There are a number of times when our mind clings to something tightly, and it is rarely helpful: I am right, the other person is wrong That person is living their life in the wrong way, they should change My preference is the best way, others are wrong This is the thing I want, I don’t want anything else I really don’t like that, it sucks I should have that person in my life, loving me I shouldn’t be alone,…
Are the holidays the season of excitement or a time for anxiety and frustration? Here are expert tips to get you past the stress and into the festive spirit. Get adequate sleep It’s no secret that our bodies crave rest; fail to get enough, and you’ll have some nasty symptoms. Not only does adequate rest—at least seven to eight hours per night—recharge your body for the day ahead, it also gives your nervous system a chance to wind down and…
Keep the focus on fun, not food Most holidays are associated with certain foods. Christmas at your house might not be the same without your aunt’s green been casserole, but that doesn’t mean food has to be the main focus. Instead, throw yourself into the other rituals a holiday brings, whether it’s caroling or tree trimming. Modify your eating times so that they jive with your relatives’. Do your in-laws’ meal schedules fly in the face of yours? Here’s how…
When it comes to getting healthy, it’s not all about working up a sweat. In fact, there are tons of practical and beneficial habits you can work into your day-to-day that have nothing to do with hitting the gym or making rounds on the ClassPass circuit. Some of these lifestyle adjustments involve eating more mindfully, which includes techniques like slowing down as you eat and paying attention to signals that let you know when you’re full. But getting enough sleep,…
Faulty thinking and fear of failure play a part. It’s easy to sabotage yourself when you’re trying to meet an important goal, like developing healthier habits, getting assignments done on time, saving money, managing weight, or building healthy relationships. Self-sabotage isn’t just one thing — it can have many causes — but the end result is that you get off track, mess up relationships, don’t get things done, or don’t perform as well as you would like. All of this…
Acting happy, coaxes one’s brain toward positive emotions “Building the best life does not require fealty to feelings in the name of authenticity, but rather rebelling against negative impulses and acting right even when we don’t feel like it,” says Arthur C. Brooks, author of Gross National Happiness, in a column in the New York Times. In the article, from 2015, he argues that “acting grateful can actually make you grateful” and uses science to prove it. A 2003 study…
But experts say if you want to teach your children to be mindful, you have to be mindful, too. The back-to-school season brings its own unique stressors to just about everyone: young children starting school for the first time, older kids dealing with longer days and social pressures, teenagers who have to make decisions about their futures, and of course to parents who might also feel overwhelmed. But researchers at Vancouver’s Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre have suggested strategies to…
There’s a link between your emotional health and your physical well-being, so take time to nurture both. To be completely healthy, you should take care not only of your physical health, but your emotional health, too. If one is neglected, the other will suffer. What’s the Connection Between Emotional and Physical Health? There’s a physical connection between what the mind is thinking and those parts of the brain that control bodily functions. According to Charles Goodstein, MD, a clinical professor…
Do you find that food deeply affects your mood? Science is beginning to back up such gut feelings. The link between poor diet and mood disorders has been long known, but what has been less clear is the direction of causality. When we’re depressed, we tend to reach for lower-quality comfort foods, but can more comfort foods contribute to depression? And if we’re depressed, can improving our diets improve our symptoms? New research is helping to pave the way toward…
The probiotic buffered the body against the damaging effects of stress. Depression has been reversed in mice by feeding them probiotic bacteria, new research reports. Lactobacillus is a type of ‘good’ bacteria found in yogurt, among other foods. The role of the gut microbiome — the bacteria which live in our gut — has become a focus of research interest recently. Dr Alban Gaultier, who led the study, said: “The big hope for this kind of research is that we…