10 Ways Chronic Fear Hurts Your Health

December 17, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

When you have chronic fear, your body stays in a state of stress and tension. It affects your mind and health in ways you may not expect.

Fear is a natural human emotion that makes your heart race, your eyes dilate, and your body tense. It’s unhealthy to live with chronic fear, and it can make you irrational in addition to the mental and physical effects.

Fear gets triggered by a perceived threat. It signals your body to respond with a fight or flight response, keeping you safe when a real threat is present. However, chronic fear occurs in other situations, resulting in health consequences.

Chronic fear can be incapacitating, interfering with all parts of your life. Understanding how it interferes with your life can help you make changes to improve your health.

What is Chronic Fear?

Fear triggers processes in your body that make you remember things more vividly and think irrationally. In a state of chronic fear, these processes rarely stop. Your sensory systems alert your brain to a threat, leading to increased brain arousal, fear, and anxiety.

Experts indicate three stress responses that trigger fear, including the following:

Alarm: When you become alarmed, your body prepares for a threat and recognizes it as stress. Stress hormones get released during this stage, and your nervous system gets triggered.
Resistance: Your stress hormones stabilize during this stage, but you’ll have little energy left. You’ll also have fewer defenses, making it easier for fear to reappear.
Exhaustion: When the fear has reoccurred quicker than you can recover, it can lead to experiencing exhaustion. You’ll struggle to resist stress and adapt to change because you have little energy. During this stage, you’ll likely experience overload or burnout.

Fear prepares you to react and can trigger your hormones to shut down bodily systems. It can also sharpen survival senses and increases blood flow and heart rate. Chronic fear also triggers an increase in hormonal flow to the brain.

How Chronic Fear Hurts Your Health

Chronic fear can impact your body in more ways than you initially realize. It can lead to physical and psychological issues that affect your overall well-being.

1 – Chronic Fear Weakens Your Immune System

Chronic fear can lead to a weaker immune system when it increases your adrenaline and cortisone. Prolonged exposure to these hormones weakens your immune system, decreasing your ability to fight infection, viruses, and other illnesses.

While fear doesn’t cause you to get sick, it can decrease your body’s defenses. You won’t be able to fight off germs as well when you’re constantly afraid. It increases your cortisol hormone, triggering your fight-or-flight response.

Once your fight-or-flight response is activated, the lymphocyte levels circulating in your body decrease. It makes you more likely to develop infections or diseases.

2 – It Causes Cardiovascular Damage

When you’re constantly afraid, it increases your adrenaline levels. Long-term overexposure to adrenaline can lead to heart damage beginning with tissue damage. It can also trigger blood vessel constriction that increases your blood pressure.

These issues can lead to arrhythmia when your heart beats irregularly and you can’t maintain circulation. It also weakens your heart and reduces its ability to pump blood. Your heart can become overworked and stressed from the constant fear, causing dysfunction.

3 – Chronic Stress Leads to Cognitive Dysfunction

Fear can impact your cognitive dysfunction by worsening your memory. When you’re in the fight or flight response, you can’t remember things as well. You won’t be able to focus on anything other than fear, and you’ll become scattered with your daily functioning.

Additionally, when you’re fearful, your mind associates the negative feelings with what you’re presently doing. It can give you a looming sense of dread anytime you must go to that place or do the same thing again.

4 – It Can Trigger Depression

Chronic fear can trigger depression because you constantly feel sad, moody, and worn out. It indicates your fear has disrupted your life so much that you feel like you can’t do anything to change it.

5 – It Can Cause Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Experiencing fear can trigger anxiety because you won’t want to participate in situations that worsen it. Your negative feelings can make you reluctant to do anything when you’re constantly afraid.

Since you can’t avoid everything, it can easily cause a panic attack when you must do something. This situation occurs because you know you won’t feel confident about it due to your fear.

6 – Chronic Fear Might Lead to Avoiding Things That are Good for You

Chronic fear can cause you to skip experiences that might have been good for you. It can lead to missed social interaction with beneficial people and opportunities for growth. Socialization is essential for your health and well-being, so it can be more detrimental than you might realize.

Sometimes the fear can make you miss out on medical check-ups or follow-up appointments. It can lead to a worsening medical issue or missing tests that could indicate something is wrong.

7 – It Can Make You Unable to Relax

Being on edge all the time can interfere with relaxation. Once your mind and body experience fear, it takes a while to calm down.

You might find that what you were afraid of wasn’t an issue, but it still can keep you on edge for a bit longer. Instead, you’ll remain prepared for the next fearful moment, and your body stays ready to fight or flee. This issue worsens the more you experience fear, especially if each instance lasts for a while.

8 – It Can Deplete Your Confidence Levels

When you spend lots of time feeling afraid, it can interfere with your confidence levels. You might start feeling bad about yourself or thinking it’s best to keep quiet and to yourself. It erodes self-confidence and can trigger further fear or anxiety.

9 – The Stress of Chronic FearDisrupts Hormone Levels

When you’re afraid, your adrenal gland increases hormone production. It’ll produce too many catecholamines, involving an excess of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Your body will also make too much cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone to increase your strength and mobility for fight or flight.

Being chronically afraid can also trigger neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin to improve mental agility. While this won’t hurt you if it happens occasionally, constant fear and increasing hormones can interfere with your health.

10 – It Can Cause You to Develop Phobias

Chronic fear can create phobias if your fear often revolves around the same objects or situations. Once it becomes a phobia, you’ll likely be afraid of anything related to the original triggers.

What Causes Chronic Fear?

This situation occurs when memories or emotions trigger stimuli in your central nervous system. Fear, anxiety, and memories are all stored in your cerebellum, basal ganglia, and amygdala. Since all these feelings get stored in the same place, they can trigger one another.

Your fear will occur when you think of a triggering memory. Sometimes it’ll happen when you experience an emotion you had during a fearful time in your life. In this situation, fear gets triggered by stimuli that don’t typically indicate present danger.

When fear occurs, it leads to you experiencing it during regular parts of your day. It interferes with your ability to get things accomplished or enjoy life. Chronic fear also consumes your bodily resources and disrupts your ability to self-heal and preserve your mechanisms.

How to Overcome Chronic Fear and the Stress It Causes

You don’t have to live with chronic fear forever. Many people experience and positively overcome it, promoting better health and well-being. The ways to overcome chronic fear include the following:

Understand How Fear or Stress Affects You

Understanding how chronic fear can interfere with your health is the first step to moving forward. Many people can’t overcome the fear because they don’t know how serious it can be.

Knowing what can happen can help you focus on pushing away negativity and living your life for the best. Without understanding how it affects your health, you might not have the incentive to overcome it.

Create New Memories

Creating new memories can help replace the old ones that trigger your fear. Your memories get deeply engrained in your mind, but you can override them with positive experiences. You might need to create a new memory multiple times before you stop experiencing negative feelings, so don’t give up.

Practice Mindfulness and Visualization

Creating new memories and easing the effects of old ones is easier with mindfulness and visualization. You can use mindfulness to share your memories and tell yourself it’s possible.

Likewise, visualization can allow you to envision yourself doing the things that usually trigger your fear. As you visualize it, make sure you focus on your emotions being positive during that time. When you imagine that the situation has already occurred, it’s easy for you to move forward without fear.

Get Outside

Going outside for some fresh air can help ease fearful feelings. Consider walking or sitting in a peaceful area until you feel calmer. Being outside can reduce stress levels and reduce anxiety or fear.

Focus on Breathing

Short breaths can trigger anxiety, so focusing on breathing can help ease the effects. When you feel fear creeping in, take a moment to focus on deep breathing. You can take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Continue doing it until you feel like you’re calm and thinking clearly.

Final Thoughts on Ways Chronic Fear Hurts Your Health

Chronic fear can be debilitating, and it interferes with your health. It can disrupt your body’s ability to heal itself, trigger diseases, and cause you to miss essential appointments. You can overcome chronic fear and start living healthier with improved well-being. Making changes to alleviate fear can be life-changing.

When You Make a Woman Feel Unwanted, She Will Walk Away

December 16, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

No one enjoys feeling unwanted or unloved in their relationship, and women will walk away if they experience it. Feeling like your partner doesn’t want you means the person feels neglected and unprioritized. They might feel like they’re doing all the work in the relationship while you’re not giving any effort.

Eventually, tensions arise, and a woman will choose to walk away instead of lashing out or bottling it up. When a woman decides to walk away, it’s sometimes because they feel like their partner is ignoring them or doesn’t care. It leads to a woman shutting down and moving on to protect herself and find someone who wants her.

NOTE: We focus on women in this article, but they aren’t the only ones who sometimes feel unwanted. Men feel rejected, unloved, and unwanted, too, and we discuss that scenario in a separate article.

Studies Show Women Need to Feel Wanted

Your primary relationships are essential for emotional health, so a woman isn’t unreasonable for walking away. Staying in a relationship where she feels unwanted creates a danger in her life, potentially interfering with her health and well-being.

Love is a core psychological need, and people long to be cared for and desired. In adulthood, the most vulnerable relationship between two people is romance.

When your romantic relationship makes you feel unloved or unwanted, it can become isolating and detrimental to self-esteem. It can also lead to stress, anxiety, trauma, and insecurities if it goes on too long.

What Happens When a Woman Feels Unwanted

Before she walks away, you might notice that things become complicated. Your romantic connection will fade, and sometimes the relationship will be full of tension and conflict.

When you notice these things, take a moment to consider if you’re making your partner feel unwanted. You can make some changes to remedy the situation and rebuild before the woman walks away for good. The relationship doesn’t fail overnight, so you can save it if you know how to look for signs.

A woman feels unwanted after repetitive actions from her partner. One instance may not trigger her negative feelings, but reoccurrences can be detrimental.

Eventually, a woman will begin resenting you for what she’s done for you and all the times you’ve made her feel unwanted. She’ll notice when you fail to recognize her, show gratitude, or even look her in the eyes.

Then, a woman who feels unwanted will stop doing nice things for you. She won’t see a point in trying anymore, and she’ll start disconnecting herself from the relationship. It’ll lead to her wondering whether there’s someone better for her who will treat her the way she deserves.

Eleven Things That Can Make a Woman Feel Unwanted

There are many ways a woman might feel unwanted in a relationship. These things aren’t the only ones that lead to relationship neglect, but they’re beneficial ones to know. Understanding these things can help save your relationship if you want to make it work.

1 – Greeting Her in a Nonexcited Way Causes Her to Feel Unwanted

When you see your partner and give a flat “hello,” she might feel like you’re not excited to see her. It’ll seem like you don’t care whether she’s there. Eventually, she’ll wonder if she could find someone who gets excited when seeing her, making her feel wanted and cherished.

2 – Leaving Her Alone in Social Situations Makes Her Feel Unloved

People tend to want to stay close to their partners during social events. Please don’t leave her alone in social situations when you show up together. Separating for a few minutes to say hi to other people is okay, but you shouldn’t leave her for an extended time.

3 – Ignoring Her or Looking at Your Phone While She Talks to You

A woman never wants to feel ignored, and not responding when she talks makes her feel unwanted. Looking at the phone is a common way people ignore their partners. It shows that you’re not interested in giving her your undivided attention.

Staring at your phone while she talks is dismissive and may imply that she doesn’t matter. It also interferes with communication, making discussing essential aspects of your relationship hard.

4 – Being More Excited to Spend Time with Friends Than Her

She doesn’t need your constant attention, but she wants to know that you enjoy spending time with her. It can hurt her when you get more excited about spending time with friends than with her. It implies that other people in your life are more attractive to you and that you don’t cherish your time together.

5 – Not Standing Up for Her Makes Her Feel Unwanted

When someone behaves rudely toward your partner, you should stand up for her. Letting people disrespect her is a sign that you don’t care, and it’ll make her feel unwanted.

6 – Drinking too Much When She’s Told You She’s Uncomfortable

Most people act differently than usual when they drink too much. Your partner might tell you that she feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or embarrassed when you overdo it. Continuing to drink past that point shows her that you don’t care about her feelings, making her feel unloved.

7 – Betrayal Makes Her Feel Unloved

Betraying your partner is one of the worst ways to make her feel unwanted. Becoming physically or emotionally involved with another person can destroy your relationship. Many women won’t give you a second chance, marking the end of your romance together.

8 – Not Giving Affection Makes Her Feel Unwanted

In a romantic relationship, your partner wants affection. Not initiating hugs, kisses, cuddles, or anything else will make it seem like you don’t want them. She won’t feel your love if you don’t give affection.

Physical affection increases oxytocin, allowing you and your partner to bond and feel close to each other. It’s an essential part of a romantic relationship, and a lack of it affects your partner.

9 – Comparing Her to Others Makes Her Feel Unloved

Your partner will feel unloved if you compare her to other women. Comparing her traits, beauty, achievements, or anything else will make her feel diminished. She’ll see it as you thinking she can’t measure up to others and that she isn’t enough for you.

10 – Using Her Insecurities to Hurt Her

When you use a woman’s insecurities to make her feel bad, it is manipulative. She’ll despise you for it and feel worse about herself, too. There’s no winning in this situation unless you want your relationship to end. She’s already aware of the insecurities, and calling attention to them is mean and disrespectful.

11- Rarely Complimenting Her Makes Her Feel Undesirable

A woman loves to hear what her partner likes about her. Tell her that she looks beautiful in the dress she chose for a date or that you love how she styled her hair.

You can also praise her intelligence or thought process. Any positive comment will make her feel good. This gesture is one of the best ways to rebuild and strengthen your relationship.

Ten Ways to Make Change Her Feelings From Unwanted to Desirable

When you want to make your relationship work, it’s essential to make your partner feel wanted. Even if you’ve struggled with this, you can make a change to strengthen your bond.

1 – Acknowledge That You’re Happy to See Her

Seeing your partner should be an exciting part of your day. Even when you’re stressed, make it a point to show her you’re happy to see her. Hug or kiss her immediately, or say hello excitedly so that she knows she’s wanted.

2 – Stay With Her During Social Situations

It doesn’t mean you can’t catch up with others, so don’t feel you must ignore everyone. Instead, let her know what you’re doing, and come back in a reasonable amount of time. Doing it this way ensures she doesn’t feel like you don’t want to be there with her.

3 – Listen to Her to Make Her Feel Loved

Listening to your partner when she talks will let her know what she says matters. She’ll also know you want to hear her, helping her feel acknowledged and respected.

When she starts talking, put your phone down and focus on what she’s saying. It allows you to read each other’s facial expressions, improving understanding and promoting positive communication.

4 – Do Fun Things Together

Plan fun things with your partner, so she knows you’re excited about your time together. It lets her know that she’s important to you and that you want the relationship to work. You can invite her to spend time with you and your friends, although you don’t have to do that every time.

5 – Stand Up for Her to Counteract the Unwanted Feeling

When you hear someone say something disrespectful to your partner, speak up. Even if the person says they’re joking, make it clear that it’s not okay. Stand up for her with friends, family, and even your kids. She’ll know you want and cherish her when she hears you doing this.

6 – Consider What She’s Comfortable With

When your partner tells you she’s uncomfortable with something, you shouldn’t ignore it. Consider her feelings and try to ensure she’s comfortable in your presence. It might involve saving some behaviors for when you’re out with friends and reeling it in with your partner.

7 – Stay True to Her

When your partner isn’t around, don’t do anything that can destroy your relationship. Consider how she would feel about your behavior and only do things she’d be okay with. Inappropriately interacting with others isn’t okay, so keep the trust intact by refraining.

8 – Make It a Point to Offer Affection

Spend time kissing, hugging, and cuddling with your partner. It will let her know that you want her and cherish the relationship. It’ll also increase oxytocin in both of you, encouraging a deeper bond.

9 – Celebrate Her

When your partner achieves something, take the time to celebrate her. Praise her efforts and tell her you’re proud of her. Letting her know that you think she’s worthy of celebration will let her know you want her.

10 – Don’t Say Negative Things About Her Efforts

Avoid commenting about her veering off her diet, not fitting into her jeans or any other goal she may set. You should also avoid telling her she didn’t work hard enough to get what she wanted. Even if you mean these things to encourage her to do better, it’s not a good look.

Final Thoughts on When a Woman Feels Unloved or Unwanted Enough to Walk Away

When a woman feels unwanted in a relationship, she’ll walk away if nothing changes. Recognizing what makes her feel like you don’t want her can help you make necessary changes. Consider saving your relationship and show her how much she means to you. You can do many things to show her you cherish her, which means more than you know.

15 Ways a Strong Woman Shows Affection

December 16, 2022 by Power of Positivity

While both men and women consider affection an integral part of a relationship, women often have stronger feelings about such matters. It’s not unusual for couples to have one partner more affectionate than the other. The key is understanding each other’s needs and importance in a relationship.

Experts have long debated the thought process between males and females. Each gender has a unique way of connecting with its partners. These are 15 ways that women often show their affection.

NOTE: We acknowledge that men, too, display affection. However, we cover the behaviors of men in a companion article.

Fifteen Common Ways Women Show Their Partner Affection

If you are a woman, you know how essential it’s to have an affectionate partner. Dr. Kory Floyd describes the difference between male and female love. The study suggests that women are more genetically inclined than men to be affectionate.

Women are more apt to show their love in various ways. You may use loving touches or endearing words. In return, you probably expect the same from your partner. Females often know what their partners need intuitively.

However, asking your partner about what pleases them is still essential. Here are some ways that women often show their affection.

1. Uses Public Displays of Affection

When you’re in love, you want the whole world to know, and you’re not afraid to show it. Loving couples aren’t ashamed to show each other extraordinary kindness and affection in a crowd. There’s still a fine line between what’s appropriate and what isn’t when you’re in public.

Most couples use common sense for PDA. Women enjoy walking while holding their lover’s hand and don’t care who sees them. Subtle gestures like a gentle side hug or a sweet peck on the lips show you care without making everyone uncomfortable.

Again, it may come more naturally to females than to men. Even if your partner has no issues with being affectionate in private, you like a little appropriate PDA. It can boost your mutual love and security in your relationship.

2. Women Show Affection Through Their Generous Hearts

While it’s true that money can’t buy love, giving from the depths of your heart remains a virtue. Just watch the expressions on children’s faces when they unwrap gifts. Adults never outgrow the joy of receiving thoughtful tokens of love and tenderness.

Everyone has their love language, explains Dr. Gary Chapman. Some people express their love by gift giving. You may be one of those who genuinely believe that giving is better than receiving.

When you present your partner with a gift, it needn’t cost a fortune. They’ll appreciate the thought and love behind the present, especially a handmade one. Remember that you can give without loving, but it’s impossible to love without giving.

3. Reminds Their Partner They’re in Love with Them

Even if your love language is gift-giving, it’s not always about material goods. Most women don’t want to make assumptions and need regular reminders of their love. Consider leaving your partner a sweet love note on the fridge, or you should send them flowers “just because.”

4. Makes Sure They Have Uninterrupted Time

Do you ever wonder how folks of the past ever made it without cell phones, computers, and other high-tech gadgets? These conveniences are a mixed blessing. They can make communication much easier but can also become a significant distraction.

When your spending time with your sweetheart, quality means more than quantity. Put the phones on silent and let voicemail take care of calls. Turn off the television and computer unless you’re watching a movie together.

Use this time to connect on a deeper level and have meaningful conversations. Learn how to be active listeners and pay attention to what each other’s saying. Not only does it show more love, but it also can help you avoid misunderstandings.

5. Embraces Physical Touch

The difference between friends and lovers is the spiritual bond of intimacy. Sometimes, just holding hands or cuddling is a friendly way to show each other your love. Women crave a part of togetherness as much as physical intimacy.

Physical touch can help boost your love and trust in each other. Kiss often and be familiar with each other’s touch. This spiritual bond strengthens your intimacy and can lead to a lasting relationship.

6. Encourages Bonding Activities

To stay together, you must enjoy doing things as a couple. What were some of your interests and hobbies when you were both single? Can you do activities as a couple to create affectionate bonding time?

Make doing couple activities a priority in your relationship. Discuss some of your mutual interests and make plans to do them. It could be a hobby like art, music, sports, or hiking together in the woods.

7. A Truly Affectionate Woman Dreams About a Future Together

At some point in your relationship, the future becomes “we” instead of “I” and “you.” Most women need to trust and feel secure, along with ample affection. A relationship built on doubt and uncertainty is bound to fail.

Where do you see yourselves in the next year or even five years? Are you aware of your partner’s dreams and aspirations? Making dream boards and journaling together about your goals are ideal ways to bond.

8. Engages in Acts of Service

For many females, the language of love is to serve others. Your lovely lady may be happier when they do something to make a difference. Women love to be volunteers serving in the soup kitchen or the voice for abused children or neglected animals.

One way you can show them loving-kindness is to serve alongside them. Become a volunteer or support a mission that’s close to their heart. You’ll be a help to them as well as to those they serve.

9. Makes Date Night a Priority

Think back to when you first started dating your significant other. You’d do anything in your power to be close to them. Unfortunately, life gets busy, and taking a romantic relationship for granted is easy.

Instead of getting stuck in a rut, plan a date night at least once a week. Pay a babysitter, dress up, and turn off all distractions. Make your partner feel special and ensure that date night is a priority.

10. Shows Affection With Playful or Flirty Banter

The stars of the old Hollywood movies made love look magical. However, they often made it a little too serious and dramatic. Just because you want to be affectionate with your partner doesn’t mean you’re vying for an acting award.

Laughter and a good sense of humor are integral to intimacy and romance. Women enjoy being flirty with their lovers and using some good-natured teasing. Bring out your inner child and play hide-and-seek or gently tickle each other to have fun.

11. Helps Their Partner Manage Their Stress

If your partner has the heart of a helper, they’re bound to experience a lot of stress. Helping careers like teaching, medicine, and counseling can quickly lead to burnout. An affectionate partner will help each other manage stress levels.

Be compassionate when your partner needs to vent. Help them with extra chores so they have more time to relax. Try massaging their temples or running a hot bath in the evening.

12. Shows Appreciation With Affectionate Behaviors

When was the last time you told your partner how much you appreciate them and all they do? Women often show their affection by being grateful, and they expect the same. Do little things like leaving a note on their nightstand or thank them for their kindness.

13. Buys “Just Because” Gifts

Of course, most ladies will be overjoyed with a diamond, but it’s not their best friend. Even the most lavish gifts don’t replace your love, affection, and attention. On the other hand, they relish surprises.

Pick a small bouquet from your backyard and place them in a vase on the kitchen table. Buy a funny or romantic card and put it in her purse. Women love to give and receive surprise gifts from the heart.

14. Makes the Little Things Important

A wise individual once said everything is reversed when you look back on your life. The little things mean the most, and the big things are no longer significant. A meaningful way that many women show their love is to celebrate life’s small things each day.

Be part of this celebration and prioritize these brief moments of joy. Nothing is so menial that you can’t recognize it. Use anything as an excuse to praise each other. Plus, you’ll always have a reason to create a festive occasion.

15. Genuine Affection Always Forgives

One of the best ways to be affectionate is to learn how to forgive. When you forgive someone, it’s a gift you give to yourself. You’re not excusing or forgetting the offense; you must acknowledge it and go forward.

Females often realize that holding a grudge is self-destructive and can destroy a relationship. They also avoid generalizations like “you always” or “you never.” Past offenses are also dirty weapons during an argument.

Final Thoughts on How Women Show Affection

Women and men are individuals, and everyone shows affection differently. Learning the love language of your female partner can create a more satisfying and lasting bond. Relationships thrive when you listen to and follow each other’s hearts.

7 Exercises to Reduce Vertigo

December 16, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Vertigo makes you feel off-balanced and affects your life in ways you wouldn’t expect. Sometimes you won’t want to move or feel too unwell to do anything because of the dizziness.

The symptoms often come suddenly, leaving you unprepared for dealing with them. They might stop for a while and then return, disrupting your life after you think you’re feeling better.

Exercises to reduce vertigo sensations can help reduce symptoms and minimize interference in your life. The exercises strengthen your balance and reduce symptoms naturally.

What is Vertigo?

Vertigo is a common sensation that causes you to feel like the world around you is spinning. It isn’t a disease but a symptom indicating other conditions. There are two kinds of vertigo, peripheral and central. Peripheral occurs when there’s an issue with your inner ear and contributes to about 93% of vertigo cases.

Central happens if there’s a problem with your brain. Brain issues might stem from infection, brain tumors, stroke, or traumatic brain injury. The feeling can last for several seconds or minutes but, in severe cases, can continue for much longer. It isn’t a serious condition but can indicate an underlying health issue that requires medical attention.

Symptoms of Vertigo

Symptoms of vertigo can improve after a few days or last for a few weeks. They can be overwhelming as they interfere with your life. The symptoms vary, but they can involve:

feeling like the world is spinning
nausea or vomiting
sweating
headaches
difficulty walking
shortness of breath
unexpected and sudden weakness
feeling like you’re rocking or tilting
the sensation worsens when you stand, walk, change positions, or move your head

Causes of Vertigo

Vertigo can have many causes, often involving problems with your inner ear. However, it could also stem from issues with your circulatory or nervous system. Some of the specific causes include the following:

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): This cause is the most common and is typically triggered when you change the position of your head. You might get the sudden feeling that you’re spinning when standing still, lying down, or turning over in bed.
Vestibular neuritis: Inflammation of your vestibular nerve can trigger vertigo, nausea, and blurred vision. It doesn’t interfere with your hearing but can make you uncomfortable.
Meniere’s disease: This disease causes fluid to build up inside of your ear, triggering the spinning sensation. It also involves tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, hearing loss, or a feeling of fullness in your ears.
Cholesteatoma: Cholesteatoma occurs when repeated ear infections lead to skin growth in the middle ear. The skin growth is noncancerous but can cause vertigo and hearing loss.
Labyrinthitis: Inflammation of the inner ear is called labyrinthitis. It puts pressure on the vestibulocochlear nerve. When this happens, it can trigger vertigo and the symptoms that accompany it.
Perilymphatic fistula: This condition occurs when fluid from the inner ear leaks into the middle ear. It can trigger dizziness and other symptoms.
Orthostatic hypotension: You will experience a decrease in blood pressure when you stand up if you have this condition. Low blood pressure can cause vertigo sensations upon standing.

Other Causes of Dizziness May Include the Following:

being on a moving ship for an extended time
spinning around
migraines
medications
stroke
brain disease
hyperventilating
irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
head injury
multiple sclerosis
pregnancy
ear surgery
diabetes
extended bed rest
shingles
muscle weakness (ataxia)
syphilis
bone growth that affects the middle ear (otosclerosis)

Exercises to Reduce Vertigo

The repetitive movements of these exercises can help you overcome the symptoms of vertigo. They allow you to manage the issues with dizziness and brain fog and continue your life normally.

Start slowly when you first begin the exercises. Your initial reactions might worsen your symptoms, but don’t give up because they can improve. Take breaks between each exercise, and go at a comfortable pace to reap the benefits.

1 – Semont Maneuver

The Semont maneuver can help reduce dizziness and other related issues. It’s a quick exercise and relatively easy to finish.

To do this exercise, you’ll do the following steps:

Sit upright on the edge of your bed.
Turn your head 45 degrees in the opposite direction from where your symptoms
Lie down on the side of your body with the affected ear. Stay in that position until symptoms ease or for at least thirty seconds.
Keeping your head turned at a 45-degree angle, quickly sit up and lie back down on the opposite side. Stay on this side, the unaffected side, for at least another thirty seconds.
Slowly sit back upright and stay seated until you feel like you can comfortably move.
You can repeat this exercise once a day until your symptoms are gone.

2 – Gaze Stabilization

This exercise doesn’t require much effort. You only must sit, turn your head, and move your hands. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it is one of the easiest exercises.

The steps of the gaze stabilization exercise include the following:

Sit comfortably on a bed or mat
Extend one arm out in from of you with your index finger out
Gaze at your index finger for at least fifteen seconds
Slowly look from right to left, keeping your eyes on the tip of your finger
Continue doing this for at least ten seconds
Slowly move your head up and down, continuing to keep your eyes on your finger
Repeat this movement for another ten seconds
Begin moving your head diagonally up and down with your gaze on your index finger
Continue for another ten seconds and then switch sides

3 – Epley Maneuver

The Epley maneuver is a beneficial exercise for reducing uncomfortable symptoms. You can repeat it once a day until you stop having signs of vertigo and dizziness.

Follow these steps:

Place a pillow on your bed so it will be under your shoulder but not under your head when you lie down.
Sit on the edge of your bed and place your legs straight in front of you.
Turn your head 45 degrees in the direction of the ear you think causes the sensation.
Lie down quickly, keeping your head at a 45-degree angle for thirty seconds or until symptoms ease.
Turn your head in the other direction and hold it for another thirty seconds.
Quickly turn onto your side so you’re looking down, and maintain the position for thirty more seconds.
Sit up slowly and stay still until you feel your symptoms ease.

4 – Turning in Place

When doing this exercise, consider having a chair or other sturdy item nearby for safety in case you lose your balance. When you’re ready, do the following steps:

Stand up straight with your arms at your sides.
Turn to the left in a half circle, or 180 degrees.
Stand still in this position for around fifteen seconds.
Turn your body to the right and hold the position for another fifteen seconds.
Repeat the exercise five times, focusing on moving in the direction that makes you feel dizziest.

5 – Marching in Place

This exercise can help improve your balance when you stand. It can also promote more advanced movements. To do this one, you’ll want to do the following:

Stand near a wall for support or use another sturdy object.
Keep your arms at your sides.
Begin marching in place, lifting your right knee and then your left knee.
Continue marching until you’ve reached twenty times with each knee.
March in place at least twice daily, pushing yourself to do it thirty times each when you get more comfortable.

6 – Brandt-Daroff Exercise

The Brandt-Daroff exercise uses gravity to help you feel better. It dislodges crystals from the semicircular canal, alleviating your vertigo symptoms. Follow these steps to do this exercise:

Sit upright on the floor or on your bed with your feet on the floor.
Turn your head to a 45-degree angle and lie down.
Stay in the position for thirty seconds or longer until your symptoms ease.
Return to the original position and do the same on the other side.
Do this exercise five times on each side.
Slowly return to the original position, and stay seated until you feel okay to stand.
Try to do the exercise twice daily. Consider once in the morning and another time at night.

7 – Foster Maneuver

The foster maneuver is sometimes called a half-somersault. It’s an easy exercise for vertigo sensations and doesn’t require being in bed. To do the exercise, follow these steps:

Kneel on the floor with your hands and look up at the ceiling.
Slowly lower your forehead to the floor, tucking your chin.
Hold this position for thirty seconds or until the vertigo sensation eases.
Then, turn your head 45 degrees toward your affected ear. Hold the position for about thirty additional seconds.
Keeping your head turned, lift it until it’s level with your back and shoulders.
Hold this position for another thirty seconds.
Lift your head, returning to the original position, but keep it turned for thirty more seconds.
Repeat the movements up to five times until you feel relief, waiting fifteen minutes between each repetition.
Slowly stand up when you feel like you’ve regained balance.

Final Thoughts on Exercises to Reduce Vertigo and Dizziness

Vertigo can be inconvenient and frustrating, but some exercises can help reduce the feeling. The causes vary, so if you continue getting the sensation for more than a few weeks, talk to your doctor. Additionally, tell your doctor if your vertigo symptoms worsen or you experience new signs.

While vertigo can be debilitating, you don’t have to let it control your life. These exercises can help you overcome the sensation of dizziness and continue living your life.

5 Things That Prove You’re Struggling Not Failing

December 15, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

We all experience our fair share of failing at something — it’s practically inevitable. After all, if you don’t go through failure, you don’t grow or learn from your mistakes. They say the path to success is paved with countless missteps and detours. So, if you fall off the wagon a few times, please don’t judge yourself too harshly–you are struggling, but you can overcome the current challenge.

Beating yourself up about mistakes gets you nowhere and will only lower your self-esteem. Life has many ups and downs, but the key lies in how you handle the rollercoaster ride. If you can keep a balanced mind despite success or failure, you’ve already won the game.

Mental equanimity ensures that nothing in life can touch you because you know all people, experiences, and ideas eventually fade. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to attach yourself or your emotions to the fleeting pictures on the screen of consciousness. If that sounds too deep, we’ll make it simple for you.

Nothing in life is permanent, so it balances itself out whether you’re failing or winning. So, if you can maintain a composed attitude about every experience, your struggles won’t seem so painful. Of course, it’s easier said than done to remain inwardly calm despite the chaos outside.

5 Things That Prove You’re Struggling, But Not Failing (hang on!)

If you’re not a seasoned yogi or meditator, you will inevitably experience suffering at some point. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re failing at life. We encourage you below if you’ve felt insecure or hopeless lately.

1. Struggling means you will always get back up and try again.

Whether you’re struggling or failing at something, it’s a sign of inner growth when you don’t give up. If you keep fighting for what you believe in or wish to achieve, you will succeed. The only difference between people who accomplish or fail at something lies in their persistence.

Talking to any successful person will make you see that they didn’t get there overnight. It takes countless hours of dedication and sheer willpower to achieve anything worthwhile. As long as you get back on the horse when you fall, you’re doing well in life. We find our true selves in the struggle, so we never feel afraid to jump in the fire. Failing happens only when we don’t believe in ourselves enough to step outside our comfort zone.

2. You stay true to yourself even when the road seems unclear.

As they say, the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. As long as you remain true to your heart even when the future seems uncertain, you have already found success. Society constantly tries to dictate how we should act, what career we should have, and even what we should think.

However, the highest knowledge always comes from within, but only some are brave enough to follow their intuition. You’ve already won if you have learned to listen to your heart above all else. You may still encounter struggles and obstacles, but that doesn’t equal failure. Walking your own path requires great courage, so you should feel proud of yourself for making that choice.

3. You are not failing if you give 100% in everything you do.

No matter your profession, you give everything you have to do the task. You may not do everything perfectly, but you still try your best to serve society honorably. Of course, no one feels passionate about their job every day, but the show must go on.

Showing up daily and giving your all, even when you’re struggling, is a testament to your willpower. So, don’t feel like you’re failing just because you don’t feel enthusiastic about work all the time. Hardly anyone does, but they still deserve credit for trying their best. Remember that you’re enough, even if you don’t always see it.

4. You’ve prioritized self-care over other responsibilities.

Scaling back your responsibilities may sound like you’re failing, but it points to the opposite. Society makes it seem like we must be productive 24/7 to remain relevant, upstanding citizens. However, focusing so much on the outer world without caring for our inner selves creates an imbalance. That’s why the world often seems rushed and hectic: we never slow down enough to hear our inner voices.

However, consider that a massive victory if you’ve been brave and honest enough to prioritize yourself. The world can wait, but your soul can’t. When you feel lost or overwhelmed, it’s a sign you need to tune into yourself and put other responsibilities aside for a while.

5. You don’t run from painful experiences.

In this world, no one can escape pain at one point or another. However, whether you suffer after encountering an unpleasant experience is a choice. As we said earlier, we live in a dualistic world, meaning darkness and light co-occur. You can’t have pleasure without pain, after all.

However, the difference between struggling and failing is in your approach to this dichotomous reality. It’s a sign of strength if you can face pain instead of constantly running from it. Those who walk through the fire with a balanced mind and heart full of love will realize their true nature. Just like a diamond needs pressure to form, we also require obstacles to become our highest selves.

Final Thoughts on Signs You’re Not Failing In Life

Many fear failing because they don’t measure up to the person beside them. Unfortunately, society often teaches the wrong ideas about success and happiness in today’s world. The only lasting success lies in the soul, not material things or accomplishments.

So, please don’t look down on yourself if you live a simple life without many possessions. As long as you feel peace and joy within yourself, that’s all that truly matters. Failing only happens when we don’t listen to our intuition and give our power away to others. If you stay true to your heart and don’t compromise your values for others, that’s the ultimate achievement.

5 Things That Prove Gratitude Is the Key to Happiness

December 15, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

Having gratitude helps shift your mindset from the negative to the positive aspects of life. It’s easy to overlook everything you have to feel thankful for about daily life. Most people tend to focus more on their stresses than expressing thankfulness, and that’s understandable. Life can seem demanding and overwhelming and can easily spiral you downward.

However, gratitude is the antidote to many problems because it allows us to see the bigger picture. We came to Earth to learn difficult lessons to help our souls evolve. When you look at things from this perspective, you start feeling grateful for the rare opportunity to grow. The universe will never give you anything you can’t handle.

Still, the pressures in life can seem daunting to even the toughest souls sometimes. We all need a breather from our daily duties and demands, and gratitude gives us this space to increase our awareness. Feeling grateful takes the edge off and reminds you that you can still find a glimmer of light even in the darkest times.

So, how can gratitude help you feel happier? We’ll discuss some of the ways thankfulness can improve your outlook below.

5 Ways Gratitude Helps You Unlock Happiness

1. Thankfulness shifts your focus to what you have rather than lack.

It’s easy to feel hopeless and lost when you focus too much on what you don’t have. Or, perhaps, you’re caught up in the comparison game and feel inferior to your peers. The solution to this problem lies in how you see the world around you. You will never find peace or happiness with a fearful, negative mindset. However, seeing the world through rose-colored glasses and counting blessings will improve your outlook.

If you want to experience abundance and everlasting happiness, try writing in a gratitude journal. Studies show that people who practice gratitude writing experience improved mental health after just four weeks.

2. Expressing gratitude can improve your relationships.

Whether in romantic or platonic relationships, gratitude can help you see others in a more positive light. It can also make you feel more comfortable sharing concerns about your relationship if you focus on a person’s favorable qualities. In fact, studies suggest that expressing thankfulness to your partner releases oxytocin, the love hormone. This hormone helps you bond with loved ones and increases intimacy.

Basically, it all comes down to seeing the good in people rather than their darker traits. We all have darkness and light within us; it’s up to us which side to express in our personal lives. However, seeing the beauty and love in the world helps magnify those qualities within ourselves.

3. It can help lower stress and cortisol levels.

Placing too much attention on gloom and doom can easily make you stressed and anxious. The brain doesn’t know the difference between real and perceived threats so it will respond accordingly. For example, if you focus incessantly on problems like pollution and global warming, it triggers your fight-or-flight response automatically. However, thinking more about people doing positive things to help others and the planet creates peace. Studies find that self-regulation techniques can increase positive emotions such as gratitude and warmheartedness. They also help reduce guilt, hostility, stress, and anxiety.

So, if you’ve been feeling burnt out or overwhelmed lately, try practicing mindfulness and other self-regulation methods. It can help you shift your thinking toward uplifting, encouraging aspects of life rather than depressing ones.

Remember, everything in this universe acts as a mirror, so you will always see yourself reflected outwardly. If you want to change how you view things, start by polishing the mirror within. Mental clarity comes from meditation, living simply, and treating others as you want.

4. Gratitude helps increase resilience.

Feeling grateful for what you have can unlock the key to happiness because it gives you a thicker skin. Giving more attention to your blessings makes you more resilient toward stressors in your life. It also takes some of the power away from suffering and negativity since you’re less focused on what brings you down.

Studies show that feeling grateful even after trying times can help reduce depressive symptoms. So, count your blessings if you’d like to experience more bliss. You’ll start feeling more capable of tackling problems since gratitude renews the strength of the soul.

5. Thankfulness helps you remain in the present moment.

When you’re grateful for something, you don’t focus on anything but the here and now. Ruminating about the past or future only takes away from the joy of the present moment. However, surrendering fully to what’s happening helps you feel empowered and blissful. Gratitude helps increase these feelings since you can see the beauty in even the smallest moments.

For instance, dinners with loved ones will seem more enjoyable if you say a quick ‘thanks’ for having a warm meal and family to share it with. Even your work will start to seem less stressful if you focus on the positive aspects of it. For example, a steady paycheck supporting your family can turn work into a blessing rather than a tedious chore. In short, gratitude helps slow your brain down and increases opportunities to experience love, even in the mundane parts of life.

Final Thoughts on How Gratitude Makes You Happier

You might think expressing thankfulness seems corny or cheesy, but it can improve your overall well-being. Gratitude isn’t just for religious or spiritual people â€” anyone can experience more positive feelings by shifting their awareness. Remember that anything you focus on will magnify inside your mind and affect your outlook. So, changing how you see the world is the only way to feel more bliss and joy. A regular gratitude practice will help you feel freer and remove the heaviness from your soul.

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

Every day is a day to shine. Shine on!