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4 Steps to Stop Thinking (If You Can’t)

November 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Just in case you haven’t noticed: your mind is an incessant chatterbox. You might feel that you are thinking too much, perhaps even depriving yourself of sleep. Estimates regarding how many thoughts we have are various. Some estimates place the number of times we think daily at 12,000, 15,000 on the low end, or even as high as 50,000 to 70,000.

There exists much debate as to the accuracy of these numbers. For apparent reasons, it is impossible to quantify or place a number on something as abstract as ‘thoughts.’ Few people will argue that thinking a little less would be nice.

The good news is that, while we can’t stop thoughts, we can slow them down drastically. Contemplatives have been doing so for centuries. But you needn’t be a Buddhist monk or live in an ashram to slow down your thinking.

This article will provide a simple 4-step method of slowing down those racing thoughts. It is vital to know how the brain produces ideas – if not only for your sanity. This knowledge alone may make it easier to relax – and thus, have fewer thoughts.

Let’s get to it!

Why do we think so much?

“The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10 thousand other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe.”

~ Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist

We, humans, are head and shoulders above the intellect of any animal. One need only look at the accomplishments of humankind for this fact to become crystal clear. However marvelous the human mind may be, it’s the sole source of all our misery.

No honest scientist can answer the question, “What is a thought?” They don’t know. The only thing that we know is that all of us have them. But we do know a few things about the human brain. For example:

– It contains nearly 100 billion neurons (‘brain cells’). Each of these cells connects to another 10 thousand neurons.

– There are trillions of neural connections within the brain.

– Thinking correlates with certain parts of the brain, most of which sit in the outer part of the brain, the cortex.

– The frontal lobe is responsible for complex thinking tasks, including reasoning, planning, voluntary movement, and some speech. It resides under the forehead.

Michio Kaku, the man quoted above, is one of the world’s most respected theoretical physicists (Einstein’s line of work). Theoretical physics is an extraordinarily complicated field that “employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena.”

But, according to Kaku, it’s not the most complicated. Not even close. What is? The brain.

The Intricacy of the Human Brain

To put it mildly, the human brain is inconceivably intricate. Neuroscientists and other experts freely admit that we are in the dark about how the brain works. This unclarity includes how we think.

One of the things that we know is that a bunch of areas of the brain are associated with an activity that is always on. Scientists call these parts the default mode network or DMN. Links occur between DMN activity and mental disorders–depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

In short, the intricate connections across all brain areas have much to do with why we think so much. To say nothing of the more primordial structures of the brain such as the amygdala and medulla, which keep us in an “always-ready” mode. Little doubt that habitual thinking is influenced by these areas as well.

Internal and External Distractions

“…information consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Herbert Simon, Nobel Prize-winning Economist We, humans, have rather poor attention spans. Even before the massive influx of mobile gadgets, humans have struggled to maintain their focus on anything. The former sparked an enormous research effort in the mid-2000s to determine if attention had “shrunk.” Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case.

Instead, the inherent structure of the brain is to “blame” for our limited attention skills. The brain circuits responsible for focusing attention always face a “pull” from internal and external distractions.

Internal distractions are those that originate from our bodies and minds. For example, anxiety, boredom, and tension. External distractions are those that stem from elsewhere. These include outside noises from people and events.

In his book Focus, The Hidden Driver of Excellence, Daniel Goleman puts internal distractions into two categories: sensory and emotional. Goleman adds: “The sensory distractors are easy … Your brain weeds out the continuous wash of background sounds, shapes and colors, tastes, smells, sensations, and on and on.”

The emotional distractors? Well, those aren’t so easy. “More daunting is the second variety of lures: emotionally loaded signals,” Goleman says. Even the most focused individuals, Goleman continues, have difficulty sustaining attention during “the emotional turmoil of our lives.”

4 Steps to Stop Thinking (If You Can’t)

“Thinking has become a disease. Disease happens when things get out of balance.”~ Eckhart Tolle

First and foremost, we must understand one crucial thing about stopping thinking: we can not force it to happen. Need proof?

Try to not think of a pink elephant in your mind’s eye. Sit quietly for the next five minutes and try not to think of a pink elephant.

If you’re anything like 99.999% of humans, one of the first things that you think of is a pink elephant. Why? Because of the power of suggestion. Your brain’s structure and function are designed to create novel mental images (such as a pink elephant.)

Again, stopping or slowing down thinking has nothing to do with willpower. It is this willpower that gets us into trouble in the first place. We cannot force the mind to do something it doesn’t want to do.

However, we can train the mind. It’s not easy, but we can do it. And we should.

Here are four steps to help you stop overthinking:

1 – Relax

No, we’re not kidding. Mental and physical tension is a slippery slope to negativity and fruitless thinking. Before you can even get a whiff of what it’s like not to think, you must bring your body and mind to a state of ease.

The Relaxation Response, an empirical method to counteract the “fight or flight” mechanism of the brain, is an effective way to initiate relaxation.

Here is how to elicit the Relaxation Response:

1) Sit in a quiet, comfortable place

2) Close your eyes or leave them just slightly open

3) Progressively relax all muscles of the body, starting with the feet, upwards to the head

4) Count your breaths. Silently say “one” on the inhale and “one on the exhale; “two” on the next inhale and “two” on the next exhale. Do this to a count of ten and start again.

5) Practice for 10 to 20 minutes. Remain seated for a few minutes as your mind and body adjust.

2 – Practice acceptance

Acceptance is crucial to slow down thinking. What is acceptance? It is the removal of aversion. Aversion is the mind’s constant need for things to be different than they are in the present moment.

When we want things to be different than they are, we often contemplate our current situation. Actually, ‘contemplate’ is too sweet of a word. We ruminate. We can’t stop thinking about how we wish for things to be different.

Practicing acceptance, while a simple concept, is compelling. In a study published in the Journal of Dual Diagnosis, participants with depressive symptoms who undertook a three-month Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) course “had higher quiet rates and lower depressive symptoms” than other non-study participants.

How do you practice acceptance? By actually perceiving and acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In other words, not running away from things. Again, pretty simple – but not easy.

3 – Manage and train your attention

Too often, we allow our attention to be pushed and pulled around by internal and external influences. It is crucial that we systematically eliminate these influences. This is called managing your attention – and it is essential.

Here, again, we cannot force the mind to do anything. But every one of us can choose to rid ourselves of the things that threaten to hijack our focus. “Concentration requires a kind of relaxed attention,” says Mark Ashton Smith, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Essex, “not one that is over-controlling.”

We train our attention by engaging in activities that strengthen our base level of concentration. Perhaps the best attention training platform is focused attention meditation or FAM.

FAM involves choosing an ‘anchor’ of attention, usually your breath or a mantra, and focusing on it single-pointedly. Whenever you notice that your attention has wandered, gently bring it back to the anchor. (Notice the word gently. Do not be harsh with yourself.)

4 – Begin again

We’ll keep this last one short. It is human nature to want to strive to “achieve” something, even if it’s slowing down your thinking. What we need to do now is to let things progress naturally. Stop the business of striving.

When you fall short in these practices, dare to begin again. Training your mind to stop thinking is tough work. Your mind will, no doubt, try and derail your efforts.Don’t allow that. Simply begin again.

Never Ignore These Foods to Help Avoid a Stroke

November 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Sometimes things happen in life that you cannot control. These can include life disasters, unexpected car accidents, and family illnesses. What you can do is do your best to prepare for these through preventative actions that will minimize their impact if they occur. You don’t drive your car without a seatbelt, for example. You should also consider implementing stroke prevention by selecting healthy foods.

Granted, you might not be able to know 100% if you’ll have a stroke. But you can take steps to avoid one.

Eating a well-balanced diet and exercising are keys to staying healthy. You have the power to take charge of your choices and make the right ones. Learn the foods that can help you in this fight.

What is a stroke?

Doctors classify most strokes as ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes though in both cases, the same result happens.

Ischemic stroke

The most common type of problem, the Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the neck or the brain gets blocked. The blockage can be a blood clot, thrombosis, which moves throughout the body to plant itself in the brain.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A hemorrhagic problem is one that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures. Hemorrhagic strokes are most common in people with high blood pressure.

What are the signs of a stroke?

Not everyone will experience all the signs of strokes, but you should be aware of what could be happening to you.

1 – Physical Weakness

You might mistake the weakness for fatigue, but it is more of a weakness that seems to permeate your body. The feeling may confine itself to only one side of your body, face, or limbs. Your face may even reflect the weakness of the impending problem with one side dropping.

Your limb or limbs might tingle, or they may feel like there are pins in certain portions of your body. If you have any of these sensations, you should call 911 as soon as you can. Treatment is available in the emergency room, and doctors can minimize the impact with prompt treatment.

2 – Headache

A severe headache is a common occurrence in the strokes that happen in younger women. Experiencing an acute headache or migraine can be a sign that one may be coming, and your risk has increased. This symptom happens to older people who are at risk for strokes, as well.

3 – Disorientation

Many women who are at risk can start to have vertigo with the feeling of nauseous and dizziness. These signs are easy to ignore, as many people would think they are just fatigued. It may be just a minor feeling, but if nausea results in vomiting and doesn’t end, then it’s a sign there may be more of a problem than a severe stomach bug.

Your behavior might also indicate a problem with your head as hallucination and agitation are common signs of a pending problem. You may not be acting like yourself during this time. Your agitation and slurred speech indicate a more significant challenge.

4 – Trouble walking or moving

Problems walking are also a sign as an ominous sign. You might feel the disorientation and lack of balance as you try to walk. You might have difficulty standing or even doing basic walking. Your coordination problems can be because of a lack of blood supply to your brain. T

The lack of blood to your brain can also result in sudden seizures or fainting spells. A medical test can indicate whether there is a blockage or if there are other unknown problems.

Understanding the risks of having strokes is key to knowing what might be happening to you.

What causes a stroke to occur?

There are several reasons for you to have strokes, and most of them are lifestyle-related. Knowing the signs of having strokes and why they can happen are keys to trying to avoid them happening.

1 – High blood pressure

Having high blood pressure damages your arteries. Having damaged arteries makes it more likely to cause a blockage. There are ways to take charge of high blood pressure through diet and exercise.

2 – Tobacco use

Tobacco use, smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco increase the buildup in your arteries and cause severe constriction. Your chance of having strokes increases if you smoke. Just being around the smoke, called second-hand smoke, increases your chances of having strokes.

3 – Heart disease

Heart disease with irregular heartbeats and defective heart valves can results in strokes as the body is unable to function correctly. Damaged blood vessels make the likelihood of strokes occurring more probable.

4 – Alcohol

Drinking alcohol in large amounts results in the increase in your blood pressure and the chances of strokes. Alcohol raises your blood pressure, which causes strokes. You are also more likely to develop other types of problems like diabetes.

5 – Lack of exercise

Being overweight comes with numerous health problems, but there it is directly connected to having strokes. Exercise helps you lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk. You also make your blood vessels stronger and less likely to have strokes. Your blood vessels are stronger and will be less likely to have strokes through blockages.

6 – Medication

Multiple types of medicines can increase your chances of strokes. Birth control pills, hormone therapy, and blood-thinning drugs can cause strokes. Reading all the possible downsides of medications is a must before taking them.

7 – High cholesterol

Eating a poor diet full of saturated fats can cause blockages and cause strokes. Cholesterol is found in dairy, meat, and eggs and in consumed in large amounts, can cause plaque to build up in your arteries. While the body does produce and need small amounts of cholesterol, a diet that contains large quantities can be detrimental to your overall health.

Foods that help prevent a stroke

Eating a well-balanced diet can do amazing things for your brain and your body. Eating foods that are natural blood thinners can help as well, like turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon.

1 – Citrus Fruits

The connection between fruit and a reduced risk of multiple health problems form many studies even today to gain more information. The consumption of citrus fruits is notable because they are full of flavonoids, which reduces the risk of developing clots and other things that can damage the brain.

2 – Leafy Green Vegetables

Many leafy green vegetables are incredibly healthy for you and provide an extensive list of reasons to eat them. Increased servings of vegetables, five or more a day, lower the risks of strokes.

Eating a Mediterranean diet, which includes a large helping of leafy greens, can reduce the risk of having strokes by up to 60 percent.

3 – Whole Grains

Whole grains are good for multiple health benefits. Consumption of whole grains adds a rich dose of fiber to any diet. They are also full of antioxidants and other beneficial components for the health of the entire person; the higher the whole grain intake, the lowers the risk of strokes.

4 – Dark Chocolate

Most people do not need a reason to eat dark chocolate, but dark chocolate is full of polyphenols, flavonols, and other antioxidants, which are extremely good for you. The extreme concentration of cocoa on LDL cholesterol and insulin makes it an excellent way to give yourself a treat and fight health problems.

5 – Nuts

Adding an ounce of nuts to your daily diet can reduce the chance of strokes by at least half. Foods rich in healthy fats reduced the risk of having strokes considerably.

6 – Coffee

Coffee is an excellent way to start a day. It is also a way to help reduce the risks associated with having an ischemic attack. It requires at least 4 cups a day to be preventative, though.

7 – Tea

Green tea, when prepared with distilled water, helped to remove the free radicals in the body. Green tea offers you some of the most amazing antioxidants, and it includes the ability to protect the brain from injury and help the body stay functional.

8 – Bananas

Eating a banana a day will leave you with a healthier heart and a hefty dose of potassium. Consuming at least 4,000 milligrams of potassium a day can help you reduce your chances of having strokes. A banana is 500 milligrams of potassium, which is a good start for any day.

9 – Garlic

Garlic provides for a decrease in LGL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) with an increase in HDL cholesterol (Good Cholesterol). The reduction of risk for an Ischemic attack by at least 50%.

10 – Probiotics

Eating a diet loaded with probiotics can help clean up your system. Probiotics are gut health microbes that help clean the digestive system and help you digest food. Yogurts, some cottage cheese, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kefir are terrific ways to ingest these live active cultures.

Foods to Avoid for Aiding in Stroke Prevention

You should eat specific foods, only sparingly or not at all. The damage these foods do to the body can result in strokes.

1 – Red meat

Red meat can be part of a regular diet, but large portions of red meat are not suitable for your body. It has large amounts of saturated fat, which indicates a 50% increased chance of having a stroke. Saturated fat blocks arteries and red meat is full of it and should be minimized or eliminated from a regular diet.

2 – Salt

Adding large amounts of salt to foods or eating canned or processed foods adds large quantities of salt to your diet. Salt is both a seasoning and preservative. Although the body does need some salt to function, the amounts contained in processed and canned foods raise blood pressure and increase the chances of having a stroke.

Final Thoughts on Becoming Resistant to Strokes Through Your Foods

Sometimes genetic factors create the situation for strokes, but often how you live your life can make these problems higher. Being aware of what you can do to make yourself healthier can help you take charge of your health. Eating a well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats like fish can make your body stronger and reduce your risk of stroke.

There are many different types of food you can eat that will help keep yourself active and healthy. Making healthy food choices is in your power, and you can make the right choices for your future. Seasoning food right and making it taste incredible can help you make your transition to a healthy lifestyle.

Scientists Explain How Lithium Can Be Used to Fight Climate Change

November 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Much of our everyday life is powered through lithium-ion batteries, including cell phones, laptops, power tools, and vacuum cleaners. To us, they make things more portable, are lighter, slimmer, rechargeable, and last decently longer than their counterpart batteries made of nickel-cadmium. In short, they make things more convenient. Many governments around the globe see lithium as the new “Gold Rush.” Furthermore, they view it as a crucial resource for fighting climate change.

President Trump stated that it, along with a few other resources, is vital to our national and economic security. To science, lithium is the answer to climate change. Scientists explain how lithium humankind can use this material to fight climate change.

What is lithium?

Some of us know lithium as the medication to treat bipolar disorder. Lithium carbonite is one of the oldest medicines that doctors prescribe for bipolar disorder. A different component of lithium is what we use to power many of our standard devices.

Lithium-ion has competed with nickel-cadmium batteries since the 1990s. Lithium-ion is proving to be more beneficial for the future of climate change. Its energy density is twice that of nickel-cadmium, and it discharges its energy at half the amount. Yet, its life length can be inconsistent. Some last a year where others last up to 5 years. That is an issue that manufacturers have been working on and are making good strides. Storage temperatures have proven to play a factor. Lithium is best stored in colder environments and should always maintain a 40% charge even when not in use for sustainability.

It also is very sensitive to heat. As a result, all lithium-ion batteries have a protection circuit to limit its voltage output to prevent overheating or exploding. For this reason, lithium has travel or transporting limitations. Above a particular strength, it requires specific safety regulations to transport.

There is another form of lithium used, but it fails, so far, to produce enough energy to be overall beneficial. This is a lithium polymer. It is wafer-thin, and rather than creating a charge, it allows for ions to transfer. This version is used primarily in the strips of our credit and debit cards, identification cards, security cards, and such.

Where is lithium found, and how do we extract it?

Lithium is found in a small percentage of the earth’s crust. While it makes up a small percentage, it is relatively abundant but can be costly or difficult to mine. Oddly enough, lithium prefers to be in the water, so it tends to travel within the earth’s crust, following the groundwater.

Certain areas around the globe contain more lithium than others. For instance, there is a desert basin that is located in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. And, volcanic rock in Australia, the United States, and Canada and have clays comprised of lithium.

Lithium occurs naturally when volcanic rock mixes with a lot of water and high heat. The movement of tectonic plates under the earth’s surface stirs the mixture together. There are three varieties of lithium which serve as the source; clays, brine, and pegmatites, or volcanic rock.

Pegmatites

Pegmatites are the result of multiple, incompatible minerals converging as magma from volcanoes slowly cools. Since the minerals are incompatible, they resist forming together to create one crystal for as long as possible. Eventually, certain minerals do join together, forming crystals and separate from the magma. Lithium prefers to be in a liquid. Therefore, it remains in the magma until it concentrates and is locked into the cooling and hardening magma.

Before the 1990s, this was the primary source of lithium despite it being a costly process.

Brine

If you cook, you know of brine as a saltwater concentration. Researchers discovered in the 1990s that lithium creates a brine as well. Due to its preference for being in a liquid, there are naturally made brine deposits of lithium in groundwater. The largest current source is the Lithium triangle of Argentine, Chile, and Bolivia.

It is located within the salt flats that exist there in the Andes mountains. Obtaining it is relatively easy in that they pump out the water into a large area and allow the water to evaporate. After the water has evaporated, miners add certain minerals to separate the salt from the lithium. Currently, this is the most significant source of lithium.

Clay

Clay is essentially hardened mud. In the quest for lithium, we are searching for locations in which a volcano had existed, deposited pegmatites, and groundwater is currently washing over these rocks. That groundwater, now enriched with lithium, flows to a larger water source, like a lake where it then deposits the lithium.

Understanding this process makes The United States a prime area for such deposits. Our continent is rich with old volcanoes and lake beds.

The downside to this process is that it requires open mining and additional extraction of the lithium to separate it from other minerals. Multiple companies are working on finding a cost-effective manner in which do this.

Our future in lithium

The competition to become a source for the production of lithium is akin to oil production. As countries are moving from global interdependence to a more self-dependent economy, being a country that can provide lithium for its uses plus sell it to other countries holds a substantial financial key to their future success.

According to Science News, almost half of the demand for lithium will be for electric-powered vehicles by 2025. Demand globally should increase by 300% over the next decade or two. This anticipated demand arises from the increase in electric cars. Currently, there are 2 million electric vehicles. Statisticians predict 24 million such vehicles on the roads by 2030. This demand includes electric buses, trucks, and planes. This does not include the continued need for our tech, electronic goods, and energy grids. Many states and countries are looking to provide an alternative for consistent electricity in place of inconsistent solar or wind.

One new method of providing clean energy is utilizing already operating geothermal plants to extract minerals, primarily lithium. The idea is based on the fact that geothermal plants already are operating below the earth’s surface, where the internal water temperature is already scorching and has created a brine. This hot water is piped out, producing steam as it cools. It is this steam that turns the turbines that generate electricity. The now cooled water is then re-piped back to the reservoir to continue the process.

Final Thoughts: Mining Lithium for Fighting Climate Change

It has been the intention to take advantage of this process to extract minerals rather than establishing a separate mining operation. Up until recently, this has not been able to be put in place successfully. One company, EnergySource, believes it has found a method and is working on creating it in the Salton Sea located in Imperial Valley in California.

In addition to creating a new method of lithium extraction, researchers hope to reactivate geothermal plants that have decreased in use due to their expense. Geothermal energy production is a clean energy source that has proven to be more consistent than solar and wind. With the addition of lithium extraction, its benefits toward a greener climate and clean energy could make a significant impact.

Lithium has permeated our daily lives in its multitudes of uses. It provides us medication to grease to shatter-proof glass and batteries. It has a wide range of benefits for the future of green and clean energy. If there is anything we have learned from our past exploits in mining out a mineral, there are repercussions as well. Scientists explain how lithium can be used to fight the speed of climate change by reducing fossil fuel use and by conjoining with geothermal energy plants.

We could limit the harmful impact mining can have on the environment by taking advantage of reinitializing geothermal plants. This also creates clean energy that is already drilled into the earth’s crust, which means we’ll gain two great clean resources while limiting the rate of climate change.

5 Ways Mentally Strong People Control Their Emotions

November 7, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Many in society right now are expressing pent-up emotions regarding injustices, unfair acts, and world tragedies. People feel an increased need to feel they are heard and understood once they uncap that bottle. Mentally strong people recognize this.

Being able to express yourself is essential to growth and your own mental and physical health. With that expression, control of your emotions is also vital. Learning to control your gut reactions does not mean you cannot express yourself.

Instead, it means you can recognize that your emotions come and go like the tide, and you don’t need to hold onto them. Having a grasp on your feelings is a sign of maturity and mental strength. Here are five ways mentally strong people use to control their emotions.

The power of expressing your emotions

Many of us have been taught to “suck it up” when we have strong emotions. This result is us “sucking it up” by smoking cigarettes, doing drugs, drinking alcohol, being anxious, and possibly depressed. Yet the study above and other studies have shown that emotions’ initial biological and physiological responses are instantaneous. We have relatively no control over experiencing them. Yet once we can tell ourselves, ” I feel angry, sad, frustrated,” or whichever emotion, we become aware, can decrease its effect and then take control. It is not about attempting to suppress or deny our inclinations. It is the exact opposite, which makes them controllable.

Learning healthy ways to express emotions is vital to mental and emotional health. A study conducted at UCLA provided an image of the brain after the participant received a label. Subjects were given pictures of an angry or sad person. A particular region of the brain called the amygdala lit up. The amygdala is responsible for setting off alarms to other regions that we are in danger.

When the subjects labeled the image as an “angry face,” the activity in the brain decreased in the amygdala but increased in the right prefrontal cortex. This area is responsible for thinking in words about emotional responses as well as possibly processing emotion and suppressing behavior. This is a display of how putting words to our emotions can help decrease their intensity.

Suppression is not the same as controlling your emotions

Attempting to suppress emotions just makes them worse. Your body is now just building up the initial emotion and whatever garbage you are throwing on top in an attempt to bury it. You still felt the emotion, but now you compounded and confused it with other feelings. This state creates stress on your mind and body.

That stress creates various physical responses that mimic the physiological reaction of different emotions. Until you have identified the initial emotion, de-tangled the additional emotions that became added in, and acknowledged what it made you feel, the stress will continue. Thus, you will continue to trigger or feel that emotion.

Emotions vs. Feelings

Did you know that emotions and feelings are different? The majority of people use the words interchangeably, but they do have different meanings.

Emotions are a reaction to a stimulus, either internal or external. We can react to a memory or to hearing a baby cry. This reaction releases hormones and neurochemicals in our brain and body. These chemicals are to ensure that we are physically able to respond.

Feelings are still a reaction but with a meaning behind it. In other words, there is a recognition of the emotion you are feeling, mixed with your interpretation of it based on your life or the meaning you place upon the event triggering the emotion.

Further distinguishing differences include:

Length of time they last. Emotions are almost instantaneous and leave almost as quickly. Feelings are what we have attached to the emotions and will last longer. Such as, being happy to see someone can become a feeling of love.
Which came first? We form feelings off of emotions. Therefore, emotions come first.
Which has a stronger reaction? Emotions are more intense because they are created to spur us into action. Feelings entail more analysis lessening their intensity.
Which are processed? Emotions are almost instant. Therefore we do not process them as quickly. Feelings are thought out, resulting in more processing.
Emotions, due to their intended purpose, are difficult to control. Feelings can be controlled over time and with proper methods.

Being able to recognize that emotions are sudden reactions and are meant to be felt and then discarded if no action is required is an important understanding of how to control our emotions and feelings. You are going to have strong gut instincts that may or may not make sense at the time. They are just a flash of a stimulus. It’s the feeling that we place on those emotions that can make or break us. By understanding that we can label these sentiments and then let them go as they are meant to, we gain control.

When we cling to our responses and give them more meaning than they should have, it is when they begin to control us.

Methods mentally strong people use to control their emotions

Given the previous section, it is more our feelings than our emotions that mentally strong people learn to control. After all, the emotion is gone. What is left is the feeling that we associated with that emotion and the meaning that we give it. Here are five ways mentally strong people use to control their emotions and feelings.

1 – Label the emotion and feeling.

The first part of this article emphasized the importance of labeling an emotion. We don’t need to create a long story about how or why we felt the emotion. We felt it. What was it? Give it its name.

It is additionally beneficial to become more emotionally intelligent. In other words, they become more familiar and specific with a variety of names for emotions. We have quite a few simple and complex feelings. The more specific you can be, the better. Just saying “I felt hurt” may not truly express what emotion you felt. Whereas saying I felt “rejected” puts a more specific meaning to the general hurt and labels the feeling.

2 – Respect your body’s needs.

What this means is that your body and brain are processing all of your gut reactions and feelings 24/7. It requires a release of that stress through exercise, time to process through proper sleep, and energy through a balanced diet and hydration. We cannot emphasize this reality enough.

Studies continue to show that these three things are essential for your brain to process information. A lack of sleep, improper diet, or not relieving stress has shown to exasperate your anxiety level, decrease your ability to problem solve, concentrate, and plan. All of these are negatives if you are looking to gain control of your responses and feelings.

3 – Question the emotion and feelings.

Too often, we hang onto emotions and feelings because we think they must have some greater meaning.

“Omg. I must be stressed about this test because I am not prepared”.

It is possible that you are stressed about that test because tests make people feel pushed to perform, and emotions are created to spur us into action. Your body is creating a physical sensation of anxiety to give you that extra push it believes you need. Therefore, take a few deep breaths, calm your body, and your mind will follow.

Ask yourself if you need that emotion or if it is doing more harm than good. Anger is great when you need to defend yourself physically, but not so good when you react violently unnecessarily.

4 – Don’t dwell on the negative, dwell on the positive.

People who struggle with depression tend to stay on the sad or negative things happening in their lives. They then attribute those occurrences to perceived negative traits about themselves, thus creating negative feelings. This is called rumination.

Mentally strong people understand that this also works in reverse. They will make a list of positive things that occurred to them. Maybe visualize it throughout the week, write it in a journal, or make a gratitude list. Not only is writing a great way to express yourself, but handwriting reinforces concepts and thoughts into memory. The more positive memories you can recall, the less likely you are to attribute emotion to a negative event, therefore not creating a negative feeling.

5 – Do things that make you feel happy.

Mentally strong people use tools to boost their capability to feel good. A great tool is to incorporate little things that boost dopamine in the body or replicate feeling good. For example, start the day by lifting your arms up to the sky and giving the world a great big smile. Another tool is to listen to music that makes you want to dance and sing or makes you feel like a superhero.

Final Thoughts on Controlling Your Emotions

Everyone experiences emotions and has feelings. Mentally strong people have recognized that our natural reactions don’t need to control them and that feelings can be manipulated to their benefit. That is a very strong realization, but the practice takes work. Mentally strong people weren’t born with this ability. They either had great role models or mentors or gradually learned these methods through life experience. What makes that great is that you, too, can use the same five ways that mentally strong people use to control their emotions.

8 Reasons Why You Fail (Even When You Work Hard)

November 7, 2019 by Power of Positivity

You work as hard as you can, but you still fall short. You do everything you can to keep up, but it just doesn’t work out. It seems like you’re met with failure, obstacles, and setbacks at every turn, even though you’ve never worked harder in your life. You still continue to fail. Why?

Failure is a part of progress, but too much failure can be very discouraging and indicate that something you’re doing is wrong. Awareness of your negative habits that lead to failure can help you to prevent similar issues going forward.

Here Are 8 Reasons Why You Fail, Even When You Work Hard

1 – You Don’t Accept Feedback

Feedback is one of the most important parts of hard work. Without being able to respond to feedback, your hard work isn’t going to get you anywhere. Here are some aspects to consider:

· Humility

Humility is one of the most positive traits that someone can have. (Do note that we do mean humility, not being a doormat!) Arrogance and a large sense of pride prevent you from listening to anyone and improving because you already think you’re the best.

· Advice

When someone advises you, is your immediate reaction to shut them down? This doesn’t mean you should listen to everyone, but those with more success, experience, or knowledge than you should at least be listened to. They may be able to help your journey.

· Criticism

When someone gives you negative criticism, how do you take it? Lots of people hate being criticized, and this prevents them from learning and moving forward. Many times, others can see problems that you’re too close to see.

· Learning From Mistakes

When you fail, you may feel very upset. And that’s totally valid. But after processing the failure, you need to be able to take the mistakes and learn from them. Being too hung up on failure and ignoring the lessons it can teach you will harm you in the long run.

2 – You Procrastinate

Many people face difficulties in staying on-task and focuses. Procrastination means putting something off for as long as humanly possible before doing it, resulting in rushed and shoddy work. You can work hard at the beginning of a project and work extra hard towards the end, but it means little if you don’t continue working in the middle, too.

If you procrastinate, your productivity levels will drop a lot. You may have trouble starting projects or you may have problems finishing projects. Here are some simple tips to overcome procrastination:

Recognize the behavior and determine what causes or triggers it
Commit fully to a task and stop avoiding work
Ask someone to hold you accountable
Get the least pleasant tasks done first
Set up rewards for yourself at regular, reasonable intervals or upon work completion
Maintain a schedule and a to-do list
Set mini-deadlines and goals throughout the day
Use apps to help you manage your time

3 – You Have Unrealistic Expectations

Managing your expectations is crucial for success. If you aim too high and work for that unachievable goal, you’ll work yourself into the ground with no success, then beat yourself up for failure.

You may also want instant results or expect success much too quickly. This means that your idea of failure could just be slower progress than you expected, and you’re being unfair to yourself.

There is also an issue of setting your expectations too low. This means you think you’re doing well because you keep achieving your low goals, but in the long run, you’ll crash into a wall because you’ve been too lenient with yourself.

4 – You Don’t Commit

Committing to the work you’ve set up for yourself is crucial. If you’re not committed, everything will fall apart and you won’t be motivated enough to see each task through. You’ll wind up with half-finished efforts everywhere. Here are some signs that you lack work commitment:

· You Tend To Give Up

Small setback? You lose motivation. You throw in the towel. Basically, you stop trying. It’s okay to be upset by mishaps, but after a short period of time to process it, you need to get back on your feet. After all, one thing is certain: giving up directly relates to failure.

· You Can’t Commit To Decisions

You’ve made a decision, but a few days in, you switch to the other option. Or you make a decision and, several months later, decide to backtrack. These are both bad options. While you can definitely change your mind sometimes, doing it too often will only hurt you in the long run.

· You Lack Dedication Or Persistence

Without dedication to your work, you’re always at a risk of failure. You need to give something your all for it to work out. Yes, knowing when to jump ship is important, too, but that should be an absolutely last resort, not your first decision.

5 – You’re Bad At Adapting To Change

Change is inevitable. When it arrives, you have to be able to adapt to it. If change stumps you and makes you unable to function, then you have to figure out how to overcome that problem.

An inability to adapt to change points to an issue with flexibility. It means that the second life throws you a curveball, you’ll drop it. No matter how hard you work, the unexpected will happen, and you have to be ready for it.

6 – You Are Restricted By Fear

Fear can be extremely powerful, and it could be what’s holding you back in your work. It means that there is always a part of you being held back. It’s okay to be scared, but your bravery has to win that battle. Here are some signs that you are restricted by fear:

· You Don’t Take Risks

Playing it safe works sometimes, but most big successes lie at the end of your ability to take risks. This doesn’t mean being impulsive, it just means knowing when taking a leap of faith could be worth it. Practice positive thinking and dive in!

· You Don’t Network

Networking is crucial to career success, but it can be intimidating for many, especially if you’re on your own in your efforts. You may feel most comfortable sticking to the people you know, but there’s only so far you can help each other.

Networking is one of the most common factors in positive career changes, and you need to take chances and believe in yourself. The more you network, the better you’ll get at it!

· You’re Terrified Of Failure

Often, a fear of failure is the culprit behind the failure. Yes, the idea of failing can be paralyzing, but failing teaches you crucial lessons and will help you be more prepared for the future. Not trying counts as an automatic failure, while trying even though it’s scary gives you a chance at success.

7 – You Make Excuses And Dodge Responsibility

It’s your life, your career, and your job. You are responsible for it. But what happens when you can’t stop making excuses? Failures happen more and more because you’ve given them a reason to occur. You may make excuses constantly, such as:

I was just too tired
I’d no way of knowing
I did all that I could, so whatever
I just wasn’t at my best
It wasn’t even what I was trying to do anyway
I just didn’t want it that much

Do note that excuses aren’t the same as reasons. You can have valid reasons for failure. The trouble starts when you blame everything on external factors.

This is where dodging responsibility comes into play. If you don’t want to take responsibility for mistakes, for your work, or for anything else, you are almost certain to fail. You need to take responsibility, not deflect blame. Deflecting blame may involve statements like:

It wasn’t my fault
My business partner/friend/family member ruined this for me
I had no control over this situation
This setback messed me up, it caused this to happen
You can’t expect me to take the blame for this

Learn to take responsibility for everything in your career: the successes, the failures, and everything in between. Taking responsibility also means you’re taking control over the direction of your career, and that’s a powerful thing to do.

8 – You’re Not Confident

Everyone deals with insecurity issues. But at what point do those issues start to affect your everyday life and sabotage your progress?

If you severely lack belief in yourself, you could begin to doubt your own ability. You may consider yourself unintelligent, lacking in talent, or simply not capable of progressing. You may doubt your every action, or believe that you cannot succeed. This can cause discouragement and a lack of motivation that ultimately leads to failure.

You can repeat positive affirmations to yourself every day in order to help change your mindset. Some examples of good affirmations are:

I am smart and capable
I achieve success
I’m worthy of the success that I desire
I reach my goals
Good things will come to me
I speak with wisdom and persuasion
I can do whatever I set my mind to

You can also foster more positive thinking by doing the following:

Write a gratitude journal, where you record what you are grateful for every day
Surround yourself with positive people and cut off those who whine and complain
Choose a positive friend circle full of people who lift each other up
Learn to speak with positivity instead of with negativity
Set aside time for self-care and give yourself alone time to recharge
Take care of your health; eat well, exercise, and see a doctor when necessary
Make time for your hobbies and to learn new skills
Be kind to yourself and to those around you

However, do note that a severe lack of confidence in yourself may require therapy or other visits with a mental health professional. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help, especially if you are very seriously struggling.

Final Thoughts: Break the habits that cause you to fail

It’s okay to fail sometimes. You’ll never encounter someone who has never failed before. But learning to improve yourself in order to prevent failure can do wonders for your progress. Still, don’t consider failure the end of the road. It’s just another hurdle that you need to jump in order to achieve your goals!

Doctors Reveal 12 Useful Ketogenic Diet Hacks

November 7, 2019 by Power of Positivity

The ketogenic diet is taking the world by storm, and there’s a good reason for its always-increasing popularity. These low-carb, high-fat meal plans have a wide range of health benefits, including better cholesterol, improved heart function, and higher degrees of weight loss. The lifestyle is even recommended for seizure reduction in children with epilepsy!

Before you get started with a ketogenic diet, however, there are a few things that you should know while cleaning out your cupboards. There are also a few tips and tricks that you can learn for maximum dietary benefits.

Are you ready to change your life with a keto diet? Grab a notebook and start taking notes!

1. Create a Cheat Sheet

If you’re trying a keto diet for the first time, you might be surprised to learn which foods are allowed and not allowed.

Good:

Dairy (milk, cheese, butter)
Leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, broccoli)
Meats (beef, pork, chicken, lamb, fish)
Nuts and seeds (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds)

Bad:

Fruits (apples, oranges, mangoes, bananas)
Grains (bread, cereals, rice)
Sugar (including fruit sugars and natural sugars like honey)
Starches (potatoes, pasta)

As you can see, a ketogenic diet is pretty restrictive. Drastic results require drastic changes. However, you don’t have to jump into the deep end immediately; you can experiment with “keto-lite” meal plans before you go cold turkey on your favorite lasagna dishes. Getting healthy with a keto diet should be a celebration, not a downer!

2. Prepare Meals and Snacks in Advance

One of the most complex parts of sticking to a diet is being disciplined to prepare healthy meals instead of reaching for low-effort, low-nutrition junk foods.

Fortunately, you can combat these lazy urges by preparing meals and snacks before you need them. You can wash and peel your veggies before freezing them for later. You can whip up some batch meals and stick them in portioned containers for busy days when you don’t feel like cooking.

You know your own habits better than anyone. Anticipate the weaknesses that you’ll have with a keto diet and take measures to prevent them.

3. Get Off the Couch

The whole point of a ketogenic diet is to make your body to burn fat instead of carbs. That’s why your meal plans have more fats and fewer carbs, and that’s why keto diets are so good for weight loss.

Exercise is another way to force your body to burn fat. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder; you can kick-start your metabolic processes with all sorts of low-impact exercises, including walking, jogging, swimming and yoga. It doesn’t matter how you get your blood pumping as long as it’s going strong.

Say no to the remote control. Take a walk around the block instead. Your waistline will thank you, and your keto diet will thrive.

4. Watch Out for the Keto Flu

The keto flu is a condition that can strike people who are trying a low-carb diet for the first time. Its symptoms include nausea, headache, weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps and intense cravings for sugar or other foods.

The cause of the keto flu is shock. Your body freaks out because it isn’t getting the carbs it usually does. This is especially common in people who switch to a keto diet from a junk food diet; as we’ve pointed out before, many breads, pastas, grains, and sugars are a no-go on a keto diet. If you go from pizzas every night to keto every day, your body will require an adjustment period.

The good news is that you can take steps to prevent the keto flu. For example, by upping your magnesium and potassium levels, you’ll be able to reduce the shock to your system when you suddenly cut out carbs. Consider adding a supplement to your keto plan.

5. Make Substitutions in Your Diet

If you’re struggling to take your favorite foods out of your keto diet, you might have better luck with substitutions rather than removals.

For example, let’s say that you love rice. Instead of saying goodbye to your mom’s casserole, learn how to make cauliflower rice instead. It has the same taste and texture as regular rice, but it isn’t a starch, and it can help you with everything from weight loss to keto success.

Another potential substitution is almond flour instead of wheat flour. It’s low-carb and gluten-free, so you’ll check off multiple diet boxes at once and won’t even taste the difference in your favorite recipes!

6. Consider Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is when you only eat during certain times of the day.

It requires a lot of willpower, but studies have shown that it can have health benefits worth a rumbling stomach. Fasters tend to consume fewer calories on the whole than non-fasters, and fasting can also maximize the production of specific weight loss hormones.

Talk to your doctor and ask about intermittent fasting. You shouldn’t do it without their approval, but if they give you the all-clear, it can be a great way to shed some pounds.

7. Shine a Light on Hidden Carbs

Hidden carbs are the carbs that you don’t expect to see on a nutritional label. They can be found even in healthy foods that are good for you in other ways!

For example, yogurt is a source of hidden carbs. This is especially true in flavored yogurts that come with a lot of additives to mask their naturally tart taste. There are also sneaky, little-known carbs in baked beans, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, and protein bars.

You’ll have to decide whether these carb-heavy foods are worth the trade-off for their other health benefits!

8. Utilize MCTs

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are human-made fats that help with ketone production. As you might be able to tell from the name, ketones are a good thing in a keto diet.

There are many ways that you can incorporate MCTs into your everyday life:

MCT oils. You can add these consumable oils to tea, coffee, and other drinks. It isn’t recommended that you cook with them; they have a low smoke point, so they’ll start breaking down and losing their efficacy around 320°F.
MCT powders. These powders are like other supplement powders. Add them to smoothies; sprinkle them over oatmeal; dissolve them in hot drinks.
Products that include MCTs. These products aren’t necessarily “MCT products,” but they contain the same compounds and will have the same health benefits. For example, coconut oil can be used interchangeably with MCT oil, and you can cook it to boot.

Long story short, MCTs are a good thing in a keto diet, and they’re worth hacking your diet to include them!

9. Steal From Other Diets

Keto diets are compatible with many other diets, and you can cherry-pick the best parts of complimentary meal plans to improve your ketogenic experience.

For example, since keto diets remove wheat products from your diet, many keto recipes are also gluten-free by default. You can invest in some gluten-free cookbooks to keep your dinner ideas from getting stale.

Keto diets can also be vegan or vegetarian. They encourage you to eat veggies, nuts, seeds, and other natural products, so you can easily experiment with vegetarianism while on a ketogenic diet.

10. Look Into Exogenous Ketones

“Exogenous ketones” is a mouthful, but it’s a simple thing. Endogenous ketones are produced inside of your body; exogenous ketones are supplied from the outside. So “exogenous ketones” is just a fancy way of saying “ketones that you get from external sources.”

There are two main ways to get exogenous ketones: salts and esters.

Ketone esters are somewhat rare. They’re liquids that are mostly used for research purposes, so you’ll only see them in the occasional sports drink or imported supplement.

Ketone salts, on the other hand, are readily available for purchase. You can find them in powders, liquids, capsules and many other types of supplements.

If you want to put the keto in your ketogenic diet, consider exogenous ketones. They’ll stimulate your weight loss and burn those fat cells, and you won’t have to wait for your body to produce them naturally.

11. Change Your Coffee Order

You don’t have to give up coffee on a ketogenic diet. It can become of your biggest boosters in a low-carb weight loss plan.

The first thing to know is that coffee can be surprisingly good for you. It’s packed with antioxidants, and it can be used to combat certain inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that moderate amounts of coffee can even help you live longer.

As for your keto diet, many coffee additives will fit right in with your nutritional guidelines. Milk, cream and butter are all keto-approved dairy products. You can also add some MCT oil to your lattes.

12. Make Positive Lifestyle Changes

Last but certainly not least, try making your keto diet a part of an overall lifestyle change. Try to sleep more, exercise more, drink water, reduce stress and think positive thoughts.

Be humble. Be grateful. Open your eyes each morning and greet the day with enthusiasm.

A keto diet is a great thing in terms of mental and physical wellness. If the kitchen is the only place you’re making changes, your waistline will be the only thing that reflects the newer, healthier you. Try to transform yourself inside and out with positive changes on multiple fronts.

Final Thoughts on a Making the Ketogenic Diet Easier to Follow

Ketogenic diets can help you turn your life around, but you have to be willing to take a chance and make a change. Are you ready? Yes, you can do it! Let’s get started!

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