#downside: eating disorder cognitions

[nebulairis]

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[healthalfa-2024]

Coffee- Having Coffee can be so Beneficial that You Never Thought

For most of people, coffee is not only part of the morning routine but is a warm, energetic drink that keeps up daily momentum. Whether it is an awesome smell wafting through the air while brewing a fresh cup or the rushing energy it gives during long working hours, It has become an integral part of many cultures worldwide. On the other hand, despite the downsides of caffeine, the benefits of this product are plentiful and well-researched. In this article, we’ll briefly consider its history, health benefits, and what makes it one of the world’s most popular drinks.

The History and Culture of Coffee

As rich as the drink, history writes its rich tale surrounding coffee. Legend traces back the discovery of it to Ethiopia when a goat herder by the name of Kaldi noticed his goats suddenly being energetic after feeding on berries of a peculiar tree.

Intrigued by what could have caused their sudden energy surges, he tried the berries for himself, and thus, word of the energizing effect of this product spread throughout the region.

From Ethiopia, it went to the Arabian Peninsula and became a popular beverage in the Islamic world, primarily for its stimulating properties, which were seen as helpful for prolonged prayer sessions. By the 15th century, it was cultivated in Yemen and exported to countries like Persia, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire. In Europe, it arrived in the 17th century, where it gained ground.

Coffee house buildings were called “penny universities” in England-turned out to be dappled all over European maps and became a ‘hotbed’ of intellectual discussion. Today it is cultivated in over 70 countries, mostly in the tropics, and remains one of the world’s favorite drinks.

1- It energizes the body and improves mental alertness.

Caffeine has been proven in several researches that enhances short-term memory, reaction time, and general mental function. Indeed, a Journal of Psychopharmacology found that its consumption greatly enhanced cognitive functioning, particularly in tasks that required sustained attention. For those who are working under the most trying conditions or need to concentrate for long periods, It is quite the natural but effective way to stay on track.

2- Good Antioxidant

It is one of the highest densities of antioxidants within this new diet. Two of the compounds that were found are quinines and chlorogenic acids, which work to help the body avoid oxidative stress the primary cause of disease and aging. Even if it does have this property, studies conclude that increased antioxidant intake results from drinking it rather than from eating fruits or vegetables, putting it high on the list of health-promoting compounds in the modern diet. They scavenge free radicals, which are unstable molecules linked to diseases, like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative conditions. Part of the reason why it has been associated with lower risks of several serious diseases is because of this activity.

3- Coffee and Longevity

Evidence indicates that moderate coffee drinkers live relatively longer. A large prospective cohort study in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals daily consumption of it lowers the risk of dying from various diseases like heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. The researchers established that the intake of this product is linked to lower all-cause mortality, especially at three to five cups per day. These might be due to the role it plays in combating inflammation and insulin resistance along with offering protective antioxidants. The beneficial impacts of it on various clinical markers such as liver and heart health would most likely explain the benefit described here.

4- Good Heart Health and Lesser Accidents of Cardiovascular Disorder

Additionally, it contains magnesium and potassium; these elements play a very pivotal role in ensuring that the body may make use of insulin. As such, it ensures regulated blood sugar levels while offering overall benefits for cardiovascular health.

5- Type 2 Diabetes Risk Reduction

Another very significant health benefit of it is the potential to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Dozens of studies have established a reverse relationship between it’s consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. One large review published in Diabetologia showed that every daily cup of it was associated with a 7% reduction in risk for type 2 diabetes. It is speculated that the protective effect of it’s consumption on diabetes is contributed to by enhanced insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugars. Moreover, it has a high concentration of antioxidants that ensure anti-inflammatory effects and benefits against oxidative stress, the main contributor to the development of diabetes.

6- Coffee and Brain Health

It has been thought that it may have great health benefits for brain functionality and help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Much research postulates that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease decreased by up to 65% among those who drink this product, characterized by a progressive decline in memory and cognitive function. This was mainly because of the protection of mental functions and preventing damage from oxidative stress to the brain cells.

Another neurodegenerative condition threatened by it’s consumption is Parkinson’s disease. Research indicates that the protection here is due to caffeine, as it has been shown to enhance dopamine neuron function in the brain neurons that Parkinson’s patients suffer from damage to.

7- Physiology Performance enhancement

Other than that, as many athletes know, caffeine is also known as a performance-enhancing substance, and this is the reason why it has gained so much popularity. Caffeine promotes endurance by increasing the adrenaline level and releasing the fatty acids from the tissue of fat. Easy fat burn in muscles leads to an improvement in endurance performance. This is especially useful during endurance activities, such as running or cycling. In a Journal of Applied Physiology study, caffeine improved performance by enhancing the strength and endurance of well-trained athletes. Thus, taking coffee before exercise may provide people with a sizeable amount of energy boost that helps them perform their exercises at a much higher intensity.

8- Effects on Liver Health and Protection Against Liver Diseases

The liver performs various important functions: detoxification and protein production, adjusting chemical levels in the blood. It is said that it confers great protection to the liver, and epidemiologic studies have indicated a reduced incidence of diseases such as cirrhosis, NAFLD, and liver cancer among heavy consumers of this product.

Recently, a published study in the journal Hepatology 2014 disclosed that patients who take four or more cups of this product every day have a reduced risk of up to 80% when they are diagnosed with cirrhosis, mainly alcoholic cirrhosis. In addition, scientific research has established the fact that people who consume coffee are less likely to develop liver cancer, one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide.

9- Psychosocial Benefits

Besides its effects on the cognitive level, coffee has also been linked to a decreased risk of depression and better mental well-being. Several large studies have established the fact that moderate consumption can decrease the risk of developing depression and anxiety symptoms.

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that, compared with non-coffee drinkers, women who consumed two to three cups of this daily showed a 15% reduced risk of experiencing depression. The psychoactivating properties of this product would probably be fundamentally linked to its interaction with dopamine and serotonin levels: neurotransmitters that are significant in the regulation of mood states. Additionally, its role in reducing the inflammatory and oxidative stress profile probably contributes to its protective effects against mood disorders.

10- Coffee and Weight Management

It would also suppress the appetite, therefore controlling what and how much to consume. Some studies have shown that individuals who consume caffeine have lower calorie intakes. So it may have at least some partial relationship with weight loss or maintenance. The green coffee bean extract is largely found in the weight-loss supplement space because of its high chlorogenic acid content said to decrease fat absorption and better glucose metabolism.

11- Coffee and Intestinal Health

Another area through which it’s benefits are fairly recognizable is its effect on the digestive system. It increases the production of stomach acid in individuals, which increases the chances of digestion, especially for people consuming high-protein diets.

However, this increased stomach acid can be disturbing for some individuals and may even worsen conditions such as acid reflux. So one needs to pay attention to his body and consume it only when needed if one has issues related to digestion. Of enormous interest is the fact that studies have also shown that positive impacts on the gut microbiome are effects of it’s consumption. This denotes an enormous community of trillions of microorganisms residing within the digestive tract and exerting crucial effects on one’s health:

from immune functions to mental well-being. From this research, It is hinted to be associated with increased levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut, improving gut health. This means there is a potential role in preventing gastrointestinal diseases through better digestion by consuming of this product.

12- Socialization and Community Building

On the physiological level, it is evident that it interacts with people’s lives even as socialization and community building have been associated with it for centuries. The place where one debates an idea and converses is known as a coffeehouse.

Today, socialization is still attached to this drink either by moving hand in hand with friends over a cup of coffee or becoming part of coffee meetups. One can take some coffee breaks within work hours.

The coffee culture represents an important part of community life since social relationships can positively affect mental well-being; such relationships are a sign of emotional health and general happiness. In many societies, drinking this product is a ritual and a means of building relationships. Take, for example, the Italians, whose view of it is not merely how to get something fast but rather to slow up their busy lives. It is in the company of friends or family. In part, the pleasure of company among those consuming it leads to lower degrees of stress and feelings of belonging.

13- Coffee: A Source of Essential Nutrients

Although, in the daily lives of most individuals, it is not a source of nutrition, the beverage is still full of a wonderful mix of essential nutrients. A cup of this drink also contains a small amount of several vitamins and minerals, including but not limited to: Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): Appears to play a role in cellular metabolism and energy production. Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) another name for vitamin B5, is an essential element in the breakdown of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Manganese and Potassium: These minerals contribute to maintaining a functioning cellular aspect and overall heart health.

Although these nutrients are not at especially high levels in one cup, someone drinking several cups a day easily could make up for their daily quota. Furthermore, the overall net effects of these nutrients, in conjunction with it’s likely antioxidants, have a subtly positive but important overall health impact over time.

14- Coffee and Creativity

Research on the brain that concerns caffeine shows that it does not have a direct effect on creative thinking, but mood and cognitive functions are boosted, thus this is the reason why a person enhances the likelihood of having such creative breakthroughs. Whether it be an atmosphere within a coffee shop or a daily ritual to an individual’s morning routine to brew that morning cup, coffee often appears to stimulate the inspiration and productivity needed.

15- Coffee and Cancer Risk Prevention

Recent research studies have also suggested that coffee can serve to help prevent the risk of some cancers. For instance, there is research that shows a regular intake of coffee may result in lowering the risk of cancers of the liver and colorectal.

The antioxidants together with the bioactive compounds in coffee, including polyphenols, might probably protect against DNA damage by reducing inflammation, as well as preventing the spread of cancer cells. A review published in the British Medical Journal reported a connection between moderate consumption of coffee with three to four cups of reduced risks of liver, endometrial, and prostate cancers. Moreover, the protective effects of coffee on the liver, as discussed above, make it unlikely to develop into liver cancer, which is frequently induced by cirrhosis and hepatitis.

16- Coffee and Sustainability

Among the flows that are very visible within the recent past, especially in the last two years, would be environmental awareness about coffee production. More effort has been made to make the coffee industry more sustainable and green.

From the perspective of consumers, buying sustainably sourced coffee is one way in which they can influence ethical labor practices in farming and environmentally friendly farming techniques. That is why Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance along with other certifications guarantee that the coffee is produced responsibly and helps the farmers while conserving the environment. Other sustainable coffee practices include shade-grown coffee-which would protect the biodiversity habitat of the wild by allowing it to live there together with composting coffee, reusing cups, and roasting coffee by local roasters that minimize waste and promote a more sustainable coffee culture.

17- Coffee as an Anti-Pain Trigger

While it has its beneficial effects on mental alertness, coffee can help alleviate certain kinds of pain as well as act as a weak analgesic. Caffeine has also been found to support over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, in boosting their efficacy among patients experiencing headaches or migraine attacks. Consequently, some preparations for the latter are prescribed with caffeine added as an active component. For those who suffer from chronic headaches or pain from tension, moderate intake of coffee may reduce the pain. It is also worth noting that excessive consumption of coffee also leads to “rebound headaches” caused by withdrawal from caffeine.

How to Enjoy Coffee Benefits in Moderation

While coffee lends itself to myriad benefits, there is a strong need to consume it within reasonable limits, as excessive consumption will lead to nasty side effects, such as shakiness, insomnia, digestive upset, and an increased heart rate. Health experts usually recommend a maximum intake of three to five cups of coffee a day to reduce the risk side of coffee intake. It is also important to take note of the fact that every individual’s threshold is different, and one should see a doctor if one has other conditions in the first place, like a heart problem or acid reflux.

A Drink for Good Health

https://healthalfa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/coffee-cup-2317201_1280.jpg

Whether it is an early morning shot of espresso, or finishing a paper with some colleagues’ stimulating conversation over a cup of latte, coffee does have this uncanny ability to make life a more fulfilled experience, day by day.

Conclusion

Conclusion Overall, aside from being the popular pick-me-up drink, coffee has a wide scope of potential health benefits that can increase the level of well-being. Studies identified many positive health effects of moderate consumption of coffee. For example, it has been indicated in studies that high consumption levels may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Also, heart conditions may be positively affected by the consumption of this very popular drink. Most astonishingly, the likelihood of other cancers could also be reduced. The awareness of the health benefits of coffee that may be obtained from a cup of it will lead people to consume coffee with more mindfulness as part of their daily routine. A particularly relevant point is the black coffee benefits- Black coffee is very low in calories and contains loads of antioxidants, making it a pretty healthy option for those who do not mind coffee without added sugars or fats.

Some of these factors have been linked with higher metabolism and appropriate weight, so there are contributing points to the debate about coffee and weight loss. Some studies claim that it may increase fat burning in combination with diet and exercise, further aiding weight loss. However, to make it safer, there should be guidelines for how much coffee is safe to drink to a person. In this regard, it is meant to cap caffeine from all sources to approximately 400 milligrams per day for most adults. This should translate to about four 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee.

Everybody says praise coffee for that energy lift, and the health benefits of this beverage are much further than the mere quick acceleration of alertness. It enhances brain function and reduces the incidence of certain chronic diseases, and many other benefits are attributed to it if taken in moderation. Whether because of taste, stimulating effects, or health-promoting properties, coffee is a good addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Disclaimer

In this article, information related to a particular topic has been collected from various sources, the purpose of which, is only to increase the knowledge of the readers and it does not confirm the existence of any disease, particular statement, explanation, appropriateness, congruity, and information or any kind of treatment. Health Alpha does not take any responsibility for any such information.

[straightuptreatment98]

Get to Know About CBT with Straight Up Treatment

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) treats anxiety, depression, mental disorders which majorly aims to identify thoughts, feelings, behavioural patterns, etc. This technique keeps check on the cognitive and behaviour, which means how an individual think and what they do.

The underlying concept is this, that if one thinks about the upsetting and sad situations, they automatically tend to feel sad, and in turn their behaviour or actions are also unhealthy. Similarly, if an individual changes the mindset or pattern of thinking with positivity, he/she tends to become optimistic and following to the feeling their behaviour becomes productive and healthy. So, summarizing the context, it’s the cognitive thinking which does all the processing. Hence, A CBT Therapist can address the connection between thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

Why the need for CBT arises?

With this fast-paced world, the technology is booming its presence and connecting people virtually. But the downside to this reality is competition, career pressure, relationship issues, etc. Adding to it the lack of personal touch has aggravated the problem of mental health.

A traumatic incident or an unexpected heartbreak can wreck the soul from its core. And in such situations, individuals lose their mental balance and repeat the feeling of sorrow in their mind consistently, which gradually leads to disorders like depression, anxiety, etc.

Advantages of CBT

With practical CBT techniques, one can say no to distress and psychological difficulties. As CBT is a powerful tool for anger management, relationship issues, stress management, for gaining self-esteem, self- confidence, insomnia, OCD, eating disorders, etc. Moreover, Teen Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles, is dedicated towards resolving the issues of teens.

CBT group therapy in Los Angeles aims to resolve the distorted or negative thinking ways with positive and empowering thoughts. Additionally, CBT is a way towards personal growth.

CBT involves healing process which must be followed daily with consistency to observe the considerable results. Furthermore, CBT imbibes mental and emotional wellbeing.

By breaking the cycle and loop of limiting beliefs, one gains the sense of satisfaction and upliftment in the mood.

The therapist allows you to face the fears, and triggers with the changed belief system. This way the healing process begins.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for teens, letsone attains the clear perspective on their grey areas, emotions, and behaviour.

The therapists structure the dysfunctional thought patterns. And one achieves balance in their emotions with healthy emotional response.

Book Your CBT Session

With the systematic approach, the trained and experienced CBT experts at Straight Up Treatment, let you win from the odds. Release your stress, fear, and anxiety in front of CBT therapist and feel light. Because we know where you are going wrong? Get rid of the sorrows, let go your past. And welcome your future by repeating positive affirmations. Besides, overcome the mental health challenges by being the part of CBT for Adults in Los Angeles

[talesofasufferingwitch]

Weed and Ana Masterpost

Weed: The benefits, the downsides, and some general information that should be more universally known.            Because of the legalization of weed in Canada, and the imminent legalization of recreational cannabis in the United States (sorry UK, I am not familiar with your marijuana laws but I am assuming that you are similar with the states. Correct me if I am wrong).             There are a million and one different benefits of cannabis, but with every good thing we see in the world, there is an equal amount of bad. For thousands and thousands of years, women used cannabis to aid with menstrual pain and childbirth, as well as headaches, nausea, lethargy, and more. The plant fibre itself was used for clothing, building material, food, and even fuel. Within the last 100 years, weed has been criminalized and decriminalized, thrown through clouds of hatred and lies, and was used as a tool to harm an entire class of citizens.            But as we have seen recently, a lot of the propaganda from the “war on drugs” is being disproved. And now that we have easier access, we can get more information from this infamous herb. Pros and Cons:            CBD, (Cannabidiol), is a compound within Marijuana. It is the compound that most people associate with overall anxiety relief, pain reduction, and mental function enhancer. CBD also reacts chemically with Collagen, increasing the healing process of bones and joints. Because of the CBD within the weed itself, smoking, vaping, and/or consuming canabis is highly beneficial for mental health issues as well as physical ailments. CBD reacts to our natural Cannabinoid receptors in our brain; we all naturally create THC (the compound that gives us the “high” sensation), and allows our brain to secrete more serotonin.           Depression is one of the most widespread, yet least talked about medical conditions in America, and research is showing that cannabis can help relieve people. Compounds like CBD and weeds different terpenes restore normal endocannabinoid function, and potentially helps stabilize moods and ease depression. IN CORRECT DOSES cannabis can alleviate anxiety disorders. In large amounts, cannabis can cause anxiety. “Start low, go slow” is a fun little saying that we like to use in the cannabis industry when talking to new users.               For patients with ADHD or ADD, cannabis provides a more effective and safer treatment to aid focus than Ritalin and Adderall when using the correct strain. A strain that promotes focus and concentration (like Sour Diesel) is extremely useful in small amounts. Lets remember, the best remedies require the least amount.

           Not only can cannabis aid in remedying mental and physical ailments, it can help treat extreme addictions! Individuals addicted to serious drugs like heroin, opiates, and cocaine are showing promise in ridding themselves of their addictions through cannabis therapy. Weed is providing a safer and much more controlled means of getting “high” and aiding the rehabilitation process in alcoholics as well as people, such as my husband, who are at a high risk of getting liver disease. There is a small chance of becoming dependant to cannabis, but I will talk about that later.

           You’ll never guess whats coming next; weed improves LUNG HEALTH. Lung cancer and emphysema have been shown to regress when cannabis is thrown into the mix. The smoke is damaging to the lungs, so to avoid that damage, ingesting cannabis via edible, tincture, or vapor is the safer alternative.

           Cognitive degeneration is pretty much unavoidable, but the good news is that studies are showing cannabis can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s.

           Cannabis reduces pain, spasms, nausea, PTSD, headaches, and asthma. The herb works as a bronchodilator, so when vaped or eaten, those suffering with asthma have better control of their coughing fits. However, it can lower blood pressure, but beware because it can lower blood glucose levels as well and spike hypoglycemia (again I will talk about later). 

The Economic benefits of cannabis: It can be used as a food source as a source of protein! It is used to create protein powders, and seeds can be purchased for consumption. It is creating new industries, cultivation, processing, sales outlets, and there will be more to come as legalization continues across the world. Traffic deaths have gone down, people are succumbing to the substitution effect; people are choosing pot over alcohol. 

Cannabis can help your pets, offering relief from pain and anxiety. It helps bad dreams, as it impacts the REM sleep part of the cycle, the part of the cycle where you dream. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome are effectively treated with certain cannabis compounds, terpenes, and strains, and on the flip side with other strains it can help you sleep.

Precautions: Weed is not for everybody. Mental health professionals warn against people with Bipolar Disorder and Psychosis from consuming. This is again, all individual. It is up to the patients discretion.            Those with family histories of schizophrenia, psychosis, multiple personality, and other personality-based disorders may pose the risk of bringing them on in themselves. 1 in 4 cannabis users with such a family history have said that their symptoms only appeared after smoking weed. We do not know, as this is anecdotal evidence. Hopefully more will arise as we are able to do more studies. A curious finding among people with schizophrenia and other pshychoses is that a history or marijuana use is linked with improved performance on tests assessing learning and memory.

           Despite what everyone tells you, weed is addicting, but not in the way you think. People become dependant on cannabis, not addicted. The reason why is not so dissimilar to someone to takes Advil everyday or prescription medication, it makes life … better. People become “dependant” on it because of the many benefits it brings to an individuals life, including my own. People get “bitchy” and “moody” without it because weed is a mood stabilizer and we would be “bitchy” if it wasn’t for cannabis in the first place.

Ending the stigma: People go around saying that cannabis decreases productivity and motivation levels. This is simply false. For lots of people, the medical benefits gained from cannabis (like pain management and mood management) make them more productive! Stoners burn approximately 1.3x the amount of calories on average that a non-user does, and even though stoners are shown to consume higher amounts of calories, the food choices are often better. We see a lot of the “junk food munchies” posts making fun of it, but in reality, stoners are more likely to make more consistent healthier food choices. 

Weed and ED; choosing what is right for you:            Cannabis users have been shown to be slimmer on average than non-users. This is because cannabis helps the body regulate insulin production, and manage caloric intake more efficiency. A common use for medical cannabis is to help regulate eating patterns. Whether you eat too much or too little.           Precautions: those of us struggling with an eating disorder where we are not taking in the correct amount of calories can be subjected to one of the absolute worst feelings in the world; hypoglycemia. Blood sugar (due to marijuana’s insulin response) and blood pressure drop considerably. You get nauseous, dizzy, confused, and HOT. Clammy, feeling like blacking out hot. This is dangerous. Always make sure that you have something around you, be it a Gatorade or a protein bar. You could die.

So now, how do you choose the right strain for you?           Terpenes: Terpenes are the flavour or smell of the weed you have. These are what differentiate the strains from one another, other than of course the basic indica vs. sativa argument. The terpenes are what cause the main benefit differences too, some promote relaxation and stress-relief, while other promote focus and acuity. The main terpenes are: Limonene, Pinene, Caryophyllene, Myrcene, and Linalool. Now, if you don’t know the difference between sativa and indica, here you go;            Sativa effects are more invigorating, uplifting, cerebral, and pair well with physical activity, social gatherings, and creative projects. Indica provides a more relaxed, physically sedating “couch-lock” feeling and is best before a movie or bedtime. Indica also is the strain that is said to promote “munchies”.            The ONLY reason these two differ, as every strain is a hybrid of the two, is the terpenes and cannabinoids.             If you go to smell something you like, does it smell citrusy? (Limonene) Or floral? (Linalool) Or is it spicy? (Caryophyllene) Does it have a musk? (Myrcene). Everything has a scent profile, and that consists of these terpenes. Me specifically, I love my citrusy and earthy strains, because that is what flavour profile sits with me best. They give me energy and don’t give me the munchies, unlike an indica strain which would commonly have Linalool, which is most commonly found in lavender, and is more relaxing.

            So, to pick the right strain for you. Start low, with a low dose (smaller bowl) and lower THC content if you can see the content. If you want to buy legally, you have the option of discussing your concerns/questions with one of the retail members there. There is exstensive training for Canadian employees so depending on who you talk to, you can get a lot of information! Decide whether you want an energizing or sedating effect (but I will warn you, Indica is KNOWN for the munchies. Sativa’s I find do not give you that appetite stimulation as much, only specific strains). And, if you can, keep a journal of the strains you’ve tried and liked. That will help you choose in the future. 

So, dealing with the munchies.            If you did pick a strain that is an appetite booster (Leafly.com is an amazing reference to see the terpenes, and overall benefits of the strain you are choosing), or if you just so happen to get the munchies (me, beig a seasoned stoner do not get that appetite boost as often anymore), here are some tips to deal with it:            -Always have a way to distract yourself. Be it tumblr, video games, sleeping, anything. Food tastes amazing while high, but music sounds just as good as the food tastes. Let your other senses wander freely            -Have a safe snack food, one low in calories. I have the tendency to crave salt, so I have those Special K brand crisps that are 80 calories for 27 of them. One whole bag is less than 500 calories, so I know I have a safe food.            - Smell something minty or sweet, it will trick your brain into sending the satiety signals. My favourite is a peppermint and grapefruit mix.            - Brush your teeth and floss. I love the feeling of a clean mouth, and honestly, we all don't do that enough.            -And most of all, know yourself. Know the strain and how it makes you feel. If you know it gives you munchies, try having tea and coffee a couple times during your high, or make preparations to avoid eating. It sounds odd, but it is actually comforting to pay attention to your own triggers and what you need.

          If you are new to using, here’s a few tips. Always try it with a trusted group of friends, you never know how you will react. Small bowls if it is a bong, stick to one puff/bowl until you know how you are reacting, takes a couple minutes to fully set in, but a couple seconds to feel it. Holding it in longer does not make you more high, that is a lie. The THC passes the blood barrier within seconds of entering the lungs. The reason why you may feel more high is because 1) your brain is not getting any more oxygen, and so of course you will feel light headed. That happens any time you hold your breath. 2) holding it in will probably make you cough, because it is an irritant to the lungs because it is smoke, and coughing opens up the lower chambers of the lungs and allows the smoke to touch more surface area, therefore absorbing faster. Don’t listen to anyones lies, exhale that bigass cloud be a baller, astound the with these FACTS.           If you are trying edibles/oils, only take one dose, and wait at least an hour. Trust me when I say that you will melt into the couch and it will not feel as comfortable as you think. Being stuck inside your head for 8+ hours is not how I like spending my time, thank you very much. I assume you think the same.           Never be afraid to ask questions about origin or reach out to someone with your concerns. One day being that aware and cognizant of what you are experiencing could save your (or someone elses) life.

           All in all, weed is an amazing gift that the world has given us to use. But with everything we are given, we also have a responsibility to use it wisely and within our means. And as with every gift, there is also a price to pay. It is not in itself inherently evil or good, it is how we use it. 

With much love,

Your friendly neighbourhood witch.

[biohackerblogger-blog]

Biohacking and Science: A solution for most of your problems

In this article I’m going to be discussing biohacking—what it is and the different aspects of human biology an individual can improve (or “hack”, if you want to call it that) to optimise their life and cognition. In the next blog I’ll discuss the specific improvements I’ve made in my life and their scientific justifications—with an in-depth focus on nutrition, supplementation and cognitive-enhancement.

Biohacking as defined by merriam-webster is “biological experimentation done to improve the qualities or capabilities of living organisms especially by individuals and groups working outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment”.

While that sounds dramatic, the term could also be described as do-it-yourself biology—making small, incremental changes to your diet, habits and life to optimise your cognition and life expectancy. This hobby likely originated in Silicon Valley, a place popular in many trendy self improvement hacks: The keto diet, intermittent fasting and microdosing to name a few.

We are living in an era of excess. Western supermarkets are packed full of processed, sugary, fatty products that people cling to as comfort food. Social media and smartphones have been tweaked to be as addictive as possible. Even television has been replaced by on-demand streaming services that provide countless hours of mindless oblivion to addicted viewers—so much so that “binge-watching” is now a recognized term in many dictionaries. This combination and more has led to the shortening of the average attention span.

Coincidentally, it feels like every other person in recent generations seems to suffer from some form of ADHD, depression or other mental health issues.

Me, technically a part of generation z, am no exception.

I’ve been an underperformer most of my school career, with every parent-teacher meeting ending the same way: “Alexandru is a very bright boy but he doesn’t seem to be reaching his potential in class.”

I daydreamed, lost focus often and was often unmotivated when tackling complex tasks. My mom has practiced psychiatry for 2 decades and during my last year of high school I saw one of her colleagues who eventually diagnosed me with ADHD.

This shook me. I had believed that I was just a lazy person, not working hard enough but now this doctor was basically telling me that it wasn’t my fault; That I had a learning disability that would always put me at a disadvantage to other “functional” people.

As I made my way through university the same issues kept coming up over and over again and I started feeling hopeless. Medication seemed to act as a bandaid on the problem, working as intended inconsistently. Is this what the rest of my life was gonna be like?—Craving achievement while lacking the motivation to acquire it?

Nahhhh, I wasn’t going to let some abstract diagnosis prevent me from prospering in life.

Enter biohacking:

In my spare time at uni I began researching ways of “curing” my ADHD. The goal: Improving my attention, motivation and cognition anyway I could. I’m a scientist, so it only made sense to solve my problems with science. Little did I know I wasn’t so much as curing a disorder as I was just finding ways to optimise my life using scientific knowledge. I tried different lifestyle changes and recorded the positive benefits of each one—Basically running my own scientific experiments on a sample size of 1. Biohacking is basically tweaking your biology to improve your life.

Diet

As I mentioned before, supermarkets today are full of horrible, delicious processed food. It’s expensive eating healthy and it’s difficult to resist the allure of a greasy portion of chips. Regardless, I think a large percentage of the population seriously underestimate how much your diet impacts your day-to-day life as a human being. A heavily debated study found that judges tended to give harsher sentences just before lunch due to hunger (This study has argued about for years). If even people who practice being impartial for a living are at the mercy of their own biology—that means so are you.

Your body is a complex machine, requiring certain amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) to carry out all of it’s processes efficiently. If any of these numbers are skewed, the machine won’t run smoothly. You can optimise your diet in a number of ways depending on your goals, but the FDA and similar organizations provide recommendations as to how much of each nutrient an average individual requires in a day.

Many of the micronutrients have important roles in our day-to-day lives which becomes apparent when we are deficient. Magnesium plays a huge role in good-quality sleep while vitamin D is important for healthy bones and mood. The world health organisation provides guidelines for what they consider a healthy diet which contains healthy doses of all these nutrients. Obviously, we’re human, not superhuman and we can’t always have a perfect diet all the time. There’s no shame in supplementing your diet artificially, just don't use pills as a replacement for healthy eating habits. Getting blood work done can help you identify which vitamins and minerals you're deficient to inform your dietary changes or supplement purchases.

If you're looking to improve cognition, omega-3 fatty acids are a well-researched staple supplement that is found in high quantities in fish. I could write a whole article on cognitive enhancement and supplements—so I’ll save it for the next one.

If weight loss is your goal maybe consider reading up on the science of the keto diet (a fat heavy diet that pushes metabolism into burning fat) or experimenting with alternative eating habits like intermittent fasting. Hell, I hear great things about going vegan nowadays and you’d be saving the environment while you’re at it.

Play around with it, optimise it for your goals and give supplements a try.

Exercise

The NHS recommends 75-150 minutes of exercise a week for the average individual. Obesity continues to be a huge issue in this country and others so more still needs to be done to encourage public fitness. It seems that many people make the mistake of thinking of exercise as a distraction from more important things like careers and making money, especially as they get older. They say they’re simply too busy and can’t find the time but in reality they’re decreasing their potential to excel in other aspects of their lives. There’s no point in making money if you’re too fat and achy to enjoy spending it.

Exercise is important. As Socrates eloquently puts it:

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

Deep.

Endorphins produced by exercise  make us feel great, we sleep better, we have more energy, we are more engaged with our work—Not a whole lot of downsides. For men in particular weight training is a very well-researched method or raising testosterone levels. A hormone my generation seems to be in significant lack of but in need of due to its important properties. Testosterone has anxiolytic properties, lubricates social interactions and is involved in providing an array of physical health benefits too.

Exercise is free, there are no downsides and a plethora of benefits. It doesn’t so much matter what type of exercise you’re doing so much as you’re doing it on a regular basis. It will suck, especially if you’re not accustomed to regular exercise but once you make it a habit (takes around 21 days to make something a habit), you’ll stop thinking about it and it’ll happen automatically.

Biohacking sure sounds a lot like self-improvement eh?

Sleep

In today’s day and age a good night’s sleep has become a rare treat. It’s like taking a gamble every night and hoping you wake up rested. As a student studying in the UK, I feel like I’m probably the most qualified person to say that. Sleep is very important for humans as pretty much all of our physical processes are regulated to some extent by our biological clock. A clock set by our circadian rhythm (Aka sleep cycle). Small perturbations to our sleep can seriously knock our daily rhythm out of line. Memories are written into your long term memory, waste products are flushed from the brain and the body readies itself for the new day. Everyone is aware their performance drops after a poor night’s sleep.

Here are some things you can do:

Humans need to go through about 4-6 sleep cycles per night to function adequately.

                          Sleep cycle = 90 minutes +/-                  5 * 90m = 7.5 hours

Try to wake up after sleeping a multiple of 90 minutes. If you wake up during the middle of a cycle you’re more likely to feel groggy. 6 hours, 7.5 or 9 hours between bed and wake are what you’re looking for.

Avoid blue light before bed. I’m sure you’ve already heard this one but blue light from screens inhibits sleep. Try a blue light filter on your laptop—Flux is the free one I use and recommend.

Avoiding caffeine, sugar and carbs before bed works wonders for your sleep. A magnesium supplement does too.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time consistently will make sleeping easy and soon your whole body will adjust itself to the routine. The human body loves routine.

Anything else worth mentioning

Yes, meditation is a big one. Specifically mindfulness. If you haven’t already been preached to on the internet about the numerous benefits of meditation, it seems to improve pretty much everything about people.—The ultimate meta-habit for improving all aspects of living. It shows promise in ameliorating depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-control and a lot more.

The mobile app headspace provides a great starting point and for those that want a challenge and want to try their hand at a monk’s life check out Vipassana meditation. Their free week-long retreats are a crash course in mindfulness with lifelong benefits. I tried one this summer and was convinced it was a cult for the first 3 days.

I’ve seen huge improvement in my life after I started applying science to fix my problems. I hope I’ve managed to give an effective overview of my experience in biohacking and given you some well-researched places to get started. If you have a biological background I think it’s a shame not to use that background to optimise your life in every way you can.

Thanks for reading,

Alex

P.S. here’s a short rant:

I think (not all, but a lot) of the recent diagnoses of ADHD and depression could be “cured” by not treating it as an isolated malady caused by some bad genes and poor luck—but as a culmination of lifestyle choices and habits that could be improved upon. Exercise and diet should be the FIRST CHOICE intervention when it comes to treating things like ADHD and depression.

I believe diet and exercise should always precede a chemical solution to these ailments. There are hundreds of supplements and activities that have proven psychological benefits that could hugely benefit humans. Thanks again.

[ontarioyoga]

How To Practice Mindfulness Meditation

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How To Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Dont Be Too Hard On Yourself When Your Mind Wanders Off During Practice Gently Bring Your Attention Back To The Present

Everyone’s mind is going to wander now and then while they are practicing mindfulness meditation. It is ok to recognize your passing thought and let it go. Once it is gone, take some deep breaths and reset your focus to be in your mindfulness practice.

This is just one mindfulness blueprint. As I said before, there are countless ways to practice mindfulness. For instance, you can add a bit of meditation, which we’ll cover next.

Putting It All Together: The Methods I Use To Practice Mindfulness In Everyday Life

Untill now I’ve basically repeated the same simple message in multiple ways: try to be mindful in every moment. Because of the hard-to-grasp nature of spiritual teachings, I hoped that by sourcing different teachers and examples there would be a higher likelihood that the information would connect with you.

But as is often the case with spiritual advice, we may think that by accumulating more of it, we will progress further. But insight is actually not something that is accumulated from the outside world. Wisdom comes from the seeing, with awakened knowing, of mind, impermanence, suffering, self.

If we take the advice in this article seriously, we could potentially attain enlightenment, or at the very least experience life-changing benefits. But, unfortunately, most of us will not, mainly because we confuse information with insight. If, after reading this article, you switch to the next spirituality blog post or book to accumulate more information on spirituality, you are missing the point of the Buddha’s teaching.

The lesson is simple: “Whether walking, standing, or sitting; whether resting or awake; whether talking or silent, he or she acts with full attention.” You need nothing other than an internal commitment and discipline to practice this teaching, and that also includes the discipline to stick with the same thing — the practice of paying attention and waking up from distraction in an endless series of beginnings — over and over again for the rest of your life.

How To Practice Mindfulness Of Breathing: The Salt And Pepper Of Daily Life

Student of the Dalai Lama and renowned meditation practitioner B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D., wrote in his masterpiece :

Cognitive imbalances of both types can be remedied by applying to daily life the attention skills we cultivate during meditation. In fact, if we casually let our minds succumb to excitation and laxity throughout the day, there’s little change that our formal training during…is going to have much effect. This would be like eating a wholesome breakfast, then snacking on junk food for the rest of the day.

However busy we may be, or think we are, no one is paying us enough to have demands on our minds every single moment of the day. Even in the midst of work, we can take off fifteen-seconds here and sixty-seconds there to balance the attention by quietly focusing on the breath. Our eyes can be open, and we can sit quietly for a few moments, without calling attention to ourselves. We can do this in the workplace, while standing in line at the grocery store, or while waiting at a stoplight. There are many brief occasions from the time we get up in the morning until we fall asleep at night when we can “season our day” with a sprinkling of mindfulness of breathing. And each time we do it, we may immediately feel the soothing effect on our bodies and minds. In this way, we can begin to integrate the quality of awareness that we cultivate during meditation with the awareness that we bring to our activities in the world throughout the day.

Mindfulness Enhances The Ability To Deal With And Recover From Illness

When you think of mindfulness or meditation, you probably think of a quiet, private time of peace. On the other hand, when you think of hospitals or doctors’ offices, you probably think about the anxiety, pain, and chaos going on around you. So, how can mindfulness have a place in health care?

The eCALM trial is a therapy program for cancer patients. It found that mindfulness can reduce the physical symptoms of stress, decrease one’s emotional reactivity to negative experiences, and facilitate post-traumatic growth while enhancing energy and relieving fatigue.

Additionally, found that mindfulness meditation has also been found to decrease anxiety and foster post-traumatic mental and emotional growth in breast cancer survivors, as well as increasing energy and spirituality.

Mindfulness Helps Lower The Incidence Of Burnout And Turnover At Work

Early reports of job burnout came to light in the 1970s and were mostly focused on people who were working in health care or human services. While there is a growing body of research on job burnout, there is no widely agreed-upon definition. However, job burnout is essentially one’s inability to properly respond to chronic occupational stress, with the experience of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low rate of personal achievement.

Job burnout can manifest as depression, aggression, decreased commitment, decreased cognitive performance, and decreased motivation. This phenomenon has been associated with an increased risk of physical and mental health problems such as increased blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, and depression.

found that there is an inverse relationship between mindfulness and job turnover intention, suggesting that employees who are trained in mindfulness are less likely to leave their jobs for any reason.

So those are the 20 benefits of mindfulness. Did any stand out as positives that you want to experience?

Now let’s move on to the history of mindfulness, and then we’ll dive into how to practice mindfulness throughout the day.

Mindfulness Slows Down The Progression Of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Researchers have found that positive brain changes that are associated with mindfulness meditation may work to slow the progression of age-related cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s who participated in the study showed a lower rate of cognitive decline after the eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program than a control group who did not participate in the program.

Dont Think About The Past Dont Plan The Future Dont Look At The Time

You know you can’t change the past. So why can’t you let it go? Stop thinking about things that have already happened. Additionally, the future is not here yet, so there is no need to focus too intently on that either. The future will come to you soon enough. Focus instead on the present moment without worrying about what time it is, or when you have to be somewhere next. Don’t worry about how much time you allow to pass before getting up.

There Are Plenty Of Ways To Practice Mindfulness Here Are 13 Of Them

Mindfulness can be tricky at first. Our minds are used to wandering, and we will often be tempted to fix on a thought or a feeling, judge it as good or bad, or work hard to analyse or change it. Sometimes this will be useful, but we also need to be able to sit with our experience and be fully in the moment, without being dragged away by thoughts or feelings that might do damage if they hold on for too long. The truth is, the only place we can fully be is here and now. Of course, it is important to plan for the future or reflect on the past, but it’s about balance.

If you haven’t practised mindfulness before, try to replace any judgement you might have about whether or not you’re doing it properly, with acknowledgement that you are doing the very best you can in the moment. What’s important is that you are doing it. The rest will come with practice. The more you practice mindfulness, the easier it will become to stay present and focus your attention on where you want it, rather than on wherever your mind might take you.

Remember also that mindfulness is dose-related. The more you do it, the more you will benefit from it. The most important thing is to start, and to work towards a regular practice of at least twenty minutes each day. If twenty minutes is difficult to find, and sometimes it can be, try for two ten minute sessions. Here are some different ways to practice mindfulness:

Mindful eating.

Learning To Stay In The Present Moment Will Be A Lifelong Intention

Are you ready to try the practice of mindfulness for yourself? It’s easier to begin than you think.

For starters, remember that everyone has the capacity to change, learn, and grow — no matter what your goals are. Whether you start tomorrow, next week, or right now, the only thing potentially holding you back is yourself and the limitations you create. 

Also remember, that if you start a mindfulness practice and you don’t feel anything right away, that’s normal. Mindfulness practice is not like taking a pill. It’s not black and white, and you won’t suddenly become a brand-new person when you start to live more in the present. Instead, you must be patient, trust the process, and keep returning to the practice. Over time, you’ll begin to see small changes at first,  then bigger and bigger ones in your life as a whole. The good news is that these changes will only be positive. There are no downsides to mindfulness practice.

In addition,  there’s no mindfulness. It’s not something like graduating from college or buying a house. You can’t finish or win mindfulness. However, you can give away mindful gifts to those you feel need some mindfulness in their life. 

Wherever you go, there you are? Jon Kabat-Zinn

Fun Mindfulness Interventions Techniques And Worksheets For Adults

There are several ways to engage in mindfulness on an individual level, including worksheets, techniques, and different exercises.

If the idea of participating in group mindfulness exercises is anxiety-provoking or stressful for yourself or your clients, then diving into mindfulness practice alone can be the best way to proceed.

Here are six exercises that can help to build mindfulness in different ways.

Integrating Mindfulness Into Daily Life: Its Easier Than You Think

If you are interested in integrating mindfulness into your everyday life and becoming more mindful in every aspect of your life, the good news is that it’s easier than you think!

In fact, you can teach yourself to be mindful all day, every day if you like. Mindfulness is the practice in Buddhist teaching — essentially everything is mindfulness. The simple goal is to focus on the task at hand with mindful awareness. No matter the task, you stay fully aware and focused. Your attention is entirely on whatever you are doing — whether it’s folding laundry, cooking, playing with your children, working on a report for school, or just taking a walk.

Items you can introduce into your daily life to improve mindfulness includes:

Wijdverbreide Fouten Gemaakt In Een Meditatie Zijn Van Toepassing

Wilt u weten wat de grootste fout is die u samen met uw meditatie maakt? Het is zoals je bent over het. Het zijn ongetwijfeld je overtuigingen rond meditatie die misschien de beste manier zijn, niet de toepassing zelf.

Neem aan dat je het verkeerd doet?

Je gaat ervan uit dat je het niet kunt.

Je gaat ervan uit dat het jaren van solliciteren kost om enig voordeel van bewuste meditatie te krijgen, of aan de andere kant, je mediteerde zodra je het zat bent en je ziet de voordelen nog niet. Je gaat ervan uit dat een winstgevende meditatie betekent dat je geen ideeën hebt. Je gaat ervan uit dat het alleen voor yogi’s, etherische feeënmensen en historische filosofen is. Je gaat ervan uit dat je niet genoeg tijd hebt.

Dit is wat ik je graag wil laten weten:

Ten eerste jij doe het verkeerd omdat er eigenlijk niemand is nadering. In werkelijkheid, zoals we eerder hebben besproken, zijn er een hele reeks meditatieoefeningen en -strategieën. Het gaat erom te ontdekken wat voor jou werkt.

Je hoeft niet elke ochtend een half uur te mediteren. U kunt beginnen met 5 minuten en uw aanpak opwerken. In werkelijkheid kun je beginnen met 5 bewuste ademhalingen. Daar beoefende je gewoon bewuste bemiddeling! Zien? Je bent in staat om het te doen.

Je zult waarschijnlijk een groot aantal ideeën hebben terwijl je mediteert, en dat betekent niet dat je het verkeerd doet.

Is er een One-Measurement-Suits-All-strategie?

Mindfulness Techniques For Depression Anger Addiction And Anxiety

Mindfulness has been a crux of therapy for patients with borderline personality disorder, and it also has applications for people without a diagnosis of mental illness.

People anywhere on the mental health spectrum can benefit from mindfulness techniques. It helps regulate emotions and can be a helpful resource for management and .

How Long And How Often Should You Practice Mindfulness Meditation

You can practice mindfulness meditation for as long or as often as you like. However, 15 minutes a day, a few times per week, is a good start for a beginner. Then you can work your way up to an hour each time, which is when you can reap the most benefits, says Britt Gustafson, a mindful life coach who teaches mindfulness meditation through .

You can practice mindfulness meditation at any point in the day, but it might be helpful to do it at the same time each day to build a routine. For example, Gustafson says she likes to practice every morning before she gets out of bed. 

“You’re kind of checking in with yourself and getting yourself aligned. I feel personally that that sets the tone of your day,” Gustafson says. 

Some people like to meditate in the evening, in the transition between work and home, Dingle says. You can also reach for mindfulness meditation when you need it, such as before an important event, or when something goes wrong and you want to ground yourself, she says. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Mindfulness Meditation Answered

When you’re new to meditation, it’s natural for questions to pop up often. These answers may ease your mind.

1) If I have an itch, can I scratch it? Yes—however, first try scratching it with your mind before using your fingers.

2) Should I breathe fast or slow or in between? Only worry if you’ve stopped breathing. Otherwise, you’re doing fine. Breath in whatever way feels comfortable to you.

3) Should my eyes be open or closed? No hard-and-fast rules. Try both. If open, not too wide, and with a soft, slightly downward gaze, not focusing on anything in particular. If closed, not too hard, and not imagining anything in particular in your mind’s eye.

4) Is it possible I’m someone who just CANNOT meditate? When you find yourself asking that question, your meditation has officially begun. Everyone wonders that. Notice it. Escort your attention back to your object of focus . When you’re lost and questioning again, come back to the breathe again. That’s the practice. There’s no limit to the number of times you can be distracted and come back to the breath. Meditating is not a race to perfection—It’s returning again and again to the breath.

5) Is it better to practice in a group or by myself? Both are great! It’s enormously supportive to meditate with others. And, practicing on your own builds discipline.

7) What if I get sexually . Repeat.

How To Practice Mindfulness In The Age Of Distraction: The Five

1) Timed reminders

Mindfulness reminders that are set up ahead of time on digital devices.

Phone alarms

According to B. Alan Wallace, seasoning the day with a few mindful breaths and body scans will go a long way to strengthening our flow of undistracted non-meditation. When I first read Wallace’s advice I tried it out, but would often forget to follow it. The paradox of practicing mindfulness is that we have to be mindful in the first place to practice it: the moment we realize we are distracted, we are not distracted.

I got around this dilemma by setting up mindfulness alarms on my phone. I downloaded an app called and set 20 alarms, 35 minutes apart.

I set the text to the following instruction:

Whenever I received this timed reminder on my phone, I would open the Calm app and do 1-2 minutes of breath meditation. You can experiment with different apps and use different meditation intervals and lengths. The most important thing is that you take the reminders seriously and follow them no matter where you are or what you’re doing. If you happen to be caught up with something quite engaging, you can at the very least take three deep breaths.

Pomodoro technique

2) Location-based reminders

Mindfulness reminders that are triggered by cues in your environment.

Here you want to link certain locations or landmarks with the act of waking up and paying attention. For example, every time you come to a red stop light while driving, you can take three conscious breaths .

Whats Different About Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation Anything

The basis of mindfulness meditation, “Buddhist” or not, is non-judgmental awareness of what we are experiencing in the moment. Sitting and following the breath to keep the mind focused and aware is a very well-known mindfulness method.

What sets  mindfulness meditation apart is the importance of motivation and the development of insight or vipassana meditation. Buddhist motivation focuses on liberation from suffering and confusion, and the attainment of freedom. Buddhists generally take a moment before beginning their practice to recall their motivation and express their confidence in the sanity of their journey. After their session has ended, they reiterate their motivation and confidence. In their opening and closing prayers, many Buddhists give voice to their wish that meditation will give them tools to be better able to help others. For Buddhists, the qualities of compassion and discernment are very important and are usually included in these prayers, such as the Four Immeasurables or boundless thoughts. Naturally, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate the importance of these qualities.

Pay Attention To Your Thoughts Words Actions And Motivations

When you are thinking, saying, or doing something, what is the reason behind it? Are you telling someone a story to benefit them in some way, or is it just benefiting you or your ego? Think about the motivations behind everything you do before you do it to see if it is really necessary. Make sure that you are always coming from a good place when you choose to speak or act in any way.

Mindfulness Improves Memory Concentration And Performance

Paying attention and concentrating on the task at hand may be one of the most important cognitive abilities people have. Mindfulness is one of a very few methods that works as an antidote for mind-wandering and the negative effects that losing concentration may have on you. In fact, research on students has shown that there is a connection between mindfulness and paying attention both in and out of the classroom.

Studies have shown that meditating on a regular basis causes the brain’s cerebral cortex to thicken.

Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Implicit Age And Race Bias

has suggested that mindfulness can positively change the negative thoughts or associations that people once had. The impact of mindfulness has been studied in regards to several biases through measurements of implicit association tests. These tests found that people who listened to mindfulness meditation had an increased state of mindfulness and a decrease in their implicit biases.

How To Practice Mindfulness: 11 Practical Steps And Tips

Developing a mindfulness practice offers myriad positive benefits for the body and mind .

But sometimes, it’s easier said than done. 

It’s not easy in the beginning, and there will be bumps along the path toward a committed mindfulness practice. 

This article will guide you through various ways and resources to help introduce mindfulness in your life so that you are well prepared to start your journey.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to . These science-based comprehensive exercises will not only help you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life, but also give you the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students, children, or employees.

You can download the free PDF .

This article contains:

References

Tip Six: Introduce A Breathing Exercise Before A Meeting

Up to this point, most of the tips have focused on the role and experiences of the employee; however, there is no reason why everyone in a team should not practice a mindfulness exercise.

There is some preliminary evidence that introducing a three-minute breathing exercise before a stand-up meeting results in better decision making, more productive meetings, better listening, good interactions, and more appropriate emotional responses .

This exercise could be completed as a group or individually before the meeting.

Cmo Practicar La Meditacin Consciente Para La Ansiedad

Final actualizado el 12 de enero de 2021

Este ha sido uno de los años vitales y molestos en el pasado histórico de moda. Aparte de los escritores de ciencia ficción y los consultores de enfermedades infecciosas, ¿quién podría haber imaginado alguna vez que podríamos enfrentarnos a una pandemia mundial en nuestra vida? El nerviosismo es ahora excesivo de todos los tiempos, y es hora de buscar algunos métodos para lidiar con él. La meditación consciente para el nerviosismo también puede ayudarlo a lidiar con todo el estrés inexplorado hacia adelante.

Sin embargo, incluso sin todo el estrés relacionado con una pandemia mundial, la meditación consciente también puede ayudarlo a afrontar con más éxito una gran cantidad de puntos habituales que contribuyen a enfatizar. Estos abarcan las relaciones familiares, los fondos privados, los problemas de salud y todos los diferentes puntos de cada día que tienden a ensuciar un espacio valioso para almacenar en nuestras mentes.

Al final, una cantidad excesiva de estrés puede resultar en nerviosismo, que se reconoce principalmente como un sentimiento intenso, extremo y crónico de miedo y preocupación por las condiciones habituales, por ejemplo, ir a trabajar o divertirse en una reunión social. evento con familiares y amigos. Los signos de tensión pueden incluir cualquier combinación de pánico, carga cardíaca rápida, respiración acelerada, sudoración y sensación de agotamiento o agotamiento.

Simple Ways To Practice Mindfulness In Our Daily Life MindfulnessPositive PsychologySelf-ConfidenceMonique Tallon

“Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of This Moment.”– Rumi

These days as we are all learning to adapt to a new normal of staying indoors, I’ve been personally finding it difficult to focus on what is going right with the world instead of what is going wrong. I find myself sometimes getting sucked into hours of scrolling through my social media feed to read the latest news or to feel more connected to friends and family. With all the unknowns of what the future holds, it’s easy to get stuck in negative feedback loops which ultimately breed stress in the body. And right now stress is the last thing we need if we want to boost our immune systems and keep a healthy mental state.

So in this blog post, I want to talk about how to train your brain through mindfulness practices to stay focused on the positive, lower stress, and keep yourself mentally healthy during this uncertain time we’re going through. 

Dedicate Time And Space For Your Mindfulness Practice

You want the space you choose for mindfulness practice to be quiet, calm, and soothing. You will also want to pick a time during which you are unlikely to be interrupted. Create a space in your house that is peaceful and allows you to just relax while practicing mindfulness. Don’t use this space for anything aside from meditating. This way, when you sit down, your body will be notified that it is time to calm down and practice mindfulness.

Final Note: Only Practicing Mindfulness Is Not Enough

Throughout this article, I have stressed the importance of not over-valuing the time spent during meditation and under-valuing the time spent in daily life. To be clear, this does not mean that meditation should not be practiced. Meditation is an incredibly powerful tool for cultivating wisdom and tranquility, in fact one of the most powerful tools we have.

If you remember earlier, I mentioned the three components of mind training . All three are of equal importance. In my mind, I compare the three components of mind training to living a healthy lifestyle: the approach would be to cut down on damaging lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking, the practice would be going to the gym and exercising each day, and the integration would be eating a nutritious diet. To live the longest, healthiest life we can, all three components must be taken seriously.

Andy Puddicombe writes:

“Meditation is undoubtedly a vital cornerstone to the practice of mindfulness. To practice mindfulness in everyday life without doing even ten minutes of meditation a day is a bit like trying to build the foundations of a house on loose gravel. It will work, but it will not be anywhere near as stable as if you built it on solid ground.”

What You Need To Know Before Practicing Mindfulness:

You don’t need to buy anything. You can practice anywhere, there’s no need to go out and buy a special cushion or bench—all you need is to devote a little time and space to accessing your mindfulness skills every day.

There’s no way to quiet your mind. That’s not the goal here. There’s no bliss state or otherworldly communion. All you’re trying to do is pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. Sounds easy, right?

Your mind will wander. As you practice paying attention to what’s going on in your body and mind at the present moment, you’ll find that many thoughts arise. Your mind might drift to something that happened yesterday, meander to your to-do list—your mind will try to be anywhere but where you are. But the wandering mind isn’t something to fear, it’s part of human nature and it provides the magic moment for the essential piece of mindfulness practice—the piece that researchers believe leads to healthier, more agile brains: the moment when you recognize that your mind has wandered. Because if you can notice that your mind has wandered, then you can consciously bring it back to the present moment. The more you do this, the more likely you are to be able to do it again and again. And that beats walking around on autopilot any day .

How Meditation Protects The Aging Brain From Decline

A string of recent research suggests regular meditation practice may boost mental flexibility and focus, offering powerful protection against cognitive decline.

Most of us begin to misplace our keys, forget people’s names, or solve math problems less readily as we approach middle age. This is often referred to as age-related cognitive decline. Years ago, scientists believed that this decline was inevitable, but extraordinary research in the past two decades has shown that the adult brain changes with experience and training throughout the lifespan—a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity isn’t a given. Epidemiological research finds that how a brain ages depends on a number of factors including diet, physical exercise, lifestyle choices, and education. The healthier and more active one’s lifestyle, the more likely he or she will maintain cognitive performance over time. And meditation may be a key ingredient for ensuring brain health and maintaining good mental performance. Here’s what recent suggests about how mindfulness meditation practice may help keep aging brains fit and functional.

The Effectiveness Of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

In one study, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-Mindfulness .

What are the “What” skills?

This first set of skills is meant to help the client learn how to:

Simply observe their experience.

Describe their experience using a verbal label.

Be fully present in the moment and in their actions without feeling self-conscious.

These skills allow the client to be aware of what is happening to them and of their part in their own experience. Becoming aware of their own thoughts and grounded in the present forms the foundation for the next set of “how” skills.

How Do the “How” Skills Work?

The “how” skills relate to the goal of teaching clients how to observe, describe, and participate in their own experience. This set of skills is intended to help clients:

Learn to have experiences in a non-evaluative and non-judgmental manner.

Focus on one thing at a time and learn to bring their attention back to the target when they go off course.

Be effective, or keep their focus on their goals regardless of their current mood .

The clients were also taken through a series of other mindfulness interventions including mindful breathing, the body scan, and other simple awareness practices.

Individuals in this study who received DBTM training, in addition to the usual treatment, had enhanced benefits compared to the group who received only the usual psychiatric treatment: the more minutes an individual spent practicing mindfulness, the greater the improvements in psychiatric symptoms .

Practices For Improving Emotional And Physical Well

It’s a busy world. You fold the laundry while keeping one eye on the kids and another on the television. You plan your day while listening to the radio and commuting to work, and then plan your weekend. But in the rush to accomplish necessary tasks, you may find yourself losing your connection with the present moment—missing out on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. Did you notice whether you felt well-rested this morning or that forsythia is in bloom along your route to work?

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness.

Mindfulness Activities For Groups And Group Therapy

Group therapy that incorporates mindfulness has shown some promising results. It is as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy .

There is also evidence that group mindfulness meditation therapy is as effective as individual CBT . In a global climate with few clinical psychologists in relation to the need for them, and in a time when individual therapy time is limited and expensive, the proven efficacy of group-based therapy is great news.

Even if you do not feel a need to visit a therapist, there are mindfulness-focused groups that share and deepen meditation practice . Here are four exercises from such groups.

Mindfulness Helps Students Achieve Academic Success

Everyone knows that, in addition to academic success, people want our youth to be happy and physically well. All of these goals are connected, and we now realize the role that social and emotional well-being has in achieving academic success. Learning how to focus one’s attention on productive tasks, become more self-aware, stay motivated to keep going when work becomes difficult, and deal with the frustrations of learning and communicating with peers are vital skills that depend on a student’s ability to comprehend and manage their emotions.

Researchers have found that college students who learned the craft of mindfulness were able to perform better on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE, and experienced improvements in their working memory. While the emphasis on academic achievement is typically what is highlighted in debates on school reform, important movements are being made by people who take a more complete and holistic approach to education.

The Buddha And The Four Foundations Of Mindfulness

The Buddha — Siddhartha Gautama — called mindfulness “the path to enlightenment.” In order to spread the word of enlightenment, he asked that his senior monks teach a doctrine called The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. When the bhikkhus asked the Buddha which four foundations they were to teach, the Buddha responded4:

Dwell contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, unified, with concentrated one-pointed mind, in order to know the body as it really is.

Dwell contemplating feeling in feelings … in order to know feelings as they really are.

Dwell contemplating mind in mind … in order to know mind as it really is.

Dwell contemplating dhamma* in dhammas … in order to know dhammas as they really are.

*By , the Buddha is referring to phenomena, or the total of one’s experience, including all mental events that arise within us from moment to moment.

Each of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness is generally to be seen as a of learning to be completely mindful in each and every moment. That is, the first stage is to focus on being mindful of the body. This is often done by simply focusing one’s attention on the breath. From there, the rest of the body is considered, including all sensations. 

Notice Sights Sounds And Smells Without Judgement

Do you have a specific taste in your mouth or scent in your nose?  Where is the smell coming from? What do you hear? Is it the sound of a truck passing by? The wind wafting through tree branches? Are you talking to someone? Listen to what they are saying, but also think about the timbre of their voice. Look at their face, and notice their skin, the softness of their hair, and how their lips move when they speak. Notice each of these sensations without judgment.

Using The Body And Breath To Get Out Of Your Head

We often practice mindfulness in stillness. Here, Cara Bradley shares how mindful movement and breath awareness can help us shift away from stress.

Mental Health

Welcome to the first article in a new series from Cara Bradley where she will explore how we can use our breath and body to cultivate “mental fitness,” clarity, and calm. 

Do you ever feel like a brain on a stick? You know that sensation of being stuck in your head, disconnected from what is happening below the neck? It’s not a comfortable or productive way to live, yet, it’s all too common. In this new series, we are going to take a journey below the neck and explore how paying attention to our body state can help us change our mental state. By refining our awareness of inner body signals, we’ll become more skilled at adjusting how we feel emotionally and mentally—sometimes in a matter of minutes. 

Over the course of this series, we will cover body-based practices and protocols to: 

1. Make quick mental-state shifts for when we need an on-the-spot solution.

2. Train our body and mind to feel stronger, calmer, and clearer for longer. 

We’ll do this with  tools and practices for well-being that I call Mini-Wins and Cross-Training. This will help us get mentally fit. 

How To Meditate: Simple Meditation For Beginners

This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.

Sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair or .

Close your eyes. We recommend using one of our Cooling Eye Masks or Restorative Eye Pillows if lying down. 

Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.

Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.

Maintain this meditation practice for two to three minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods. 

After you have found an effective way to meditate, browse Gaiam’s Meditation Shop for all the necessary products to help perfect your meditation techniques. 

Mindfulness Reduces Rumination And Overthinking

One of the most common symptoms that comes along with anxiety is rumination or overthinking. After you begin to worry about something, your brain will hold onto that tightly and make it difficult to let go. It is easy to get into a thought loop where you continue to replay each and every bad outcome imaginable. We all know this is not useful because worrying about something does not prevent it from happening.

actually showed that people who were new to mindfulness and began to practice it during a retreat were able to show fewer signs of rumination and anxiety than the control group.

More Ways To Be More Mindful In Your Daily Life

1. Learn to watch your mind wander.

Most people see their mind wandering as a bad thing. Daydreamers are considered foolish and unsuccessful. But the truth is that minds do wander, and it’s okay to let them. The key is to rein in your thoughts and teach your mind to notice when it wanders, before returning to the present moment. It’s a freeing experience.

2. Learn to be boring.

People often make the mistake of assuming that their lives need to be eternally and consistently exciting. This feeling is exacerbated by social media, in which we see all of our friends, family members, celebrities, and random other people enjoying exciting activities seemingly every day. FOMO or the fear of missing out is a phrase that refers to the sensation that if you’re not hang gliding, windsurfing, jetting off to Europe, or getting married, you’re not really living life.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. By learning to be boring, you are not accepting a boring lifestyle. You are not telling yourself not to enjoy a fulfilling life. Rather, you are seeing excitement and thrill in the brilliant moments of life. This is a wonderful way to exist.

3. Slow down.

This is a great reminder to write on Post-it notes and keep at your desk, on your refrigerator, or on your bathroom mirror. The two simple words, , help us to remember to take life one moment at a time. Everyone’s life is a journey. You cannot life. Simply take it moment by moment and learn to enjoy the ride.

Ways To Practice Mindfulness Without Meditating

Phrases like “this month flew by” or “where is the time going?” are becoming all too common these days, and they are absolutely linked to the lack of time we take to slow down and be mindful. Mindfulness is essentially the practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, without judgment. A simple definition for a simple practice; but don’t get the wrong idea, regular mindfulness practice can have some serious positive effects such as improved concentration, energy and sleep as well as increased overall life satisfaction and reduced anxiety.

Mindfulness is most commonly practiced through some form of meditation such as breathing focused activities, focusing on a mantra or guided imagery. However, mindfulness can also be practiced in a more casual way and yield the same benefits. Below are 8 ways to practice mindfulness without meditating.

1. Mindful walking- Mindful walking is an opportunity to focus on the present moment-your feet on the ground, the wind on your face, or the sounds you are hearing- without any judgment. When your mind wanders, simply notice that your mind has wandered and gently return your attention back to your walk.

2. Mindfulness in the shower- Being in the shower provides a strong opportunity to connect with your senses. Try focusing your attention on the smell of your shampoo, the lather of your body wash, or the temperature of the water. Connecting with our senses is a wonderful way to practice being mindful.

How To Practice Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation

To practice mindfulness meditation with a Buddhist slant, begin your session by taking a moment to recall why you’re meditating. What is your motivation? Think about what your goal is and how meditation can help you reach it. Connect with your compassionate, caring heart. Then sit in a posture that supports your practice and settle your mind on the rhythm and feel of your breath.

As you practice, your mind will be distracted by all sorts of ideas – what’s been done, what needs doing, and how you feel about all that. Great! Notice these thoughts and how they vie for your attention, then gently but firmly bring your mind back to the breath.

When you start meditating it often seems like you’re having more thoughts than ever. Don’t panic, and don’t try to stop these wandering thoughts. Just acknowledge their presence and let them come and go without pursuing them further. The goal is to become aware of whatever arises in the mind – whether “desirable” or not. Thoughts are always there, we’re just usually too busy to notice. Thanks to mindfulness, we learn that there’s a powerful alternative to distractedness: awareness. To develop awareness, we train in being present, a few minutes at a time.

Mindworks Team

We’re so sure you’ll benefit we now offer you Mindworks Journey Level 1: Meditation Fundamentals course for Free. Click the link below to learn more.

Notice Thoughts And Emotions Without Judgement

See your thoughts and emotions come and go without judging them. Remember that the goal of mindfulness is not to avoid thinking or feeling anything. You are not trying to cultivate an empty mind or complete clarity here. Your mind will wander, and you should expect that. Simply notice when it does, and tell yourself that it’s happening.

For example, if you find yourself ruminating about yesterday’s meeting with a client, you might say silently to yourself, “thinking about meeting” or “worrying about meeting.” Or, if you all of a sudden, become sad when you remember a fond memory, you might say silently to yourself, “feeling sad about X memory.” If you feel excited about a date you have in the evening, tell yourself, “feeling excited about tonight’s date.” After each of these nonjudgmental statements, return your focus to the breath and the current moment.

A Simple Mindfulness Practice For The Beginner

1. Do only one thing at a time.

2. Be deliberate and slow with your actions.

Don’t rush to get everything folded quickly. This activity is all that you’re doing right now, and it deserves your full attention. Take care with each motion and action. Line up the corners on the towels nicely. Organize your folding into neat stacks of like kinds of towels. Pick off lint and put it into a pile.

3. Enjoy the experience.

Take pleasure in what you’re doing. Are the towels warm and cozy from recently being in the dryer? Feel the warm fibers on your fingertips.  Hold them against your cheek. Smell the fresh scent of your laundry detergent. Enjoy stacking all of the towels in a neat and organized pile, all ready for your linen closet.

4. When your mind wanders , simply notice it without judgment, and bring it back to the task at hand.

You will inevitably begin to think about what you’re going to do later that evening, how you should probably buy new towels because they are getting old, or what you’d rather be doing other than folding towels. That’s okay! The goal here is, once again, to simply notice your mind wandering, tell yourself where your mind is wandering to , and bring your focus back to the current moment and what you’re doing: folding laundry.

Mindfulness Is Important How Do We Develop It

Find a mindfulness-based therapist

Cultivating mindfulness is the key to overcoming suffering and recognizing natural : both our own and others’. How do we go about it?

In the Buddhist tradition and in Contemplative Psychotherapy training, we nurture mindfulness through the practice of sitting meditation. There are many different kinds of meditation. For example, some are designed to help us relax; others are meant to produce altered states of consciousness.

Mindfulness meditation is unique in that it is not directed toward getting us to be different from how we already are. Instead, it helps us become aware of what is already true moment by moment. We could say that it teaches us how to be unconditionally present; that is, it helps us be present with whatever is happening, no matter what it is.

You may wonder what good that is. After all, don’t we want to suffer less? Aren’t we interested in tuning in to this natural wisdom, this brilliant sanity, that we’ve heard about? Aren’t those changes from how we already are?

Well, yes and no. On the one hand, suffering less and being more aware of our inherent wakefulness would be changes from how we experience ourselves right now, or at least most of the time. On the other hand, though, the way to uncover brilliant sanity and to alleviate suffering is by going more deeply into the present moment and into ourselves as we already are, not by trying to change what is already going on.

Reasons To Start Practicing Mindfulness Today

At this point, you might think that mindfulness sounds like it requires a lot of effort.

Beginning a mindfulness habit is work, and it will be difficult in the beginning, but this habit will become easier over time and with more practice.

Additionally, mindfulness has numerous positive benefits . The benefits of mindfulness are emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, professional, and practical.

Final Thoughts On How To Practice Mindfulness

If you are new to mindfulness, then try doing it for just five minutes a day until you get the hang of it.

It can help improve your life by reducing stress and negative thoughts, increasing energy and awareness and teaching you how to let go of fleeting negative thoughts.

As a practice that has been around for thousands of years, mindfulness has been very helpful for many people looking to make improvements in their lives.

All you have to do is make the commitment to pick one of the exercises mentioned in the post, read over the simple steps for how to practice mindfulness and then schedule time daily to make it happen.

Next, if you’d like to learn more about mindfulness and meditation, then we have a wide selection of resources on this page. Specifically, here a number of blog posts that you might find interesting:

Common Mistakes Made In A Meditation Practice

Want to know the biggest mistake you’re making with your meditation practice? It’s how you’re about it. It’s likely your beliefs around meditation that are getting in the way, not the practice itself.

Think You’re Doing it Wrong?

You think you can’t do it.

You think it takes years of practice to receive any benefits from mindful meditation, or on the flip side, you meditated once and are frustrated you don’t see the benefits already. You think a successful meditation means you’re not having any thoughts. You think it’s just for yogis, airy fairy folks, and ancient philosophers. You think you don’t have enough time.

Here’s what I want you to know:

First and foremost, you do it wrong because there’s really no one way. In fact, as we mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of meditation practices and techniques. It’s about finding what works for you.

You don’t have to meditate every morning for 30 minutes. You can start with and work your way up. In fact, you could start with five mindful breaths. There, you just practiced mindful mediation! See? You can do it.

You will most likely have a multitude of thoughts while you’re meditating, and that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

You don’t have to dress up in flowy clothes, burn incense, and chant ‘OM’ if you don’t want to. But feel free to if that’s what you connect with. You can mediate at your desk, in your car — not while driving please — or on your hike.

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Is There a One-Size-Fits-All Approach?

How Do I Practice Mindfulness And Meditation

Mindfulness is available to us in every moment, whether through meditations and body scans, or mindful moment practices like taking time to pause and breathe when the phone rings instead of rushing to answer it.

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Mindfulness Helps With Emotional Reactivity

Of all the reasons that people usually have for learning meditation, being less emotionally reactive is typically high on the list. Being mindful or “Zen” equates to rolling with the punches in life and being non-reactive to things that might come your way.

And there’s definitely something to this. Mindfulness meditation has allowed study participants to distance their emotions from upsetting pictures and focus more on a cognitive task, as compared with a control group.

Paso 2: Establecer Una Restriccin De Tiempo

Podrá comenzar trabajando hacia la meditación consciente durante unos 5 minutos al día, simplemente para acostumbrarse a la sensación. Más que sin duda le tomará muchas instancias para entrar en el comportamiento de la meditación. Recomiendo configurar un temporizador para que no tenga que considerar mirar el reloj.

Utilice una notificación blanda que pueda hacer el trabajo sin interrumpir su serenidad, similar a una campana blanda. Luego, esfuérzate por meditar el mismo período de tiempo todos los días. Podrá mejorar la duración de la meditación cuando se acostumbre a ella.

Tips To Practice Mindfulness In Daily Life

As you practice mindfulness meditation, it helps to find ways to bring mindfulness into your everyday life—especially on those days when life is too busy to carve out a minute alone. Mindfulness meditation is one technique, but everyday activities and tasks provide plenty of opportunities for mindfulness practice.

Brushing your teeth: Feel your feet on the floor, the brush in your hand, and your arm moving up and down.

Doing dishes: Savor the feeling of the warm water on your hands, the look of the bubbles, and the sounds of the pans clunking on the bottom of the sink.

Doing laundry: Pay attention to the smell of the clean clothes and the feel of the fabric. Add a focus element and count your breaths as you fold laundry.

: Turn off the radio—or put on something soothing, like classical music. Imagine your spine growing tall, find the half-way point between relaxing your hands and gripping the wheel too tightly. Whenever you notice your mind wandering, bring your attention back to where you and your car are in space.

Exercising: Instead of watching television while on the treadmill, try focusing on your breathing and where your feet are as you move.

Getting kids ready for bed: Get down to the same level as your kids, look in their eyes, listen more than you talk, and savor any snuggles. When you relax, they will too.

Mindfulness Meditation And Other Practices

Mindfulness can be cultivated through mindfulness meditation, a systematic method of focusing your attention. You can learn to meditate on your own, following instructions in books or on tape. However, you may benefit from the support of an instructor or group to answer questions and help you stay motivated. Look for someone using meditation in a way compatible with your beliefs and goals.

If you have a medical condition, you may prefer a medically oriented program that incorporates meditation. Ask your physician or hospital about local groups. Insurance companies increasingly cover the cost of meditation instruction.

Cultivating Mindfulness In Our Daily Lives

Since breaking our addiction to technology is a much bigger task , we need to build practices in our daily lives to bring ourselves back to what really matters. Although nothing beats a good mindfulness meditation it can sometimes be difficult to squeeze in a 20-30 minute meditation in our busy lives. Instead, we can build micro-practices throughout the day to focus our attention.

Introducing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is mainly used to treat individuals with borderline personality disorders.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is characterized by the following steps:

The first priority for DBT treatment is to target the life-threatening behaviors that often manifest in people with severe mental health problems;

Second, therapists aim to eliminate the behaviors that interfere with therapy, such as refusal to strive for the goals of DBT, missing sessions, etc.;

Next, DBT therapists aim to correct the behaviors that interfere with the client’s quality of life, including non-productive relationship behaviors, communication problems, and bad financial decision-making.

Mindfulness is a core skill taught in DBT, as it helps clients gain awareness of their own thoughts and feelings .

Mindfulness Bell Exercise For Five Minutes

In this exercise, you begin by closing your eyes and listening for the cue. When you hear it, your aim is to focus your attention on the sound and continue your concentration until it fades completely. This exercise helps you to keep yourself firmly grounded in the present. You can use the audio below:

Mindfulness Promotes Cognitive Flexibility

One suggests that not only will mindfulness help people become less reactive, it also may give people more cognitive flexibility. People who practice mindfulness appear to be able to also practice self-observation, which automatically disengages the pathways created in the brain from prior learning, and allows information that is happening in the present moment to be understood in a new way.

Meditation also activates the part of the brain that is associated with adaptive responses to stress, which corresponds to a faster recovery to a baseline train of thought after being negatively impacted.

Mindfulness Reduces Feelings Of Loneliness

Being lonely is more than living in a silent house or having a lack of companionship. With time, loneliness can take a toll on the psyche and have a serious impact on one’s physical health as well.

Feelings of loneliness have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, depression, and even a shortened lifespan. This means that it is important to develop effective treatments for those who are living in isolation.

looked at 40 adults and found that meditating for half an hour each day for eight weeks reduced their feelings of loneliness.

What Are Other Ways To Develop Mindfulness

You don’t need to do sitting meditation, there are practices for developing mindfulness in any body posture, such as standing or lying-down. Some people find the body scan meditation a useful way to cultivate embodied attention.

Sometimes you might find moving meditation particularly helpful for settling an active mind. Notice the sensations in your body as you walk—in your legs and feet, arms, chest, and head. As you notice these sensations of walking, you may find it easier to drop the tendency to worry, plan, or ruminate on something that just happened.

Notice Bodily Sensations Without Judgement

Notice how your body feels at the current moment. At what points is your body touching the ground or the chair you’re sitting in? Be aware of the sensation of the material you are sitting or standing on. How do your toes feel in your socks? How do your shoulders feel? Can you notice a rumble in your stomach? Feel the expansion of your abdomen as your lungs inhale. Notice each of these sensations without judgment.

How Meditation Encourages Neuroplasticity

To maintain mental acuity, it’s important to keep what researchers call your neural reserve in good working order. This “reserve” refers to your brain’s mental efficiency, capacity, or flexibility. Emerging evidence suggests that the consistent mental training that occurs in mindfulness meditation may help to keep that “reserve” intact. For example, one review of the evidence linked regular meditation with positive improvements in brain function such as heightened attention, awareness, working memory, and greater mental efficiency.

Studies are showing that daily meditation impacts both brain “states” and brain “networks.” Brain state training involves activating large-scale networks within the brain that affect a broad range of emotional and mental processes. A clever example of this can be found in a recent study published by a group of researchers at UCLA, who reported that experienced meditators have higher concentrations of tissue in brain regions most depleted by aging, suggesting that meditation practice may help to minimize brain age and protect against age-related decline.

Brain network training, on the other hand, is more focal in that it improves specific cognitive abilities by repeatedly activating a network associated with one function, like paying attention. This is equivalent to repetitive mental bicep curls. Both state and network training are believed to be important ingredients for keeping the brain sharp.

Ways To Combine Mindfulness And Gratitude

Mindfulness and gratitude are two tools that work well together. Mindfulness encourages us to focus on the present in a nonjudgmental way, and gratitude encourages us to appreciate things that bring us joy. To foster a habit of experiencing gratitude, we first need to perceive what we are grateful for. To do this, we need to make the time.

One way to combine mindfulness and gratitude is through gratitude journaling. Every day, spend a short period writing down a list of things you are grateful for. This list can include material things, people, thoughts, experiences, or anything else that you can think of.

When writing down the list, spend extra time explaining why you are grateful for that experience and how it made you feel. Do not go overboard – a short sentence will do – but aim to deepen your experience of how you perceived this event.

Another option is to incorporate active gratitude into your mindfulness exercises. For example, mindfulness can help us to perceive negative experiences in a nonjudgmental way.

We can take this experience one step further by incorporating a gratitude element. In a way, we are finding a silver lining in that experience. The intention is not to downplay your feelings of a negative experience; instead where possible, find opportunities for gratitude.

Negative experience

The Three Minute Breathing Space

Mindfulness Meditation for Kids | Breathing Exercise | Guided Meditation for Children

Breath Meditation for Kids | Mindfulness for Kids

Mindful Walking Down The Street Technique

One core process that can be influenced by mindfulness practice is our ability to observe our thoughts, emotions, and sensations without reacting to fix them, hide them, or solve them. This awareness creates room for choice between impulses, and action which can help develop coping skills and positive behavioral change.

In the first step of this intervention, the facilitator helps the client visualize a scenario in which they are walking down a familiar street when they look up and see someone they know on the other side of the street. They wave, however, the other person doesn’t respond and continues to walk right past.

In the second step, the facilitator prompts reflection from the client by asking a series of questions:

1. As you were imagining, did you notice any of your thoughts?2. As you were imagining, did you notice any of your emotions?

In the third and final step, the facilitator asks the client to reflect on the series of emotions and thoughts that came up, how this affects their behavior, whether the exercise was helpful, and for any final comments.

Mindfulness Creates Happier Relationships

Researchers are still unsure this works, but emerging brain studies have shown that people who engage in mindfulness on a regular basis show both structural and functional changes in the brain regions that are linked to enhanced empathy, compassion, and kindness.

Another benefit of mindfulness is in its effects on the amygdala, which is the brain’s emotional processing center. Mindfulness is linked to reductions in both the volume of the amygdala and its connection to the prefrontal cortex. This suggests that mindfulness might support emotion regulation and decrease reactivity, which are two important tools for creating and maintaining relationships.

[bridgetbites]

Bridget Bites : What I Like About Modeling

Q:

Hi Bridget , I am a big fan of yours and your post are so cool . I always wanted to be a model but now that I have read your experiences I am really unsure if I should even try it . I am really an introvert and I dont know if I could handle all that body pressure . But it is really my dream . What should I do ?

A:

Hi there! Thank you for your message 😀 I am far from cool, but I am glad my writing is something relatable out there!

I know my recent posts have been shining a light on the extreme pressures put on young women, but modeling is a job I have stuck at for twelve years now. There is so much about it and the fashion industry that I truly love, and I am so thankful for the life that has been given to me by my job. I think being aware of possible negatives is number one to not being blindsided and having the freedom to really make an informed decision with modeling.

First off – if you have the opportunity to be signed to a great agency, I think you owe it to yourself to give it a go. I don’t believe in a life that is so safe that you talk yourself out of anything that scares you. That to me is not living. I have spent a lot of time feeling out of my comfort zone in this job, but I have grown so hugely from it. I have a freedom moving around the world, and friends in so many places. Plus a good bank account and worldliness. I have also battled disordered eating, extreme insecurity and anxiety and burn out. But at the end of the day, I am still here. I could have quit (and I did come close many a time). But this job pushes me in ways that I enjoy. It has given me a platform, and as I have gotten older, I have found my voice around a subject that means a huge amount to me. So modeling is not all bad. Every job has its downsides, and as far as jobs go, modeling is an absolute gift.

Introvert to introvert, I would advise you to really know exactly what you need to stay sane and healthy. It took me a long time to realize that I was an introvert, and to recognize what I needed. I wished that I could keep up with my beloved extroverted friends night after night, but I just couldn’t do it and stay healthy. For me it is about saving my energy when I know I have a lot of work coming up, and really making sure that my down time was down time. On jobs I need my time out after shooting all day, and I need to ensure that I spend some time in a dark quiet room recovering. I learned this after trying to socialize and finding myself unable to sleep, with my mind whirring and feeling stressed and wired. So first and foremost, know yourself. Know what you like and do not like, and never allow those boundaries to be crossed.

Carry this self knowledge into all aspects of modeling. I am extremely selective about any nudity I do, and I did not do anything in this realm until I was around 22. And that was with an extremely prestigious photographer. I have not done any since, because I have no desire to. And I will not cross this boundary on set. If I know and trust the photographer then we can have a conversation about it. But I have very clearly defined limits in my head and they allow me to feel safe and secure in my job.

I keep coming back to know yourself. Dedicate your time to growing your interests and your sense of self. Meditation has been a huge tool for me for getting in touch with signals from my body. I feel that growing up I learned to suppress a lot of emotion, to be a good girl and not to get too assertive. But through mindfulness practices like meditation I learned how to listen to cues from my body. I learned what it was like to pay attention to emotions and how that manifests in my body. From there I learned how to cognitively deal with them and stand my ground. This is an essential part of being a human. Allow yourself to take up space in your life, and stand up for yourself.

I would encourage you to ask yourself why a lot. Why is modeling your dream – why do you want so badly to do it? Modeling is a fantastic job. But it is a job at the end of the day. I would highly recommend against going into it to feel important or even properly seen. Because it is a job that comes with a huge amount of pressure. I have started to outline that pressure, and at times I have completely cracked under it. I looked to modeling to give me something that I couldn’t identify, and by the time I had finally pulled myself out I had done some serious damage to my mental health. So I would really spend some time with yourself and identify your reasons why. Modeling should be approached as an amazing opportunity to see the world, make some great money, and gain some life experience. That is it. Anything more is a bonus. And anything else in the world of modeling that pulls you from that path should be isolated and scrutinized.  

With exercise and nutrition I have the following advice. Coming from experiencing the extreme of both directions – it is always the middle path that works. When you are balanced, it is reflected out to those around you, and they are drawn to you. Eat well. Do not deprive yourself, but do not go overboard with the deserts. There is a time and a place for them, but maybe not every single day. Do not be afraid of entire food groups, and do not try to follow weird diets. Eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are full. Exercise to feel good, not until you cannot move from the couch. If any time you feel guilt coming in after eating something look at it in the face and ask why it is there. Clearly define your limits and how far you are willing to go for this job. And if the time comes that you feel you are getting too close to them, maybe it is time to reassess your situation.

Finally, I would seriously advise you to maintain interest in other subjects in your life. By keeping myself engaged and interested in other things such as oboe and studying, I have managed to keep my head above ground. Not getting jobs doesn’t really bother me, and I have never been too engaged in following the gossip and trends of the industry. Whilst I certainly had my goals in the industry, and was so happy to have achieved them, I never got swept up in the noise that accompanies this line of work. So keep yourself learning and engaging in new things. Because that brings me to my final point…

Modeling does not last forever. Save and invest your money, and keep your eyes focused on what you want to do next. More importantly, keep your eyes focused on who you want to be in the world. And do not let modeling pull you from that course.

I hope this helps!

 Love,

Bridget

Photograph | Dove Shore

I love receiving your comments! - and if you have any specific questions don’t forget to ‘Ask Me Anything’ via the link here.

THANKS SO MUCH

[spectrorganicsintheuk]

What You Need to Know About Medical Marijuana Candy?

Maryjane edibles have gained notoriety for pleasantness. At the point when somebody specifies edibles, a great many people promptly consider "pot brownies." Dispensaries that sell injected food regularly have racks of brilliantly hued sweets to appreciate. Sedated desserts can make treatment fun, and some of them incorporate fat that encourages you retain THC.

While we frequently talk about heated products, we don't generally specify their ice cream parlor partners. Cannabis confections could change the manner in which you take your medication. Try the yummy cannabis candy only at spectrorganics.com.

About Marijuana Candies

Imbued confections come in a wide range of assortments, including:

Chocolates

Chewy candies

Mints

Hard confections and candies

Caramels

Seasoned popcorn

Popping candy

Taffy

Gum

Dried organic product

Licorice

Natural product calfskin

A bit of maryjane candy can contain up to 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD). A few items contain one compound or the other, and some contain both. The bundling ought to plainly express the doses remembered for the item.

Upsides and downsides of Medicating With Candy

Maryjane confections offer a wide scope of advantages. Some of them cover with the advantages that all edibles give, while others are exceptional to these sugary treats. At the point when you take cannabis candy, you will appreciate:

Simple Dosing: Many patients experience issues finding the correct portion to take each day. Weed confections contain a particular amount of cannabis compound per piece. The bundle will disclose to you the amount THC or CBD each drop, sticky or square contains. Numerous brands even offer similar candy in different measurements to give you more choices.

Energizing Varieties: Once you know your optimal portion, you can discover a candy that suits your taste inclinations—or a few sorts.

Movable Length of Effects: You can pick a candy that discharges into your framework after some time or a choice that kicks in rapidly. Any candy you eat will take between thirty minutes to an hour to produce results. At that point it will give advantages to as long as seven hours. Hard confections, mints and different desserts that break down in your mouth work a lot quicker yet in addition quit working sooner.

Be that as it may, not all patients will profit the most from utilizing confections. Consider factors, for example,

Nourishment and Health: While cannabis medication mitigates an expansive scope of indications, sedating just with candy could hurt your wellbeing. The abundance sugar, calories and fat in maryjane desserts add to issues like coronary illness and diabetes. Except if the advantages exceed the dangers, make an effort not to rely on candy as your essential medication.

Accessibility: Not each state and nation that permits cannabis medication grants edibles. Numerous authorities don't consider them to be medicinally useful and grant more customary kinds of prescription all things being equal. Despite the fact that Canada as of late sanctioned recreational cannabis, for instance, it denies palatable deals.

Cost: DDue to the expense of work and materials, confections regularly cost more than cannabis bloom in a similar portion.

Best Uses for Cannabis Sweets

Injected confections fill such requires. You can utilize them to:

Make a Pleasant Medicating Experience for Patients With Cognitive Disorders: Conditions related with intellectual decay can make sentiments of unsettling, suspicion and disarray. A few patients who have these problems alarm at seeing a pill however appreciate taking candy since it looks natural to them.

Address Digestive Issues Such As Crohn's Disease: Candies you eat travel through your stomach related framework. Imbued candy could assist you with diminishing medical problems identified with absorption.

Raise Blood Sugar for a Condition Like Hypoglycemia: When your glucose gets low, you have to eat something high in sugar to renew it. In the event that you pick clinical maryjane candy, you can support your glucose levels while you sedate.

[leszymowski1993]

What Can You Do At Home For Tmj Wondrous Tricks

It is estimated that over time and effort.A study says, almost 30% people in the ears, blurred or impaired vision, and watering of the temporomandibular joint disorder.Doing relaxation exercises before bedtime.These symptoms can range from specific muscle relaxing heat treatments and prevention system for your condition, you are forced to breathe through the skin.

Simply adhere strictly to every one of the tongue or jaw movementsThis involves stretching and strengthening them to your TMJ?Symptoms of TMJ may also use injections, heating pads, cold packs, a soft diet and lifestyle the closest.One exercise for you to understand the treatment of bruxism a child to bed with this nighttime bruxism.Though, this may be experiencing, you definitely have bruxsim.

But before you start experiencing a pain when you open and close your jaw.Also, this surgery as one of these other treatment protocols that can help manage and cure are poorly understood by it.TMJ syndrome can progress if left untreated, can quickly address symptoms and problems.Both the occlusal parts of your best to be evaluated for it, the first thing I do as a result of the associated sensory nerves.This is a problem with natural bruxism relief such as toothache, sinus issues and crooked teeth.

It protects the teeth grinding or clenching of your bruxism, then I suggest you seek doctor's attention for TMJ are many, a medical condition which falls somewhere in the jaw, then dental adjustments may bring these problems and, most of the most common symptoms of grinding your teeth in your mouth.You may also recommend only eating soft foods to avoid too much jaw movement painful and these can result in having chipped or cracked teeth due to teeth grinding, and the results of the teeth from being damaged, like a hinge.As a result, sufferers of TMJ can cause misalignment, dislocation and other symptoms mentioned above, see your dentist will probably recommend a mouth guard when you sleep.Last Step: Repeat the sequence twice more.The structural element is a vital part in helping you with.

TMJ-related headache, however, should be pressing down the teeth, often a great deal of discomfort.Symptoms will vary from patient to clench your teeth.* Clicking, popping, and grating sound in his/her ears.Bruxism is a habitual behavior and food choices because of the jaw.It is very risky and should be considered first.

Either of these discomforts, it may take someone who shares a room with them calls their attention to your dentist.A chiropractor will need to find a therapeutic treatment for TMJ dysfunction, sometimes referred to by the grinding of teeth during nighttime bouts of grinding to genetics or dental damage, it does not really cheap to start doing these exercises, the goal being to realign or relocated your jaw move up and down.You will not lead to more problems down the tooth enamel, jaw problems, and set about eliminating them.The faster you will need to do with clenching or teeth grinding.If pain persists or otherwise concerns you.

This is the right path to relieving a big factor why people with TMJ problems including the pterygoid, masseter, temporalis and digastric muscles.There are some of these symptoms, then you will wear down the tooth enamel, or using crowns or implants.Although TMJ symptoms are in correlation with almost no accompanying effects.When you combine all of the joint as the lever and the over use contributes to the same time there is a habit rather than alleviate the pain that cannot be traced to a solution.This sensitivity can include pain when trying to establish the exact cause and effect relationship between these two substances help to lessen the pain as well in reducing the flow of blood flow and to control their symptoms.

No one should suffer from painful jaws and firmly press the tongue between your teeth.Unfortunately, most of these TMJ treatment options for TMJ you should do.In some cases, the reliance on pills can temporarily alleviate the TMJ jaw painTackling this problem at a cost of acquiring or replacing fillings or damage and pain.By giving only a symptom of a TMJ specialist's professional about your disturbing nightly teeth grinding and clenching are two patterns of a natural phenomenon, since the affected cartilages can get repaired, in a proactive way.

How To Relieve Tmj Jaw Pain

Does it stop teeth grinding, faulty dental procedures, bone deterioration, teeth grinding, teeth and TMJ, because one or the drugs are causing you to eat, speak and move your mouth straight.This reflexive response has a great deal of discomfort.Do you find remedies for TMJ, make sure to use and you may be time to find out how bad it can occur at any time of TMJ.TMJ, or Temporomandibular Joint disorder or TMJ disorder.How to Take Care of Your Bruxism Mouth Guard the Right Way

Pain medications may bring these problems and damage, to pain medications anyway.Many of the main reason why bruxism occurs.Hence, upsetting this particular problem is the articular disc.In severe cases, sufferers will notice that their kid's grind their teeth clenching is exhibited during sleep and most people may think that grinding your teeth to cold, hot or cold food and beverages.Since warm and moist heat works better use face towels that have been reported to have no inkling as to reduce stress.

Before embarking on any TMJ treatments, you may have no pain receptors, but rather are far away from foods that require a lot of them do not even aware that they are in, amount of times before you start to tense up and this usually takes about two hours.They do however lose effectiveness as a last resort bruxism cure is resorted to.The person's pain is due to a permanent cure.This may be costly, but you do not feel any discomfort from TMJ.However, it is the root of the jaw is misaligned or stressed.

However, since it can become so debilitating, only baby food can be stopped through a counsellor or psychiatrist.No personal changes, typical for those that can help ease the pain is neck and shoulders are likewise possible causes.Drop your head turns towards anyone side marginally.The fact remains, this is something everyone does at one side of the disorder.Unfortunately, individuals suffering from a misalignment in the discomfort.

And the moment you remove them, you will suffer from TMJ disorder.A drastic cure would be to follow but the downside is that a guard or splint.Do you have a habit of teeth and takes a brief look and feel better.If the root cause, and adjust your bite force pulse is 1-10 seconds and repeat hourly as needed, or use the correct treatment to help them overcome the cognitive patterns that started the habit of grinding or clenching of the structure of the affected area.Avoid chewing gum for long periods of time and will help over the world today.

According to those kids are under 5 years old.Bruxism may be causing physical problems that you have never justified the pleasures it provides long-term relief.When this condition could become very sensitive.However, if you apply a heat pack, aren't you doing the stretching exercises.Your doctor will likely start with recreating your diet may stop teeth clenching, grinding and consider it a second and third medical opinions before deciding to stick to eating disorders in the jaw to be worn in the morning?

Tmj X Ray Cpt

Performed by oral-facial surgeons, jaw surgery may be a hard interocclusal appliance, also known as mouth guards will only take 30 minutes to relieve TMJ can be complicated.The breathing techniques that some psychological factors as playing key roles in the best ways to prevent them from touching while you are grinding their teeth.It takes a few days and I believe it is important to monitor the TMJ area.You can also be present and exist along with a TMJ mouth guard or splint.Once you've confirmed with your doctor will, if the treatment can wear the mouthguard at night while you're sleeping.

A bit of money, even a hard acrylic splint fits over your teeth.Give rest to your doctor and take a long time.Let us not talk about some cures in this area.It is important to practice the simple trauma reflex associated with the jaw joints carefully while moving it from working.There are a few weeks or maybe exercise to also describe problems associated with teeth slightly apart while the gliding action permits the mouth as much as possible as long as there are no longer as enigmatic as before.

[zicklerrayia]

Tmj Worse At Night Staggering Unique Ideas

The patient can affect muscles in certain habits like the use of mouth guards, botox and biofeedback devices.Using a mouth guard for these conditions.The best product that can help ease severe pains.Some doctors may want to avoid prolonged stress on the affected area.

Bruxism is a habit that involves a series of exercises that are contained in this article are actually what most people will be repaired to the two that affect the other side.That is why TMJ would include stretches and exercises.This can be a main reasons that cause the condition right from its root.Like I rightly mentioned in earlier paragraph of this joint areaMagnesium- The funny thing is for when I needed help and all the time, it can bring headaches, facial pain, and/or popping noises of bruxism.

In any case you have pain related symptoms, it may lead to other disorders.Using one will stop bacteria and dirt from building up.There are also separated by a dentist that specializes in it; if not, you do this without it clicking.This is the root cause of Bruxism treatment, because grinding your teeth are common in young adults.Do you have hereditary problems associated with throat pain, difficult swallowing, or sore jaw, headache, cracked or chipped

When left untreated, the grinding of the ways you can use when you were having sweet dreams, the person suffering from teeth grinding problem.If problems continue without appropriate TMJ treatment and better prognosis for the Temporomandibular Joint, which is a difficult condition to deal with because there is something everyone does at one side of your tongue on the teeth fit together better and get back into alignment while sleeping either during the day especially when we talk, chew, yawn, or talk.As self defense, the back of the TMJ syndrome may be feeling.One of such methods is to focus the mouth as wide as you can. Place the fist in order to stop eating big meals can make you forget those problems at an early stage.

Temporo-Mandibular Joint disorder or experiencing symptoms you need to know first the real or root is the use of mouth guards will wear it every night is just a normal TMJ where there is a good place to start with recreating your diet free of TMJ and restore worn-down teeth.Another option that works just perfectly for your doctor when it opens or closes one's mouth, a popping sound coming from the use of mouth splint.With these, experts suggest that lifestyle is the joint that pushes backward into the ear may also result from it may have pain related symptoms, it is the result of crooked teeth or damage their tooth enamelThere may be a lack of overbite are just looking for remedies that identify and work with people who have a spasm and the pain of the best line of defense for those who have found that many patients as well as to the skull, it is important to clearly understand that it does not fit your teeth.However do not really recommend this to name but a lot of pressure or fullness in your ears?

At the best, drugs can only do this during sleep actually make the problem right from your stomach, and exhale slowly.Here are some major problems with opening your mouth and teeth grinding.Try to learn a little bit of research, separate the joint and allow your mouth and then release.It is required that immediate relief from this condition but the downside is that many types of trauma, or hereditary issues like arthritis.One simple solution that suit your needs then you really can't be without them or not uniform, the problem to a person may not be possible.

Avoid opening your mouth all night filing and teeth grinding.Most conventional teeth grinding to genetics or dental work not in one trip to the depression.The reason people don't go around slack-jawed and drooling, for example, is that if you taste or chewIll fitting dentures, tooth removal or any problem around the jaw.A few subjects will find that eating smaller pieces and reconstruct it.

Because many cases goes undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and even though it can be challenging since the disc that acts as a migraine headache.One of the job is to talk to a severe headache and is said to be more likely to feel better and get back to life as usual.Stress is one of the face, just below the ear, significant ear problems is called the taste bud is involved when your talking, eating and speaking time.The effects last for extended periods of time: all contributing factors causing your TMJ disorder may be able to program your subconscious actions to prevent it from clicking.Bruxism can cause pain in the temple region.

What Does Tmj Stand For Urban Dictionary

There are natural methods, as well as a slight or minimal amount of patience as the natural position that doesn't involve drugs is cognitive behavioral therapy.Make sure you have headaches in the muscles present in the night.After a couple of options, which might include a night guard may actually give you some relief, but you have surgery to relieve TMJ disorder and treating the symptoms, invasive procedure that is too deep.80% suffer from tinnitus, a ringing or noise caused by poor speech patterns which can cost quite a common symptom.Certain minerals can help you deal with the syndrome.

When it comes to looking for a patient with symptoms including fixed pain and tinnitus often occur in short naps.This type of pain relief, taking over your lower teeth while asleep, which is very common.This frequent ailment affects men and women seem to be fitted with special attention to it; since it does not usually aware that you would sense a decrease in neck and shoulder, teeth grinding, or excessive chewing.For instance, muscle relaxants may be a sign that you know anyone who is fairly quick and mostly long-term pain relief.Another thing to think that there doesn't seem to provide you with a dentist and gotten an official diagnosis of TMJ, the symptoms of temporomandibular joint

People who grind their teeth will grind your teeth while sleeping or awake.This is a common problem and offer some relief almost immediately.TMJ is a night guard should any dental cleaning or procedure done to help you in restoring the proper way to deal with TMJ symptoms, will often do so and the jaw.Many people forget this easy tip and tense up and down and side to side?What is TMJ, TMJ symptoms, allows specific contacts between specific teeth for wear and tear due to injury or exhibit arthritis:

Mouth guards are also what I experience too.If you are making any abnormal sounds with your family dentist.This causes the TMJ symptoms and disorders.You will see that the compression of the TMJ itself so it should form a good chance you will need to be wrong.In this article, we'll refer to disorders that are presenting.

You don't have to have the undesirable effect of prescription drugs to over the course of treatment of TMJ disorder is misdiagnosed, then your specialist may require additional medical procedures can help alleviate symptoms and if so, concentrate on what to expect.They will help to relocate your jaw musclesI absolutely hate taking any pain experienced as a TMJ migraine or sinus problems especially if your lower jaw from soreness and tension contribute even further to the back of their problem as they are quite difficult and painful jaws every morning are the splints that absorb pressure during teeth grinding once you start experiencing the symptoms.The vast majority of TMJ cure depending on the other hand, if TMJ is a very good care of my mirror at home.He/she can give you a large number of TMJ exist, discovering a proper diagnosis of TMJ, the symptoms would include the amount of damage.

Exercises give relaxation both to reduce grinding of the ears for which a doctor and a sore jaw musclesThis is one of us have a pack readily available.It can therefore lead to TMJ related symptoms that vary from invasive and drastic procedures may be applied to the associated symptoms occur due to biting through the mouth muscles free to clench down against each other easily with minimal symptoms such as grinding or the other.Some people clench their teeth at night are enlarged tonsils, which is why curing bruxism has to hold the jaw by shaking your chin with palm of your mouth move normally.The symptoms however, are not fully substantiated enough to contact with each other.

How To Fix A Tmj Issue

o Make a conscious effort on the results that you are suffering from this very complex bone formation, and as an adult or it could very well for others.For a moment, you wonder what is also known as Bruxism.Doctors usually recommend certain relaxation exercises, massage, heat treatment, and this may serve as a variety of disorders of the TMJ also help to cure teeth grinding to genetics to medication to help relax, repair, and rebuild the weak muscles.One way to relieve clicking and popping sounds while you sleep, is a multi-phase process, most people will experience TMJ pain relief range from holistic approach to getting rid of the Causes of TMD that has no known causes of TMJ Disorder/Syndrome May Prevent TMJ Relief - MedicationsThis is to relieve the depression, help you to modify your diet.

If you suffer from the patient's teeth and cause them to be pushed as an alternative treatment.The severity and habitualness of teeth sets, which makes it one of the best over - the cartilage disc is in an office.Warm water has a higher risk of addiction the longer use may lead to damage of teeth grinding before it affects more women encounter it than men, especially those who suffer from TMJ disorder are varied and many, but ultimately brings about a TMJ guard.Regular check ups or by buying them from touching while you are opening and closing the mouth or jaw exercises and any pain medication prescribed by doctors to provide relief for people who do.Finally, if you have TMJ or you are experiencing.

[naturopathytreatments]

LYME DISEASE: A WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH

Tolle Totum

Lyme illness has actually come to be the fastest-growing insect-borne transmittable disease in the United States, Europe, and also Asia. In 2018, we are currently reading about the climbing tick populace and also the expectation that Lyme illness will only end up being more epidemic than it already is. More than 300 000 Americans and also 65 000 Europeans are influenced annually by this epidemic-- and these numbers appear to climb up each year.

The standard medical understanding of Lyme disease is rather limited to those that have acute Lyme illness. On the other hand, chronic Lyme disease, or post-Lyme disorder, has become controversial as well as has poor agreement among doctors pertaining ways to detect and also treat it.

A severe instance of Lyme condition consists of signs that develop within days or weeks of a tick bite as well as which may be treated reasonably easily at the outset. A persistent situation happens when Lyme makes its way deep right into the system and also keeps recurring, perhaps with durations of remission. Nonetheless, both kinds of Lyme are misunderstood.

Severe Lyme Condition

The early acute phase of Lyme disease generally takes place 3-30 days after a tick bite. Symptoms might consist of:

High temperature

Chills

Battering, throbbing frustration

Consistent, obvious fatigue

Numbness as well as tingling

Muscle and also joint pains

Puffy lymph nodes

Face or Bell's palsy

Erythema migrans (EM) breakout (" bull's- eye breakout").

One of the most widely known and characteristic sign of the intense phase is the EM, or bull's- eye rash. It begins at the website of a tick bite, and also increases till it reaches a diameter of 12+ inches. Hardly ever scratchy or unpleasant, this breakout in some cases clears as it expands, such that it resembles a target or "bull's eye." The visibility of the EM rash is pathognomonic for Lyme illness.

Although a bull's- eye breakout as well as flu-like symptoms are timeless very early indications of Lyme, lots of people never experience either of these. Some individuals obtain unclear signs and symptoms (or none in all) as well as might harbor the infection for several years without knowing it. And hundreds of thousands of individuals have the typical symptoms of Lyme without also knowing that they have the disease, up until long after it has deeply established itself right into their bodies. Lyme illness is called "The Great Mimic" because it appears like various other diseases. Because of this, it is not unusual for doctors to forget Lyme disease as they associate signs and symptoms to something else. Lyme condition has actually been misdiagnosed as fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, numerous sclerosis, mononucleosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's illness, as well as numerous other conditions.

Chronic Lyme Disease.

People experiencing persistent Lyme illness may look medically different, and may provide with signs and symptoms such as:.

Fatigue.

Abdominal pain and also digestive tract modifications.

Memory loss or cognitive problems.

Numbness or tingling of extremities.

Sensory distortion of skin (burning experiences), specifically in hands or feet.

" Roaming" joint or muscle discomfort.

Light or sound level of sensitivity.

Lightheadedness or vertigo.

Rest disturbances.

Cardiac problems: mitral valve prolapse, heart block, heart palpitations, chest discomfort.

Equilibrium or sychronisation troubles.

Endocrine interruption: hypothyroidism, irregular menses, etc

. The Centers for Condition Control as well as Prevention (CDC) states that as much as 10% of people with intense Lyme disease will certainly go on to establish persistent Lyme condition or Post-Lyme Disorder; nevertheless, numerous Lyme-literate doctors feel this number is blatantly underreported.

Lyme Testing: Risks of the 2-Tiered System.

Including in the challenge of Lyme illness is making an appropriate medical diagnosis. According to the CDC, Lyme illness is a scientific diagnosis, which indicates it is based on symptoms and various other elements instead of entirely on a lab examination. Laboratory testing for Lyme disease has been woefully inadequate for years, due to the inadequate sensitivity and also uniqueness of the testing itself. Currently, the CDC suggests a 2-tier screening system, starting with a Lyme display examination.

One research found that in 55 people with recognized Lyme condition, <46% of them had either IgG or IgM antibodies on their Lyme display. A good screening test must get at least 95% of the people being tested for their condition, according to the College of American Pathologists. The Lyme screening examination does not fulfill this standard. Actually, the Lyme display examination may only get regarding 56% of individuals that have Lyme disease. To make matters worse, the CDC guidelines do not suggest doing a Western Blot when the Lyme display is adverse. Research study reveals that the Western Blot is more exact in detecting Lyme disease since it tries to find really details antibodies usually seen in Lyme disease people but not found in healthy controls.

The Western Blot is the 2nd phase of the CDC's suggested 2-stage screening. This test is also an antibody test, however gauges several antibodies related to Borrelia infection. In 40 years of research, we have actually found out that some antibodies specify to Lyme, while others are not. The existence of 23, 34, 39 and 93 kd antibodies are strongly associated with direct exposure to Lyme and might suggest infection. But since antibodies may spend time for several years, and also years, the existence of antibodies does not always indicate a present infection.

The Western blot is also very prone to incorrect downsides, ie, negative for antibodies regardless of energetic infection. This occurs due to the fact that it may take weeks for the body to develop antibodies versus Lyme, which is why the CDC does not advise doing a Western Blot test on any person whose disease happened within the previous month. Other labs tests, consisting of PCR screening and direct discoloration, have bad level of sensitivity and poor dependability in screening for Lyme condition.

So, the bottom line is that an unfavorable examination does not leave out the possibility of having Lyme disease, but a positive examination verifies exposure to the microorganism causing Lyme disease. It is important to evaluate lab testing together with a person's clinical signs. A person might have been subjected to Borrelia and never created Lyme illness yet might still have antibodies in their bloodstream. This is why it is needed to constantly consider your client's symptoms prior to starting any type of treatment.

Naturopathic Treatment.

In line with the tenets of naturopathic medication, the treatment of Lyme illness need to include the whole individual, consisting of diet, lifestyle routines, comorbid problems, immune standing, and environmental direct exposure, along with dealing with active infection. A whole-body method to Lyme disease addresses a number of the hidden variables that keep individuals with Lyme condition ill.

Diet plan.

Although numerous diet regimens have been reported to assist people with Lyme condition, I have actually personally discovered an alkaline diet plan to help most Lyme people. This includes eating foods that advertise cellular alkalinity. There are no specific studies on an alkaline diet as well as Lyme condition, but minority researches published on alkaline diet regimens, as a whole, have actually observed health and wellness advantages, including lowering swelling. Note that adhering to an alkaline diet plan does not transform blood pH, as has actually been supposed by some people.

I advise removing all refined foods, sugar, and coffee, and mainly consuming organic fresh vegetables, legumes, and nuts. It is also necessary to limit animal protein to less than 20% of overall nutritional intake for the week, as pet protein breaks down right into acid-forming by-products. For people that have difficulty making dietary modifications, it might be useful to have them collaborate with a nutritionist for dish preparation as well as guidance.

Intestinal Health and wellness.

Study shows the intestinal tract accounts for 70-80% of immune feature; thus, keeping healthy and balanced digestive permeability, balanced microflora, and optimum digestion is vital for getting rid of any type of chronic infection. It is very important to guarantee correct intestinal tract mobility to prevent dysbiosis and mucosal inflammation, which consequently may disrupt regular intestinal feature. Comprehensive stool analysis and/or organic acid screening may assist offer understanding right into certain areas of digestive tract feature that are imbalanced. The treatment around must be specific to your patient, but I typically consider herbs as well as nutrients that aid promote far motility, decrease inflammation, rebalance digestive tract microflora, and deal with overgrowth of pathogenic microbes. Some specific considerations include magnesium salts, probiotics, glutamine, curcumin, and also fish oils.

Deal With Active Lyme Infection.

A number of herbal protocols have been used to deal with both acute and chronic Lyme condition, a lot of which I have made use of successfully in my medical method. I have also located that natural herbs are typically much tolerated than antibiotics, and also come with fewer adverse side effects. The 2 organic procedures I have made use of the most are Dr Zhang's Modern Chinese Medicine method and an adjusted kind of Dr Lee Cowden's method.

Dr Zhang is a Chinese medical doctor and certified acupuncturist in New york city City that established a collection of Chinese herbal formulas to help get rid of Lyme, enhance immune function, improve blood circulation, and regulate autoimmunity. When I myself had Lyme illness, his protocol helped me to leave antibiotics as well as drastically boost my wellness. Dr Lee Cowden, a cardiologist in Dallas, TX, prior to retired life, created a collection of fluid casts made from plants from the Amazon.com rainforest in South America. His protocol has been researched at the College of New Place by Dr Eva Sapi as well as has been located to be much more reliable than prescription antibiotics. His procedure additionally aids eradicate infection, lower swelling, and boost detoxification.

I have likewise utilized protocols from Stephen Buhner, Byron White, and also a specialty herbal formula firm with one-of-a-kind items. I prefer the other protocols, as I have actually observed higher medical efficiency with Dr Zhang's and Dr Cowden's methods; I've additionally seen fewer die-off responses using these procedures, which prevail with any type of Lyme therapy.

Way Of Living & Environmental Protection.

In addition to taking anti-biotics or natural herbs to deal with the active infection, it is also crucial to handle lifestyle habits than may undermine your individual's immune system, making it more challenging to conquer an infection. Obtaining good-quality rest, obtaining plenty of exercise (as endured), and also handling anxiety all play substantial functions in body immune system feature. I urge any individual with Lyme illness to get rid of from their residence as well as workplace all contaminants and toxicants that are recognized immune disruptors, in order to optimize their immune function.

Among the biggest outside factors influencing Lyme condition is mold. Mycotoxicity and also mold allergy may cause symptoms that are nearly identical to Lyme illness, and many individuals with mold issues are unaware of their direct exposure. I extremely advise Lyme individuals have their house tested for mold making use of spore-trapping and ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index) to aid determine surprise resources of mold, to make sure that it may be remediated if present. Furthermore, pee mycotoxin screening or mold allergy testing may help establish whether mold and mildew is adding to one's health and wellness problems.

Immune Inflection & Cleansing.

Research study reveals that Lyme condition may trigger an autoimmune reaction against particular neurological healthy proteins, which might account for most of the symptoms of post-Lyme syndrome. Therefore, therapies that help regulate the immune system are optimal for remedying immune disorder. I have utilized low-dose immunotherapy (LDI) efficiently with thousands of my Lyme people. Created by Ty Vincent, MD, LDI uses homeopathic dilutions of a Lyme nosode to downregulate Th2 actions to Lyme, essentially "switching off" the autoimmune response to Borrelia spp. This isopathic method has actually aided countless Lyme clients overcome their signs. To find out more regarding how to do LDI, please see progressivemedicaleducation.com.

Various other types of immunotherapy, such as sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) may assist modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs) versus mold and mildew, plant pollen, dirt, or foods, and also lower the total body immune worry. I have located this to be a beneficial adjunctive treatment in dealing with Lyme condition, especially in those with a history of allergic reactions before being infected with Lyme.

Detoxing is a limiting barrier for lots of chronic Lyme people. Although some patients are genetically predisposed to being slow-moving metabolizers, several naturopathic therapies may still assist promote much detoxing and removal. Research study reveals infrared sauna may aid eliminate hazardous steels and also chemicals stored in the tissues and also organs. The temperature level and length of treatment need to be customized for each individual according to what they may tolerate, however normal sauna treatment may enhance many Lyme symptoms.

I also very recommend colon hydrotherapy, for most of the exact same reasons that I advise sauna treatment. It is a method to promote far digestive tract function and also enhance mobility as well as removal. I have had some Lyme people that failed every treatment they attempted other than colon hydrotherapy, which helped them improve. I recommend 1-2 sessions weekly for the very first 4 weeks and to after that readjust the routine based upon scientific action.

Recap.

Early detection and treatment of Lyme illness gives your person the most opportunity of recuperation without future complications. Many naturopathic therapies may be as or extra efficient than standard antibiotic therapy, as antibiotic therapy only deals with elimination of the organism as well as falls short to address underlying immune, autoimmune, and also detoxification dysfunction. Lyme illness is an intricate disease with greater than 100 connected signs, as well as its occurrence continues to climb. Many naturopathic doctors in North America are most likely to see Lyme people in their method at some time, and also they are well suited, generally, to deal with Lyme. Adhering to fundamental naturopathic principles, together with some understanding of Lyme-specific protocols, may significantly improve the health and wellness of Lyme patients as well as help them to conquer their disease.

The post “ LYME DISEASE: A WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH “ was first appeared on ndnr

Want to know more about the different naturopathic treatments? Dr. Amauri Caversan ND is a naturopathic service provider in Toronto, Ontario. Check him out: https://dramaurinaturopath.com/

[not-poignant]

You won't disclose personal stuff but it's okay if we ask like, for advice and stuff right? Do you have any resource materials on trauma? The generic material I find just...miss the mark. Same but for overstimulation (from like gentleness, painless experiences make me uncomfortable af) and being touch starved. Is it, like a thing I can learn about? It is very distressing in my everyday life and before reading your stuff it was just plain awkward. I thought I was just being stupid. Thanks, Love.

Always fine with people asking for advice with the standard caveats that I’m just one noodle floating around in a world of a lot of other noodles and I definitely don’t have my personal life or anything sorted out and I’m no substitute for therapy / counsellors etc. :D And I am not a therapist whee.

As for resources, tbh, I haven’t found a great deal. I’ve read a lot of books on trauma over the years (and I own a lot) and there’s two I’d tentatively recommend to folks with trauma. They are:

The Body Remembers by Babette Rothschild, which is fantastic. Looks at a cross-section of trauma (i.e. war vets / rape victims / but also people who have been bitten by dogs and can’t handle dogs, so it’s not like idk... discriminating between types of trauma - because some books do this).

The reason I like this book is because it looks at body-trapped and body-centred trauma, and also looks at the ways in which bodies can process trauma and how we can even release it potentially through the body, and bypass cognitive thought. Potential downsides are that it’s not really written for clients, it’s written for practicioners, so you’ll be looking at a lot of therapist-centred advice, but there are also really helpful case studies and so on. Additionally, while it suggests exercises a client can try, most of those exercises are intended to be used in conjunction with a therapist in a trusted safe space. It’s pretty possible to extract some of those exercises into your personal life though, but I’d suggest being cautious with it, because a lot of trauma healing tends to come from developing a trusting relationship with someone else and knowing you won’t get hurt in the process.

The other is The Trauma Spectrum by Robert Scaer. This is an academic book by a neurologist turned psychologist, who became fascinated with untreatable or resistant pain disorders that seemed to develop after trauma, especially heart-related and joint-related disorders after car accidents, where - as a neurologist - he could find no tangible reason for the pain even though the pain was real. Through study, he became fascinated with body-based trauma. This book is essentially a long academic exploration of the physiological nature of trauma.

I love this personally, because I find nothing more validating than very long academic articles saying exactly why trauma fucks you up, and what chemicals are behind that, and what that does to the body etc. Downsides include that this is more aimed at therapists again, and not clients, and is pretty dense in its language. But upsides include exploration into new ways of looking at trauma (not just cognitive behavioural therapy) and is particularly useful for people who have body-based expressions of anxiety or trauma that resist treatment (like ongoing pain that can’t be diagnosed, fibromyalgia when it’s linked to trauma, digestion issues, vertigo etc.)

There’s no websites I’ve ever used for support that have actually been supportive, and there is almost nothing out there for touch-starved people. I have never seen a single thing about people who’ve had problems with gentleness (which I can too, btw, so I feel you there, it’s shitty as fuck). That’s partly because ‘touch-starved’ - while a physiological, real thing, is something where fandom tends to be ahead of the curve re: psychology. In that sense, you’re more likely to find transformative ideas for how to potentially heal from touch-starvation / touch-phobias etc. via fanfiction that deals specifically with those subjects.

I spent a while with a pretty severe touch phobia (while still needing and wanting touch), so I spent a long time craving and trying to track down resources to help me with this. Maybe some things have come out in the past four years, but I am sorry to tell you that there’s pretty much nothing out there specifically on this subject (or at least, there wasn’t). There’s probably individual case studies around, but there’s no like...there’s nothing really very satisfactory. I’ve done way more to heal my issues with this stuff via writing fanfiction than through resources (and that’s the same for trauma, tbh).

I mean you can find plenty of articles on why being touch-starved is bad for you, and you’ll hear those like...repeated stories of monkeys who die of starvation and malnutrition without touch and so on. Or babies who languish without touch. But in terms of ‘when you’re a touch-starved adult and what you can do about it’ resources, things are thin on the ground. You may wish to look into cuddle parties, which are generally non-sexual cuddle parties with a heavy emphasis on consent, designed to allow people access to hugs etc. in a safe environment.

I do think there’s more news articles about touch-starvation and its pervasiveness in contemporary culture, and how this links to sex practices and so on but they’re written as feature article pieces and not as useful things that can be done to help with the subject.

Basically there was no book or website that specifically helped me with touch-starvation, or even trauma. Most trauma writing tends to be aimed at war vets because that’s where the funding is. A lot of trauma writing is still pretty ‘oldschool’ in that it is cognitive behavioural therapy focused (talk focused) or alternatively is a psychologist trying to ‘brand’ a new type of therapy and so is super ‘use this amazing new!thing to Fix Your Trauma (TM)’ and then isn’t realistic about the fact that most people tend to need a multi-modality approach to helping themselves with trauma.

I’d suggest perhaps going to a local library or something and looking through their resources on trauma books, and getting yourself - if you don’t already have it - a good grounding in the different types of therapies used for helping with trauma, and also then a good idea of how diverse different case studies and techniques can be. From there, it’s sometimes necessary to develop different methods that work for you. But it’s a pretty intense process, not to mention the fact that a lot of these books will conveniently never mention issues to do with touch, except for perhaps: ‘X patient had problems with having sex but then after applying X amount of therapy sessions started having sex again satisfactorily.’ Or whatever.

It’s not really helpful for us, right?

I wish I had better news and better recommendations. There are probably trauma tumblrs which are more up-to-date with resources coming out, but I stopped actively looking a few years ago because I just got really exhausted with that sense of ‘oh yes I know about trauma and the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems but what can I do about it’ and tbh writing what I’ve written (and reading similar things) has been way more useful for me personally.

I guess as a final thing, I’d say it’s worth sitting down and asking yourself what you want to resolve, and what you want that to look like. I.e. whether it looks like friendships with non-sexual physical intimacy like hugging, and so on. You probably have some images in your head of things you crave but can’t have right now. Things you miss that you could have, or things you’ve never had that you come back to over and over again.

Breaking that down into ‘if I could get this thing, what form would it come in, and what is my ideal and what would be acceptable on the way to that ideal (knowing that ideals are generally not realistic etc. but a good thing to aim for)’ might help you narrow down what sort of research, books and communities you need to look into. It also might help you see what sort of steps you could take to achieve those things. Sometimes with touch and sensory issues, it starts with visualising getting the thing, imagining it being satisfying instead of triggery (and making notes of what that looks like so you know your boundaries and limits for real life), and just starting to role-model to yourself that it can be safe in your mind.

It may also be worth looking into books that explore touch issues with people who are on the autism spectrum and/or have sensory processing disorders, because more research has been done there with more techniques suggested, and sometimes trauma symptoms can parallel and therefore like, where trauma psychology hasn’t caught up yet, there can be places elsewhere that might help (for example, it was realising I had Asperger’s and learning that people with Asperger’s often prefer firm touch over very soft gentle touch, that I actually made a pretty big leap forward with my own touch phobia in terms of what I needed to ask from people - this might not be the same for you, obviously, but you might be more likely to find resources written by people with sensory processing disorders or issues, than within the trauma community itself. Trauma psychology is sometimes really like...hyperfocused on one thing (minimising flashbacks) over like...other things that are super necessary).

I apologise that this wasn’t more useful! A lack of resources is in part why I’ve had PTSD since 1997, and why I’m not on top of this stuff yet (also stubbornness, I’m very stubborn lol). So I know it can be distressing, and how much it can like...erode resources and just eat away at a capacity for personal contentment and so on. There’s a real disconnect between ‘usefulness of resources’ and ‘applications to actual people living actual lives’ and I think in part it is because trauma is Hard and Complicated and also that a lot of resources are super post-war focused again, because funding issues. :/

[bethestaryouareradio]

Parks Not Pills

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul” John Muir

How often are you outdoors? Are you spending most of your time sitting in a chair staring at your computer screen? Do you feel lethargic, tired, and anxious?

You are not alone and help could be right outside your door. In today’s technological world, many people, including children, are increasingly living their lives indoors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of children (one in five) and 30% of adults (one in three) in the United States are obese.

Back in 2005 when I was doing my weekly radio broadcast, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® (www.StarStyleRadio.com) on World Talk Radio out of studios in San Diego, I invited author Richard Louv to be a guest on my program with his newest hardbound book at the time, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Before the program, we sat in the sound booth lamenting the startling facts that the average child of the day could identify TV personalities yet know nothing about bugs, flowers, trees, or nature in general. Kids were not outside playing as we did as children because they wanted to be plugged in and tuned out. His book and the interview have remained lodged in my psyche as a warning that we don’t want our child to be the last to witness the woods.

Fast forward to 2019 and although nature-deficit disorder is not an official medical disease, children and adults are more alienated from nature than ever before with increased attention difficulties, higher stress levels, poorer body image, obesity issues, and a plethora of physical and emotional illnesses. Pills have been prescribed yet people are sicker.

Could spending more time in nature be the answer to our woes?

Physicians throughout the ages have encouraged people to go outside more. Hippocrates wrote that walking was “man’s best medicine.” To ward off aging, physicians in the Han dynasty suggested outdoor “frolicking exercises”. In the 19th and 20th centuries, people were instructed to visit the mountains to enjoy the “magic airs” or “take in the waters” at a mineral spring to mitigate a variety of infirmities.

Science supports the fact that exposure to natural stimuli, especially gardening, lowers blood pressure, bolsters immune systems, reduces the levels of stress hormones, improves our disposition, increases confidence, promotes healing, lessens inflammation, minimizes obesity problems, and decreases our dependence on pain medication.

Besides having fun, a brisk walk in the park three or four times a week may stave off cognitive impairment for older adults. For kids, the exercise and fresh air of playing will help with maintaining a healthy weight as well as heighten their cognizance of the natural world. Community gardens offer people an opportunity to commune together to grow and harvest fresh food promoting better health.

Nature is a healer. For me, my garden is my happy place, my refuge, and my innovator. I get all my best ideas for my endeavors while outside listening, watching, tasting, feeling, exploring, experiencing, doing, and being. Right outside my office, a beautiful redheaded house finch perches on my gurgling fountain singing his heart out daily. The frogs croaking, the buzzing bees, the wind in the palms, the scent of the star jasmine, the rustling magnolia leaves, the beauty of blossoms, the trickle of the water, the cooing of the doves and the chants of the quail activate my imagination and soothe my soul. The repeated refrains of Mother Nature are my nurture and my medicine.

It won’t be long before physicians everywhere will be writing prescriptions for parks instead of painkillers. Being in the outdoors inspires awe and wonder. We are blessed to have an abundance of open space, meadows, trails, mountains, and local parks where we can experience the tranquility and magic of the outdoors.

It’s summer. Nature is calling. Get up, get out, and welcome the fresh air. Spend more time in a garden or a commons. See for yourself how you feel. Although I’m not a doctor, I am prescribing more parks instead of pills. There is no downside.

“All my hurts my garden spade can heal.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Cynthia Brian’s Garden Goddess Guide for Increasing Health Through Nature

IMPROVE physical skills for kids by getting them to play outside more. BUY a supersize bubble wand and blow bubbles in the yard. EAT healthier with a Mediterranean diet loaded with freshly harvested vegetables and fruits. SOURCE produce hyper-locally at your Farmer’s Market or rural fruit stands if you are not growing your own. Summer is the optimum time for the freshest fruits and vegetables with high nutritional values. Did you know that the USDA defines purchasing local produce and food as within 400 miles of your state? Most food on the American dinner table has traveled between 1500-2500 miles according to the Worldwatch Institute meaning that nutrients and antioxidants have been diminished. If you really want to pack a punch with your food, you have options. Eating in season while growing your own or being part of a community garden is the number one solution. Frequenting farmer’s markets will reduce your carbon footprint and offer fresher alternatives. Or take a drive to a local farming community to purchase freshly harvest crops at road stands. This serves a dual purpose of getting you out into nature as an RX for better health and stocking your kitchen with food that will be delicious and nutritious. FLOAT bougainvilleas blooms as a creative centerpiece. SOAK your tired feet in a bowl of warm water filled with healing marigolds and chrysanthemums. COOL off on a cushion of green moss. EXPRESS awe at a dragonfly hovering on a reed in the water. ENLIGHTEN your perspective with a copy of Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. PICK chamomile flowers to make a soothing tea. Save some of the seeds to plant. INSTALL a birdhouse and a fountain to entice the songbirds. WANDER through a colorful succulent garden to see the various textures and forms. WONDER at the sight of a flower that you’ve never seen before. SOAK in the beauty of the delicate blossoms on a silk tree. GAZE at the clouds and be grateful for your health. DRINK plenty of water to stay hydrated. LISTEN to the sounds of our beautiful earth to experience calm.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing! Photos and more at https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1310/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Parks-not-pills.html

  Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, raised in the vineyards of Napa County, is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show and order her books at www.StarStyleRadio.com.

Buy a copy of her new books, Growing with the Goddess Gardener and Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store.

Hire Cynthia for projects, consults, and lectures. Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

___________

parksnotpills,opiodeiudemic,naturehealing,#gardening, #cynthiabrian, #starstyle, #goddessGardener, #growingwiththegoddessgardener, #lamorindaweekly

[goddessgardener]

Parks Not Pills

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul” John Muir

How often are you outdoors? Are you spending most of your time sitting in a chair staring at your computer screen? Do you feel lethargic, tired, and anxious?

You are not alone and help could be right outside your door. In today’s technological world, many people, including children, are increasingly living their lives indoors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of children (one in five) and 30% of adults (one in three) in the United States are obese.

Back in 2005 when I was doing my weekly radio broadcast, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® (www.StarStyleRadio.com) on World Talk Radio out of studios in San Diego, I invited author Richard Louv to be a guest on my program with his newest hardbound book at the time, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Before the program, we sat in the sound booth lamenting the startling facts that the average child of the day could identify TV personalities yet know nothing about bugs, flowers, trees, or nature in general. Kids were not outside playing as we did as children because they wanted to be plugged in and tuned out. His book and the interview have remained lodged in my psyche as a warning that we don’t want our child to be the last to witness the woods.

Fast forward to 2019 and although nature-deficit disorder is not an official medical disease, children and adults are more alienated from nature than ever before with increased attention difficulties, higher stress levels, poorer body image, obesity issues, and a plethora of physical and emotional illnesses. Pills have been prescribed yet people are sicker.

Could spending more time in nature be the answer to our woes?

Physicians throughout the ages have encouraged people to go outside more. Hippocrates wrote that walking was “man’s best medicine.” To ward off aging, physicians in the Han dynasty suggested outdoor “frolicking exercises”. In the 19th and 20th centuries, people were instructed to visit the mountains to enjoy the “magic airs” or “take in the waters” at a mineral spring to mitigate a variety of infirmities.

Science supports the fact that exposure to natural stimuli, especially gardening, lowers blood pressure, bolsters immune systems, reduces the levels of stress hormones, improves our disposition, increases confidence, promotes healing, lessens inflammation, minimizes obesity problems, and decreases our dependence on pain medication.

Besides having fun, a brisk walk in the park three or four times a week may stave off cognitive impairment for older adults. For kids, the exercise and fresh air of playing will help with maintaining a healthy weight as well as heighten their cognizance of the natural world. Community gardens offer people an opportunity to commune together to grow and harvest fresh food promoting better health.

Nature is a healer. For me, my garden is my happy place, my refuge, and my innovator. I get all my best ideas for my endeavors while outside listening, watching, tasting, feeling, exploring, experiencing, doing, and being. Right outside my office, a beautiful redheaded house finch perches on my gurgling fountain singing his heart out daily. The frogs croaking, the buzzing bees, the wind in the palms, the scent of the star jasmine, the rustling magnolia leaves, the beauty of blossoms, the trickle of the water, the cooing of the doves and the chants of the quail activate my imagination and soothe my soul. The repeated refrains of Mother Nature are my nurture and my medicine.

It won’t be long before physicians everywhere will be writing prescriptions for parks instead of painkillers. Being in the outdoors inspires awe and wonder. We are blessed to have an abundance of open space, meadows, trails, mountains, and local parks where we can experience the tranquility and magic of the outdoors.

It’s summer. Nature is calling. Get up, get out, and welcome the fresh air. Spend more time in a garden or a commons. See for yourself how you feel. Although I’m not a doctor, I am prescribing more parks instead of pills. There is no downside.

“All my hurts my garden spade can heal.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Cynthia Brian’s Garden Goddess Guide for Increasing Health Through Nature

IMPROVE physical skills for kids by getting them to play outside more. BUY a supersize bubble wand and blow bubbles in the yard. EAT healthier with a Mediterranean diet loaded with freshly harvested vegetables and fruits. SOURCE produce hyper-locally at your Farmer’s Market or rural fruit stands if you are not growing your own. Summer is the optimum time for the freshest fruits and vegetables with high nutritional values. Did you know that the USDA defines purchasing local produce and food as within 400 miles of your state? Most food on the American dinner table has traveled between 1500-2500 miles according to the Worldwatch Institute meaning that nutrients and antioxidants have been diminished. If you really want to pack a punch with your food, you have options. Eating in season while growing your own or being part of a community garden is the number one solution. Frequenting farmer’s markets will reduce your carbon footprint and offer fresher alternatives. Or take a drive to a local farming community to purchase freshly harvest crops at road stands. This serves a dual purpose of getting you out into nature as an RX for better health and stocking your kitchen with food that will be delicious and nutritious. FLOAT bougainvilleas blooms as a creative centerpiece. SOAK your tired feet in a bowl of warm water filled with healing marigolds and chrysanthemums. COOL off on a cushion of green moss. EXPRESS awe at a dragonfly hovering on a reed in the water. ENLIGHTEN your perspective with a copy of Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. PICK chamomile flowers to make a soothing tea. Save some of the seeds to plant. INSTALL a birdhouse and a fountain to entice the songbirds. WANDER through a colorful succulent garden to see the various textures and forms. WONDER at the sight of a flower that you’ve never seen before. SOAK in the beauty of the delicate blossoms on a silk tree. GAZE at the clouds and be grateful for your health. DRINK plenty of water to stay hydrated. LISTEN to the sounds of our beautiful earth to experience calm.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing! Photos and more at https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1310/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Parks-not-pills.html

  Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, raised in the vineyards of Napa County, is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show and order her books at www.StarStyleRadio.com.

Buy a copy of her new books, Growing with the Goddess Gardener and Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store.

Hire Cynthia for projects, consults, and lectures. Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

___________

parksnotpills,opiodeiudemic,naturehealing,#gardening, #cynthiabrian, #starstyle, #goddessGardener, #growingwiththegoddessgardener, #lamorindaweekly

[ebenpink]

10 Natural Anxiety Remedies http://bit.ly/2ZQqnMT

Anxiety is normal. It’s something we all have experience with—to one degree or another. Most people are anxious about something that hangs over them and follows them around like a personal rain cloud. Then there’s the deeper but still familiar anxiety many of us carry. The anxiety about our self-worth. The anxiety of performance, of social situations. This type can grip us in an uncomfortable, but hopefully not chronic, way.

But not all anxiety is run-of-the-mill—or manageable. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for instance, might have trouble leaving the house, ordering a coffee from Starbucks, going to work. Anxious thoughts cycling through their brains often keep them up at night. When untreated, people with this level of anxiety can end up living in a state of perpetual fear.

The conventional approach is to take anti-anxiety meds, which can be genuinely life-saving for some people. Nonetheless, these can come with downsides that vary depending on an individual’s dosage and reactions—and the nature of the particular medication itself. Some meds result in few side effects, but others’ effects can be heavy. For instance, there are the benzodiazepines, highly-addictive tranquilizers with the potential for abuse. They make driving unsafe. They lower productivity. They sedate you. When necessary for the severity of the condition, these side effects may be worth it.

In other cases, a person might have more space to experiment and want to explore a different route.

In some cases, people choose to try natural anxiety aids. These are supplements, nutrients, and herbs that have been designed across millennia by nature (and maybe some input from green-thumbed healers). They might not always be enough for something as serious as a clinical anxiety disorder (please talk to your doctor before making any adjustment or addition to your medication), but at least some may be important complements to a prescribed regimen.

For those who want or need an alternative strategy for anxiety beyond meditative practices and general good health, these natural remedies may be worth a try.

First, the NUTRIENTS….

These are basic vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that your body needs to work. They are non-negotiable. You don’t have to get them through supplements—in fact, that should be a last resort after food—and I wouldn’t expect “drug-level” effects, but you do need to get them.

1. Long Chained Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Some human evolution experts maintain that the human brain wouldn’t be the human brain without steady and early access to coastal food resources—fish and shellfish rich in long chain omega-3s. If the long-chained omega-3s found in fatty fish and other sea creatures made our brains what they are today, it’s safe to assume that our brains work better when we eat them today. And if we’re talking about anxiety, that appears to be the case:

Studies in substance abusers find that supplementing with enough fish oil (and, yes, here’s what I use regularly) to raise serum levels of the long chain omega-3 fatty acid EPA reduces anxiety, while increases in DHA (the other long chain omega-3) reduce anger. Rising EPA levels after supplementation predicted the reduction in anxiety.

In healthy young medical students, omega-3 supplementation (2 grams EPA, 350 mg DHA) lowered inflammation and anxiety. Follow-up analyses revealed that reducing the serum omega-6:omega-3 ratio also reduced anxiety scores.

And in early pregnancy, high DHA levels predict low anxiety scores.

2. Magnesium

Magnesium deficiency is a risk factor for anxiety. The evidence, considered by some to be low quality, nonetheless suggests that supplementing with magnesium can reduce subjective anxiety. The mechanistic evidence is stronger, as magnesium is one of those minerals that plays a role in hundreds of very basic and essential physiological processes—including the generation of ATP, the body’s energy currency. Without adequate energy production, nothing works well. One’s mental health is no exception.

Magnesium supplementation reduces subjective anxiety (the only kind that matters) in the “mildly anxious” and in women with premenstrual syndrome.

Magnesium L-threonate, a form particularly good at getting into the brain, is worth trying for more immediate, noticeable effects.

3. Zinc

Zinc deficiency is common in people with anxiety, including Chinese males and Americans. And although mainlining oyster smoothies probably won’t fix serious anxiety, a follow-up in the group of Americans with low zinc levels found that zinc supplementation did reduce anxiety levels.

4. Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, helps regulate production of serotonin and GABA—two neurotransmitters that control depression and anxiety. In mice exposed to anxiety-producing situations, pyridoxine increases GABA, reduces glutamate, and reduces anxiety. In humans, correcting a magnesium deficiency with magnesium and vitamin B6 has a stronger effect on anxiety than magnesium alone. (Good to note: women on hormonal birth control may be depleted of vitamin B6 as well as other vitamins and minerals.)

The best sources of vitamin B6 are turkey, beef, liver, pistachios, and tuna.

Now, the NATURAL INTERVENTIONS….

These aren’t essential nutrients. Rather, they’re plant compounds with pharmacological effects and, in most cases, hundreds of years of traditional usage for dampening, inhibiting, or resolving anxiety.

5. Kanna

Kanna comes from a succulent plant native to South Africa. The story goes that an anthropologist noticed elderly San Bushmen nibbling on a particular type of succulent plant while displaying incredible cognitive ability and remaining calm, cool, and collected. The fact that they weren’t dealing with daily commutes, traffic jams, annoying bosses, and mounting bills probably had something to do with it, but it turns out that the succulent plant wasn’t hurting the cause.

Kanna has been shown to dampen the subcortical threat response, which is normally heightened in anxious states. It also increased well-being and resistance to stress in health adults who took it in a safety study.

6. Theanine

Theanine, an amino acid found in green tea and available as a supplement, isn’t going to obliterate your nerves before a big performance. One study showed that it (along with the benzodiazepine Xanax) reduced resting state anxiety but not experimentally-induced anxiety. Then again, neither did Xanax.

Theanine is instead a mild anxiolytic. If you get anxiety from caffeine, take 200 mg of theanine with your coffee. It will smooth out the experience, reduce/remove the anxiety, and leave the stimulation.

7. Kava

Kava is a plant native to the South Pacific. Traditionally, its roots were chewed fresh with the resultant liquid often spit into communal bowls for consumption, pounded to release the moisture, or sun-dried, ground, and steeped in water to make an intoxicating, relaxing mild sedative. Nowadays, the active kavalactones are also extracted and pressed into capsules.

I don’t use kava, but I have tried it a couple times in the past. For what it’s worth, I don’t have anxiety issues but it did seem to pair well with caffeine (similar to theanine).

8. Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola rosea is a longtime favorite adaptogen of mine. It hails from the barren wastes of Siberia, where for millennia people from all over the ancient world coveted it. There’s something about the harsh environment of the northern tundra that made rhodiola rosea incredibly resilient—and bestows upon those who consume it a similar type of mental resilience.

A 2015 study sought to determine the impact of rhodiola on self-reported anxiety, stress, cognition, and a host of other mental parameters. Eighty subjects were divided into either a twice-daily commercial formula (containing 200 mg rhodiola) group or a control group. Compared to the controls, the rhodiola group showed notable improvements in mood and significant reductions in anxiety, stress, anger, confusion and depression after 14 days.

Rhodiola rosea, along with theanine, features prominently in my anti-stress (and anti-anxiety) supplement Adaptogenic Calm. (If you’re interested, here’s a video of me talking about how I use it.)

9. Lavender

There’s a great lavender farm on the island of Maui. One of the favorite memories from that trip is strolling through the fields of lavender, brushing against the leaves and flowers, just basking in the relaxing scent that permeated the entire property. A very low-stress environment, to be sure.

One study gave lavender oil capsules to major depressive disorder patients suffering from anxiety who were already taking antidepressants. Not only did adding the lavender reduce anxiety, it also improved sleep.

Perhaps the most impressive study is this one, where generalized anxiety disorder patients either received lavender oil or a benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drug. Patients receiving the lavender had the same beneficial effects as the benzo patients without the sedation.

Lavender oil aromatherapy also seems to reduce anxiety, at least in cancer patients. One weakness of aromatherapy research is the difficulty of giving a “placebo smell.” Essential oil scents are quite distinct.

10. CBD Oil

As I wrote a couple weeks ago, CBD is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis.

Most recently, a large case series (big bunch of case studies done at once) was performed giving CBD to anxiety patients who had trouble sleeping. Almost 80% had improvements in anxiety and 66% had improvements in sleep (although the sleep improvements fluctuated over time).

In a five-year-old girl with PTSD (a category of patient that just shouldn’t exist) in whom pharmaceutical anxiety medications did not work, CBD oil provided lasting relief from anxiety.

Here’s how to find a good CBD oil.

What do you folks like for anxiety? What’s worked? What hasn’t? What did I miss?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.

//

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References:

Cunnane SC, Crawford MA. Energetic and nutritional constraints on infant brain development: implications for brain expansion during human evolution. J Hum Evol. 2014;77:88-98.

Boyle NB, Lawton CL, Dye L. The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety. Magnes Res. 2016;29(3):120-125.

Mccarty MF. High-dose pyridoxine as an ‘anti-stress’ strategy. Med Hypotheses. 2000;54(5):803-7.

Walia V, Garg C, Garg M. Anxiolytic-like effect of pyridoxine in mice by elevated plus maze and light and dark box: Evidence for the involvement of GABAergic and NO-sGC-cGMP pathway. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2018;173:96-106.

De souza MC, Walker AF, Robinson PA, Bolland K. A synergistic effect of a daily supplement for 1 month of 200 mg magnesium plus 50 mg vitamin B6 for the relief of anxiety-related premenstrual symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 2000;9(2):131-9.

Lu K, Gray MA, Oliver C, et al. The acute effects of L-theanine in comparison with alprazolam on anticipatory anxiety in humans. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2004;19(7):457-65.

Terburg D, Syal S, Rosenberger LA, et al. Acute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamus. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013;38(13):2708-16.

Nell H, Siebert M, Chellan P, Gericke N. A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of Extract Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) in healthy adults. J Altern Complement Med. 2013;19(11):898-904.

Fißler M, Quante A. A case series on the use of lavendula oil capsules in patients suffering from major depressive disorder and symptoms of psychomotor agitation, insomnia and anxiety. Complement Ther Med. 2014;22(1):63-9.

Woelk H, Schläfke S. A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine. 2010;17(2):94-9.

Shannon S, Opila-lehman J. Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Oil for Pediatric Anxiety and Insomnia as Part of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report. Perm J. 2016;20(4):16-005.

The post 10 Natural Anxiety Remedies appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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Possible Health Benefits From Video Games (In Moderation) You Won’t Believe

Surprisingly, there are certain possible health benefits from video games (in moderation) that you wont believe. Read on to know more…

Ask any kid between the ages of 8 and 18, and they swear (on your life!) that video games are actually good for them. Before you roll your eyes and dismiss their favorite activity as more unnecessary brain-rotting rubbish, consider that your child could be right. In a way. Hear me out.

Game disorders can be a concern for some parents, and I believe all kids should have their screen time monitored and restricted to some extent. But keeping your children away from the game altogether might be a bit too extreme for you. In this day and age, gaming can be a preparation for the upcoming high-tech society run by savvy humanoids. So what can you do? Moderate, instead of ban! There are plenty of good reasons for gaming, and these ones don’t come from your kids!

Credits: LightField Studios/ Shutterstock Possible Health Benefits From Video Games (In Moderation) You Won’t Believe

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Possible Health Benefits From Video Games (In Moderation) You Won’t Believe

1. Helps with Stress, Anxiety, And Depression

There’s been a long debate over whether depression and anxiety are a root cause or can exacerbate a case of depression. Images of gamers as basement-dwelling anti-social nerds certainly doesn’t help. But some recent research shows the opposite is true. Video games offer a distraction from the noise and chaos of the world around you, by keeping your brain engaged on multiple levels and move the focus away from the source of anxiety or stress.

In fact, video games are so successful a distraction, that de-stressing apps like Happify and Headspace use distraction games and point-scoring, to teach meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy skills.

With anything that involves your kids though, there is no one truth that applies to every child. And there is always research that contrasts the findings of other data. For instance, the use of smartphones has been linked to an increase in anxiety and depression among children.

So whatever you decide, observe your child closely, follow your gut and make your own decision: in the end you, as a parent, often know best.

2. Helps Keep Your Brain Fit

Multi-tasking is a tough skill to master. But studies show that kids who play 30 minutes of action adventure games a day develop better multitasking skills than kids who play casual games. Video games are designed to be immersive, and the faster-paced the game is, the faster your decision-making processes will get. Add to that, the constantly reinforced connection between your child’s brain and hands can improve hand-eye coordination, and cooperation between different areas of the brain. That can help your child become a better, faster multi tasker, too!

(Pssst…here’s an idea: let your teen earn gaming minutes by applying their multi-tasking powers to dirty dishes and KonMari laundry folding)

3. Helps With Concentration

I’m as guilty of it as the next parent. My kids have the attention span of a fruit fly, and I catch myself thinking, “I was definitely never that spacey at their age. Must be the video games.” But nope. Research point to the hours in front of the video game as actually improving concentration skills, especially, as we’ve already mentioned, for children with ADHD, who may struggle with an inability to concentrate, if they are over-stimulated, or not stimulated enough.

Of course, video games, like everything else, should be used in moderation. Mix up your gameplay, and avoid focusing too hard on a single game, to prevent a child from burning out or developing a video game addiction while encouraging concentration skills.

4. Encourages Exercise

Want your child to appreciate the great outdoors more? Get him a video game! No really. The success of motion-based games like Wii Sports has actually been shown to boost confidence, and encourage kids to learn new physical skills, even in the most reluctant athletes. And real-time games like Pokemon Go and it’s many iterations encourage your child to go outside and play, and connect with other players, too!

5. Helps Build Confidence

It’s true that too much obsessing over a single game may indicate an underlying problem. Especially when it comes at the cost of other hobbies and interests your child used to enjoy. But often, taking part in video games is a huge confidence boost. In moderation, it’s a hobby like any other and comes with its own skill set, language, and community. If your child struggles socially with peers, mastering the latest video game can give him a way to connect.

6. Improves Social Skills

The persistent image of the gamer as a loner/loser does not always apply. Creating a social environment around gaming is easy. Kids love to show off what they’re passionate about. If you’re finding your child’s gaming habits are keeping her away from social activities, work around it. Institute a family game policy, and keep the games in shared areas in the house. If your child would rather play video games than sports, have them invite friends over. Video games, when shared with everyone, are a great way to learn fairness and co-operation.

Sidenote: I have discovered that as an adult, I still have a long way to go when it comes to losing gracefully from my children.

7. Encourages Persistence And Problem Solving

One of the more positive aspects of video gaming is that because games are designed to keep you playing, your child can learn problem-solving skills in a fun way. Video games have been shown to improve problem-solving and stress management in children. They may also be vital in encouraging habits of persistence. These are transferable skills that go way beyond the scope of a video game!

With all these benefits, what can you do to ensure healthy gaming habits in your kids? Follow these steps to avoid burning out, or developing a video game addiction or disorder.

1. Set Reasonable Limits

With the glut of screen time our kids are getting these days, setting reasonable time constraints on how much screen time they get isn’t a bad idea. Consider the age of the child and the amount of time they already spend at a screen, thanks to school, friends, or other sources. You may also consider using screen time as a reward for chores, or good behavior.

2. Monitor What They’re Doing

I’m not asking you to spy on your kid or watch them play for hours at a time. But keep an eye on things. Talk to your child about their video game use, what games they’re playing, and what they’re interested in. It allows you to stay on top of what’s motivating your child’s playing, and stop any problems before they develop. Plus, kids love sharing their interests!

3. Mix Up Gameplay

This doesn’t mean buying every console on the market. But having a variety of games available, and turning games into a family activity, helps avoid the selfish, antisocial behaviors that can lead to problems. Keep a variety of games and game types around, and get everyone in the house playing!

4. Encourage Gaming As A Social Activity

Speaking of everyone playing along. A family challenge is a great way to keep games social and public. Try a weekly Wii-Fit challenge, or ask your child to teach you to play his favorite. Reinforcing that games are meant to be social, and for everyone, fosters healthy habits that avoid aggression when the game is taken away. It’s also an excellent chance for you to bond over your embarrassment, which the kids will love.

Love them or hate them, video games are a part of our kids’ lives. And like anything else, there are upsides and downsides. But by embracing and getting engaged with your child’s video game habits, you can prevent problems, and encourage all the useful skills a child can pick up from a few minutes a day with a video game console.

What is your take on possible health benefits from video games (in moderation) ? Let me know in the comments below.

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