Page 903

Researchers Explain How Melatonin Improves Both Sleep and Wellness

January 24, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Melatonin, which is sometimes called the sleep hormone or MT receptor, is primarily produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps to regulate a person’s circadian rhythm. As such, some even describe it as a natural pacemaker for sleep cycles.

Both the body’s circadian rhythm or internal clock and the amount of light someone is exposed affect how much melatonin the pineal gland makes. The hormone levels usually start to increase after sunset. Then, they remain high throughout the night and then decrease after sunrise. That cycle causes a person to wake up. Scientists believe that the hormone can promote wellness in a variety of ways, including the ones listed below.

1. It Helps People Fall and Stay Asleep

As already mentioned, melatonin helps regulate a person’s internal clock and helps them fall asleep. It reduces the amount of dopamine in a person’s eyes, and dopamine is a hormone that helps people remain awake. The hormone also binds to receptors in the brain to promote relaxation by reducing activity in the nerves. People who have insomnia often don’t produce enough MT, so they take supplements to help them fall asleep.

Want to give melatonin supplementation a try? You take them orally. Each capsule contains between one and ten milligrams. And, most professionals recommend you take the tablets 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed. Consult with an herbalist to confirm the best dosage.

If you prefer to “eat your medicine,” you are in luck. Some foods also contain melatonin. Examples include the following:

Barley
Cherries
Cow’s milk
Olives
Rice
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Walnuts

People can also use natural light to stimulate the production of MT. Shortly after waking, a person should expose themselves to sunlight by opening their curtains or going outside to exercise. The sunshine will make them feel energetic and alert. As the sun sets, the hypothalamus will detect the change in light and tell the pineal gland to produce more MT in preparation for bedtime.

2. It May Treat Eye Diseases

Melatonin contains antioxidants, and most mammals’ eyes have mechanisms for synthesizing MT. Researchers note that it is an antioxidant that protects the eyes from free radicals and stimulates the production of other antioxidants. They speculate that it may be used as a treatment for eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, both of which can cause blindness.

In 2005, the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences described a study in which scientists worked with 100 patients who had age-related macular degeneration. The researchers had the patients take oral supplements over six to 24 months. They found that the patient’s eyes did not get any worse. Thus, they concluded that the supplements protected them.

3. It May Relieve Heartburn and Ulcers

The hormone’s antioxidant properties can help people with stomach ulcers or heartburn.

In 2011, the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology described a study in which researchers worked with patients who had ulcers. The scientists divided the patients into three groups. While all the patients received a drug called omeprazole, one group also got MT, a second group received L-tryptophan, and the third group got a placebo. The researchers found that the groups who were given MT or L-tryptophan along with their medication showed more and quicker signs of healing than the group that took the placebo.

Similarly, the science journal BMC Gastroenterology shared a study in which researchers worked with patients who had Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). They found that pairing omeprazole with MT sped the healing process. MT also helped protect the digestive tract from damage caused by ulcers, and it reduced heartburn.

4. It May Reduce Tinnitus

Tinnitus, more commonly known as “ringing in the ears,” is a condition in which a person hears a continuous ringing or other noise in their ears. It often gets worse when there is little actual background noise or when somebody is trying to fall asleep.

A science journal called The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology described a 2011 study in which scientists studied the effects of MT on 61 patients with chronic tinnitus. They found that patients who had been given MT had milder symptoms and slept better than had those who were given a placebo. Interestingly, MT worked best on men who did not have a history of depression. It was also most effective on people with severe tinnitus who had not been treated for the condition before, and it also worked well on patients who had a history of noise exposure.

5. Melatonin May Help Reduce Seasonal Depression

Seasonal Depression, which is also known as Seasonal Affective Depression (SAD) or “winter blues,” is a common condition that may affect around 1/5 of American adults. The condition may be related to changes in the amount of light a person is exposed to and to changes in their internal clock.

In 2006, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America published a study that linked seasonal depression to abnormalities in the patient’s internal clock. People with jet lag or who did shift work at odd hours had the same abnormalities, as did some blind people. The researchers noted that bright light is often used to restore a patient’s internal clock to normal. They also tested the effects of MT on patients by administering treatments at different times of the day. They found that most patients with seasonal depression got the most benefits if they took a small dose of MT in the afternoon.

The scientists admitted that they need to complete more research to verify this claim.

6. MT May Increase the Production of Growth Hormone in Young Men

Like MT, the human growth hormone is produced by the body while a person is asleep. The science journal Clinical Endocrinology published a 1993 study in which researchers examined the effects that MT has on the production of human growth hormone. They found that MT could stimulate the production of growth hormone, at least to a small degree.

Six years later, Clinical Endocrinology shared a small study in which researchers administered MT to eight healthy young men. They also found that MT could stimulate the production of growth hormone.

7. MT Helps Children with Autism

As with other people, melatonin can help a child with autism fall asleep to sleep more easily. MT can also help relieve some of the other problems associated with the condition such as depression, digestive tract disorders, and anxiety and thus improve a child’s overall wellness.

In 2018, Current Developmental Disorders Reports published an overview describing ways that MT can help a child with autism. The authors noted that other parts of the body besides the pineal gland could secrete MT. Examples include the retina, digestive tract, lungs, and renal cortex.

The authors mentioned that some studies found that children with autism often show abnormalities in their production of MT, which affects their ability to fall and remain asleep. Consequently, many children with autism have insomnia and similar disorders. They are also prone to anxiety and depression, and some clinical trials have demonstrated that MT can ease both conditions. MT has also been found to ease pain, which may help those children who are hypersensitive to environmental stimuli. Researchers are not yet certain what causes MT’s analgesic qualities.

8. Melatonin May Help Lower Your Blood Pressure

MT is one of the supplements that may help lower blood pressure. Others include Vitamin D, folic acid, and anthocyanins.

In 2004, the science journal Hypertension described a study in which researchers worked with men who had hypertension or high blood pressure. They had them take MT an hour before going to bed every day for three weeks. While the treatment did not affect the subjects’ heart rates, it did reduce both their diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

9. MT May Defend Against Cancer

People with higher levels of MT may be less susceptible to some types of cancer. The Natural Medicine Journal published a 2010 overview of various studies that indicated that MT reduced the risk of breast cancer. Conversely, people with naturally low levels of MT had a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Similarly, higher levels of MT may protect men from prostate cancer. Since MT has antioxidant properties, it can stimulate white blood cells, which will then attack cancer cells.

Some doctors will use MT as a complementary treatment for various types of cancer, including prostate, gastrointestinal, lung, breast, and brain cancer. They will also use it to help relieve some of the side effects of chemotherapy like weakness, nerve pain, and weight loss.

Final Thoughts on Using Melatonin for Better Health

While MT can come in topical and spray forms, it works best with precise dosage. Consequently, doctors usually recommend oral forms like capsules, lozenges, or liquids. They also advise taking it at the same time every day before going to bed.

There is some evidence MT has contraceptive effects, so a woman who is trying to get pregnant should not use it. People taking any kind of prescription medication should talk to their doctor before taking MT to avoid the risk of drug interactions.

MT causes drowsiness for several hours. Consequently, people should not drive or operate any kind of machinery until the effects wear off.

Brave Rescuers Battle Blazes to Save the Koala from Extinction

January 24, 2020 by Power of Positivity

With the recent outbreak of devastating fires throughout much of Eastern Australia, the koala continues to appear in headlines. As these fires are significantly impacting already declining populations, the threat of extinction is becoming very real.

Since 2000, the koala remained marked as “vulnerable” on the endangered species list. Furthermore, recent years brought a rapid decline in their populations. Many environmental groups even proclaim them to be “functionally extinct.”

That term means there are not enough living to produce future generations. Yet, this is debatable as it is difficult to predict the exact numbers of their populations.

They are one of the most iconic Australian animals. We recognize them for their round faces and large fluffy ears. Currently the last existing marsupial in the Phascolarctidae family, these plant-eating marsupials live only in the Eastern regions of Australia. They live with tall eucalyptus forests and woodlands and thrive in the tropical semi-humid areas of Queensland.

Reasons for the Declining Koala Populations

1 – Habitat Destruction and Cleared Lands

In recent years, we have seen major declines in marsupial populations due to changes in the environment, including droughts, fires, and forest clearing. In fact, 24 marsupials have been named extinct and 25% of their land is now cleared. Koalas, in particular, are struggling to survive amidst their changing landscape. Dating back to the 1990’s those living in Southeast Queensland have suffered major population decreases. Recent estimates call for a population decline of about 80%.

There are numerous factors which are contributing to their overall decline. In addition to habitat loss due to climate change and natural disasters, they also suffer due to tree-clearing for urban, agricultural and industrial development. Because their homes are being destroyed, many also are involved in car accidents as they move in search of new homes. They are also threatened by dog attacks and diseases such as chlamydia.

The populations are declining in the northern regions mainly due to habitat destruction, urban development, and disease. On the other hand, southern populations are decreasing due to widespread genetic defects caused by reproduction amongst genetically-related members.

2 – Environmental and Climate Changes

The most significant impact on their overall survival as a species is the continuous destruction of their environment. By both natural and human-influenced factors, they are increasingly seeing large proportions of their habitats being destroyed.

These creatures typically spend most of their time in Eucalyptus trees. As herbivores with a unique and specific diet, their primary food source is Eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves would be toxic to most other animals, meaning they have little competition for food resources. Because of their nutrient-poor diet, they spend up to 22 hours a day sleeping.

Due to their specific dietary needs, they also require a very limited habitat. For this reason, they tend to live in isolated populations where they can find food resources. These populations have been becoming more and more isolated in recent years due to tree-clearing and other environmental changes. This means higher-density populations struggle to find resources in their areas due to competition. This also makes it difficult for them to find the right mates.

Despite changes in their environment, studies find that many fail to respond to changes in their habitat. This is likely because they correlate their specific area with previous reproductive and survival success. Ultimately, they suffer negative consequences due to their lack of acknowledgment of environmental changes.

Forced to move out of their homes and find new habitats, they end up spending more time on the ground to find new trees. This significantly compromises their safety and exposing them to threats such as vehicle accidents and attacks by dogs.

These changes heighten stress levels in these animals, making them increasingly vulnerable to disease and illness. Particularly for those already struggling with diseases, it becomes increasingly challenging for them to survive.

3 – The Spread of Chlamydia

In addition to the major impacts to their environments, many koala populations also struggle with the spread of chlamydia. The infectious bacteria in chlamydia can severely impact their overall health. It is also easily spread to young from the mother’s pap. The pap is a nutrient-dense fecal matter which young typically eat after breastfeeding but before starting on eucalyptus leaves. Some populations are now seeing up to 100% rates of infection.

Veterinarians treated koalas with antibiotics for chlamydia for the past twenty years.. Yet, recent studies have found that these are interfering with the gut bacteria that enable them to eat eucalyptus leaves. For this reason, doctors are exploring alternative means of treating them – such as the use of probiotics, fecal transplants, and a possible vaccine that has succeeded in trials.

Chlamydia can produce severe symptoms or cause no symptoms, but it entirely depends on the individual. It has been showed to cause numerous other health ailments such as cystitis, conjunctivitis, and pneumonia.

The previously cited report mentions that, between the years of 1997 and 2013, veterinarians diagnosed the koalas they treated as follows:

52% of them brought in had chlamydia
16% sustained vehicle strikes
14% suffered from ailing health.

4 – Damage of Heightened Stress Levels

Continued environmental changes have led to numerous other struggles for koalas including inbreeding, depression, and heightened stress levels. With rising physiological stress levels, they are increasingly vulnerable to other diseases and destructive conditions. This is particularly important to recognize humans dealing with or treating them.

Associate professor of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation at Michigan State University, Dalen Agnew, states the following:

“Any time you handle [a wild] animal, a certain amount of stress will decrease their immune function”.

This is important to note when handling these animals as they are already suffering from poor health conditions.

As of 2016, wildlife experts estimated that 329,000 remained wild. There has been a decline of about 24% over the past three generations. Because they occupy such a wide range throughout Eastern Australia it is difficult to get an exact estimate on their populations. Because they are so spread out, some populations may be locally extinct while others are perfectly fine.

5 – Effect of Brushfires on Overall Koala Population

Because they tend to live and spend their time high in trees, it is more difficult for a koala to escape when the threat of fire emerges. For other animals, they move much more rapidly and have a better chance at escaping by flight or feet. These animals move at a much slower rate and because the adapted to living in trees. This means their best means of escape is to climb higher up the tree. Under normal circumstances, the fires could not reach the tops of these trees. However, these fires are operating at a much higher scale.

The recent brushfires in much of Eastern Australia covered over 10 million hectares of land. Reports estimate 1 billion animals killed or injured. It’s believed that of those, about 8,400 koalas perished, and 50% of the population of Kangaroo Island are gone forever.

With continued destructive environmental conditions and urbanization, there is a real possibility of extinction for koalas in as little as 30 years.

6 – Lack of Protected Areas

Another challenge they face is that despite their vulnerability to extinction. That’s because very little of their habitat falls into federally protected areas. In turn, it is much easier for people to continually destroy and take over their habitats.

Rescue Worker Efforts at Protection and Habitat Preservation

Fortunately, the widespread recognition of the threats these creatures face in an effort to survive has brought many community members together. Community organizations, conservationists, workers, and the government lobby to ensure more areas of their habitat are being protected. Efforts are also underway to restore some of the cleared areas of habitat.

Additionally, rescue volunteers continue to rescue sick and injured animals affected by the brushfires and other challenges. Vets at animal hospitals continue to work hard at treating these beautiful creatures and return them back to their full health.

Despite the numerous challenges that these animals face and will continue to face in terms of environmental destruction, disease, and climate change, there is still hope for them. As scientists, conservationists, and community members continue to work together to understand these creatures and protect their land, we can learn the best ways to protect them.

Learn about the measures Rwandans are taking to restore the Mountain Gorilla population.

Final Thoughts on the Plight of the Koala

The more we understand the specific causes of death and their response to changing conditions, the more we can determine how to keep them safe. By taking measures to preserve their habitats and continuing to rehabilitate sick and injured animals, we can make a substantial impact on the overall population. Additionally, we must work with government agencies to enact both local and federal policies aimed at conservation efforts. Through combined efforts and awareness of primary issues affecting koalas and their overall health, we have the potential to change their future.

How Energy Imbalance In your Body Can Produce Anxiety and Allergies

January 24, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Our bodies are incredible works of art and performance machines. We tend to forget how our manner of thinking and emotions all play a role in our general health. Has your body ever reacted to the smallest things–and you know it hadn’t in the past? Maybe you’ve found that even with medication and changes in diet, your allergies or anxiety just never seem to really get better.

We tend to write this off as part of aging. Perhaps there is a bit of truth to that but not in the way you may think. It takes years of a certain pattern of thinking and established emotional status before we start affecting our bodies. It’s not so much age that may be changing you. But it could be the amount of time you’ve spent living a certain way that is throwing your body off.

Here’s how an energy imbalance in your body could produce anxiety and allergies.

Chakras and energy flow–and determine allergies and anxiety

Chakra in Sanskrit has many different meanings, with one of the most familiar being a wheel or something which operates or looks like a wheel. In Hinduism, it relates to anything of a circular pattern. It is believed that it is essential to keep this energy flowing freely within our body from the bottom of our spine up to the crown of our head and back around in order to encourage health in body and mind. This idea of a flow in a circular pattern fits well with how our body operates in multiple capacities:

Our Circulatory System: Our body pumps blood from the heart, down, around, up to and through our brain, only to return to the heart.
Our Respiratory System: When we breathe, air flows in our nose or mouth, to our lungs, out and around to exhale also through our nose or mouth. Of course, this impacts breathing and allergies.
Particle physics as it relates to our body: We are made up of particles of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, in addition to many others. These particles create radioactive energy, which is additionally fed through the food we eat, liquid we drink, even the air we breathe, and the daily things we come into contact with.
Metabolism: Our bodies require energy via the food we eat in order to function

What are the 7 Chakra Centers?

For the majority of Chakra practices, there are 7 chakra centers in the body. Moreover, each one serves a specific purpose and is situated in a straight line in our body. Each center is considered to be responsible for specific health benefits. However, when they are blocked or unbalanced, we feel the effect on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Specifically, we feel the onset of anxiety or allergies

Certain beliefs will correlate the chakra centers with our nervous system plexus or the communication hubs of nerves, our endocrine system, or both as they relate to the corresponding location in the body with the chakra points. All practices start from the lowest center of the spine and move up toward the head.

These 7 Chakra centers are:

1 – Muladhara/Root Chakra:

The chakra center is located at your tailbone but correlates with your feet as it has to do with how grounded you are and the “root” of your core self. It manifests in your emotions and mental state by how safe and secure you feel both in yourself and your “tribe” or family and friends.

- The Endocrine system relation is our sexual organs, which controls sexual desire and reproduction. The adrenal medulla is also related to it due to it being responsible for the “fight or flight” response when you feel unsafe.
- The nervous system plexus here is the inferior hypogastric plexus, and it connects the nerves for the uterus and cervix and the prostate. The rectum and bladder are also connected by this plexus.

2 – Svadhistana/Sacral Chakra:

This chakra is located slightly up from the root in the hips and sexual organs. It correlates with your adrenal glands and your genitalia and urinary system. Additionally, it relates to your emotions, sexuality, creativity, and senses. It may reflect itself in your intimacy with one on one relationships.

- The Endocrine system corresponding to it is our adrenal system which controls our immune system and metabolism
- The nervous system center here is the superior hypogastric plexus related to a hub of communication to all sexual organs in areas of fertility and reproduction.

3 – Manipura/Solar Plexus Chakra:

This chakra is located about the center of your spine, near the ribs and diaphragm. It is correlated also with your adrenal glands and your digestive system. This chakra focuses on your thoughts and feelings toward yourself.

- The Endocrine system it affects is our pancreas and plays a role in our metabolism.
- The nervous system responsible here may be the celiac plexus, which is the nerve communication center to the stomach, pancreas, and liver.

4 – Anahata/Heart Chakra:

As is in the name, this chakra is located at the heart and chest. It connects with your heart, thymus, and endocrine system. This chakra relates to love for yourself and others, whether that is friendships, romance, family, and strangers. It reflects itself in your ability to both create and feel connected with yourself and others and how safe you feel connecting with others.

- The Endocrine system related to this is our thymus gland and controlling our immune system
- The Nervous system function related here is the cardiac plexus which is responsible for communicating with all the nerves to and from the heart.

5 – Visshudha/Throat Chakra:

Located in the throat, it affects the areas surrounding such as your jaw, neck, mouth, and ears. Its focus is on your ability to communicate and express yourself freely while also knowing when to stay quiet and listen with compassion.

- Endocrine system affected by this is our thyroid gland which controls our body temperature and metabolism
- Nervous system related to this area is the pharyngeal plexus which connects all the nerves in the throat, including to the vocal cords

6 – Ajna/Third Eye:

Located in the forehead, above the center of your eyes. It is related to your intuition, imagination, personal wisdom, and insightfulness. It is related to how well you can see the truth of yourself and life around you while maintaining positivity.

- The Endocrine system related to this is our pituitary gland, and some believe our pineal gland. The pituitary controls all the glands.

7 – Sahasrara/Crown Chakra:

Situated at the top of your head, and connected to your pineal gland, pituitary, and central nervous system. Its focus is on how you see yourself as part of the universe and your place in it. It is related to inner wisdom, spirituality, and imagination.

- The endocrine system responsible here is the pineal gland, and it is responsible for our biological systems.

Chakra imbalance and anxiety or allergies

In accordance with the belief about chakras, when our energy does not flow correctly due to either a blockage or imbalance, then we will see the effects mirrored in our life. It can manifest in physical ailments related to the same area and mental and emotional repeats of themes related to the chakra.

The root chakra, for example, has shown to be related to high anxiety, panic attacks and therefore feeling insecure and needing to feel attached to others or situations you can control.

Physiologically, your adrenal medulla is overacting and creating hormones to be released telling your body that you are not safe except under certain conditions. Those conditions might be only if you are with a certain person, following a set routine, or only doing things that you are comfortable and familiar with.

Your need to be safe also reflects the inherent protection of your immune system. When your root chakra is out of balance, your body overreacts to the slightest increase in things around you. For example, suddenly, your allergies are reacting to things in the air that increased due to a fire, major winds, or sudden rain. Now there are more particles in the air than normal, so your body starts responding as if they are not safe for you. Your body is trying to recreate the “safe zone” that you normally operate in.

Final Thoughts on Removing Energy Imbalance and Improving Allergies and Anxiety

There are a lot of similarities that correspond with the belief surrounding chakras and how our body’s systems operate. Many of our illnesses, including anxiety and allergies, can easily correspond with our energy being imbalanced. When we are stressed, or our energy is “off,” we tend to get sick, emotionally down and mentally drained.

There are various things that one can do to help your body function well but can also keep your energy flowing freely. Maintaining a balanced diet, exercising, drinking water, practicing deep breathing, meditation, and yoga are just a few of the things that science proves beneficial for your overall well-being. These are the very things that you need for chakra balancing as well.

Is it a coincidence that your Chakras falling out of balance triggers allergies or raise anxiety levels? I don’t think so.

12 Reasons Why Resisting Change Is Bad For Your Life

January 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Change is inevitable. But not everyone wants to deal with change. It can be scary and overwhelming. It can pull the rug out from under your feet. And, it can make your world turn too quickly, or upside down. In fact, it can feel like your life is over! That’s why so many people avoid change.

But when you say “no” to change all the time, you’re doing yourself a disservice. There’s so much that you could gain from being more accepting of change!

Here Are 12 Reasons Why Resisting Change Is Bad For Your Life

1. You Deprive Yourself Of Great Things

Change is necessary for moving forward. It’s not possible to improve if things don’t change. Technically speaking, improvement itself is change. So even when change is frightening, remember that there is a possibility that it will lead you somewhere better.

Many times, when you turn down change, what you’re really doing is resisting growth and improvement. Learn to take a chance now and then, and you’d be surprised what a leap of faith can give you! Go ahead and start that side job, say yes to that date, seek better employment, or try learning a new skill.

2. You Never Get A Fresh Start

Sometimes, you don’t realize that what you need is a fresh start. Change can lead you to that new start, showing you new beginnings to chapters you didn’t even know could be in the book of your life.

A fresh start can be:

Starting a new job
Moving to a new place
Going to a new university
Joining a new community
Getting out of a bad relationship

No matter what your fresh start is, you’ll find yourself getting a chance to start all over again. You’re older, wiser, and more prepared the face challenges than you were before. You can do whatever you want with your newfound smarts!

3. You Don’t Get New Thoughts

Avoiding change means you never think in any new way. Your belief system, opinions, and thoughts never progress, just as you never do. For example:

Your political leaning is never re-evaluated
You don’t think twice about your opinions
You never seek personal emotional or mental growth

For some things, this isn’t the worst – but for the most part, this isn’t something to be proud of. You gather new information throughout the years of your life, which gets to inform your original thoughts and ideas. This type of personal growth is crucial to mental health, so your lack of positive thinking may be due to that stagnation.

4. You Stop Seeing New Things in New Ways

Tying into our previous point is the fact that change grants you new perspectives. It’s not all about mental shifts. Sometimes, they can be much more tangible. But they’re just as important! Examples of this type of new perspective are:

Finding out that you like living somewhere cooler or warmer than you initially thought you could stand
Discovering that you’re better at something than you originally believed you were
Living somewhere with a completely different view outside your window
Learning about a brand new culture that exposes you to new experiences and traditions

5. You Don’t Get To Move To Bigger Change

Change is scary when it happens all at once. What usually happens for most people who aren’t the enormous risk-taking type is that they work their way up to more substantial change. A small shift from one job to another within the same small area gets bigger and bigger until they move to their dream location with a job position they’ve always dreamed of.

It’s 100% valid to be so frightened of change that taking huge jumps from one polar opposite to another is just too much for you to handle. But that’s even more reason for you to stop resisting change now. If you don’t start taking baby steps in small changes, you’ll never be able to make the significant change you’re dreaming of.

6. You Forget To Be Grateful

As change continues to occur, you get a good reminder of what really matters in your life and what you want to appreciate. Without change, you’re stuck in one specific location, and it can make you complacent. You never come close to losing anything in your life, and therefore you start taking them all for granted.

Here are some other tips to boost gratitude:

Work on being compassionate to others
Practice mindfulness meditation to stimulate positive thinking
Spend time every evening reflecting on your day
Maintain a gratitude journal where you list at least three things you’re grateful for every day
Actively try to find the silver lining in situations
Instead of focusing on problems, focus on solutions and lessons you can learn

7. Your Mind Is A Beginner

This point sounds terrible, but hear us out! All humans have a mind that is continuously a beginner at many things – but it’s best suited to being in that state. Your brain is capable of learning a lot in a short period, and even things you aren’t that talented at, it is more than willing to learn.

Engaging in unfamiliar experiences can help revert your brain to a beginner in that area, allowing for great open-mindedness and receptiveness to learning. Without preconceived ideas, the mind is free to process new information without prejudice.

When was the last time you tried something new? Make an effort to give something new a try at least once per month. Examples of what you can do include:

Travel someone new
Try cooking a new meal
Dye your hair or try a unique fashion style
Join a class you’ve never joined
Take up a new hobby
Consume media in a genre you usually don’t like

8. You Are Delaying The Inevitable

Look, you have to face it – change is entirely inevitable. No matter how much you fight it or try to resist, you’re going to have to accept change into your life at some point. Nothing in life is constant – even the weather isn’t the same from one day to the next.

Resisting change, or trying to, on what you want to be a permanent basis, is essentially the same as being in denial. This inflexibility will only cause you:

To be taken by surprise when real change comes
To be unable to cope with unavoidable change
At-risk to be left behind by life

9. You Lose Your Humility

When you never experience anything different, your ego becomes stronger and stronger. You’re comfortable, you’re complacent, and you do not need a more positive attitude. All you know are your thoughts, the same routines, and the approval of the people you’ve always been around. You become stuck in your ways.

When you have new experiences, it reminds you that:

There are so many different people with different life circumstances, cultures, and perspectives out there
You’re not great at everything; there are many things you’re not good at without practice
Some people are going to dislike you, criticize you, or even make an enemy out of you – you’re not perfect

Humility allows you to make better decisions, enjoy clearer thoughts, and have a broader view of the world. It can also have positive effects on your mental health. Here are some other tips for being more humble:

Cultivate curiosity about unfamiliar things
Face your prejudices, opinions, and beliefs
Learn to put the needs of others first sometimes
Know you
Listen to others – their advice, their problems, their ideas, and more
Ask others for feedback
Don’t brag
Ask for help if you need it

10. You Stop Being Flexible

Flexibility is a useful trait to have, and it can help you manage unexpected hurdles and setbacks, even in your routine work. You’re going to have a bad day now and then, or something unexpected, will throw a wrench in your routines. If you cannot be flexible, even the smallest problem can ruin your entire effort.

It goes without saying that fighting change means letting any flexibility you could have built die. Here are some ways that you can be more flexible in life:

Accept that failure is a part of life; look for the message you can find in it
Take note of the way you tend to react and behave and see what you want to change
Set small goals and allow them to be adjusted if necessary
Learn to compromise with others and even put them first when need be

11. Vulnerability Can Be Beautiful

One of the scariest parts of change is that it leaves you open and vulnerable. You have to:

Step into an entirely new situation with no information
Do something new with little to no safety net
Accept that you don’t have all the answers
Understand that you can’t control everything in your life
Learn to tough difficult patches out for the positive light at the end

But this type of vulnerability can be beautiful. It contextualizes your emotions and shows you that you can be open, honest, and nervous and still be safe. It teaches you to process what you feel and move on.

12. You Forget How Strong You Are

When nothing ever changes in your life, you don’t have to put a lot of effort into persevering – there’s nothing to be perseverant about! But change can be overwhelming. It can be terrifying. It can be anxiety-inducing. And guess what? No matter what, you always survive change, even when it felt impossible at first.

Isn’t that a beautiful testament to your strength? If you can take all of that pain and difficulty and still come out on top, even when you feel helpless, alone, or like things are impossible, then who’s to say what else you can do?

Often, change makes you into who you are. It shapes your personality and makes you stronger, wiser, and, often, happier. So even though it can be intimidating, don’t be too frightened of change. You never know what amazing things will come with it!

Final Thoughts On Some Reasons Why Resisting Change Is Bad For Your Life

You cannot prevent change from happening, but you can control the type of move you invite into your life. The sooner you come to peace with the complexities and concepts of change, the faster your life can improve, and you can move on to achieve your goals.

20 Words to Encourage Anyone Coping with Grief

January 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Finding the right words to encourage a friend or loved one to cope with grief can be challenging.

Unfortunately, the people we love may eventually or unexpectedly go to the next world without us. When this happens, the grief you feel can be the hardest you face in your life. You need as much support and positive energy as possible at this difficult time. Here are twenty quotes and words to encourage anyone coping with a loss.

20 Words to Encourage You in Your Time of Grieving

Let these quotes do the talking–they might be just the right phrases.

1. “In the garden of memory, in the palace of dreams…that is where you and I shall meet.” ~ Lewis Carol

Even though the person is gone from this physical world, they are not entirely gone. They still live in our memories and our dreams. We can meet them again in our heads whenever we want. We can also see them in our favorite light. While it may be a romanticized version of the person we lost, it is a great way to keep them with us. We can also get these memories from pictures and our truths.

2. “God gave us memories so that we may have roses in December.” ~ J.M. Barrie

Memories can be powerful. Too often, people hold on to negative memories. However, negative memories are only going to hurt us even more. We may not be able to control how often we think of the person we miss, but we can try to focus on the good times and the good memories. Even through the sadness, those positive memories can help get us through.

3. “There are no happy endings.

Endings are the saddest part,

So just give me a happy middle

And a very happy start.” ~ Shel Silverstein

This child’s poet explains death in straightforward terms. While it’s sad to end a relationship through death, it is part of the cycle of life. Luckily, we had the middle and beginning. We should remember those times. We should forget the ending to the best of our ability.

4. “I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Some people who are grieving try their hardest not to cry. They don’t want to embarrass themselves or burden others with their struggles. However, it’s important to understand that crying is perfectly OK. Your tears are not a burden, and it’s healthy to express your feelings at this time.

5. “Loss does not change you… it reveals you.” ~ John Green

Many people say that they come out of losing a family member a completely different person. On the contrary, Green suggests that the process only exposes who you truly are. There is no time to lie or sugarcoat things during a loss. Hopefully, the process exposes a good side to everybody involved, and you all use words to encourage each other.

6. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” ~ C. S Lewis

What is the true cause of the pain when you experience loss? Many people don’t realize how closely the emotion is related to fear. Without the other person, you may feel like you’ve lost your support or your reason to live. You may be afraid about facing the rest of your life alone.

7. “Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face – I know it’s an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.” ~ Nicholas Sparks

People often struggle to face the reality of someone leaving this world. While they know it’s impossible, they may still look for the face of the person they miss. Maybe this is all a horrible dream. Unfortunately, that face will never show up ever again.

8. “So it’s true, when all is said and done, loss is the price we pay for love.” ~ E.A. Bucchianeri

Love is a fantastic emotion. Whether it’s toward a lover, parent, or child, it’s the reason we wake up every morning. Naturally, something this good has to have a cost. Loss and the way we feel when someone is taken from us is the charge for all of that joy.

9. “To weep is to make less the depth of grief.” ~ Shakespeare

If The Bard says it, we must listen. Shakespeare tells us that when we cry, the pain we feel lessens. The activity of crying and expressing our sadness can help us heal. Express yourself at therapy, a support group, or with friends. You can also take after Shakespeare and describe your feelings by writing about your experience. You will write your own words to encourage yourself and others. You can also paint or write music. Whatever helps, express yourself.

10. “Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.” ~ Sarah Dessen

Believe it or not, losing a loved one can make things in life more clear. After such a tragedy, many people see the world in a different light. Many times, certain things get put in to place. You may find what grounds you as a person.

11. “My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.” ~ Richard Adams

You are not alone. There are thousands upon thousands of other people who have suffered, too. That means there are thousands upon thousands of people to lean on when you want additional support. These people understand your pain in a natural way. Many of them have moved on to live full and happy lives. You can see for yourself that it is possible.

12. “The whole world can become the enemy when you lose what you love.” ~ Kristina McMorris

After a tragic loss, a person may feel attacked and distrustful of people. You should focus on words to encourage them to help them feel softer and connected to other people.

13. “No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.” ~ Faraaz Kazi

It’s sad but true. When you suffer a loss, the world continues while you go through it. You have to do your best to keep up with everything while also taking care of your mental health.

14. “Absence is a house so vast that inside you will pass through its walls and hang pictures on the air.” ~Pablo Neruda

When you lose a loved one, the emptiness is larger than anything you’ve felt before. You can’t escape it. Use words to encourage you to escape the emptiness for a while.

15. “Now I know that loss is a whetstone that sharpens all your love, all your happiest memories, into blades that tear you apart from within.” ~ Claudia Gray

Even the best memories can be painful after a loss. It becomes abundantly apparent that you will never experience those memories ever again. These thoughts that you can’t escape keep replaying in your head. Each one slowly kills you. The only hope is that the pain gets less with time.

16. “It is foolish to tear one’s hair in grief, as though sorrow would be made less by baldness.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Suffering can make people feel not only down but also self-destructive. Some people take their emotions out on themselves in many unhealthy ways.

For instance, some people will drink too much or take drugs. Other people will cut themselves. Others yet will hide from the world. None of these destructive behaviors lessens the pain. It only hurts us more.

Read to learn why talking to your loved one is okay as you mourn their loss.

17. “You believe you could not live with the pain. Such pain is not lived with. It is only endured. I am sorry.” ~ Erin Morgenstern

When suffering from a loss, it’s hard to look at life similarly. Unfortunately, this forces some people to exist merely instead of truly living and enjoying life. While it’s unfortunate, it’s part of the process of grieving. With time, they should find joy again.

18. “No journey out of grief was straightforward. There would be good days and bad days.” ~ Jojo Moyes

You may think that the pain is over. However, it might just be on hold. Expect each day to be different. Hopefully, you’ll start to have more good days than bad days.

19. “Each of us has his rhythm of suffering.” ~ Roland Barthes

People express their pain in different ways. Some people are more expressive about it than others. Some people do things that other people wouldn’t do. Use words to encourage each other instead of arguing over who handles the situation best. You’re both in pain.

20. “The only way to end grief was to go through it.” ~ Holly Black

This process is one of those things that you must go through for it to start going away. You need to allow yourself to feel the pain, fear, and loneliness you feel.

Final Thoughts: May These Quotes Encourage and Strengthen You as You Face Your Grief

These twenty quotes and words to encourage you won’t be able to make you feel 100% better. That may never happen at all. However, do what you can to give yourself that boost you need to get you through. Nothing can bring them back, but you can be happy again one day. Remember them fondly and create new memories.

6 Ways To Stop Overthinking Everything And Win Your Mind Back

January 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Do you overthink even the smallest of things? Do you lose energy, time, and joy by worrying and envisioning all the worst situations? Are you always stressed out over the strangest things, often with no real payoff or to an irrational extent that never seems grounded in reality? Well, you’re definitely not alone!

Overthinking is a difficult habit to overcome, especially since it can often happen without your explicit control. You’re not making yourself overthink intentionally – it’s just happening! But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to circumvent these intrusive and anxiety-inducing thoughts.

6 Ways To Stop Overthinking Everything And Win Your Mind Back

1. Replace The Thought

Overthinking is, when you break it down, really just a collection of negative thoughts, typically spawning from one single bad thought that spirals from there. It’s not possible to tell yourself to stop thinking about something cold turkey, so do this instead – replace the harmful idea with something better.

· Step 1

Take notice of when you start getting stuck in your overthinking. Being aware of your thoughts is your first step to overcoming them. If you can never tell when you’re slipping into bad thinking habits, how can you stop it from happening?

· Step 2

Try some cognitive restructuring; take the thought you’re having and reframe it so that your worries begin to seem very implausible. For example, if you’re worried about getting toxic shock syndrome from a tampon despite your conscientious and safe tampon usage, consider the chances of you developing TSS at all – so rare that there’s barely a case a year in many countries!

· Step 3

Make the thought positive. Turn the negative statement that you have into something hopeful and optimistic. For example, instead of saying that you’re stuck in a dead-end job, say that you want a better career and start working towards that. Notice the difference: one is a defeatist statement, and the other takes control.

· Step 4

Find ways to learn. When something terrible happens, instead of focusing on how it’s going to ruin your life or on how you’ve messed up terribly, ask: “How can I fix this?” or “What lesson can I learn from this?” Focus on finding solutions, not on the problem!

· Step 5

Ground yourself. If you’re panicking, try using grounding techniques. Look around you and take note of what your senses are experiencing. What can you see, smell, hear, taste, and feel? Focus on those things until you’ve calmed your thoughts a little.

2. Change The Structure Of Your Day

There could be something about your day that is affecting your ability to process or parse thoughts rationally. Typically, there are causes of stress hovering around your daily schedule that cause your nerves to be frayed, opening the door for more unhelpful overthinking. Here’s how you can change the structure of your day to reduce these effects:

· Start The Day Right

Find a positive habit to incorporate into your morning routine. You can exercise, read a book, play some tunes you love – anything that gets you in a good mood, and ready to tackle the day!

· Don’t Begin With The News

If your first step every day is to read the news, you’re likely to read a lot of potentially upsetting or unhappy stories. Keeping yourself informed is admirable, but do that later in the day – maybe during your lunch – instead of when you’re barely even properly awake.

· Do The Hardest Things First

It’s effortless to want to put off difficult tasks until the last minute, but don’t do this! As you lose energy throughout the day, you will also lose motivation and focus, causing you to feel very stressed out at your inability to get things done. It also means that something you have to do could wind up being done poorly or pushed to another day.

· Do One Task At A Time

Multitasking sounds like something impressive, but the idea that it’s a mark of a sound mind is mostly a myth. No one functions at full capacity when their focus is divided – and if you’re an overthinker, you’ll likely get even more stressed out.

· Take Breaks

It’s very easy to get stuck on a task for hours when you’re very stressed out and probably overthinking its every aspect. Set the alarm once every 50 minutes, walk around or breathe for 10 minutes, and then go back to work. You’d be surprised what a short break can do for your positive thinking!

· Keep Your Input Tight

In this digital age, we’re constantly absorbing information – from emails, news, social media, websites. Everything! This media barrage just gives you even more things to overthink. Reduce how much input you’re receiving in a day.

3. Don’t Fall For Vague Fears

The most difficult thoughts to overcome are vague ones. They’re not coherent enough for you to find rational rebuttals for, but they’re just worry-inducing sufficient to spend days mulling over. Don’t fall into that trap!

The next time you start feeling anxious about something, ask yourself:

What’s the worst that can happen in this scenario?
What am I anxious about?
How likely are the scenarios I’m envisioning?
What is the specific problem triggering this stress?
What can I do about this issue now?

This can help to contextualize your fears, helping you to see that, under all that worry and fear, there really isn’t much substance to many of them.

4. Use Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations can work wonders on your self-esteem. You’ve probably heard that continual insults can cause a person to embody those insults and make them real eventually. If that’s a widely accepted idea, then why not the other way around – using positive statements to bring good things into your life?

Make yourself a couple of good positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself every day in the mirror. Say them to yourself with conviction and don’t waver. It will feel a little silly at first, but before long, you will start to believe in your words and change your actions. Some examples of positive affirmations to reduce overthinking are:

I’m capable of making intelligent decisions.
I will learn to trust my gut instinct.
I do not allow overwhelming thoughts to control me.
I’m in control of my thoughts.
My mind is my own.
I am smart enough to choose wisely.
I remain anchored no matter what life has in store for me.

5. Put A Deadline On Decisions

One of the biggest ways that overthinking can mess you up is by making it difficult to make decisions. You’re too busy overthinking to make a choice! You might:

Second-guess every thought or instinct you have
Spend hours researching the decision, especially to look up how bad it can get
Attempt to plan for every single obscure outcome
Try to please multiple people with your decision
Become frightened that no matter what you choose, it will end up going south

It’s, unfortunately, not as simple as saying, “Alright, I’m going to stop overthinking now,” because you won’t be able to – at least, not at first. So give yourself a deadline for each decision. For example, a simple decision shouldn’t take longer than an hour, a more complicated or emotion-fueled decision should be slept on for one night only, and a life-changing decision shouldn’t take longer than a week.

Once you’ve made a choice, move on and deal with whatever comes your way. If you find yourself feeling anxious about the decision or continuing to obsess over it long after you’ve made it, dedicated 15 minutes of your day precisely to “worry time.” You may only worry about this choice during that time frame. Whenever anxious thoughts pop into your head outside of your 15 minutes, push them aside, and save them for your worry time.

Read advice from researchers on how to make the best decisions.

6. Take Care Of Your Health

We hear all the time that a healthy body equates to a healthy mind, and while that’s an oversimplification, it’s undoubtedly generally true. Here are some ways to take care of yourself that can help reduce overthinking and other anxiety symptoms.

· Exercise

Working out can relieve stress, and while it isn’t a miracle cure by any means, it proves to have positive effects on anxiety and anxiety symptoms.

Exercise also releases feel-good hormones that can help boost your mood, reducing the poor thoughts, and improving control of your mind.

· Eat Well

Unhealthy foods can worsen symptoms of anxiety and severely decrease your positive thinking in the long run. You should focus on consuming whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins as opposed to sugars and refined carbohydrates.

Also, the health of your gut and its microbiome balance has been linked to mental health problems, too – so that’s even more reason to eat well!

· Sleep Enough

Getting good quality sleep is essential, but when you overthink everything, that’s easier said than done. It’s a vicious cycle – you need good sleep to reduce stress and anxiety, but when you’re stressed out from overthinking, it’s hard to get positive sleep!

Things that can help you fall asleep include maintaining a suitable bedroom temperature, invest in blackout curtains, using earplugs, or taking supplements and medication (but speak to your doctor first!). You should also try and wind down with relaxing activities beginning an hour before bed.

Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. If you’re having difficulty, know that just lying down and resting with your eyes closed is better than nothing! Relax, breathe deeply, and let yourself lie quietly instead of getting up and burning more energy.

Final Thoughts On Some Ways To Stop Overthinking Everything And Win Your Mind Back

It’s okay to feel worried and anxious about your life. It’s okay to be afraid. And, really, it’s okay if overthinking is something you do now and then. But when it starts to take over your entire life, and when you stop being able to control your thoughts, it’s a severe problem.

Remember, you have control over your mind, your thoughts, and your actions. It’s not easy, but with a little effort and positive thinking, you can stop overthinking everything and rewind your mind from yourself.

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

Every day is a day to shine. Shine on!