Remember the days of playing dodgeball or jumping rope on the school playground? That was probably many years ago. But what if we told you that play should still be an essential part of your life? Let's look at why it's important and also how to bring it back. Play Boosts Brain Function - Playing a game or roleplaying forces your brain to think differently than it's used to. As an adult, we slip into...
When it comes to health and wellbeing, most of us strive to be in a stable place. But this effort can fall into the trap of denial or spiritual bypassing as we try to avoid discomfort, reality and troubling truths. What does that -mean-, exactly? Spiritual bypassing is the tendency to use spirituality to avoid facing psychological issues. Here's how to identify the signs and resolve the issue. Signs...
Alone time has benefits but seniors who spend too much time alone are likely to experience loneliness and declining health as a result. The latest trend to combat this is home-sharing and though it has some interesting logistical challenges, the results are hard to deny. What is Senior Home-Sharing? - Home-sharing is, essentially, having a roommate. It may sound like a back-to-college movement, but...
Some see gratitude as a way to focus on the positive. Others see gratitude as a path to showing appreciation for what we have in our lives and therefore a way to expand those things. But regardless of how we view the end result in terms of our outlook, many fail to realize that gratitude can improve not just our mental health, but also our physical, and spiritual health. In fact, gratitude is one of...
This pandemic has thrown the entire world for a loop with its broad base of symptoms and unpredictable illness course. The more experts learn about it, the more incentive we all have to avoid catching it. But now we have people who have been struggling with COVID for many months, the so-called "long haulers" and as we work to help these people, we're learning a lot. Recent studies have uncovered a...
How much of an influence over us do our friends really have? In some cases, they might influence our weight (through food choices and even through shared activities), or they might influence our ambition. Maybe you had a friend go do something extraordinary and you think hey, maybe I should go back to school and try to reach a little higher, too. So we already know that our friends have an influence...
Here’s a secret to extending your life: Don’t argue or fight with your spouse, children, or friends. A number of research studies establish that your relationships are as important as your diet and your exercise for extending your life. Every time you argue with your kids, you are traumatizing them and shortening your own life. Researchers found that stresses related to excess demands, conflicts, and...
Difficult relatives may make the holidays more complicated whether the gathering is of the traditional sort with people around a table, or even if it's a virtual affair—difficult people make everything more, well, difficult. But when you know you’re going to be interacting with people who may cause friction or discomfort, being prepared is the first and maybe the most important step. Fortunately, there...
Mental health is connected to physical health in many, sometimes obvious and at other times more hidden ways. But they are connected. Consider: When we get scared, we sweat. When we cry, our blood pressure may change. And these are just the surface, measurable effects. What about being chronically stressed? The long-term effects may be harder to quantify but stress management is one of the first things...
Mental health is connected to physical health in many, sometimes obvious and at other times more hidden ways. But they are connected. Consider: When we get scared, we sweat. When we cry, our blood pressure may change. And these are just the surface, measurable effects. What about being chronically stressed? The long-term effects may be harder to quantify but stress management is one of the first things...