1. In recent weeks, a major study has been written about and discussed by many major news and media outlets and publications, on
the topic of life expectancy. The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Boston and covered more than 700,000 records of US veterans who were enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Programme (link given in article). The research suggested that 8 particular lifestyle changes could add more than 20 years to your life, they are as follows:
Eat well.
Avoid cigarettes.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Be physically active.
Manage
stress.
Avoid binge drinking.
Be free from opioid addiction.
Have positive social relationships.
It is interesting for me as someone who works as a hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy teacher in the mental health field, that most of these can be directly helped with hypnotherapy. Here today though, I wanted to offer more focus on the areas that have evidence supporting them, that will add to life expectancy and are primarily a psychological
approach...
Read the Full Article: 7 Psychological Ways to Add Years to Your Life Expectancy.
2. “Chaos theory simply suggests that what appears to most people as chaos is not really chaotic, but a series of different types of orders with which the human
mind has not yet become familiar.” - Frederick Lenz
‘Chaos Theory’ is something you may have heard about. Here, it does not really apply to the chaos brought on by an earthquake or a fire, for example. This chaos theory refers more to the “science of surprises.” A relatively recent area of mathematics called Chaos Theory deals with unpredictability, surprises, and the nonlinearity of life. Knowing what it is can really help us learn how to prepare for the
unexpected, deal with uncertainty, and adapt to change.
Chaos Theory helps us deal with unpredictable events that are hard or impossible to foresee and control, such as how our bodies and brains function, the weather, stock market fluctuations, the unpredictable nature of business, or supply and demand volatility. These uncertainties result from the infinite complexity of nature, which humans are yet to fully comprehend. We frequently rely on weather forecasts from meteorologists
to help us make plans, such as picnics and trips to the beach, but we don’t hold them responsible when the forecast proves to be inaccurate. Like many other things, forecasting the weather is an imperfect science that cannot provide a 100% guarantee how something will turn out.
What then does the Chaos Theory mean to us? To live a regular existence, we need to be aware of how unpredictable the world is. Understanding how the Chaos Theory operates can provide us new insights,
understanding, and wisdom. Here is a list of reasons to convince you to accept the chaos theory, and then a number of ways explaining how to do so....
Read the Full Article: How to Benefit from Embracing Life’s Chaos.
3. “Given the choice between instant gratification
and the lasting satisfaction of earning the esteem of someone you respect and admire, all but the most small-minded would choose the latter.” – Mark Goulston
Instant gratification is a habit in which you avoid short-term discomfort in favour of transitory pleasures that may eventually lead to long-term pain. In other words, while knowing that doing something will help you achieve your long-term goals and objectives, you find justifications (excuses) not to do
it because of the pain it will cause now.
Procrastination is a common side effect of instant satisfaction. It’s a type of self-sabotage where you allow yourself to give in to life’s temptations at the expense of your long-term objectives. When this happens, the joys of the present just seem more alluring than the brief suffering you would endure while pursuing your objectives. And this is the reason why we rarely achieve our goals through instant gratification in the long
run.
Instant gratification often traps victims in anticipating getting something for free. Unfortunately, that’s not usually how the world operates. To receive anything, you must usually first give something (investing yourself in some way).
It doesn’t matter if that requires your time, effort, or money. Giving itself is what matters. And frequently, this “giving” may feel awkward, laborious and even painful. However, when you finally succeed in your goal, the
short-term suffering you experienced during these fleeting moments will eventually give way to long-term joy. Your brain will be producing and receiving feel good reward chemicals along the way too.
If you fall into the trap of rapid pleasure, you may become particularly prone to addiction, jealousy, rage, and impulsive behaviour. Additionally, it frequently causes more worry, anxiety, and overwhelm.
Instant satisfaction can be an indicator that you lack self-control.
Additionally, it emphasises how powerless you may be in the face of your emotional compulsions. As a result, you may experience serious consequences in your life, like limited thinking, bad decision-making, and poor planning habits.
Long-term discontent can result from constant and persistent indulging in momentary gratification. You continually sacrifice important long-term advantages for minor short-term pleasures that come in the shape of temptations, which can result in you feeling sad
and unfulfilled...
Read the Full Article: 8 Ways to Overcome Instant Gratification.
4. “Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.” – Brian Tracy.
At
one point or another, everyone has experienced decisional paralysis. If you have to make too many decisions, even minor ones might sometimes end up being too much for you to handle, leaving you mentally exhausted and in a fog. Decision fatigue! You may end up relying on chance or ask trusted people for their opinion on the best course of action to take.
Even while those decision-making techniques may work on occasions, there are frequently more reliable and efficient strategies
to break out of a rut. There are some things you can’t take lightly, particularly if they have major repercussions or affect other people. Being more decisive can speed up the process and produce more informed, beneficial results.
Why Should You Be More Decisive?
According to a study, people make around 35000 decisions every day. While some decisions are straightforward, such as selecting a latte or an iced coffee, some decisions are far more difficult than others, such as
choosing a new job or getting rid of a toxic person from your life.
With so many options available to you every day, it’s understandable that you occasionally struggle with ambiguity but also as we make more decisions, our decision making ability fatigues and we can make poorer decisions. But whether you struggle with impulsivity or hesitation, improving your decision-making skills can benefit many aspects of your life.
Here are a few reasons why you should be more
decisive and then a number of ways of how to be so...
Read the Full Article: How to Be More Decisive.
