Motivatioanal Quotes and Articles About Mental Fitness

Below are articles, quotes, and writings to motivate and inspire you in your pursuit of mental fitness, an improved memory, and a stronger mind.

Two Magic Words for Overcoming Absentmindedness and Forgetfulness

by Joi

Overcome forgetfulness and absentmindedness Have you had a problem with absentmindedness or forgetfulness lately? Maybe you find yourself searching through your thoughts more often than you do your sock drawer! Before we determine if you need a little mental “touch up,” ask yourself the following questions:

  • Have you had a recent loss, such as the loss of a loved one (which of course includes pets)?  Periods of grief affect our minds to a great extent. Our entire body is in the process of addressing the tragedy at hand when we’re grieving. Our minds have little time left for sifting through details.  During the months following a great loss, it’s natural to have trouble remembering things – from where you set your cellphone to what your friend’s phone number is.  Give yourself time to process the loss and relax.  Everything will eventually get back to normal.
  • Have you been ill? Illnesses, and the stress that goes with them, will mess with your mind and thought processes.
  • Is it around the holidays? When we get busy with Thanksgiving and/or Christmas menu planning, shopping, decorating, and so on, it’s natural for some things to get away from us.
  • Have you been under stress lately? Stress can make it difficult to think clearly.
  • Have you been losing sleep? A lack of sleep (like stress) messes with your mind.
  • Are you taking any new medications?

If any of the above situations apply to you, take heart. Normal is just around the corner. Take a deep breath and try not to add any stress to what’s already on your plate.

If these situations DO NOT apply to you, don’t hit the panic button just yet. In fact, your personal memory monster may be easier to slay!  You may need to arm yourself with a mere two words: Pay Attention.

We live in a very, very, very fast-paced society.  We’re often, literally, headed in two different directions at once.  If we’re PHYSICALLY this active, can you imagine the extra strain on our minds, just trying to keep up?  Somewhere along the way, someone placed a particular word on the mantel and gave it godlike status.  The word is “Multitask” and it, honestly doesn’t deserve the fame.

When we try to multitask, we’re basically splitting our mind in half.  We tell the halves, “YOU go this way and YOU go that way. Divide and conquer!”

Does that not leave us operating as halfwits?!  And we wonder why we forget things or lose our train of thought.  Isn’t that what halfwits do?  Obviously, we have to find a way to stop multitasking, start really living in the moment, and start paying attention to everything and everyone around us. I’m possibly the world’s biggest advocate of “In the Moment Living.” Just look at the words I’ve always used in my signature on this particular blog:  “Make each moment count double.”  I’ve been signing off and leading my life with these words for years.  My primary infatuation with the words was this: Life is too precious not to slow down and bear hug even a tiny moment.  After a while, I realized that this approach is as important to our health as it is to our happiness.  What’s more, it’s as vital to our brain’s MOOD as it is to its MODE.

The person who regularly multitasks is just begging for absentmindedness and forgetfulness.

Think about this scenario:  If I’m in the kitchen, baking my world-famous (well, they’re famous in my house anyway) buttermilk biscuits, which of the following will yield the tastiest biscuits:

  1. I stay in the kitchen, ever-mindful of the timer. I check on the biscuits a few minutes before the timer goes off.
  2. I try to squeeze everything I can out of the time by putting in a load of laundry, checking the mail, and feeding my cats.

Obviously, number 1 will lead to buttermilk biscuits that beg to be eaten.  Number 2 would lead to buttermilk biscuits that beg to be thrown out to the birds.

If you are, honestly, so busy and covered up with work that you feel multitasking is the only way you’ll get everything done – reexamine your approach, your schedule, and the things you think are so necessary. If you take an honest look at how you spend your time, you’ll realize that there are a lot of things you could cut out.

Don’t look now, but a new year is upon us.  Make a vow to start really and truly living in the moment and giving each task at hand your undivided attention – whether it’s reading the newspaper or brushing your teeth.  I think you’ll be amazed at how fast your absentmindedness clears up.

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi

The Connection Between Seafood Omega-3s and Mental Health

by Joi

Alaska Salmon

About a year ago, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute sent me a wonderful package of recipes and health information to use for my food blog. Last night I was looking through the recipes for one in particular for salmon. While sorting through delicious-sounding recipes, I came across a pamphlet titled “Seafood Omega-3s and Mental Health.”

Obviously, mental fitness and brain health are of the utmost interest to me, so I put my recipe search on hold and read the information front to cover.

Fascinating! If I didn’t already love fish madly, I’d certainly begin a love affair now. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to eat more fish? It’s delicious, low fat, usually low calorie, great for your heart, and now we learn just how great it is for our mental health.

I sat down to the computer to type in the wonderful article – then it hit me, I’m sure they have a pdf on their website. Lo and behold they didn’t let me down. If mental fitness and the health of your brain are as important to you as they should be, I hope you’ll click the following link and read the article. It’s short but it’s packed with great information, particularly in the areas of depression, postpartum depression, and Bipolar Disorder.

Even if these subjects aren’t relevant to you personally, you’ll learn just how vital omega-3s are to the brain’s functions. Read Seafood Omega-3s and Mental Health for more information.

Improve and Strengthen Your Child’s Brain Health

by Joi

Strengthen children's mental fitness and brain health

We talk a great deal about mental fitness and brain health as they relate to adults, but what about the children in our lives? Are there steps we can take with our youth to aid the development of their brain health?  By helping to strengthen their mental fitness, we can ensure that they’ll be on the right track for a lifetime of success.

While it’s never too late to start challenging your mind, it can also be said that it’s never to early to begin.  In this article, I want to look at ways you can proactively challenge the minds of young people – think of it as mentally getting them on their toes and keeping them there!

I’ll start by saying that I’m a little concerned about young people today.  They have all of the technological advances in the world, but this can be a negative as much as a positive.  Good old-fashioned make-believe, book reading (the ones where you physically turn the pages!), and workbooks are becoming more and more rare.  I’m definitely not saying that we should take technology OUT of our children’s lives.  Far from it!  The pros far outweigh the cons and the last thing we want is for our youth to be left behind when it comes to technology.

However, there are things we can do to aid the development of their minds and strengthen their mental fitness.  Below are a few such ideas, and, as you’ll notice, they’re simple, inexpensive, and even fun.

  • Ask your children to make up stories for you.  Creativity is something that needs to be strongly encouraged.  When they’re really small, you can even begin the story and ask them what they think happens next.  When my girls were really young, a lot of our car trips would involve such stories.  One of us would get the ball rolling, then everyone else would join it.  Oh the tales we told!
  • Take library trips once a week or every other week.  We always made a big day out of it. Library Day was something we all looked forward to.  We’d have lunch out.  During lunch, I’d ask each of my daughters what sort of book they were hoping to find.  They’d talk about the things they liked reading about the most, favorite authors, favorite types of characters, and so on.  It piked their interest and made the library trip more of an adventure.  When we got out of the car at the library, they’d practically run into the building!  On the drive home, they’d talk (sometimes all at once!) excitedly about the books they’d found and as soon as we got home, they’d change into something comfortable and find their favorite reading spots.  I wouldn’t see or hear from them until supper!
  • When reading a book to a small child, occasionally close the book, look at them, and say, “What do you think happens next?!”  It gets their creative juices flowing and makes the whole experience more exciting.
  • Make sure your children eat a healthy diet, lots of fresh air, plenty of sleep, and engage in regular physical activities.
  • When watching television with your kids (whatever their ages), ask them questions such as, “Why do you like this character (individual)?,” “Why do you think she did that?,” “What would you have done?”
  • Watch educational television – The History Channel, Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel, etc.  When a new place, animal, even, or individual, is brought up – encourage them to learn more.   My youngest daughter (Stephany) and I are hooked on these educational networks.  We’ll often talk about shows we’d seen and things we’ve learned.  I’ve noticed that, like me, when something interests her, she’ll do her research and learn more about it.
  • This one is something the adult has to master, rather than the child.  Learn to have a two-way conversation.  Many parents seem only capable of one-way conversations.  This doesn’t encourage the child to think or have any sort of confidence in their own voice.  Allow your child to voice his or her own opinions and never interrupt.   As the adult, your main objective should be to allow and encourage the child to FIND their own voice, not mimic yours’.
  • Set a limit on the amount of time your child spends playing games or using social networking. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time thinking about, reading about, and writing about mental fitness and brain health – but I’ve come to think of the main social network as “Brain Rot,” at least when it comes to kids.   Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to incorporate thinking, creativity, and mental fitness into a young person’s life.  You just have to be consistent.
  • Finally, keep the following word in mind: CHALLENGE.  Find ways to regularly challenge (without frustrating!) you child.  A word of caution, be sure you never expect too much or ask more of them than their age (or ability) is able to give.  Countless children have been discouraged by overly aggressive parents (how many have left a sport they once loved because dad or mom made it a nightmare?).

Always realize that it’s about the process, not the result.  If your child works on a math problem, for example, and comes up with the wrong answer, don’t have a melt down!  Working on the problem is mentally challenging and they’re reaping the benefits. Simply, calmly, help them find where they made the wrong turn and help them find their way.  If you push too hard and if you are overly critical, your child will suffer greatly.  The type of parent who criticizes their child’s 98 on a science test, for example (“Why did you miss two?!?!?!?  I never missed two!!!“),  does more harm than they may ever know.

Challenge… but don’t condemn. Light a fire underneath the child for learning… but don’t burn bridges by frustrating them.  Lead… don’t shove.  Basically, just remember, it’s about THEM, not YOU.

New Thoughts. New Lifestyle. New Life.

by Joi

Change your thoughts and you change your world. - Norman Vincent Peale

The mind is a truly fascinating place and the more we learn about it, the more we realize just how true this statement is.  In fact, to say that the mind is fascinating is a bit of an understatement.

Recent studies by neuroscientists have shed new light on the mind and, thereby, made it even more fascinating.  These experts support the claim that we’ve always driven home, here on Out of Bounds:  We are much more in control of our minds, our thoughts, and our lives than we realize.

Consider this:

Your mind, on average processes 60,000 thoughts each day.  Since most thinking is done on autopilot with the mind thinking the same habitual thoughts over and over again, the human mind “syndicates” many of its original thoughts in the same way TV Land syndicates favorite sitcoms.

Not only does the brain play our thoughts out as re-runs, it even protects our habits, whether they’re good or bad.  These habits become Engrained Habits and, like our thoughts, they pretty much act themselves out with little input from us.

Experts say that when we’ve repeated a new thought or practiced a new habit for about 90 days (basically 3 months), it becomes part of the brain architecture… part of our hardwiring.

Remember the saying, first we make our habits and then our habits make us?  Voila, another understatement.

Amazing how everything goes back to our thoughts, isn’t it?  Everything begins as a thought – our every action, our every word, our every habit.  They each were conceived with a single thought.  If that’s not a wake up call to guard our thoughts, I don’t know what is.

We have about 60,000 thoughts each day.  Do you realize the power behind that statistic?

How much power could you generate in your life with 60,000 daily thoughts?

How much destruction could you unleash upon your life with 60,000 daily thoughts?

Positive thinking breeds a positive mindset, positive habits, and positive repercussions. Negative thinking breeds a negative mindset, negative habits, and negative repercussions.

The good news is that we CAN change the way we think.   My favorite illustration of this fact:  Clear your mind for a second.  Now think of a Beagle Puppy.  He’s lying in the green grass, looking at you – cuter than anything has a right to be!

Do you see the puppy?

Now think about a $100 bill.  See Benjamin Franklin’s face in the middle, with the number 100 written boldly in each corner?

So.  Where’d the beagle puppy go?

“It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.” - Robert H. Schuller

This exercise is proof positive that you can push one thought aside for another thought.  Personally, in this case, I’d rather think about the puppy – but you get the idea.  When we have negative, destructive thoughts, we can easily push them aside and think about something positive instead.

Truth be told, it’d be better to think about the beagle puppy than it would be to think negative thoughts – so, when a negative, destructive, critical thought pops into your mind, replace it automatically with the image of a beagle puppy.  Then, move on to a more positive thought pattern.

Remember, the more time you spend with a negative thought, the greater its power is to harm you. Take this power and make it work for you!  Think positive thoughts and repeat positive affirmations.

As Henri Matisse said, “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”  Or beagle puppies…..

Tips for Absentmindedness and Forgetfulness

by Joi

If you’re like me, on most days you have a great relationship with your mind.  If you want to remember a favorite song from the ’80s, you can conjure up the title, band, and possibly even relive the video within minutes.

Then. There.  Are. THOSE. Days. You know the ones – the days when you can’t remember the song, let alone anything else.  Some people call these slips “senior moments,” but unless you’re over the age of 70, you don’t want to be saddled with this term.  Those of us who aren’t even 50 certainly have no use for such a term.  A better term might be “absentmindedness” because it cuts right to the chase… your mind, at least for this “call to action” is pretty much absent.

I also like the fact that the term implies EXACTLY what it should imply, that the condition is temporary and 9 times out of 10, certainly no big deal.

I hate (to the point of cringing) when people panic over absentmindedness.  Some worry that it’s a sign of a loss of memory, dementia, old age, or even Alzheimer’s disease.  To make it even more bizarre, some of the people who express these concerns haven’t even seen their 40th birthday.  To think these thoughts creates a negative environment and robs the individual of self confidence.  It also creates an air of, “Well, there’s nothing I can do.  May as well fade out…”

See why I cringe?

Everyone, even people with extremely good memories and razor sharp minds, experiences absentmindedness.  My husband (Michael) is the brightest person I’ve ever met.  Sharp as a tack.  Honestly, the way his mind works reminds me of a computer as opposed to a mind. He has a goofy, hilarious, life-of-the-party, good-ol-boy personality and approach to life so you’d never really know just how smart he is until you see the mind in action.

Anyway, it kind of makes me smile when he squares off against absentmindedness.  He’ll take off out the back door and have to come back in for this or that – he used to get so mad at himself, but now he just kind of chuckles (along with the rest of us who nod and think, “Welcome to the human race.”).

I think of absentmindedness as a chipper sign in a shop window “Closed for Lunch. Back in an Hour!”

There are several causes of absentmindedness and, when you think about it, it’s a wonder we don’t have MORE mental lunch breaks.  Consider all that we have going on when birthday number 40 has come and gone:

  • Many baby boomers have aging parents to care for, or to at least keep an eye or two on!
  • Baby boomers have children of all ages. Some of these children are still school-age, some have gone off to college, some have gotten married, and some baby boomers have babies still in diapers.  Irregardless of the age, children require a great deal of thought, worry, time, and care.  Don’t ever think any of this slows down when the child hits 16.  Many say this is when the REAL parenting begins!  As well as the sleepless nights, phone calls, financial help, late night talks, parental advice, wringing of hands…
  • Baby boomers are often at the height of their career. Hard work and expertise has paid off and they are enjoying the fruits of their labor – more clients, more responsibilities, more customers, more headaches, more assignments, and longer to do lists.
  • Many people, now, have several jobs. Some may work odd jobs on the weekend, some may work outside the home while running a home business.
  • Add bills, a mortgage, an irritable economy, depressing news (oil spills, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, war…) – is it any wonder people of all ages often feel that their minds are over taxed?!
  • Something else that many people don’t take into consideration is this: The longer you’ve lived, the more memories you have… the more information you have stored on your hard drive, if you will. A 20 year old will be able to recall and recite the entire roster for a baseball team 2 years ago more easily than a 45 year old could.  It doesn’t have so much to do with age as it does the pure fact that the 50 year old has a lot more baseball seasons under his or her ball cap.  There’s more information to sort through – more names, numbers, and faces.  They say that young minds are like sponges – able to soak up information easily. No, kidding, their sponge is fresh and nearly empty!

So, there you have it.  Now don’t you agree that it’s a wonder we don’t experience absentmindedness more often?!?!   Even people between the ages of 20 and 40 are busier than ever before.  The economy has everyone working at a frantic pace, just trying to keep up – and, Heaven help the ones who actually want to get ahead!

Busy, busy, busy = Absentmindedness.

I know, it doesn’t make it any funner or any less frustrating, but hopefully you’ll be able to keep from panicking the next time it happens.

Fortunately, there are some tips that can help you handle absentmindedness and forgetfulness.  Here they are – write them down… just be sure you remember where you put the list!

  • Keep the items you use the most in a consistent place. Your car keys by the front door, your cellphone on a particular table, your reading glasses beside your favorite chair, and so on.  Searching around for things isn’t any fun and having your daughter call your cellphone, so you can find it, makes her giggle a little too much.
  • Organize everything around you. I cook a great deal (I guess daily counts as a great deal, wouldn’t you say?), so I keep my measuring cups, spoons, rolling pin, blender, mixer, etc. all in appointed spots.  If I need a particular spice or kitchen gadget, I know where it lives and can put it to work within seconds.  My home office should be as organized as my kitchen!
  • Don’t listen to the time management gurus who say that multi-tasking is the be all and end all (although mulit-tasking could be the end of it all!). Give your full attention to what’s at hand – even if it’s watching a ballgame (besides, 2 years down the road, some smarty pants 20 year old may challenge you to name the roster).  Multi-tasking basically says that you’ll devote half of your brain to a particular thing and half of your brain to the other.  Now how is any part of that a good thing?
  • Write notes and to do lists – then use them. I’m one of those people who draws little boxes in front of the to do list so that I can joyfully check it off when I’ve completed the task.  You’ll never find lovelier check marks than mine.  Works of art.
  • Do not procrastinate. Do it the minute you realize it needs to be done.  Procrastination leads to a traffic jam in your mind – the ideal spot for absentmindedness and forgetfulness.
  • Keep a calendar near your work area and one in the kitchen. At the beginning of each month, write in big letters, key dates, assignments, appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
  • Keep a notebook with you at all times. When you lead a busy lifestyle, you’re apt to hear new names, dates, and bits of information. Never trust yourself to recall any of these later – Heaven only knows what’s going to go on between NOW and THEN.  Write it down, even if you’re certain you’ll remember.  What’s the worst that could happen, you got a little extra penmanship practice?

Finally, the best advice (dealing with this subject) I’ve ever read came from author Richard Leviton. His advice was this:  Periodically, throughout the day, repeat this positive affirmation, “I am paying attention.“  Say it firmly, with conviction, and aloud when possible.  This affirmation reminds you to fight off distractions and to pay attention to what’s going on around you.  It keeps you in the moment and sharpens your mental cutlery.

Stay positive, stay focused, and stay in the moment.  And speaking of moments…..

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

Sometimes an Author is Just the Friend You Need

by Joi

I hear from a number of wonderful readers of Out of Bounds who are dealing with (or have recently dealt with) an addiction of some kind.   A recent e-mail came from a man who had “licked” alcohol abuse thanks to a program in his community.  As common sense would dictate, the pull of the addiction didn’t just magically go away.  Like many people who leave alcohol or drugs behind, he found that each day was simply a new step…. a step away from where he didn’t want to be and a step toward a place he did want to be.

As I’ve said on this site and blog numerous times, I honestly can’t offer any valid information or advice when it comes to addictions.  The only things I’ve ever been addicted to have been chocolate, coffee, and neck rubs.

However, I do have an exceptional author who I can point people toward!  With strength, faith, and more courage than you can imagine, she has overcome the demons that still haunt many people.  The wonderful news is that she can help these people find the strength and faith inside themselves – along with the courage that you can’t yet imagine.

Her name is Deb Scott and her beautifully written book is The Sky is Green and the Grass is Blue: Turning your upside down world right side up!.

If you are, yourself, struggling with or overcoming an addiction, I completely recommend reading this book.  Either click the image, itself, or the link above to read more about the book.

Before doing so, you can click the following link to read my full review of the book on my self help blog, Self Help Daily:  Book Review The Sky is Green and the Grass is Blue by Deb Scott.

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

Overcoming addiction can be difficult – Narconon drug rehab is here to help.

4 Ways to Improve Your Memory and Strengthen Your Mind

by Joi

How can you strengthen your mind?
How do you improve your memory?
How do you prevent mental decline?
How do you guard against supposed “age-related” memory problems?

If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your mind, improve your memory, and enhance your brain’s fitness – look no further  than the mirror.

More specifically, look at four simple promises you have to MAKE, then KEEP. Obviously, just making them isn’t going to do a bit of good. :)

Promise # 1:  Keep Your Mind Engaged

Experts tell us again and again and again (think they’re trying to drive their point home?!) that we need to keep mentally active if we want to keep mentally fit.  We have to keep our minds occupied.  If we fill our mind, our time, and our days with nothing but fluff – our minds aren’t going to be stimulated enough to stretch or grow.  In fact, the mind will regress and weaken.  Think about lifting weights.  Which will produce better-defined, more attractive, and stronger arms – working out with a 10 pound weight in each hand or a jumbo marshmallow in each?  You have to challenge something to bring out its best.

But here’s the thing I think most people miss:  You have to keep on challenging anew.  You can’t get to a point and rest thinking, “I’ve arrived. I’ll rest.”  The person who does that will soon learn just how wrong they were.

Anyone who has embarked on an exercise regime to lose weight knows the importance of adding distance or time to their workouts.  If you don’t keep challenging your body, the weight will simply stop coming off.  If you start out walking a nice, comfortable pace everyday for a month, you’ll lose weight.  How much depends upon your eating habits.  However, after a period of time, your body isn’t impressed by this distance or challenged by your pace.  It refuses to budge any more. Hello, plateau.

This is why fitness trainers preach the importance of changing your routine up, adding distance, and incorporating interval training into your workout – it keeps the body challenged.  It keeps the body improving.  It keeps the body engaged.

How do we keep our mind engaged?  If you’re reading these words, you already have a keen interest in mental fitness and brain health. You’re already ahead of the game.  You probably read each day, love brain games, and are probably a Crossword Puzzle working machine.  But here’s the thing:  Are you reading the same things each day?  Are you working the same types of puzzles each day?  Do you visit the same types of websites?  Do you watch the same types of television shows?

Are you working out with jumbo marshmallows?

It’s not enough to just read educational blogs, websites, magazines, books, and so on.  You have to make sure you aren’t reading the same subjects over and over and over again.  Many so-called experts who are cemented in particular subjects aren’t giving their minds the workout they think they are.  They aren’t stretching their minds at all, actually.  The mind gets accustomed to and comfortable with all of the articles about the same thing.

How much growth do you think occurs between accustomed to and comfortable with? Virtually none.

Here’s what I like to do.  I take a different subject area every couple of weeks and try to learn as much about that subject as possible.  I’m the biggest animal lover in the world, so I use animals often as subjects.  I recently chose one of my favorites – the great white shark.  Fascinating guy!

I also love history, so I’ll often choose a period of time, a war, or an individual and learn all I can.   Flowers, herbs, plants, natural remedies, baseball – they’re all personal favorite directions to take off and explore.  There’s something mentally stimulating for the mind to immerse itself in, say, sharks one week (or month) and Andrew Jackson the next. Personally, I’m fonder of the shark.

Challenge your mind and, whatever you do, KEEP YOUR MIND ENGAGED.

Promise # 2:  Keep Your Body Moving

Experts also tell us that staying physically active is as important for our minds as it is for our bodies.  Try to get more activity each day in any way you can. Below are various ideas to do just that.

  1. Walk everyday for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Garden!  Planting flowers, herbs, veggies, and plants – then tending to them calls for a lot of activity and burns a lot of calories. You get fresh air, sunshine, and physical fitness. If you engage your mind by reading about many new, fascinating plants, you’ll be overachieving!
  3. If the weather is too cool to walk outdoors, consider buying  a treadmill.  I wouldn’t take anything for mine.
  4. Clean house like you mean it!
  5. Wash your car yourself instead of taking it through a car wash.
  6. When shopping, take the long route to everything on your list.
  7. Make it a habit to park as far as possible from your destination.
  8. Put the laundry up one item at a time.

You get the idea – find more ways to move your body more often.  Pedometers are outstanding.  They let you know how many steps you’ve gotten that day – so you can try to stay on pace or push yourself beyond pace.  Always fun.  Just KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING.

Promise # 3:  Keep Your Lungs Clear

Smoking isn’t just unhealthy for your lungs and body – it’s a nightmare for your brain. If you are a smoker who wants to improve your memory and strengthen your mind – you simply must quit smoking.   What’s more, if you’re around smokers – even if you don’t smoke – your lungs aren’t as clear as they’d like to be.  Avoid second hand smoke whenever possible.  It’s horrible for every part of your body and mind.

If you’re after optimum physical and mental health- KEEP YOUR LUNGS CLEAR.

Promise # 4:  Keep Your Appointment with Your ZZZZZZs

One of the surest signs that you aren’t getting enough sleep is mental fogginess.  Forgetting names, misplacing things, and simply not feeling on top of your game are all signs of a lack of rest.  You may think you’re getting all the sleep you need, but that may not be the case.  Try to add a few more ZZZs and see if you feel more like your old self.

Sleep is required for our bodies and minds to repair themselves from all they do during the day.  If you rob yourself of the sleep your body and mind crave, you’re running on empty – and that never ends well.

Even if you’re keeping your mind engaged, keeping your body moving, and keeping your lungs clear… you won’t achieve all that’s yours to achieve if you don’t KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR ZZZZZZZZs.

Make each promise and make each promise stick!
~ Joi

The Mediterranean Diet: Why Your Brain Craves This Food

by Joi

We all know that following a Mediterranean diet is healthy for our hearts and can lead to a trimmer body.  As if that’s not enough reason enough to eat more Mediterranean food,  a Mediterranean diet can also help prevent brain damage linked to memory problems and strokes.

A study which was  presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting, showed that people who followed a Mediterranean-like diet were less likely to suffer brain tissue damage.

The diets of 712 people were studied and scrutinized.  They were separated into groups that were based on how closely participants followed the diet. MRI brain scans showed that those following the Mediterranean diet the closest were 36 percent less likely to have areas of tissue damage than those following the diet the least closely.  That’s huge.

Experts point out that these findings beautifully back up and support previous research which taught us that the Mediterranean diet could be associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and lengthen the lives of people with Alzheimer’s.

The Mediterranean diet has been proven (not just suggested… proven) to help prevent heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, heart attacks and, now, apparently brain disease.  This type of eating should be adopted, today and every day for the rest of our lives.

Just what is a Mediterranean Diet?

A Mediterranean diet involves a very high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids.

The foods that a Mediterranean diet discourages: Saturated fatty acids, dairy, meat and poultry.  A lot of it comes down to eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible – more fresh produce and lots of it.  Look for fresh ways to cook asparagus, artichokes, and broccoli.  Add tomatoes, peppers,onions, and cucumbers to salads, soups, and pasta dishes. Replace meat with combinations of vegetables.

For more information on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet as well as a ton of recipe ideas and a more detailed description of the foods in the Mediterranean diet, please click the following link:  How to Follow a Mediterranean Diet.

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi

Bring Change to Mind Vs. Mental Illness Stigmas

by Joi

Here’s a statistic to wrap your mind around:  1 in 6 adults and almost 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.  One out of every 6 adults.  One out of every 10 children.

Can you imagine the lives that could be changed, even saved, with early diagnosis and help?  How many people could be given a new lease on life?  How many people could keep from turning to alcohol, drugs, sex, or even crime due to a war that’s going on inside their heads?  It’s time, in my humble opinion, for people to start making as much noise about mental illness as breast cancer, heart disease, lung disease, hunger, and diabetes.  I’m not saying make LESS noise about these monsters (my own family has been visited by all but one of these physical monsters – suffice to say, none of us have ever been hungry but many loved ones have stared down the other nightmares).

All I’m saying is more attention needs to be given to mental illnesses as well – in addition to physical illnesses.  I think we can all agree on that.

It’s way past time for the idiot stereotypes to be thrown aside.  It’s time that people face the truth:  Mental illnesses are just like other illnesses – they can not be helped.  The individual who suffers with something such as schizophrenia is just as much a victim as the one who suffers from diabetes.  The individual who lives with depression needs sympathy and understanding just as much as the individual who lives with asthma.

If you know, or if you are, an individual who’s personal monster lives in their head as opposed to another physical location – I want to point you to a wonderful website and community where understanding, friendship, help, and heroes reside:  Bring Change 2 Mind.org.  I’m pleading with everyone connected in any way to mental illness to visit this website, reach out to them, and allow them to reach out to you.

In their words:   This is where the misconceptions stop. This is where bias comes to an end. This is where we change lives. Because this is where we Bring Change 2 Mind.

Smell that?  That’s the sweet smell of hope.

Is Constant Improvement Really Necessary?

by Joi

The following is a guest post by Rachel King and it honestly gives the reader a great deal to think about.  Enjoy!
Is Constant Improvement Really Necessary? A Guest Post by Rachel King

We live in a world where there is intense competition to get ahead and stay there. We’re constantly being asked to improve and innovate if we are to achieve success. And we continue to strive for that exclusive prize (be it money or fame or both) throughout our lives because no amount is enough. But, no matter what self-help gurus advocate, is constant improvement really necessary? Must we really push ourselves further and further even if it means we are not really happy with what we are doing?

A very good friend came to me depressed because she could not find the motivation to complete certain projects she had taken up. She felt guilty because she procrastinated and kept them till the last minute. And she felt upset because she did not want to complete them because she had lost all interest in them. The funny part of this was that she had been so enthusiastic about this project just a few months ago. She is an alpha achiever in anything she does and is a very shrewd and clever person. So why, she asks me, am I not able to sustain my interest in this?

She had actually taken on the project as a way to improve and better herself. But once she got into it, she began to question the constant and continuous process of self improvement. She made a very valid point; in the quest for improvement, we usually leave behind and forget all the simple things in life that are pleasurable – watching television on a cold evening by yourself with a tub of ice cream, spending time with your children without yelling at them or ordering them around, cuddling with your spouse in front of a fire on a random night, taking time out to go visit a neighbor who is sick, visiting the shops even when you’re broke just for the pleasure of it, and so on and so forth.

Because we strive to do something “purposeful” with our lives, we end up stressed and depressed because we are unable to reach the standards we set for ourselves. We feel guilty at not being able to achieve our goal and this has a detrimental effect on our psyche. We take out our frustration on those close to us and ruin relationships in the process.

Improving yourself does not have to mean you must achieve some milestone that others will appreciate; rather, it means you must be satisfied with and happy about the quality of your life; you must be able to live it on your terms rather than by the standards set by others; and you must be content and at peace when you go to bed each night and wake up each morning.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Rachel King, who writes on the topic of  Online Christian Universities.

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