Health & Wellness | Ascension Lifestyle

27 Mar 2019
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Better Sleep Habits: Tips And Tricks For Getting Good Rest

Better sleep habits can mean the difference between an easy day at work and one filled with headaches. It can also mean having the ability to cope with stress, to stay physically healthy, and to cope with all the curveballs life can throw at you. Improved sleep habits are not always easy to come by, however. A good rest routine is something that many of us have to learn after years of trial and error, and even then it can take some time. When you have a busy schedule or a lifestyle that makes getting eight hours of sleep tricky, it takes some work to make positive change occur.

Fortunately, those changes can be simple. Diet and exercise always play a role in the way we feel, but there are other ways you can help your body get the rest it needs. Changing up your bedroom, for instance, can play a big role in your ability to sleep. Learning how to say no when someone is asking for too much of your time is another. Self-care — including making yourself a priority — is also crucial when you have a lot going on in your life.

Better sleep habits don’t have to stress you out. Here are a few ways you can get on a path to good rest.

Make your bedroom as comfortable as possible

The main job your bedroom has is to be a comfortable haven away from the rest of the world, so it should reflect that! Your bedding and mattress should be soft and temperature-appropriate (for instance, don’t leave a down comforter on in summer), the lighting should be dim, and you can use blackout curtains to keep the sun from being intrusive in the mornings. You can also remove technology, as the television, computer, and smartphone all negatively impact your ability to sleep.

Get organized

Whether you’re a single college student or a parent of three, it’s important to get organized so your schedule will flow smoothly. If you have to get up early in the morning, make sure you have an outfit ready to go and that your bag, keys, and/or lunch are all waiting for you in a conspicuous spot. Kids should have their own areas to keep backpacks and shoes to make the morning rush easier. Not only will this allow you to sleep in a bit, but it will also keep you from laying awake at night stressing about the day ahead.

Workout often

Daily exercise does a lot for us. From releasing hormones that help boost our mental health to keeping our bodies healthy, a good workout can go a long way toward allowing us to be happy. Not only that, it tires us out! Try to fit in a quick workout in the morning to start the day off right; otherwise, you might kick in those endorphins too late at night, when they’ll work against your sleep schedule.

Talk to someone

Life can be hard. Grief, depression, anxiety, stress and worry, and issues at work or within the family can all take their toll on our bodies and minds. If you’re feeling any of these things, it might help to talk to a counselor or therapist who can help sort things out. Sometimes, getting feelings off our chests can release them from our minds, allowing us to find peace at night when it’s time to tune out the world.

Better sleep habits don’t have to be hard to find. By giving yourself the things you need to be successful during the day, you’ll also be making it easier to get the right quality and quantity of sleep at night. Remember to make yourself a priority as often as possible; this is the best way there is to help your mind and body stay healthy.

Author: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Stephanie Haywood of mylifeboost.com.

23 Jan 2019
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2019 and the Law of Attraction

The year 2018 passed in a blur, and to be honest, I’m glad it’s over. I had many awesome experiences. And I was “sufficiently challenged”, as my friend Evy likes to put it. This is not necessarily a bad thing. We grow from challenges and become clearer about what we want and what we don’t want. Then all we need is focus and mindfulness to move forward. The much-cited Law of Attraction is rather simple: whatever you focus your attention on will get bigger in your experience. Happy or sad, pleasant or unpleasant, wanted or unwanted, the thoughts in your mind attract more of the same. So as we begin another journey around the sun with new — or repeated — resolutions, how do we focus our energy on what we desire, rather than on the things that make life unpleasant?

We are genetically predisposed to our mind’s negativity bias. For the evolution of our species it was beneficial to remember foremost the painful, damaging experiences. As a caveman, once you got burned by fire, you did not forget the experience. You were more careful around fire and avoided more physical damage. This is why we remember negative experiences better than the good stuff.

However, if cavemen avoided fire altogether after being burned, they would have frozen to death in a Northern winter. So while one part of the mind rings the alarm at the sight of fire, another says: “This is good, nice and warm.” Both aspects are right. Both deserve attention, and optimally they modify each other to create safe, prudent behavior. In an extremely oversimplified nutshell, this is mindfulness: paying non-judgmental attention to the different, often contradictory parts of your being. On the basis of such awareness and acceptance you can learn to navigate life with your personal inner GPS.

In her brilliant book “Loving What Is”, Byron Katie asks four questions regarding any thought that causes distress:

1. Is it true?

2. Can I know with absolute certainty that this is true?

3. How do I feel when I think this thought?

4. Who would I be in this moment without this thought?

“How do I feel when I think this thought?” is really important if I want to attract more positive experiences in my life. In many situations I am not able to immediately change the external circumstances. But if I don’t like how I feel under these circumstances, I can examine the story I am telling myself about the situation and determine if I get some satisfaction from my story. Am I the victim? Do I benefit from feeling like a victim? If it makes me more angry, what is the benefit?

Short bursts of anger are energizing, invigorating. They call us to action and help us survive dangerous situations. Anger is a necessary progression when we claw our way out of depression. Anger may arise as a signal that someone has crossed my boundaries. In that case, feeling my anger and acting appropriately helps me to reaffirm boundaries for my safety and comfort. That is satisfying and beneficial. However, if I am still angry about a transgression of my boundaries 5 hours or 50 years after the fact, the anger serves only this purpose: to raise my blood pressure and make life unpleasant. Why would I do that? Habit. I have repeated an angry thought pattern so many times, it has formed an 8 lane freeway in my brain. Once I’ve headed up the on-ramp, I am cruising.

In my childhood, people frequently transgressed my boundaries, and I was helpless to do anything about it. Expressing my anger had very unpleasant consequences, so I did not repeat the expression more than a few times. Therefore, anger did not lead to the satisfying resolution of reestablished boundaries, and it remained stuffed away, building and growing, attracting more of the same. Eventually my anger turned against me, because it had nowhere else to go. This caused dis-ease, and I got sick. I know I am not the only one with such an experience.

With a habit of thinking angry thoughts, it is very easy to find things to be angry about. The world is full of injustice, atrocities and sheer stupidity to get upset over. People LIKE being upset over such things. The Evening News proves that. TV stations need to sell ads, and bad news attracts more viewers than happy news. If our focus is on things that make us angry, the world will deliver plenty of justifications to be angry. That is the Law of Attraction.

However, it works the other way around, as well. When we come to the conclusion that we would like to feel better, physically and emotionally, we can turn off the TV and look around our neighborhood for evidence of goodness. There is plenty of evidence in our daily lives that kindness exists, and that it is natural to the human condition. Find kindness in yourself, and you will find it reflected in your environment. When I walk through town looking into people’s eyes with a smile and the intention to lift someone’s spirit, I am met with smiles in return. Not by everyone. Some people are just too caught up in their struggles with life, and they don’t notice me smiling at them. That’s okay. Smiling makes ME happier. It puts a bounce in MY step. And then good things can happen.

When I am feeling joyful and expanded, I am in greater alignment with the Goodness of Life, and it will present itself as delightful synchronicities. I end up in the right place at the right time. I meet a person with the solution to my problem just when I need it. I have an inspired thought and act on it, causing a cascade of beneficial effects for everyone involved. The right words come to me at the right moment. I need a little extra cash, and someone tips me for my services. I am in the zone and things are flowing.

How do I get into the zone when I am not? When I am on my mental freeway of anger, resentment or depression, how do I find an exit ramp? Fast, busy traffic may carry me miles down the road, and it takes a lot of backtracking to get to where I really want to go, which is to feel good. It is much easier to recognize the on-ramp to my anger freeway as I am approaching it and not take it, but that takes mindful practice. Sometimes I succeed, often I don’t.

Intentional distraction from my familiar thought patterns provides a diversion for me. I turn my mind to something totally unrelated that makes me feel better. Playing sudoku or a card game on my phone. Intensely listening to good music. Reading a good book or watching a movie. Taking a bath and being aware of my bodily sensations. Recalling things I find most pleasing, like memories of beautiful places I have been to, people and activities I really like. I hug trees and play with my dog or snuggle with the cat. I go for a ride. I meditate. Focus on my work. Do something nice for someone else. I go through my practice of gratitude. We all have much to be grateful for, starting with a roof over our heads, food on the table, and the ability to get out of bed most mornings. I can be grateful for my toothbrush and indoor plumbing. For the elevator in my office building when my hip is aching. For not getting hurt myself when I drove into a deer on Christmas eve.

Finding a silver lining in the clouds makes them dissipate. Above the clouds, the sun or stars are always shining. The essence of my being is the sky, not the weather. This too shall pass. All manifestations are impermanent. My soul always experiences contrast; what else is an eternal creator being supposed to do? There is nothing wrong with where I am at in this moment. I am simply having an experience. All these thoughts and mantras are exit ramps for me. Find or make up your own. Affirmations only work when they actually ring true to you.

If I can hold a positive feeling in my mind for just a minute or so, and if I can intentionally relax the muscles of my face, neck and shoulders and take a few deep breaths, I have found an exit ramp. Getting into the zone usually takes a little longer. Practice is good. It actually does not make perfect, because there is no such thing as “perfect” in a world that is constantly evolving. We are always in the process of becoming something else, new and different. Do your best to relax into that thought, and smile. At the end of an upper level CranioSacral Therapy class a student said to me with astonishment:

“You know, it feels GOOD to feel good!”

In 2019, give yourself permission to embrace feeling GOOD as a mindfulness practice even for just a few minutes per day. Over time you will pave a new freeway of positive thought habits, which will take you to the zone quickly and easily. May the New Year bring you many genuine smiles!

About the Author: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Shana Dieterle

Shana Dieterle, PT, CST, is a CranioSacral Therapist practicing in Missoula, MT. She has trained with the Upledger Institute International and is presently working on her Diplomate certification. It is her pleasure to explore the amazing health benefits of light touch therapy to optimize brain function and self-healing.

For further information and contact information, go to www.ShanasHeartofHealing.com

05 Nov 2018
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Better Sleep, Improved Mental Health: Three Tips for Both

Getting enough sleep every night is an essential part of maintaining one’s mental health. When sleep disorders come into play, they can lead to problems such as anxiety, moodiness, and feelings of depression. Of course, mental health issues themselves can cause sleep disruption. For instance, people experiencing depression may experience symptoms such as hypersomnia or insomnia. When a person experiences sleep disturbances alongside mental health issues, it can end up being a vicious cycle from which they have difficulty breaking. That’s why it’s so important to maintain sleep hygiene to facilitate uninterrupted rest and better mental health.

Upgrade Your Mattress

If you’re tossing and turning all night and waking up feeling unrested, it may be time to upgrade your mattress. Mattresses should be replaced at least every seven to 10 years (though this number depends greatly on the type), but even if yours is relatively new, it’s worthwhile to consider a different model. Our bodies and their needs change with time, so it is very possible the soft mattresses you loved when you were younger are not giving your spine the support it needs. This can lead to pressure, pain, and inflammation, which makes it difficult for the body to rest properly at night. You wake up with aches and pains while feeling like those eight hours were no more than two. Look into new models of mattresses on the market today and narrow down your search by finding ones that fit your particular sleep needs.

Exercise Every Day

Next time you have difficulty falling asleep at night, ask yourself what you did during the day to use up energy. If you spend the majority of your hours sedentary, it’s likely you didn’t do enough to wear yourself out in order to fall asleep. Humans need activity, but the conveniences and responsibilities of modern life have most of us sitting down all day. Adding exercise to your daily routine may not sound fun, but it could help with insomnia. You may not see immediate payoffs, but with consistency, you will sleep better, deeper, and longer at night.

Avoid exercising right before it is time to sleep; instead, aim for morning or early afternoon. Among the many benefits of regular exercise is the sudden surge of feel-good endorphins as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. However, there are ways to beat post-workout insomnia, so you can’t use “it’s too late” as an excuse not to exercise.

Reduce the Blue

Perhaps the single biggest contributor to sleep problems is the use of artificial lighting and blue light-emitting electronics at night. Blue light is natural — the sun emits blue waves along with the red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet wavelengths that make up our color spectrum. When we are exposed to sunlight, it makes us feel more alert and energetic so we can get through the day. What’s not natural is how often we are exposed to artificial blue light through fluorescent bulbs, LED electronics, televisions, computer monitors, smartphones, and tablet screens. Overexposure to this light tricks the brain into thinking it isn’t night and thus makes it more difficult to fall asleep. Blue light even suppresses the brain’s production of melatonin, the hormone that helps signal to the body that it’s time for bed.

Reduce your exposure to blue light before bed to ensure your body has enough time to wind down and feel sleepy. Instead of scrolling through Instagram or binge-watching shows, try reading before bed to reduce stress, increase empathy, and even improve dreams.

When you don’t sleep well, you don’t feel well. If you are trying to improve your mental health, practicing good sleep hygiene is a must. Consider upgrading your mattress to something that supports your sleep style to prevent aches and pains the next morning. Daily exercise allows the body to expel energy so there’s none left to keep you up at night. Finally, most of us are making it harder to sleep by staring at blue light-emitting screens at night. Turn of the tablets, smartphones, and televisions, and pick up a book for better sleep and mental health.

About the Author: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Julie Morris

Ms. Morris is a life and career coach who strives to help others live the best lives that they can. She believes she can relate to clients who feel run over by life because of her own experiences. She spent years in an unfulfilling career in finance before deciding to help people in other ways.

24 Oct 2018
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Becoming Homeopathic: You Are Your Own Medicine

Just as our planet contains all of the resources we need to create and heal — awaiting only our discovery and ingenuity — we contain the ability to self-heal on an intrinsic level. This was brought home to me one day when, in the midst of a strong (and highly unusual for me) allergic reaction, I was looking for a homeopathic remedy.

To my great astonishment and amusement, one of the chief ingredients in the remedy I selected was ignatia amara. I picked another remedy off the shelf, and discovered ignatia amara listed there as well.

In fact, when I did an online search of the remedy, it seemed to describe my very nature to a “T”: “Women of sensitive nature, mild disposition, quick to perceive, rapid in execution. Rapid change of mental and physical condition, opposite to each other.” The website also stated a supreme aversion to coffee — and I can’t stand the smell of brewing coffee!

The Heart of Healing

I smiled in wonder at all this: I am my own antidote. The feeling was immensely empowering. We each, all, contain the answer to whatever toxin that’s currently affecting us, whether physical or mental, personal or global. We need not use a canon when a kiss will suffice: becoming homeopathic is about recognizing, and choosing to use, the smallest possible “dose” to activate healing.

This is how we begin crafting the new global community we’ve been inching towards for decades. It’s a spiritual emergence-y (emerge and see), as we emerge from the cocoon of complacency, the old paradigm, into a courageous new world. Courageous, from the French, means “heart”.

Now it’s about choice: how quickly and collectively we will segue from the old reptilian, limbic brain (the same impulse that drives materialism, separation, self-interest, and misuse of power) into the higher realms of consciousness, where love, wisdom and power are synthesized into service.

It’s a quantum yet infinitesimally subtle shift: from scared to sacred, density to destiny, toxic to tonic, reactive to creative. Homeopathy operates on the principle of “like cures like”, and the minusculedose: the more dilute the dosage, the more powerful the remedy. It’s the exact opposite of what you might expect to effect a healing. Not a canon, a kiss.

I invite you to become homeopathic. Discover and embrace your inner healing/wholeness that has always been there, and decide to make the subtle shift that brings you back to balance.

As for me, I’m going to live ever more deeply into my own name. Blessings!

About the author:

Amara Rose is a metaphysical “midwife” for our global rebirth. A former personal health columnist for Nation’s Business magazine, she’s written for numerous other publications, both digital and print. Subscribe to Amara’s resource-rich monthly newsletter. You can connect with her on social media at Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

24 Sep 2018
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The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation For Seniors: How to Get Started

Yoga and meditation have long been known for their beneficial properties, including reducing stress and anxiety and helping to build muscle strength and balance. They are two of the best activities for people of any age who want to focus on both their mental and physical health, and when done properly, they are excellent ways to stay active even with a health or mobility issue. For seniors, yoga can be done just about anywhere and can be incorporated into daily routines.

Getting started with a new regimen can be difficult for many seniors, however; not only are there often safety precautions involved, but it can also be hard to start a new routine and stay motivated, especially if you have existing health issues. You may be worried about maintaining your balance or hurting yourself in the process. With some careful planning and a little help, you can create a workout regimen that will keep you safe and healthy.

Keep reading to find out how to get started.

Learn the Benefits of Stretching

Stretching can be extremely beneficial when it’s done correctly; not only can it help ease tension, pain, and stiffness, but it can also help reduce stress and allow you to slowly relax. If you experience chronic pain or have arthritis or joint issues, stretching can help you find relief. Just make sure you move through the poses slowly, and always stop immediately if you feel pain. Yoga incorporates lots of stretches into each pose, but they should never hurt.

You Can Do It Just About Anywhere

Yoga has many benefits, but one of the best is that it can be done just about anywhere, at any time. If you’re sitting at a desk for a long period of time and need to stretch your muscles, lay out your yoga mat and do some quick, simple poses to feel better. If you need to alter the poses to fit your needs — seniors with mobility issues can practice yoga in the water or with a chair, for instance — you can do it easily without sacrificing any of the benefits.

Get a Mental Health Boost

Yoga and meditation go hand-in-hand because they focus on mindfulness, which is the art of looking inward to narrow your vision down to the present moment rather than worrying about the past or future. This, combined with breathing exercises and poses, can help you tear down any stress or anxiety you’re feeling for a mental health boost that will stick with you all day. It’s also a great way to practice coping with difficult emotions in the moment.

Know Where to Begin

It’s imperative that you know your limitations and abilities when it comes to your workout routine. In many cases, yoga looks much easier than it actually is, so you’ll want to start slowly and gently. If you haven’t had a workout routine in a long time or have lost muscle mass, it’s important to take it easy on your body at first to avoid injury. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about the best ways to begin.

Yoga can be hugely beneficial to people of all ages; it’s simply important to understand the proper ways to use your body to make the most of your workout. Talk to a healthcare professional before beginning any new routine, and give yourself plenty of breaks in the beginning. With some care and attention to your own safety, you can create an exercise plan that works for your specific needs.

About the Author: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Julie Morris

13 Sep 2018
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Cellular Healing of Inherited Trauma

Our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children’s children through our genes. The open question is, can we make a difference? Will healing our own traumas prevent them being delivered at the baby carriage of our grandchildren? Scientists are now revealing that they have discovered how this genetic inheritance can be turned on or off. The good news: healing personal trauma will make a huge difference to future generations.

According to epigenetics — the study of inheritable changes in gene expression not directly coded in our DNA — our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children’s children. Studies on survivors of traumatic events have suggested that exposure to stress may indeed have lasting effects on subsequent generations. But how exactly are these genetic “memories” passed on?

A new Tel Aviv University study pinpoints the precise mechanism that turns the inheritance of environmental influences “on” and “off.” The research, published last week in Cell and led by Dr. Oded Rechavi and his group from TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, reveals the rules that dictate which epigenetic responses will be inherited, and for how long.

“Until now, it has been assumed that a passive dilution or decay governs the inheritance of epigenetic responses,” Dr. Rechavi said. “But we showed that there is an active process that regulates epigenetic inheritance down through generations.”

Passing stress from one generation to the next

Researchers have been preoccupied with how the effects of stress, trauma, and other environmental exposures are passed from one generation to the next for years. Small RNA molecules — short sequences of RNA that regulate the expression of genes — are among the key factors involved in mediating this kind of inheritance. Dr. Rechavi and his team had previously identified a “small RNA inheritance” mechanism through which RNA molecules produced a response to the needs of specific cells and how they were regulated between generations.

“We previously showed that worms inherited small RNAs following the starvation and viral infections of their parents. These small RNAs helped prepare their offspring for similar hardships,” Dr. Rechavi said. “We also identified a mechanism that amplified heritable small RNAs across generations, so the response was not diluted. We found that enzymes called RdRPs are required for re-creating new small RNAs to keep the response going in subsequent generations.”

Most inheritable epigenetic responses in C.elegans worms were found to persist for only a few generations. This created the assumption that epigenetic effects simply “petered out” over time, through a process of dilution or decay.

“But this assumption ignored the possibility that this process doesn’t simply die out but is regulated instead,” said Dr. Rechavi, who in this study treated C.elegans worms with small RNAs that target the GFP (green fluorescent protein), a reporter gene commonly used in experiments. “By following heritable small RNAs that regulated GFP — that ‘silenced’ its expression — we revealed an active, tuneable inheritance mechanism that can be turned ‘on’ or ‘off.’”

The scientists discovered that specific genes, which they named “MOTEK” (Modified Transgenerational Epigenetic Kinetics), were involved in turning on and off epigenetic transmissions.

“We discovered how to manipulate the transgenerational duration of epigenetic inheritance in worms by switching ‘on’ and ‘off’ the small RNAs that worms use to regulate genes,” said Dr. Rechavi. “These switches are controlled by a feedback interaction between gene-regulating small RNAs, which are inheritable, and the MOTEK genes that are required to produce and transmit these small RNAs across generations.

“The feedback determines whether epigenetic memory will continue to the progeny or not, and how long each epigenetic response will last.”

A comprehensive theory of heredity?

Although their research was conducted on worms, the team believes that understanding the principles that control the inheritance of epigenetic information is crucial for constructing a comprehensive theory of heredity for all organisms, humans included.

“We are now planning to study the MOTEK genes to know exactly how these genes affect the duration of epigenetic effects,” said Leah Houri-Zeevi, a PhD student in Dr. Rechavi’s lab and first author of the paper. “Moreover, we are planning to examine whether similar mechanisms exist in humans.”

Source

About the Author: Georgi Johnson

You can find the original article here https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/how-cells-undo-the-legacy-of-trans-generational-trauma

More work by Georgi Johnson here: https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/author/georgi

07 Sep 2018
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Mind De-Clutter: 7 Things to Stop Telling Yourself

Living as a woman in the 21^st century can at times feel like a blessing, while at other times it seems to be getting increasingly difficult. We as women seem to have made a pact with society, and keep imposing impossible goals and standards on ourselves: and we just have to be perfect in every possible way. At home, at work, in the kitchen, with our group of friends, in our relationships: there is just no letting up.

Having in mind the fact that all of these standards are a road to self-doubt, and that self-doubt resides firmly in the mind, here are seven things to stop telling yourself, which will help you shed some of that stress that has been mercilessly piling on for years.

You’re Too Old

We all get told we’re too old at some point in our day. Wrinkle creams, skin softening screams, makeovers that will take years off; you name it, we have to hear of it. The secret here is not to listen to what society tells you to do, instead listen to the voice inside.

You’re a strong beautiful woman who will age, just as everyone will; especially the models in those TV ads! If something is bothering you, then by all means find a a spa treatment that will keep it at bay or help reverse it. The signs of ageing are something we’re all aware of, and they are something that it’s fine to want to do something about, but only if it’s because that’s what you want to do.

Don’t be taken in by airbrushed photos of women who look 25 claiming to be 45 — the real world just isn’t like that. Celebrate how your face and figure will change as you age and you’ll find that you’re so much happier!

You’re Too Young

This is the other one we have to hear about. When we’re young, we’re told to dress older, when we’re old, we’re told that looking younger is the be all and end all. There’s no truth in this, and really, you only have to do what makes you happy.

You won’t suddenly find Mister Right if you do exactly what the world tells you to do, you’ll only attract people who are superficial and focused on appearances. If you want to be able to look a bit older because deep down you know it will make you happy, then go for it. If you want to dress up or wear vintage clothes because you feel like you want to break into a new style, then go for that.

Just don’t feel like you have to. Nothing good ever comes from being pushed by a crowd of people to do something that isn’t really you.

Your Hair Could Look so Much Better

Turn on the TV and within 15 minutes an ad will pop up, so that you can hear about how bad your hair is, and how parting with your money will fix it instantly. Nobody likes to hear this, and to be honest, so much of it is said purely to try and sell you products that will quickly eat up your monthly pay packet.

Whilst you may feel like you’re doing the right thing by paying for them, you’ll soon see that there are so many other products you ‘need’. The problem with this is that it’s a never ending cycle that will have you spending more and more as you go in search of a perfection that you’ll never find.

By all means, treat yourself to a bit of a pampering session every now and again if you’re that way inclined, but don’t feel that you have to listen to every ad you hear. Sometimes it’s enough to just tie your hair up and sit back and enjoy some TV!

You Don’t Look Like an Instagram Model

Social media has a lot to answer for when it comes to images. Instagram is full of airbrushed photos where people with amazing physiques make us feel that we need to spend 10 hours a day in the gym. Whilst it’s great for these few people that have got themselves looking a way they’re delighted with, it doesn’t do us any favours when it comes to body image issues.

If you want to look and feel better, then by all means, hit the gym. Share the odd selfie if you’re proud of what you’ve achieved. But don’t feel like you have to kill yourself on the treadmill purely because you don’t look like the Instagram models. They don’t look like that, either.

You need to be on a Better Diet

You’ve probably lost count of how many different types of diets you’ve tried, and you’ll have no doubt heard about dozens more that you never got round to trying. If you want to be able to feel better and have more energy, then to be honest, a simple balanced diet is probably all you’ll need.

See how you get on with a back-to-basics approach, and if you want to take things to the next level, you will have laid the groundwork, and know it’s the right thing to do. But do it because it’s the right thing for you.

You Need a ‘Woman’s Job’

So many of us hear that you have to do certain types of jobs and skip past dozens of others when you’re thinking about applying. No matter what you do, it shouldn’t change how you view yourself. It doesn’t make you any less feminine if you want to work in a garage or for an engineering firm, etc.

You should free your mind of this kind of clutter and you’ll find you’re so much happier for it. There’s no reason you can’t do what you put your mind to, so just make sure you don’t let stereotypes stand in your way.

It’s Okay to Grin and Bear Mansplaining

Mansplaining is super annoying and it’s far more prevalent than you’d think. If you want to be able to get your point across, power through. If you want to cut someone off for talking down to you, just do it.

People may think you’re being a typical ‘bossy woman’, but free yourself from this type of stuff and you’ll be all the more happy for it. Just be you, and the world will be a better place for it!

About the Author: Ascension Lifestyle Contributor, Rebecca Brown

[email protected]

roughdraft.eu

21 Aug 2018
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Managing The Health Impacts Of Stress

While some stress can be healthy, any long-form version of stress has a terrible impact on your health. Stress is characterized by an existing cause of discomfort, so the best way to deal with stress and its impact on your health is to eliminate the stressor entirely. The impact of stress manifests as mental illness or problems, which can, in turn, affect your physical health, so relieving mental strain after a stressful experience is the best way to mitigate the effects.

The Impact Of Stress Is All About What’s Causing It

Stress can have a positive impact on our health in moderation. Straining to solve a mental problem or even exercising both cause stress, but when completed that stress helps build stronger bodies and mind, and we form resistance to future stress. Stress is different from anxiety, or a feeling of discomfort despite the absence of a cause or stressor. The biggest problem though is that stress or anxiety that doesn’t go away begins to break down the body instead of letting it rebuild.

Your Mind Determines How Your Body Reacts To Stressors

Stress begins as a mental reaction to any stimuli, so the best way to deal with stress is to move away from the stressor both physically and mentally. Of course, it can sometimes be difficult to remove yourself from the source of your stress if it is an ongoing matter like caring for someone long-term, or the breakdown of a marriage. Stress immediately begins sending signals throughout the body to increase your heart rate, release chemicals in the muscles, and prepare for an emergency. Therefore, breathing techniques, therapies, or reading a book can all help. The best way to mitigate stress’ health effects is just to find a way to relax quickly.

Treat The Symptoms After The Source

If you’ve already had your health affected by the impact of stress, dealing with it can be challenging. Treatments should usually be tailored to what sort of reaction your body had. For example, depression or anxiety after the stressor is usually gone a good reason to talk to a psychiatrist, at least for a bit. If the impact has damaged your skin or some physical area of your body, you should use a doctor approved treatment, but only after the original stressor is gone.

The problem and solution for stress come from the same point; it has a cause. If that cause is a part of your daily life, and if you don’t remove that cause, your health will only continue to be negatively impacted. After removing the stressor, exercise, medicine, and other doctor-approved treatments can help negate the physical impact stress had. And reading, finding a quiet space, or talking to a mental help therapist can help you to recover from the toll it’s taken on your mind.

16 Aug 2018
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Your Pineal Gland, Its Calcification & Why You Should Care

What Is The Pineal Gland?

The pineal gland is one of the most mysterious glands of the human body. It is a pea-sized gland in the precise geometric center of the brain and comes from the root word “pinea” which is Latin for “pinecone”. It is responsible for the synthesis and secretion of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin maintains the body’s circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle), regulates the onset of puberty in females, helps protect the body from cell damage caused by free radicals and much, much more.

Renewable Y-O-U

“Renewables” sounds like a fairly recent concept. However, we’ve been using renewable energy for millennia: wind, water, fire, and animal / human labor.

Today renewable energy is about saving the environment and diminishing our dependence on fossil fuels. Coupled with conserving finite resources, we’ve also gotten smart: smartphones, smart cars, smart homes, smart health care (wearables). Yet our smart solutions are dumbing us down in one crucial respect: we’re highly connected to them, and less connected to ourselves than ever before.

We are the ultimate renewable resource — when we become conscious of this truth. It’s a quantum shift in perception that changes everything.

What “Renewable” Really Means

Becoming a renewable resource doesn’t mean ditching your phone for the plow, but becoming more mindful in every moment. Think of it this way: work is applied energy. Sustaining your own energy means working with yourself as a renewable resource.

In their new book, The Healing Self, integrative medicine and personal growth pioneer Deepak Chopra, MD, and Harvard University brain health professor Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD, discuss how well being is an inside job that starts with awareness.

They write: “Seeking self-renewal is a conscious decision, and it’s never once and for all. Renewal at the level of the cell is a constant and virtually automatic process, and so is self-renewal. The noted spiritual teacher Jiddhu Krishnamurti once made a provocative remark about meditation. People set aside a certain period of the day to meditate, he said, but they don’t realize that real meditation is twenty-four hours a day. The same is true for healing.”

In Western culture, we typically don’t slow down long enough to give our inner life a second thought — until life itself demands it. This often manifests as illness, because that’s what it takes to get us to press “pause”.

How to Become A Renewable Resource

You don’t have to become a monk or jet off to India to sit at the feet of a sage when a health crisis hits, although these are viable personal growth paths. You do have to begin paying attention to what’s happening, ideally before the volume amplifies. This is how healing begins.

I speak from experience. In my early thirties, with a thriving remote business, piano lessons, and a 90 mph lifestyle, I ignored the symptoms proliferating in my body. Finally I hit the proverbial wall and, like a cartoon character, slid two dimensionally to the ground. The message was clear: “Time out! Get in touch with yourself at a deeper level if you want to get well.”

And I did. For the next three years, healing/wholing was my primary focus. As I began to heal physically, I simultaneously opened up spiritually. Whole/holy/heal all come from the same root word, “hale”. What I was undergoing transfigured me on a cellular level.

It was an initiation, as true healing always is.

Suffering Is Optional

Chopra and Tanzi write about the paradox of pain: how someone can be in intense physical pain yet not be “suffering”. In remembering who I am on a soul level, I began to experience a joy beyond anything I’d ever known. It was the most profound ah-ha! of my life. And while my body was still in pain, my expanding consciousness superseded it.

Of course, this unfolding made absolutely no sense to family and friends who were observing my process externally, shaking their heads.

It is only ever about you, yet far beyond the small “you” with whom you previously identified. When you step into your vastness, you become a renewable resource: embodying the light of wisdom, serving as a beacon for others on the awakening path.

Espavo defines this awareness succinctly: “Thank you for taking your power.” That’s the smart, renewable solution we all need now.

About the author:

Amara Rose is a metaphysical “midwife” for our global rebirth. A former personal health columnist for Nation’s Business magazine, she’s written for Yoga Journal, E/The Environmental Magazine, MORE, Well.org, VentureBeat.com, and numerous other publications. Subscribe to Amara’s resource-rich monthly newsletter.