This hair type comes with big waves, but they never quite form into an S curl—at least not consistently. “Even though 2c hair doesn’t fall into the ‘curly’ category on the hair type chart, it can be treated similarly to 3a hair, which is hair that has a loose, true curl,” Olivia explains.
“Type 2c hair has a strong wave pattern, and depending on the density of the hair, can look anywhere from light waves to beachy waves, to near-true curls,” Olivia says.
If you have fine and thin 2c hair, then you may see waves starting one to two inches from the root, while the hair right at the follicle will appear straight. Thick 2c hair, on the other hand, may have more lift at the root given that there’s more hair on your head, Olivia explains.
When categorizing your hair type as 2c, you might find it difficult as sporadic S-shaped curls can certainly appear in your mane. You’ll want to gauge your head as a whole, taking into account the general wave shape. In fact, those random curls may be a dead giveaway of 2c hair—as it’s playing the field between wavy and curly.
What makes calm+ unique is that it combines this foundational ingredient for long-term stress resilience with faster actors like hemp oil and lavender oil.* You’ve probably heard about how hemp oil and its phytocannabinoids like CBD can quickly engage relaxation in the body.* They do this by way of the endocannabinoid system, engaging the body’s master regulator to calm down3—and fast.* Lavender’s impact on stress doesn’t get as much attention, but it really should: In neuroimaging studies, the flower’s extracts have been shown to interact with key brain receptors in a way that provides calming, anxiousness-reducing benefits4.*
When combined, these ingredients work to deliver a quick sense of calm amid the craziness while helping build a solid foundation of long-term stress resilience. “Taking calm+ daily helps me get through stressful situations—a screaming toddler, a stressful meeting, or a turbulent flight—with a little bit more ease,” says mbg’s co-founder and co-CEO Colleen Wachob. “[It] has a palpable calming effect on my body and mind that lasts all day long.”
calm+ can also be taken at any time of day or night. Holistic chef Laura Lea opts to take the supplement before bed, as that’s when her mind typically races the most. “After three weeks of consistently using calm+ in the early evenings, I felt less stressed around bedtime, and it’s easier for me to shut my brain down,” she notes. Reviewer Martha Fischler opts to take hers in the afternoon on days when she knows she has a lot on her plate. “When I do, the supplement helps me approach challenges and obstacles from a more levelheaded place. It helps quiet down my feelings of anxiousness and frustration, freeing me up to make good decisions and get through the day with a positive mood,”* she notes.
All in all, calm+ customer Mark W. writes in his review, “This formula is phenomenal for improving one’s response to the daily stressors of life that are ubiquitous in today’s world.”*
“He had sent a flirt to my profile on a dating site about two months earlier. I had no photo with the profile, so it was just what I had written that attracted him. Or, perhaps, he was one of those catfish that flirted with anyone and everyone, playing a numbers game for someone to respond. But there was his flirt, sitting there for months unbeknownst to me because I wasn’t logging in; I wasn’t even looking. But an empty nest and wanderlust called, and out of curiosity to see what was floating out there, I logged in. And, there were not one, but two messages addressed to me, the photo-less woman.
The site we were on doesn’t allow you to look at photos unless you’ve also uploaded a photo. So, I searched through my photo archives, found a few, and posted them – literally for 20-30 minutes at most. Suddenly, I get pinged with a message. It’s him, and we begin chatting.
We spoke online through the site for about an hour. Then we shifted to the phone. We must have spoken on and off for nearly 12 hours the first day we ‘met.’ He suggested we meet the following day. As much as I had enjoyed our extended conversation, I hesitated because of the differences in where we both were in our lives. Finally, I agreed to meet him at a local shopping mall – I’m not a big fan of taking extended walks outside in the middle of the winter, plus it was a public place, in case he turned out to be a creep. I left my house late, that fear of success or failure slowing me down. I got there finally, late and offered to buy him the first of many coffees we shared that day. We must have walked miles, covering every square inch of the mall and never running out of things to say. From that moment on, we’ve been nearly inseparable. It’s been a year so far, and I have to say that one of the best things I did was ignore all the reasons I was writing him off and take the chance to meet him in person. He’s become my best friend and my love, and the life we’ve been building together is far more exciting and satisfying than the solo nomad empty nester life I had thought I’d wanted.”
Retinol is a powerhouse ingredient that can truly transform the skin, whether you want to clear breakouts, ease fine lines and wrinkles, or brighten your overall complexion. With all of those benefits at your disposal, why not slather it on your body as well?
Look for retinol body serums and creams that are pre-formulated as such, rather than mixing your own retinol into your favorite body cream. Retinol is a notoriously unstable ingredient, so it’s best to leave the chemistry projects to the pros.
Also, your retinol body serum or body lotion should be used every two or three days, rather than every single morning or night. On the off days, opt for a simple hydrating formula instead. Think of it like skin cycling, but for the whole body.
That’s right, studies have proven that ninety percent of the factors that make the difference between a happy life and an unhappy life are factors within your control. One life hack proven to help unlock your best life is setting, pursuing, and achieving goals.
But you don’t have to take my word for it; many other people are proving this point every single day. They are setting goals, doing the work and building the life of their dreams.
Don’t Take My Word For It, a new Operation Melt blog series, shares how other people – people just like you – are choosing to achieve happiness through their goals.
Yes, you can choose a happy life, but don’t take my word for it!
Amuse-Bouche
Before we jump into today's post, I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate it, but it is worth every penny you paid for it, right?
Where do bad rainbows go? Prism. Thankfully, it is just a light sentence.
Surprise Life Coach: 5 Success Secrets Hidden In Frasier
Surprise Life Coach explores the goal success strategies, tips and mindsets found in the most unlikely places. From television shows to movies to music to books and more, life coaches are all around us, hidden in the most unexpected places. We simply need to pay attention, and we can reap the rewards from this free coaching.
In this week’s edition of Surprise Life Coach, I am sharing five life success secrets hidden in one of my favorite television shows: Frasier. In full transparency, it was hard to identify just 5 strategies because this show was packed full of success tips. Many of these tips don’t even come from the show’s trained psychiatrists, Frasier and Niles!
Our Choices Define Us, Choose to Be Happy
Frasier was upset that an author stole a story from his life to write a popular novel. He decided to approach the author and give him a piece of his mind. This causes the author to realize his error, apologize profusely and tell Frasier that he owes him everything.
After getting exactly what he hoped from the exchange with the author, Frasier was still unhappy and said as much to his father, Martin Crane. In response, Martin shares this important life success strategy.
Our lives are defined by the choices we make. We can look for the negative in every situation and make ourselves miserable. Alternatively, we can look at the positive side of the story and live happily. I think the choice is pretty clear.
Change is a Constant, Be Ready to Adapt
A caller to Frasier’s radio show explains how she fell into depression after ending a relationship with her boyfriend. She mentions that, after eight months, the pain hasn’t gone away, and it feels like she is mourning. That’s when Frasier shared the following poignant advice.
We all make plans and envision the life we think we will live. But the only constant in the universe is change, which means those plans may not work out. If we learn to be adaptable and accept changes, we could end up in a better place than we ever expected.
I’ll share a personal example. Ten years ago, I would never have expected that I would be living a fit, healthy life. I also didn’t expect to be a published author running my own self-improvement business. None of that was in my plan. But fast-forward to today, and I am happier than ever with my life.
Follow Your Heart, No Dream is Too Weird
Niles Crane, Frasier’s brother, has an opportunity to write a book but has pushed off the deadline multiple times with writer’s block. When his publisher visits him to check on his progress, he suggests Niles collaborate with his brother to write about sibling psychology. Frasier is not interested in this venture, and Niles works to persuade him. Niles tells Frasier that he needs help to make a life-long dream come true.
While this quote is funny, it highlights a serious life lesson. We all have different dreams and goals that we want to pursue. If we let judgment get in our way and think that our dreams are too weird, we may never achieve them. How strange was the airplane, the telephone or the automobile when they were invented?
The world needs your weird dream… follow your heart and go make it happen!
You Might Fail, But That Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Try
In one of the funniest episodes, the Crane family heads to a ski lodge for a weekend retreat. Martin was cooking up a batch of hot buttered rum for the group, and he reflected on the last time he drank it. He drank a lot to find the courage to propose to his now-deceased wife and how he almost chickened out. That’s when he shared the following life lesson about courage and regret.
Fear is a natural part of life, and everybody has it. Being courageous doesn’t mean you don’t have fear; it just means you do it anyway. If you always play it safe, you stay in your comfort zone, and that’s not where you find fulfillment. If there’s something that you want to do, don’t hold back. Put yourself out there, take a risk despite being afraid and be willing to fail.
Failure isn’t something to be avoided; every failure is simply a lesson that moves you a bit closer to success.
Don’t Go It Alone
The final life lesson from Frasier comes from the episode Shrink Rap. In this episode, Frasier and Niles open a shared private psychiatry practice. Predictably, this endeavor turns out not to be a good idea – well, more like a catastrophe. A series of escalating disagreements and fights crescendos with a potted plant being thrown out the window.
A couples therapist from the same office steps in and tries to help the brothers. The retelling of the story and a series of trust exercises go horribly wrong, and the therapist delivers his diagnosis of the brothers. They are “pathologically mistrustful of each other, competitive to the point of madness,” and should go their separate ways. Reflecting on this damning diagnosis, Frasier has the following epiphany.
It isn’t easy to objectively assess our own lives; we are just too close to the situation. But you don’t have to manage all of life’s challenges alone. Having a friend, trusted advisor, or especially a coach can be your secret weapon to accomplishing more than you ever could have done alone.
Accountability partners, a team of experts, cheerleaders and truth-tellers are all critical allies in your journey to achieve your goals and live your best life. As the old proverb says, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
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You’re the manager. You’re the supervisor. You’re the leader. But maybe your people don’t see it that way and perhaps that has created a divisive and adversarial working environment that makes it difficult for you to influence and inspire your team in a way that meets your vision.
Sounds like your ship is headed for a mutiny, Captain.
It’s going to be alright. I’ve been there too. Allow me to share a prime example:
When a military recruiter discusses an applicant’s potential future as a member of their agency, typically a criteria comparison is conducted to ensure the applicant meets the organization’s extraordinary enlistment standards prior to moving forward.
These standards are usually focused on academics, physical fitness, moral standing within the community, medical history, and aptitude.
If the agency’s high standards are met, and the applicant signs a contract and swears in as a demonstration of allegiance to the country, then the next person the applicant meets in the chain of initiation will be a drill instructor of some sort. That’s a demanding hiring process.
Unless, of course, you were an “applicant” for the agency where I served as a drill instructor. In which case, forget all of those standards, we just needed you to commit a violent felony prior to your twentieth birthday.
Welcome to the depleting world of “shock” boot camp programs for incarcerated youth. If there had ever been a more difficult demographic of people to motivate towards a common goal, this was it.
First, let me outline the unique challenges of this experience so you will have a plum line for the magnitude of the mutiny I was confronted with during this time. Perhaps you can relate.
Although there is often judicial incentive to perform well in these programs, what I typically observed was a melting pot of young men and women who would not associate with each other at all on the streets for one reason or another, usually race or gang affiliation, who will now be expected to work as a team because a correctional officer, their mortal enemy, said so.
You might argue that a man or woman with authority and a badge would be enough to influence compliance. These youths, however, are well acclimated to a life of protesting and despising law enforcement and corrections figures within the community. The team was automatically divided at the time of arrival and the only thing they shared in common was a distrust and disdain for anyone wearing a badge.
In this case, the drill instructor: me.
This proved to be one of the most valuable leadership experiences I have ever had because it challenged me to rethink everything I knew about effective communication and leadership each day I stepped into the living unit to train my platoon of youthful inmates.
Everything I had relied on in the past to lead teams to success was stripped from me and I had to start from scratch and figure out how to succeed under totally new parameters. My leadership abilities were about to be put through a full audit.
Hopefully, your team doesn’t outright despise you the way mine was preconditioned to when I worked in a youth correctional facility. What I gained, though, was a solid and timeless foundation of leadership principles that translate to any team, company, or organization that helped me cultivate success in the most dismal of soil.
So, how do you inspire people who have already decided they don’t respect you or like you to want to follow your lead? It’s possible, and you can do it in 10 steps!
First, drop the argument of authority. “Because I’m the boss” is a weak flex and an ineffective posture for any leader. Everyone is aware of what your position is and currently, they don’t seem to care. You’ll need a more authentic angle.
Next, get to know your people. Your degree, platform, stature, title, or pedigree all mean nothing if you can’t demonstrate to your people that you genuinely care about them. What drives each one of them individually? What are their values? Why did they choose to work with your company? What are their goals? How can you help? What’s their idea of the perfect leader? What are they most proud of? Where are they strong? Where do they desire improvement?
Next, you may need to roll up your sleeves and get down in the trenches with them for a bit. This demonstrates two things: you aren’t asking anything of them you wouldn’t do yourself, and also that you have a desire to understand what your people experience while working for you on a daily basis in order to help you make decisions that impact and improve the workplace culture. Be careful in your efforts to be a consistent leader that you working in this capacity alongside them doesn’t become the expectation. Set a cut-off date and communicate clearly with your team. You’re still the leader who is responsible for the team and your team needs to know how to function in your absence. That’s the benchmark of sound leadership.
Next, accept their feedback. People stay where they are valued. When their voice matters, they feel valued. This garners an incredible amount of trust from your people as well.
Next, be instrumental in your team reaching new standards. Ensure they are receiving public praise and appreciation for everything they accomplish.
Offer opportunities for each teammate to take charge of a project or assign a different aspect of a working project for each teammate to be in charge of. This demonstrates that you are invested in the success and elevation of your people and reinforces to each team member that they hold importance and value within the company. This builds effective teams and future leaders.
Be available. When they speak, offer your undivided attention and support.
Be fair. Be consistent. Be just. Be approachable. Address negative behavior and toxicity immediately. The fastest way to drive out good teammates is to let them see you tolerate toxic behavior.
Keep your word. If you tell your team you are going to do something, follow through. They’re keeping score.
Do not give up and do not second guess yourself. Keep a positive attitude. It’s contagious.
This takes time, energy, effort, and commitment. Be dedicated to the process. Put in the time and put in the work. It’s worth it.
You either have time to take the helm and steer the ship and the crew towards success, or you have time for a mutiny.
The best things in life we don’t choose — they choose us. A great love, a great calling, a great illumination — they happen unto us, like light falling upon that which is lit. We have given a name to these unbidden greatnesses — genius, from the Latin for “spirit,” denoting the spirit of a universe we can only submit to but cannot govern.
A generation after Wordsworth defined the proof of genius as “the act of doing well what is worthy to be done, and what was never done before,”Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803–April 27, 1882) took up the mystery of genius — where it comes from, how it shapes the lives it befalls, and what it demands of them — in a wonderful essay on another great poet — Shakespeare — found in his indispensable Essays (public library).
There is no choice to genius. A great man does not wake up on some fine morning, and say, “I am full of life, I will go to sea, and find an Antarctic continent: to-day I will square the circle: I will ransack botany, and find a new food for man: I have a new architecture in my mind: I foresee a new mechanic power:” no, but he finds himself in the river of the thoughts and events, forced onward by the ideas and necessities of his contemporaries.
In a sentiment James Baldwin would echo in his own superb meditation on Shakespeare, in which he observed that “the greatest poet in the English language found his poetry where poetry is found: in the lives of the people,” Emerson adds:
Every master has found his materials collected, and his power lay in his sympathy with his people, and in his love of the materials he wrought in.
This recognition that art works with the raw materials of life undermines the cult of originality, which is itself the great hubris of the creative spirit — as Mark Twain wrote to Helen Keller, “all ideas are second-hand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources.” Stripping true creativity of this fetish for originality, Emerson anticipates Oscar Wilde’s insistence that creativity is the product of “the temperament of receptivity” and observes:
Great genial power, one would almost say, consists in not being original at all; in being altogether receptive; in letting the world do all, and suffering the spirit of the hour to pass unobstructed through the mind.
When it comes to finding the right shoes to combat knee pain, Sharkey has a few suggestions:
Know your foot type. The key to a truly comfortable pair of shoes is knowing your unique needs. “Those with flatter feet should look for shoes with arch stability or motion control, while those with higher arches should look for more neutral shoes with cushioning,” Sharkey clarifies. If you’re uncomfortable in your shoes and aren’t sure what type you need, it’s worth seeing a podiatrist for an evaluation.
Good arch support. Even if you don’t have specific arch-related issues, support for the soft area between the heel and the ball (AKA the arch) of your foot is important for alignment and pressure relief. “A well-supported arch means the foot is functioning optimally, which will reduce stress and strain on the knee,” says Sharkey.
Durability. Quality kicks don’t always come cheap, so it’s important to pick shoes with good feedback for durability—and to replace them when needed. “Shoes break down over time and lose their support,” warns Sharkey. “Make sure your shoes are replaced regularly for optimal support, especially pairs used for daily use and exercise. The general rule of thumb is that shoes should be replaced every 500 miles or every 6 to 8 months.”
Look for the proper fit (and easy returns). “Wearing shoes that are too narrow or too small will not provide adequate support,” Sharkey adds. That’s why it’s important to know the return policy for the brand you choose. Most of the picks on our list offer wide and narrow models, and are fair about offering free returns within a reasonable amount of time—just make sure you’re aware of the differences between the brand’s return policy and that of third-party vendors such Amazon or Zappos.
A face analyzer is software that uses a person’s face to recognise or verify their identification. It operates by recognising and quantifying facial features in images. Facial recognition systems can recognise human faces in pictures or videos, assess whether a face appears in two different pictures of the same person, or look for a face in a big database of pictures that have already been taken. Facial recognition is a technique used in biometric security systems to reliably identify users during user registration or login processes. Face analysis technology is also frequently used in mobile and personal devices to ensure device security.
Benefits of Facial Recognition
The following are some major benefits of face recognition technology:
Efficient security
Using facial recognition as a verification method is rapid and effective. Compared to other biometric technologies like fingerprint or retina scans, it is quicker and more practical. In comparison to typing passwords or PINs, facial recognition involves fewer touchpoints. For added security assurance, it offers multi factor authentication.
Improved accuracy
When identifying people, facial recognition is more reliable than using just a phone number, email address, or IP address. For instance, the majority of exchange services, including those for stocks and cryptocurrencies, now rely on facial recognition to safeguard clients’ money.
Easier integration
The majority of security software is compatible with and easily integrated with face recognition technologies. For instance, software or algorithms for facial recognition are already supported by smartphones with front-facing cameras.
Use Cases of Facial Recognition Systems
A facial recognition system can be used in the following situations:
Fraud detection
When a user registers for a new account on an online platform, businesses utilize facial recognition to uniquely identify the person. Following this, facial recognition technology can be utilized to confirm the identity of the real individual using the account in the event of risky or shady account behavior.
Cyber security
To improve cybersecurity, businesses utilise facial recognition machine learning in place of passwords. Since your face cannot be altered, it is difficult to acquire unwanted access to facial recognition systems. Another practical and extremely reliable security method for unlocking cellphones and other personal electronics is face recognition software.
Airport and border control
A lot of airports use biometric information as passports, letting travelers bypass lengthy lineups and move quickly via an automated terminal to their gate. The use of e-Passports using face recognition technology decreases wait times and enhances security.
Banking
Instead of utilizing one-time passwords or two-step verification, people now simply look at their phone or computer to confirm transactions. Given that there are no passwords for hackers to steal, facial recognition is safer. Similar to how some ATM cash withdrawals work, some checkout registers can approve payments using facial recognition.
Healthcare
Patient records can be accessed using facial recognition technology. It has the ability to automatically detect pain and emotion in patients and can speed up the patient registration process at a medical facility.
Working of Facial Recognition
The three steps of facial recognition are detection, analysis, and recognition.
Detection
The technique of identifying a face in a picture is called detection. Face detection and identification from an image including one or more people’s faces is made possible by computer vision. Both front and side face profiles with facial data can be detected.
Computer vision
Computer vision enables machines to recognise people, places, and objects in photographs with accuracy on par with or better than that of humans, and at a considerably faster rate. Computer vision automates the extraction, analysis, classification, and interpretation of meaningful information from picture data using sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The image data can be in many different formats, such these:
Only one image
Clip segments
Numerous camera angles
Data in three dimensions
Analysis
The face image is then analyzed by the facial recognition system. It maps and reads facial expressions and face geometry. It points out essential facial features that help separate a face from other items. The following are common indicators that facial recognition technology looks for:
While vitamin D deficiency can cause a variety of symptoms, the biggest sign that you are deficient in this vitamin is tiredness and the general feeling of being unwell. “Low vitamin D levels contribute to fatigue,” functional practitioner B.J. Hardick, D.C. previously wrote in a mindbodygreen article. “But getting sufficient amounts can correct this problem.”
Research has identified a link between fatigue and low vitamin D levels. In a 2019 study published in EPMA Journal, 90% of multiple sclerosis patients2 were also found to be vitamin D deficient. After improving their vitamin D status, their quality of life improved and their fatigue subsided.
Achiness and a general feeling of being unwell are often connected to fatigue. These symptoms, along with other signs of low vitamin D (e.g., low mood or getting sick often) can add up—especially in winter when everything already feels kind of depressing and “blah.”
Maybe you stayed up late this week catching up on White Lotus and you’re blaming your sleepiness on that. Or, you’ve recently started traveling again, and you’re blaming your feeling of being unwell and general struggle to get back into your work schedule on jetlag.
While these symptoms can easily be attributed to other factors (illness, chronic stress, poor sleep health, etc.), experiencing them together almost 24/7 indicates it might be time to get your vitamin D levels checked.
Previously a straight-A student taking honors and AP courses, I suddenly started failing classes because I couldn’t focus. The flashbacks were so disruptive, I’d completely space out in class or would start writing in my journal just to stay grounded. Of course, my teachers noticed.
My relationships suffered too. At first, I withdrew from friends, unsure of how to interact with people when my perception of reality felt so split between flashbacks and actual life. I was also in a new romantic relationship at the time my PTSD was setting in, and I found the flashbacks were even worse when I tried to be intimate with someone. For several years, I would have the experience of suddenly coming to with a partner looking down at me with their brow furrowed, or to a gentle tap on the shoulder, a confused and concerned embrace.
“Hey, where did you go?”
After a few months (and some classroom adjustments) I was able to concentrate better in school. I became incredibly fixated on getting good grades and earning a scholarship so I could get away from my hometown. I never wanted to feel like that girl being asked why her grades were slipping ever again. I felt like I had something to prove—that even with my PTSD, I could be successful instead of curling up in bed and crying like I sometimes wanted to, even though no one knew. I held myself to a really high standard.
On some level, I’d been a high achiever my entire life, but now there was this little blue ball of fire in my gut that never went out. Looking back, I’m relieved I never sought solace in drugs or alcohol, but I can recognize now that I developed an addiction of sorts to work. Work gave me something to focus on. If I was constantly moving, there was no room for intrusive trauma thoughts.
During times when I was feeling insecure and inferior because of my past or was experiencing what I call a PTSD flare-up, I would push myself—often to the point of burnout. Logically, I knew that breaks were important, but after so many years of living in a fight-or-flight state, I found I didn’t know how to relax.
My trauma definitely affected my dating life—directly and indirectly. I was always worried about being “too much” or “not enough.” I also had a tendency to go out with guys who treated me poorly or who were emotionally unavailable. I tried on the personas of the “Cool Girl” and the “Tough Girl” and the “Girl Who’s Not Looking For Anything Serious,” but eventually I realized they were all just ways I was trying to protect myself. I also used my busy work life as a way to build emotional distance and set boundaries I didn’t feel confident enough to set for myself.
Over the years, I occasionally tried to talk about the assaults, but whenever I tested the waters, I would almost always be met with the question, “Were you drunk?”
While that answer was no, what if I had been? Or was it somehow worse than I’d been totally sober and therefore more responsible for not preventing it?
Though it would take me a long time to find the words for it, I harbored a lot of anger towards myself: for not knowing better, for not being able to stop the assaults, and later, for my mind and body for not working properly under stress. I became so frustrated at the way I would just shut down when triggered, or if I didn’t shut down, I’d have a meltdown over something seemingly small and feel unable to express it to anyone else.
For the side sleepers out there, this may be bad news. “Sleeping on one side is actually pretty detrimental because the friction is breaking down the muscle, making the face slack a bit faster on one side,” Healy explains.
What’s more, sleeping on one side actually affects the rate at which your brow hairs shed. “The increase in friction can cause the brow hairs to shed faster, especially in the tail of the brow,” Healy explains. In turn, this can cause thinning of the brow and an early cut-off.
“However, if you naturally have very strong, conditioned brow hairs that are well-rooted, this shouldn’t be as big of a problem,” he notes. Yep, just another reason to add a brow serum to your beauty routine.
If you’re truly concerned about how sleeping on one side will impact your skin or brows, you can try to switch to sleeping on your back. The transition isn’t always easy, but it is certainly possible.
Healy also recommends investing in a silk pillowcase. This will help decrease friction and prevent threads tugging at the brow hairs. Plus, your hair and skin will thank you, too.
Cells use glucose (aka from blood sugar) to make energy to carry out their functions throughout the body. Glucose is especially important in the brain, where blood sugar is in high demand, as it’s used to produce neurotransmitters that enable the central nervous system to communicate with the rest of the body.
But it’s not only cognitive functions that require adequate amounts of glucose—healthy blood sugar levels have an impact on mood regulation, energy, sleep, metabolic health, and more. The key to healthy blood sugar, or glycemia, is maintaining balanced levels—we need sufficient blood glucose to help our cells and organ systems carry out their daily activities, but too much blood sugar and suboptimal insulin sensitivity can result in health concerns.
The study1, published in Sleep Medicine in 2021, analyzed data from more than 6,000 participants over 65 years old over eight years. The researchers looked for differences in the long-term health of participants who used sleep medications, including both prescription medications (like Ativan and Ambien) and over-the-counter ones (like Advil PM or Benadryl).
The results showed that about 15% of the study participants used sleep medicine routinely, and those who used them “most nights” or “every night” were 30% more likely to develop dementia during the study period. The authors accounted for differences in age, sex, marital status, education, or other chronic conditions that may have affected their risk of dementia.
This is troubling considering the number of people who rely on sleep medications to get a good night’s rest. More than 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder, and a Medical Expenditures Panel Survey showed that the number of adults in the U.S. using a prescription sleep medication increased 67% (from 8.1 million to 13.5 million) between 1996 and 2013.
Sometimes, a painting in words is worth a thousand pictures. I think about this more and more, in our compulsively visual culture, which increasingly reduces what we think and feel and see — who and what we are — to what can be photographed. I think of Susan Sontag, who called it “aesthetic consumerism” half a century before Instagram. In a small act of resistance, I offer The Unphotographable — Saturdays, a lovely image in words drawn from centuries of literature: passages transcendent and transportive, depicting landscapes and experiences radiant with beauty and feeling beyond what a visual image could convey.
By Maria Popova
“Contemplating the teeming life of the shore,” Rachel Carson wrote in her stunning meditation on the ocean and the meaning of life, “we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just beyond our grasp… the ultimate mystery of Life itself.”
When the full moon hauls back the waters, they emerge, a glittering band along the shore, like doubloons washed up from the wreck of a Spanish galleon. They close their shells tight and, for a few hours, become land. Bears slip out of the cedary woods and trundle over them, picking at small fish that lingered too long. From a distance you might think they were glinting rocks, just another cobbly beach, rather than acres of living coastline. But if you stepped out of your boat and explored, old shells popping softly beneath your boots, you’d smell their salt-spray aroma and hear the crackling of receding water droplets and know that they were the living sea itself, holding on to the land to keep it from squirming away. And if you sat down among them and pried open some shells and tipped the briny flesh into your mouth, you might get some sense of how it had always been.
Then the moon lets go and the water returns, snaking along the low points, bubbling up like springs from under the shells. Soon they are covered, and they phase back to their other existence. They open their shells and drink in the sea. The bears withdraw and sixteen-armed purple sea stars pull their way up the tide’s advancing edge, gobbling as they go. Tiny creatures hunker down beneath the shells, within the shells, spinning out little lives in a biogenic world. For a few hours, they disappear beneath the waves. And if you arrived at high water and didn’t take the time to poke around, or if you were from some place where the land and the water have already come unglued and you assumed that the world you knew was the one that had always been, then you’d probably keep on going, and you’d never even know they existed at all.
Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of stressors or suffering in this world—but the good news is, the study authors believe managing negative emotions that subsequently come up could have protective benefits for the brain.
They recommend meditation, for one thing, which has a long-standing reputation for easing stress, improving concentration and mindfulness, and yes, working through emotions. And even if you don’t meditate, mindfulness can still be incorporated throughout your day, helping you to identify and feel your emotions so you can work through them.
Working with a mental health professional who can guide you in emotional management can also be beneficial if you’re just getting started.
And if you want any additional help with managing your emotions for the sake of your brain, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to incorporate targeted botanicls into your routine. Ingredients like CBD, lavender, and ashwagandha are research-backed and have been shown to help support feelings of calm and a balanced mental state. Don’t know where to start? Check out this roundup of our favorite supplements for stress, all backed by a nutrition Ph.D.
According to nationally representative research1, failing to meet the daily recommended intake of essential micronutrients is a widespread issue in the U.S.
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But as Irvin said, we want our well-being to thrive—even in our later years. Beyond basic nutritional needs, taking a multivitamin has even been shown to increase telomere length2 (a key biomarker tied to healthy aging).*
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Dreams are as mysterious to the dreamer as they are to the experts. But what we do know is that dreams are a neurobiological process, just like thinking.
Dreams are the result of heightened activity in our neocortex1, the outermost layer of our brain, although researchers are still understanding how different types of dreams (like lucid dreaming) activate different regions.
We haven’t yet pinned down why we dream or what our dreams mean—but we do have promising theories.
According to Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., board-certified sleep specialist, dreaming is all about data processing and data storage (and in that order). “One of the functional purposes of dreaming is moving information from your short-term to your long-term memory,” he explains. “That movement of data, we think, is represented in your brain as this kind of fantastical imagery we call dreams.” We all experience emotional events on the reg, and according to Breus, dreams are a reflection of processing, understanding, and storing these events.
And dream expert Leslie Ellis, Ph.D., agrees: “In dreaming, we appear to pull out those emotionally charged elements from the previous day or so and weave them onto our existing memories but also into a new kind of image or story,” she previously explained to mindbodygreen.
Beyond emotional processing and memory consolidation, dreams have been a source of creativity and inspiration throughout the ages. But what if we don’t dream or haven’t had a dream in years? Do we miss out on these benefits?
Posture is something that most of us don’t think about on a daily basis, yet it plays a crucial role in our overall well-being. Not only does good posture improve our physical health, but it also has a significant impact on our mental and emotional well-being, particularly our self-confidence. In this blog post, we will explore the connection between posture and confidence, and how you can improve your posture to feel more confident and self-assured. Additionally, we’ll take a look at how posture correctors can help to improve your posture and boost your confidence.
Using Posture Correctors
A posture corrector is a device worn around the shoulders and back that helps to align the spine and improve posture. It works by gently pulling the shoulders back and aligning the spine, helping to retrain the muscles to maintain good posture. Quality posture correctors are designed to be worn discreetly under clothing and can be worn for extended periods of time to help retrain the muscles.
Posture correctors can be a great tool for those who struggle with poor posture, particularly for those who spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or in front of a computer. They can also be helpful for those recovering from injury or surgery, as they provide support to the spine and help to prevent further injury.
The Connection between Posture and Confidence
The psychological effects of good posture are undeniable. When we stand up straight, our body language sends a message to our brain that we are confident and in control. This, in turn, leads to increased self-esteem and self-worth, and improves our mood and reduces stress. On the other hand, poor posture can lead to feelings of insecurity and low self-worth, as well as increased anxiety and depression.
In addition to the psychological effects, good posture also has physical benefits. When we slouch or hunch, we restrict the flow of oxygen to our brain, leading to fatigue and decreased alertness. Good posture, on the other hand, allows for proper breathing and oxygen flow, leading to increased energy and alertness.
How to Improve Posture
Improving posture doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. The first step is to identify and correct any common postural issues you may have. These include a forward head and rounded shoulders, slouching and hunching, and sitting at a desk for long periods. Once you are aware of these issues, you can take steps to correct them.
One of the easiest ways to improve posture is through simple exercises and stretches. Shoulder rolls and neck stretches can help to release tension in the shoulders and neck, while thoracic extension and upper back strengthening exercises can help to improve the alignment of the spine. Core and hip strengthening exercises are also important for good posture, as they help to support the spine and maintain proper alignment.
Maintaining Good Posture
Improving posture is one thing, but maintaining it is another. It takes a conscious effort to maintain good posture throughout the day, especially when we are sitting at a desk or in front of a computer for long periods. Incorporating good posture into your daily routine is key. This might mean setting reminders to check your posture throughout the day, or using posture devices such as back braces or posture correctors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, good posture is crucial for our overall well-being and has a direct impact on our self-confidence. By making a conscious effort to improve and maintain good posture, we can improve our physical and mental health, and feel more confident and self-assured. Remember to take a multi-faceted approach by incorporating exercises, stretches, posture correctors, and reminders to maintain good posture. It takes time and effort to improve your posture, but the benefits are well worth it in the long run. So, start today and make a conscious effort to improve your posture, and feel the difference in your confidence.
