extremely short with minimal scarring. Compared to the previous burns he had experienced he could not deny he was on to something. After the incident, Gattefosse dedicated his life to the study of aromatherapy. Aromachology is the study of the effects of different aromas on human behavior. Certain aromas are believed to have relaxing effects on our mind and body. The practice of aromatherapy for treating ailments actually predates chemical-based medicine but nowadays the proven benefits of plant-based therapies are being overlooked in favor of artificial substitutes. It's easy to forget that many commonly used pharmaceuticals were originally derived from plants. Many also doubt that something applied externally could possibly have an internal effect. But the answer to many of today's diseases has been with us from the beginning, stored in the plant life around us. Aromatherapy unlocks the power of these essential oils and applies it for our benefit.

Benefits of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has various therapeutic properties like anti-septic, anesthetic, and psychological effects, as well as effects on the central nervous system and the metabolism. Some of the common ailments where aromatherapy treatment has been accepted as a potent solution are anxiety, stress or insomnia, muscular aches and pains, joint pains, headaches, eczema, digestive problems, menstrual or menopausal problems, respiratory issues. Scents play a big role in our lives. Some fragrances may recall memories or transmit sensations. Who has not felt better after going to a sauna with eucalyptus smell? Or associated flowers' scents to the feelings of calm and peace? Therefore, aromatherapy treatments heal physically as well as psychologically. It’s important to stop using artificial products that contain harmful chemicals on your skin. Not only do they pollute your body, but they get into the environment and end up polluting the soil too. Aromatherapy blends are available in a wide variety, use them and give your body an opportunity to thank you. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mercuriousmin-20"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "essential oil"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "8a0f344de6a95b5236492cce5a73a6e1";

Choosing the Right Essential Oil Blend

The question that may arise in your mind now might be how to choose the aromatherapy blend that will best satisfy your needs. In this case, you can consult any expert practitioner on the appropriate treatment for one's condition. A person who practices aromatherapy treatment is known as an aromatherapist. They either will massage the oil on the skin or would suggest the appropriate method of use. Just as one would check the credentials of a doctor practicing in contemporary medicine, it is important to know whether the aromatherapist has been trained in aromatherapy treatment. An aromatherapist proceeds in the same manner as a common doctor. They will first get a detailed medical history of the individual through a series of questions on diet, lifestyle, and health problems. This goes well with the system of aromatherapy healing where the whole rather than one particular ailment is considered for treatment. According to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), the organization that promotes and supports the practice of this method, there is no licensure or laws for aromatherapy in the US. NAHA determined that to become an aromatherapist, it’s necessary to be graduated in a course of at least 200 hours. Some professionals incorporate the training of this technique with their licensed work. This is the case for many massage therapists, acupuncturists, doctors and nurses. In spite of the lack of formal research, therapists and European physicians are often prescribing certain oils for a range of complaints. In France, aromatherapy is a part of formal education in medical schools. With the continuous advancement in technology, you can also make use of online sources who can help you in finding the appropriate aromatherapy blends. Some of the most common essential oils are: Calming - chamomile, lavender, geraniumUplifting - ylang ylang, clary sage, rose, neroli, lemon, fennelEnergizing - rosemary, thyme (white), grapefruit, cinnamonCleansing - rosemary, tea tree, lavender, frankincenseDecongesting - eucalyptus, pine, tea tree, peppermint

Precautions to Consider

It must be understood that essential oils shouldn't be taken orally and should be first tested to determine the degree of your skin's sensitivity. Some essential oils like camphor, thuja, and red thyme have high toxicity levels, which can result in severe skin irritation. Essential oils should not be applied directly to the skin. Instead, they should be diluted in a carrier oil or cream. It's also suggested to do a patch test on the skin before committing to a certain oil. Some people can be very sensitive or have allergic reactions. Some oils, like lemon and verbena, when exposed to direct sunlight, may cause burning sensations. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils warns that pregnant patients or ones who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or epilepsy cannot be massaged with some essential oils. It is recommended that they inform the therapist about their condition. Read the full article

[mercurious-minds-blog]

Spider Silk: The Fabric of the Future

Pound for pound, spider silk is stronger than steel, as elastic as rubber, and tougher than Kevlar. Throughout history, spider silk has had many uses. Hunters in Tanzania used spider webs for fishing line and in ancient Greece, they were used to close wounds. Spider silk is one of, if not, the strongest fibers known to man. Apart from its unrivaled durability, spider silk is also antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, biodegradable, waterproof, and heat-stable in temperatures up to 250 degrees Celsius.

Spider Silk Uses

The applications for spider silk are innumerous. As a fiber, it can replace all petroleum-based fibers and may even be an eco-friendly substitute for plastics. As for medical purposes, the applications are even better. Spider silk is completely biocompatible with human tissue because it's made mostly of proteins, which are the building blocks for organic material. It would be able to replace metal and plastic materials that cause irritation for scaffolding in surgical procedures. Here are some possible uses for spider silk: Band-aidStitchingProstheticsKnee replacementsBone repairNerve repairArtificial skinBrain implantsCapsules for drug administrationRopeClothesBulletproof armorParachutesBuilding materials

Harvesting Spider Silk

Spiders are naturally territorial and cannibalistic, so farming them is pretty much a hopeless effort. Maybe it would be possible if they had their own containers, but it would take a lot of them. To spin 1 square yard of silk it would take about 400 spiders. For years scientists have attempted to recreate the qualities of the spider's silk by crossing the silk gene with unique plants, animals, and bacteria but  have been largely unsuccessful until recently. Nexia Biotechnologies gave the silk gene to goats in a way that it could be produced from the goat's milk. The silk protein would then be extracted, purified, and reconstituted into fibers. The result, dubbed Biosteel, was reported to be 7-10 times stronger than steel and could stretch 20 times its original size. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories bred the spider silk protein in silkworms. Results were quite successful, but a silkworm's silk differs from a spider. Silk from a silkworm is thicker and contains a sticky protein called sericin that must be removed before it can be used, so it requires extra processing. On the other hand, spiders create 7 kinds of silk, some without the sticky element. The latest and most successful effort so far, conducted by researchers at the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University, grew the silk protein in E. Coli bacteria. The study, published in Biomacromolecules, demonstrated the silk was equal to spider silk in every way and could be easily produced.

Existing Technologies

https://youtu.be/iX3LtVuGp4c Dutch entrepreneur and artist Jalila Essaïdi made an experimental bulletproof skin, although it doesn’t have many applications just yet. It won’t slow the force of a bullet but it doesn’t allow penetration through that layer. If it was used as a clothing material for military purposes it could at least make bullet removal an easy process. Spider silk tech is the future! Read the full article