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Positive affirmations are a powerful tool for tapping into your subconscious and rewiring your thoughts. Whether you want to feel more confident or more peaceful, you can choose any affirmation(s) you want, making them a great positive thinking tool for anyone.
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The endorphin rush that followed my very first cold plunge turned me into a cold water therapy convert—and I began researching ways to get 24/7 access to a cold plunge tub. But as an apartment dweller with a limited budget, I quickly realized the bathtub-sized pools taking over my social media didn’t make sense for my lifestyle (or cement backyard).
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All of Canada and over 50% of the US have access to legal cannabis, and people seem to have changed their opinion about it. Fox News covers it as a legit business and 85+% of the population think it should be legal. From Gen Z to Boomers, people are headed to dispensaries to try it out. So what about experimenting with marijuana? Will you get addicted the first time? Is it life changing?
The old myth is marijuana is addictive and a gateway drug. Addiction is more common in alcohol or cocaine. But it’s possible to get hooked on marijuana, also known as cannabis. Studies show about 1 in 10 adults who use marijuana can get addicted.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Enjoy Marijuana Without Smoking It
Healthwise, marijuana is easier on the body than alcohol. Used in moderation, marijuana allows you to avoid weight gain, hangovers and body damage. Alcohol can be rough on the body. Also, there is zero cases of someone overdosing on marijuana, the worst case is they fall asleep. Gen Z is drifting away from alcohol and heading over to the marijuana camp.
How you experiment is also a consideration. If you are passed a joint, a bong, or a vape, you are likely to have a high fairly quickly. As it fades, you can make a decision on whether to continue in the moment or reflect if you would try it again. One hit doesn’t really make you a consumer or stoner. If you use an edible, start low and slow, a gummy might relax you, but don’t expect to buzzing like two martinis. Give it 45 minutes and then see how it goes.
RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors
Why are experiments, are you moving away from alcohol? Are you feeling stressed? Or just curious? All are ok reasons, but it good to know why so you can see if it accomplishes your goal. A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that marijuana reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Researchers found those hoping to reduce stress should use high-CBD/high-THC strains while high-CBD/low-THC varieties best help limit depression.
“Cannabis reduces perceived symptoms of negative affect in the short-term, but continued use may exacerbate baseline symptoms of depression over time,” researchers concluded.
If you have a condition like IBS, anxiety, or another medical condition is helps, it can be life-changing. Otherwise it could just make you happy and open your mind – and you can decide if it is life-changing.
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Terry Hacienda
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In order to change our impact on the Earth, we need to change the way we relate to ourselves.
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A new study finds that a “Science of Happiness” university course, designed to teach students a variety of happiness hacks, provides the most long-term benefits when participants stick with the tools and exercises after completion.
There have been many experiments showing the short-term benefits of positive psychological interventions like gratitude, meditation, kindness, and journaling, but not many studies have looked into these effects on a longer timeline.
At the University of Bristol, there’s a popular course known as “The Science of Happiness” that aims to teach students how to use various happiness hacks to improve their mental health and well-being. This course has been running since 2019 and has been offered both online and in-person.
The program balances practical advice with important information on topics such as: the nature of happiness, the role of biology and environment, cognitive biases, brain mechanisms, problem-solving, and the importance of social connection. At the end of each week, students are instructed to try evidence-based activities or “happiness hacks,” as a way of fostering positive mental well-being.
In previous years, individuals who took the course reported significantly increased mental well-being from the first week to the final week, as shown by a 10-15% increase in their scores on the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Participants also reported reduced loneliness and anxiety. A follow-up after six weeks continued to show sustained benefits, but it was unclear how long these positive effects lasted.
In a new study published in the journal Higher Education, researchers analyzed 228 undergraduate students from various disciplines who had completed the positive psychology course either 1 or 2 years ago. Interestingly, while most students reported short-term benefits, later group analysis revealed that these benefits did not persist uniformly across all participants during the long term follow-up period.
A deeper look at the data revealed a crucial factor behind the program’s success: continued engagement. Approximately 51% of the students who actively practiced the recommended activities taught during the course maintained their increased mental well-being over the follow-up period. These students consistently applied positive psychology principles in their daily lives at least a year after they completed the class.
Here’s a chart from the study illustrating the findings:
As you can see, those who continued to follow the “happiness hacks” maintained their gains in subjective well-being during the long term follow-up.
The most commonly reported technique that students continued to use was gratitude (37.17%), including writing letters of gratitude to others and making lists of things that they were grateful for (“three good things”). Other commonly reported techniques were mindfulness/meditation (33.63%), exercise (21.24%), journaling (17.70%) and kindness (10.62%).
The study recommends that schools and institutions consider the long-term impact of psychoeducational courses. While initial benefits are essential, sustained effects depend on prolonged engagement and commitment.
Course designs should incorporate mechanisms to encourage continued practice:
The goal of psychology – whether it’s with a course, book, article, therapist, or coach – is always to take what you learn and integrate it into your real world living.
In the moment, learning about these tools and exercises can provide a nice temporary boost of relief, but then we quickly get bored, forget about them, stop applying them, and lose out on their benefits over time.
Much like a diet or exercise regimen, you need to create a mental health system in your life that works for you and is sustainable into the future. Quick fixes are a myth. You’ll always snap back to your old ways if you don’t choose a course of action you can follow continuously and indefinitely.
In theory, choose habits you can do for the rest of your life. That’s the mindset you need for continuous growth, happiness, and well-being. Gratitude, kindness, meditation, exercise, and journaling can become habits that are just as second-nature to you as tying your shoes or driving a car. Make self-care an everyday occurence.
Ultimately, if you want to build a happy life, you have to be in it for the long haul.
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Steven Handel
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The time in between is where the magic is. It’s what I am learning to live for and be present for. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard though. It’s hard to get there. Now more than ever perhaps.
In fact, for me, writing is one of those things that fills a need for my mental wellbeing. It’s how I process ideas. Some of it you get to read, some of it never sees the light of day. I go into the zone where my heart and brain are in full coherence. I am in flow. You know this feeling, but perhaps haven’t given it the acknowledgement and appreciation it needs. If you have young children, it’s an absolute joy to witness them in this state. They’re focussed, calm and often can be found humming or singing, or even talking to themselves as they go about doing whatever it is they’re doing.
As adults we’ve been trained (and perhaps conditioned) to fill all the time we have. We fill it with perpetual busyness and when we don’t have something to do, we get twitchy. Hello phones! We scroll, we click, we formulate comments, we scroll and click some more until it’s time for us to do something else. More time filled.
With what? Every moment that passes us by, where we fail to be present is a potential wasted opportunity of just being; of enjoying that time in between where we experience absolute joy and happiness.
Look around yourself right now. If you’re in your home, consider that everything that surrounds you, all the stuff, was once money. And that money was once your time. Is it all worth it? It might just be. The next question of course is if you’re mindfully enjoying what your time and effort has provided for you, or have you already moved on to the next distraction? The next need?
As the weight of the world continues to feel heavier and heavier upon all our shoulders, it becomes ever more critical to create the headspace and the physical space in our lives to be able to be present for the time in between. We cannot do this if we are overwhelmed by jumble in our minds and homes.
When it can be exquisitely easy to be consumed by the chaos, the fear, the tragedy and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness, we can also choose joy. We can choose to find the times to be present with the big and small joys in our life. It always begins in our mind. Yes, some moments will be easier than others.
Here is what I can promise you: with your effort, you will reap the benefit. Maybe today it’s two minutes of just walking hand in hand with your child. Or maybe it’s looking up from your computer to watch a bird on a tree. Maybe it’s that first embrace with someone you haven’t seen in a long time. And maybe it’s taking a half day off of work to sit and read a book on the grass.
Stopping to enjoy the time we create to be still might just take the most discipline of all. But for those of you who are productivity junkies like me, here’s a tip – when you take those breaks, everything else works more efficiently. Your body, brain, and whatever it is you seek to create.
Take a pause.
And when you’re done, if you’re still reading, you’ll want to take a moment to look at how I’m working to help guide people to more peace, calm, and compassionate leadership. It takes time between the doing to do it all with heart.
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Photo Credit: Nilkki McKean
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Meghan Telpner
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Over a decade ago, esteemed statistician and essayist, Nassim Nicholas Taleb wrote a series of arguments about organisms or systems that do more than just resist or bounce back from stressors and adversity. Instead, they improve their capacity to thrive in the long term because of those very stressors.
This phenomenon, which he termed antifragility, has subsequently been applied to various fields such as risk analysis, aerospace, molecular biology, urban planning and more, to great success. Where it hasn’t been adequately integrated and leveraged is in entrepreneurship, and further, in how we develop the psychology required to become antifragile. Therein lies a significant opportunity.
In an entrepreneurial sense, antifragility means that unlike things that are “resilient” (i.e., can withstand shocks) or “fragile” (i.e., are harmed by shocks), antifragile entities thrive and improve in the face of volatility, uncertainty and stress. Applying the concept of antifragility to an entrepreneurial framework involves cultivating an organizational structure and mindset that not only withstands uncertainties and disruptions but leverages them for growth.
I am no stranger to the volatility of life and the markets. I’ve weathered life’s ups and downs, particularly after the 2008 crash, when I faced total financial loss. This phase was tough on both personal and professional fronts. Those days tested me to the core. They were challenging my resilience and character like never before. As I began to rebuild my life and reframe my purpose as an entrepreneur, the concept of antifragility began to blossom. I learned to lean into hardship, and I embraced the principle of antifragility, learning to grow stronger from adversity, volatility and stress.
Related: How to Thrive Through Adversity — A Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Resilience
Antifragility is not about bouncing back, returning to baseline or even withstanding stress, volatility, uncertainty or any other adversity. It’s about growing and benefitting from those things. It’s being a Hydra, not a Phoenix. The famous mythical bird, the Phoenix, is noted for its incredible ability to dissipate to ashes, only to be reborn as it once was. It does this repeatedly, the same cycle of ashes to rebirth, over and over. However, the Greek legend of Heracles and his 12 labors paints a different picture for us. One of Heracles’ famous labors is the destruction of the Hydra, a nine-headed water snake. While nine heads might be more than formidable enough, the Hydra also had a unique characteristic. If Heracles were to successfully slice off one of the Hydra’s heads, it wouldn’t just grow the head back, it would grow back that head and more. Cut off one of its heads, it grows back two more. The Hydra isn’t just resilient, it’s antifragile.
From an entrepreneurial perspective, the concept of antifragility is a powerful tool. It’s learning to become a Hydra. Adopting an antifragile mindset in business means not just surviving in a chaotic environment but actively seeking ways to grow and improve as a result of the chaos. It’s about turning volatility and uncertainty into opportunities for innovation, learning and resilience.
Indeed, this can be a difficult concept to apply practically simply because most of our knee-jerk reactions are to avoid discomfort, volatility and uncertainty. So, how can entrepreneurs develop an antifragile mindset?
While much more research needs to be done to better understand the psychology and neuroscience of antifragile behavior, we do have some excellent indicators from the science and lived experiences of antifragile individuals. Several of those indicators fall into a bucket of what we call mindset, a set of beliefs, both conscious and unconscious that influence the way we see and interact with the world. These mindsets impact our “thought-action repertoires,” the short list of possible actions or behaviors chosen from in any given context.
Developing such mindsets requires training several ways of thinking over time so that they eventually become traits. The first, and perhaps most critical trait is psychological flexibility. Antifragility is not about rigidity, but flexibility within a clearly defined boundary of values and beliefs. It’s not just mental toughness or “suck it up” attitudes. It’s the ability to exist in, endure and even benefit from a rich range of experiences and to be able to see situations from a range of perspectives.
This gives way to another important skill, the ability to see and approach stressors as challenges or opportunities instead of threats, what is commonly referred to as a challenge mindset as opposed to a stress mindset (e.g., fight, flight or freeze). While many more granular details and thinking styles exist within these larger categories, being psychologically flexible, generally optimistic and challenge-oriented serve as excellent starting points for developing an antifragile mindset.
Related: Obstacles Are Opportunities: Use Them to Take Your Business to the Next Level
Once you have worked on developing an antifragile mindset, entrepreneurs can begin to apply practical strategies for building antifragile businesses and frameworks.
Recognizing that antifragile systems thrive amidst chaos and uncertainty, and choosing to see these conditions not as threats but as avenues for growth is a game changer. This mindset encourages entrepreneurs like us to not shy away from risks but to engage in calculated ones that bring beneficial volatility.
Similarly, diversification is key; by spreading out revenue sources, customer bases and offerings, we can make our businesses more adaptable and less prone to singular shocks. Learning from failure is also a cornerstone of antifragility. Viewing setbacks as crucial learning moments allows us to foster a culture of innovation and resilience.
Agility and adaptability are paramount; I believe in incorporating flexibility into business models to swiftly navigate market shifts. This involves a constant re-evaluation of strategies to stay aligned with the dynamic business environment. In pursuing decentralization, we mitigate risks associated with single points of failure, enhancing our response to disruptions. Ensuring systems are robust, with redundant processes and well-thought-out contingency plans, further fortifies our antifragile stance.
Continuous innovation keeps entrepreneurs ahead, urging us to always push the envelope and explore new territories. Building a strong network is equally crucial, providing a support system and resources that are vital in tumultuous times.
Lastly, the foundation of antifragility lies in resilience — both organizational and personal. Prioritizing the well-being of ourselves and our teams, ensuring a healthy work-life balance and nurturing a supportive environment are all critical in building a truly resilient and antifragile enterprise.
Embracing antifragility represents a paradigm shift in entrepreneurship, encouraging leaders to not just endure but to harness volatility and uncertainty as engines for innovation and growth.
As we navigate a world characterized by rapid change and unpredictability, the principles of antifragility offer a roadmap for building robust, dynamic businesses poised for long-term success. By integrating these concepts into their strategies, entrepreneurs can create organizations that not only withstand but capitalize on the complexities of the modern market.
It’s time to let chaos be your catalyst, embracing antifragility as not just a strategy for survival, but as the foundation for unprecedented growth and innovation.
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Peter Goldstein
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A healthy heart is imperative for better health. The heart requires a clear and constant blood supply to work efficiently. Both high stress levels and high cholesterol levels are detrimental as they restrict the blood supply to the heart. Moreover, there is a link between stress and cholesterol. Know more about this and how to manage their levels to keep your heart active and healthy. ~ Ed.
Stress and high cholesterol are two common health issues that often occur together. Research shows that there is a correlation between stress and cholesterol levels – stress can contribute to high cholesterol which can in turn cause stress. By understanding their connection and taking steps to manage both stress and cholesterol, you can improve your overall health and well-being.
Stress triggers our bodies to produce hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones trigger a “fight or flight” response, increasing blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. Cortisol also signals the liver to produce more cholesterol. This reaction helped our ancestors survive immediate physical threats, but modern stress is often psychological and prolonged. Chronic stress keeps cholesterol production high, causing unhealthy LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels to rise.
High cholesterol doesn’t always cause noticeable symptoms. But over time, it can lead to a buildup of plaque in the arteries. This narrows the interior walls, restricting blood flow to the heart and brain. It increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular issues. Studies show that people with high stress often have elevated LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Managing stress is key to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and improving heart health.
Just as stress negatively impacts cholesterol, high cholesterol can also trigger stress in a vicious cycle. High cholesterol is damaging to blood vessels everywhere, including those in the brain. Plaque buildup in cerebral arteries limits oxygen supply, which can impair cognitive skills. It also reduces the production of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that regulates mood.
This disruption to blood flow and brain function can cause varied neuropsychiatric symptoms. People with high LDL cholesterol often report increased anxiety, irritability, and feelings of depression. There is also an increased long-term risk of dementia. For those already dealing with mental health issues, high cholesterol presents another challenge while exacerbating existing symptoms. Knowledge of how lifestyle habits affect both the mind and body empowers people to take control of their health.
The good news is that many of the same healthy lifestyle changes can target both high cholesterol and high stress levels. Here are some practical, evidence-based ways to reduce stress while improving cholesterol profiles:
Regular exercise is one of the most effective stress relievers while also lowering LDL and raising HDL cholesterol. Aim for 30-60 minutes per day of activity like brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or rowing. Yoga and Pilates can also relax the mind and strengthen the heart.
Limit saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol by eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, and lean protein. Be sure to get ample fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics. Avoid excess sugar and salt. Limit alcohol, which stresses the liver and raises triglycerides.
Carrying excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, puts more stress on the heart and promotes inflammation. Losing even 5-10% of your body weight can significantly lower cholesterol while boosting mood.
Smoking damages blood vessels while increasing the risk of lung disease, cancer, and heart attack. Kicking the habit reduces stress and improves cholesterol.
Lack of sleep is linked to higher cholesterol as well as increased cortisol production. Strive for 7-9 hours per night, going to bed and waking at consistent times to regulate your circadian rhythm.
Meditation, deep breathing, Tai Chi, and yoga have proven benefits for psychological stress. They activate the parasympathetic nervous system to initiate a relaxation response, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, cholesterol and blood pressure medications may be needed. Anti-anxiety or antidepressant drugs can also help in some cases, but their effects should be monitored. Be sure to take any prescribed drugs regularly to reduce strain on the cardiovascular system.
Have your cholesterol levels tested regularly and get screened for heart disease risk. If the numbers are very high, your doctor may recommend more aggressive treatment. Discuss any mental health concerns as well so underlying causes can be addressed.
By relieving stress and keeping cholesterol levels in check, you can break the unhealthy cycle between mind and body. Caring for both is essential for improving heart health and enjoying a better quality of life.
When we talk about cholesterol and liver health, it is important to know that the liver plays a central role in regulating cholesterol levels and metabolism. It removes cholesterol from the bloodstream and excretes it into bile. The liver also synthesizes cholesterol for the production of cell membranes and hormones. When we consume foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats, the liver churns out more LDL particles, which elevate cholesterol further.
This extra burden on the liver also creates oxidative stress, compounding the negative effects. Supporting liver function through a healthy lifestyle is therefore important for maintaining normal cholesterol range and reducing cardiovascular risks.
Stress and high cholesterol often coincide, fueling each other in a destructive loop. By eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, managing medications as needed, and implementing stress-reduction techniques, you can target both issues simultaneously. Caring for your mind and body together through a holistic approach helps relieve pressure on the heart while also enhancing mental health and wellbeing.
Addressing stress and cholesterol through positive lifestyle changes leads to improved physical and emotional health over the long term.
Over to you
How do you manage your heart health? What are your tips to keep the stress and cholesterol levels under control? Share them in the comments below.
Image credit: Freepik
Disclaimer: We’re not offering any medical advice here. These ideas are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always seek a professional medical opinion from a physician of your choosing before making any medical decision. The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute to the advice given by your physician or another healthcare professional.
Disclaimer: Though the views expressed are of the author’s own, this article has been checked for its authenticity of information and resource links provided for a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. However, you’re suggested to make your diligent research and consult subject experts to decide what is best for you. If you spot any factual errors, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in the article, please report at [email protected]. Thanks.
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Emma Williams
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As licensed psychotherapist Babita Spinelli, that can look like difficulty with close relationships, unhealthy coping mechanisms, staying in toxic situations, people-pleasing, dissociation, emotional reactivity, and much more. Essentially, when your inner child is lost, it’s easy to get stuck in a perpetual cycle of neglecting them even more.
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Conquer your social fears one step at a time by climbing up your “Anxiety Hierarchy.” Here’s a simple and powerful worksheet to get you started.
Social Anxiety Hierarchy Worksheet (PDF)
This worksheet mentions several mental tools and relaxation techniques that are essential for making the most of your anxiety hierarchy. Here are links to learn more about each one.
Mental Tools:
Relaxation Techniques:
Further Reading:
Check out more self-improvement worksheets here!
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Steven Handel
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What are the six aspects of a balanced person? Physical, mental, emotional, social, work/financial, and meaning/spiritual. Learn more about each one and how to improve it!
In life, there isn’t one single area that we need to focus on that is going to magically fix all of our problems.
Instead there are multiple dimensions behind every “good life.” Each dimension requires our attention and each contributes to our overall happiness and well-being.
Here are six aspects of life that come together to create a “balanced person.” By being more aware of these different dimensions in life, we can determine which areas we need to focus on more and work to improve.
The different aspects of a balanced person include: 1) Physical, 2) Mental, 3) Emotional, 4) Social, 5) Work/Financial and 6) Meaning/Spiritual.
If we focus too much on any one area, then we risk neglecting another one. For example, if you become solely focused on just work and money, you may end up spending less time taking care of your physical and mental health, or less quality time with family and friends.
This is a common trap people fall into. They focus all of their energy and effort into one area in life while completely ignoring another. Often they need to reconfigure their core values and priorities before making a meaningful change.
This is why practicing balance in all things is so important.
Each of these areas is one piece of a much larger puzzle, and only when you have all of these areas working together harmoniously can you finally build a complete life that serves all of your needs.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each aspect of a “balanced person,” along with tips, tools, and practical advice on how you can start improving each one.
While reading ask yourself, “Which aspect do I need to focus on the most right now? What’s one small change I can make to improve that area?”
Now let’s dive in…
The “physical” aspect of life is all about taking care of our health, especially exercise, diet, and sleep.
This includes what types of foods and drinks we consume on a daily basis, how often we exercise and keep our bodies moving, personal hygiene and cleanliness, as well as minimizing alcohol, smoking, and other harmful habits to our physical health.
Our body is one of the most precious gifts we have – and without it we can’t exist. If we don’t stay healthy, we often can’t fully enjoy all the other aspects of life such as family, work, traveling, or leisure.
Our health can often have a spillover effect into all the other aspects of our lives – for that reason, taking care of our physical health is often an essential first step on any road to self-improvement.
No matter what the current state of our health is, it’s never too late to start changing our habits, even if it’s something small like stretching in the morning, taking daily walks outside, or starting an active hobby like Yoga, marathon running, or playing sports.
A healthy body is a healthy mind. When we take better care of our bodies, we also feel more confident, motivated, and energized overall. That’s the beginning of bringing out your best self.
Please don’t underestimate the importance of keeping your body in the best shape possible. As Socrates famously said, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
Physical health is about much more than just looking and feeling good about yourself – it’s about living a life of vitality and longevity. You can have everything else in your life figured out, but if you don’t maintain your health you won’t be around very long to use or enjoy it.
If you don’t take care of your body then it will slowly deteriorate – and the same is true for your mind.
Just because you don’t have to go to school anymore doesn’t mean you can’t keep learning new things, keeping your brain sharp, and challenging your intellect.
Reading books. Learning about new topics. Having deep conversations. Attending lectures and workshops. Following the news. These are all commonsense ways to keep our minds active and continue to update our knowledge and belief system as we move through life.
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. Balanced people are always seeking new things to dig into and learn more about like a new hobby, new game, or new skill such as painting, chess, learning a new language, or playing a musical instrument.
In addition, research shows that continuing to challenge our brain is an important way to prevent cognitive decline as we get older, including lower the risk of dementia and memory loss.
Take your education seriously. Maintain a healthy and active brain. Even if you were never a good student in school, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your knowledge and intelligence, especially once you find subjects you are deeply passionate about. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
In the “Mental” section we covered how to keep our brains active and be more intelligent thinkers, but there’s also a whole other side of our psychology that we need to pay attention to as well: our “Emotional” side.
Emotions can often seem like something that we have limited power over, but being a more emotionally intelligent person means becoming more self-aware and learning how to better respond to our emotions in the moment.
We can’t ignore our emotions or push them aside forever, they are a necessary facet of life and we must learn to navigate our emotional world effectively if we want to live the best life possible.
Remember that emotions are a resource, not a crutch. Every emotion serves a function or purpose, and if we channel our emotions in a constructive direction we can make great things happen.
One important lesson is that even negative emotions like sadness, anger, guilt, or fear are helpful to a better life if we approach them from the right perspective.
Emotions can “make us” or “break us” depending on how emotionally intelligent we are. They are a fundamental part of life, but we often have more power over them than we realize. Learn how to channel your emotions in a healthy and constructive way – become a master of them, not a slave to them.
Healthy and positive relationships are an essential ingredient to happiness and well-being.
No matter who you are, you crave some type of social connection; even the most introverted person on the planet will have a tough time finding happiness all by themselves.
There used to be a time when I believed “I don’t need people to be happy, all I need is myself.” But over the years I’ve learned more and more that having social support and a sense of belonging is a basic human need that can’t be avoided.
How strong is your current social circle? Here’s advice to get you started.
Always remember that quality of relationships > quantity of relationships.
You don’t need to be super popular or the life of the party to have a healthy social life. All you need is a couple really close friends who support you, trust you, and enjoy your presence. That’s everything you need to be socially satisfied.
Healthy relationships are a fundamental aspect of happiness and well-being for everyone. Our need to belong to a “tribe” or group is hardwired into our brain, biology, and evolution. Like every other aspect of a balanced person, it can’t be ignored.
Are your daily social needs being fulfilled?
Another fundamental aspect of a balanced person is work, money, and material concerns.
At the most basic level, we depend on food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and other necessities so we can live a healthy and dignified life.
People that struggle to make a living can often hurt in many other areas: physical health (can’t afford good foods, healthcare, or medicine), relationships (can’t support family, no money for dating), as well as our mental and emotional well-being (stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem).
Unless you win the lottery or have someone else to provide for you, finding a steady job or career is often one of the most focused on areas in life. From childhood up until we finish high school or college, we are constantly asked, “What do you want to do for a living?”
A few people find jobs they love, many find jobs they like, and most find jobs they can at least tolerate. Balancing psychological needs with financial needs can be a difficult task depending on your current situation.
While we don’t always get a choice in what we do for a living, there are important ways to give ourselves more power over our work life and financial life. Here are important guidelines to keep in mind.
Remember, money is important but it isn’t everything.
Financial well-being will often look radically different depending on the person. Certain people may be content with modest and minimal living, while others crave more luxury, adventure, and pleasure. Whichever lifestyle you choose, it’s necessary that money finds the proper role in your life without being completely consumed by it.
One succinct way to define true financial well-being is “not needing to think about money all the time.”
The meaningful or spiritual aspects of life can often be overlooked.
We may occasionally ask ourselves big questions like, “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” or “What’s my purpose?” but we rarely translate these questions into our daily lives through action.
For many people, religion is their main source of spirituality and meaning. Attending church, being part of a local community, prayer, and volunteering or giving to charities are common ways people boost meaning in their daily lives. Religion has been shown to improve happiness and well-being by creating a strong sense of purpose and community.
However, we don’t need religion to have a meaningful life. There are many other sources of meaning, including art, culture, philosophy, literature, music, relationships, activism, introspection, and creativity.
Where do you get your meaning in life?
A “meaningful life” can be one of the most difficult areas of life to improve, especially while living in a world that is filled with nihilism, hedonism, and materialism.
However, once you build a strong spiritual core you can withstand almost any difficulty or hardship. It can empower you to a whole new level that non-spiritual people don’t usually have access to.
To sum things up we must invest time and energy in all six of these aspects if we want to live a happy and balanced life.
Once again, these six aspects of a balanced life include: 1) Physical, 2) Mental, 3) Emotional, 4) Social, 5) Work/Financial, and 6) Meaningful/Spiritual.
Which area are you the strongest in? Which area are you the weakest in?
Keep this framework in mind as you embark on a lifetime of self-improvement. Try the Daily Routine (PDF) exercise and use this resource as a guideline.
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Steven Handel
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Cool, calm, and collected.
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Taking your dog to the vet or anywhere that involves moving vehicles is stressful. For you, let alone the poor pup. But your favorite plant, particularly CBD, could make the experience easier for them. And, yes, you’re allowed to have some, too.
Dogs who enjoy a daily dose of CBD see “significant reductions” in stress and anxiety related to car travel, according to a new study. Scientists at Waltham Petcare Science Institute in the United Kingdom looked at both the behavioral and physiological stress response in canines given CBD (THC-free cannabis) and a placebo group who did not ingest CBD. They studied the doggos before, during, and after car trips. For the study, researchers partnered with the pet food and vet company Mars Petcare.
Twenty dogs participated in the study. And these weren’t dogs who jump at the chance to stick their head out the window of a car and eagerly wave their tongue into the wind. To qualify, they all showed symptoms of anxiety and stress regarding car trips. But when given CBD, in this case, two hours before the required drive, every man’s best friend given CBD showed “meaningful improvements” during the 24 weeks the study lasted.
How you may ask, did they level dogs’ stress levels? The researchers monitored cortisol levels, a steroid hormone produced and released by your adrenal glands, which are endocrine glands situated above your kidneys, associated with stress. They also looked at more obvious factors, such as how much they whined. The results suggest that these stress indicators “were significantly influenced by CBD administration,” the study says, “indicating daily dosing at 4 mg/kg may have a mild anxiolytic effect on dogs when traveling in a car.”
The placebo group’s stress levels also went down. In humans, the placebo effect can be extremely effective; if you believe you’re taking something, your brain often reacts as if this is the case. But dogs don’t understand (as far as we know) the implications of taking an agent such as CBD, so the study assumes that the lowering of anxiety in the placebo group is the result of dogs getting used to driving. But, before we assume that this is why those who did take CBD showed less stress, note that this group of dogs, on average, had lower levels of cortisol post-test than they did when the study began.
But the stress indicators, such as cortisol, didn’t go away completely. As a result, the study’s authors suggest that, just like for you, CBD is most effective in reducing anxiety in dogs as part of a comprehensive approach, noting that CBD is “best used in combination with other interventions, such as behavioral modification therapy, in order to fully alleviate canine stress…These results, combined with the established pharmacokinetics of CBD oil to reach peak levels at 1.5 to 2 hours, with a half-life of 1 to 4 hours, suggests CBD could be used efficaciously as a single dose treatment prior to acute stressors.”
The researchers concluded that “Additional research is warranted to better understand the effect of CBD at other dosages on improving dog emotional wellbeing.”
Enjoying the calming effect of CBD isn’t the only thing humans have in common with dogs. Just like with our brains and bodies, stress can be pretty detrimental to your pet. Anxious dogs experience a range of symptoms, from physiological changes like increased heart rate and suppressed digestion to behavioral shifts, including heightened reactivity or depression. Stress can also lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea and vomiting, peeing more often or with less control, and obsessive-like behaviors like pacing and overgrooming. Poor things! Stress in dogs can also lead to heightened aggression, demonstrated through growling or biting. Over time, a high level of stress starts to have a negative cumulative effect on your dog’s health, which is all the more reason for you both to keep calm and chill out with CBD.
This certainly isn’t the only research showing that dogs can benefit from cannabis. One 2018 study suggests that CBD can reduce seizures in dogs, while another from the same year finds that it can alleviate arthritis pain, Marijuana Moment reports. However, the legalization is putting weed-sniffing police jobs out of work. But perhaps getting to retire early is also good for reducing their stress levels, so it’s another win for canines and cannabis.
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Sophie Saint Thomas
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We’ve all seen the T-shirts and knick-knack signs emblazoned with the alliterative slogan “coffee ’till cocktails.” It’s not just a cute saying—it’s a reality for many who bounce back and forth between the stimulating effects of coffee and the sedative effects of alcohol. Though it may feel like these beverages are a lifeline for getting you through the challenges of your day, yo-yoing between caffeine and alcohol can come with some downsides.
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Science has proven cannabis has benefits and more research is being done to learn more. For over a thousand years, the plant has been valued as medicine and for its psychoactive properties for religious and recreational use. It has a longer history than pasta, beer and Hallmark movies. From medical help to anxiety relievers, it has a way of making life better. Here are 9 ways cannabis enhances your day.
While cannabis is usually associated with relaxing, many people use cannabis for energy. Some cannabis strains contain terpenes like limonene and pinene can boost your mood and energize your mind. Look for strains with specific terpenes found in Sativa-type strains to help give you extra boost to conquer your day.
If you aren’t eating enough food, you won’t have sufficient energy to make it through the day. If you struggle with low or loss of appetite, cannabis could be just the thing for you. Cannabis is highly effective at stimulating appetite, helping you enjoy all your favorite foods on a regular basis.
Cannabis has been used to soothe pain for at least 5000 years. Both cannabis and CBD contain gentle pain-relieving properties, but a purposeful dose of either CBD or cannabis can relieve aches and pains.
Cannabis is the perfect substance to improve your social experiences because it helps you relax, boosts your mood, and makes you laugh. One of the most common ways to enhance your day with cannabis is to enjoy your favorite product with a friend.
The best way to enhance your day with cannabis is to get a great night of sleep. Studies show sleep deprivation and stress go hand and hand. Sleep deprivation can impact your endocannabinoid system making you feel more stressed out. And stress can negatively impact your sleep quality. Cannabis products help people sleep better and longer. One of the main reasons people use cannabis for sleep as it helps them fall asleep faster. Many people find products high in CBD, CBN, or THC are highly effective at improving their sleep. You can experiment with different products or cannabinoids (and record your experiences on the Jointly app) to find out which combination works best for you.
RELATED: Is Marijuana A Depressant?
A cannabis-infused bath is a great way to combat daily stress. Your body will soak in the cannabinoids while your mind unwinds. As we discussed in cannabis ingestion methods, topical THC products won’t get you high. However, topical cannabinoids may help you relieve mild aches and pains, not to mention help you relax at the end of a stressful day.
In small amounts, cannabis can enhance your creativity due to its ability to alter blood flow to the brain. Specifically, cannabis consumption is associated with increased blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain. The frontal lobes are thought to be the center for creativity and divergent thinking.
With all the busyness of daily life, an efficient work stream may be one of your top priorities. While you may not associate cannabis with improved work efficiency, many people use cannabis for energy. Additionally, CBD products can help you smash your goals, keeping you energized and focused until everything is complete.
RELATED: Forgo The Wake And Bake — And 4 Other Cannabis Productivity Hacks
Meditating is a great way to clear our mind so we can be more present in our daily lives and with our loved ones. Meditation is also linked with other positive benefits like promoting concentration and elevating mood. Try meditating while high to supercharge your meditation sessions.
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Sarah Johns
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Sometimes you simply can’t fall asleep—no matter how cozy your bed might be. Catching top-notch ZZZs requires you to be both physically and mentally relaxed, a combination best achieved by taking mindbodygreen’s sleep support+ before a session with the HigherDose PEMF mat.
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Write that desire down—then cross it out. “You might get it or you might not,” Brooks adds. “The point is that you do not want your limbic system to be governing your ambitions.” See, pleasure comes from the limbic system in your brain. It works fast, as it’s where you experience dopamine surges, though it doesn’t lead to long-lasting enjoyment. Your prefrontal cortex, however, operates much slower and more logically—so that’s where you want sources of pleasure to remain, says Brooks.
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As 2023 wraps up and we move into 2024 – hope springs high. While the world may look a bit nutty, expectations of a fresh year with new opportunities and adventures is enticing. Many people at the end of the year feeling a little flustered by the idea of not achieving all the stuff they had set to in the past 12 months. It is natural, because rarely do people look at the whole picture. For some, just making it to another year is an achievement. Here are 5 ways to start the New Year happier.
RELATED: 5 Things Sleep Experts Would Never Allow In Their Beds
These simple steps involve more adjustments than changes, as you see success and more joy, you can make larger changes. The biggest adjustment is seeking to bring more happiness and joy into your life and recognizing it is within your power. We may not be able to control the person who annoys us, but we change how we react and how we respond. We may think we don’t have time for the gym, but we can walk around the block. Think about the goal of you mentally (and physically) feeling better and move toward things which meld into your world.
Sleep is an investment in you, it can make a huge difference in your day to day mental and physical health. Studies show sleep can have a huge impact on attitude and outlook.
An often under recognized fact is that healthy sleep habits are not intuitive, and attitudes about sleep vary widely. Inconsistent sleep schedules, sacrificing sleep, poorly timed naps, and use of electronics before sleep are all common habits among individuals of all ages, including those with and without sleep disorders. Figure out what works best for you find away to get a generous amount.
Roughly 75% don’t drink enough water, which doesn’t sound like it would matter much – but it can be critical on your outlook. Dehydration negatively affects mental health. Drinking enough water help your brain function, mental well-being and make you feel better. The adequate daily water intake is around 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 for men.
Many people believe they can not celebrate until the ultimate goal is fully achieved. This can lead to frustration and the feeling of an unfilled grind. But studies show one of the ways to fuel the big changes is to notice and celebrate the small victories we’re making along the way. It also gives a reflection point to refocus and potential slightly adjust the end goal. This leads to greater satisfaction.
RELATED: How To Give Yourself A Year End Review
Exercise is always on the top of resolutions. People set ambitious goals often causing a significant change in routine, which leads them to abandon the goal. Plans to exercise more in the new year are often broken within a month. Perhaps reframe it and make of a goal of moving more, take the stairs, go on walks, just move about. People who do so regularly simply find it makes them feel good. Exercise can boost your mood, concentration and alertness. It can even help give you a positive outlook on life. Add more into your life which compliments rather than competes.
As the song goes “you don’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need”. If you invest too much in a perceived notion, you risk not being happy working to the goal and sometimes the goal itself. Gratitude involves showing appreciation for the things in life that are meaningful or valuable to you. Taking a moment to notice and acknowledge the things you’re grateful for each day and it can brighten your outlook, boost your mood, and help you feel more positive in the face of challenges. Whether it is the people around you, a delicious meal or just the view from your home, take time to realize it is something positive in your life and you were just lucky enough to enjoy it.
May these 5 ways to start the New Year happier and give you joy in 2024. Happy New Year.
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JJ McKay
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As the study’s lead author, Cara Palmer, Ph.D., explains in a news release, “This study represents the most comprehensive synthesis of experimental sleep and emotion research to date, and provides strong evidence that periods of extended wakefulness, shortened sleep duration, and nighttime awakenings adversely influence human emotional functioning.”
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