Flex Your Muscle Memory

We had first-degree murder. Second-degree murder. There was nothing for euthanasia. What do you do when this person is dying and, because there is no hope, wants to speed up their death? This important question was of significance to the whole country, our medical system and our laws. This story was a far cry from the local fire I'd reported on as a rookie at Channel 11 all those years before. It was bigger potatoes than the fiscal and political woes of the Ontario government, which had lately been my beat. Who knew that by going way out east to Halifax I'd drop right into the midst of something so urgent and so controversial? It was powerful stuff. The anchor that night was Lloyd Robertson. Lazy or genius alone didn't cut it; I did, at least, before the Magic Question became a regular part of my life. The Magic Question, put simply, is this: What can I do now to make life easier later? TEND TO THE NECESSARY BEFORE IT BECOMES URGENT Not using the Magic Question is like playing Whac-A-Mole. In Whac-A-Mole, you respond to the urgent. One wrinkly brown face pops into view, and you focus on knocking it back down. But while you deal with that mole, out pops another. Soon, you're randomly pounding the machine and hoping for the best. You're creeped out by how familiar that sounds, aren't you?

Many of the skills that we have already learned in this article are helpful for managing procrastination. Noticing our thinking when we are procrastinating is helpful because we will often discover the permission thought we are using to justify why we are procrastinating. Typical permission thoughts are: I'm going to do that later. I'm too tired to do that today. I need to do more research before I can get started. It's not going to take very long, so I can just do it at the last minute. I'm just not feeling it right now. These thoughts support our procrastination plans and keep us from considering the costs of avoiding the tasks. When you notice these avoidance thoughts, use your thought-challenging skills and weigh the evidence before acting on them. We know that low estrogen is linked to increased belly fat, and actually that isn't such a bad thing. In fact, fat cells, also called adipose tissue, can be magnificent in the right amount. Adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ responsible for producing hormones, and it actually helps you preserve some estrogen. Estrogen production is a complex process that I'm going to leave to the textarticles, but what you need to know is that adipose tissue does produce some estrogen and is essential in your body. Therefore, maintaining some fat during menopause is actually a good thing. There's a misconception that fat is purely used for energy storage and thermal insulation, but it does much more than that. Due to a loss of estrogen, fat is metabolized differently, says Colleen Keller, PhD, regents' professor and director of Arizona State University's Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging. It's actually laid down differently in the body as subcutaneous fat. Menopausal women store fat more easily, especially around the abdomen, and the ability to lose it lessens. In addition to this we lose lean body mass, which is more metabolically active than fat.

In a more recent study, published in October 2019,49 researchers from the US showed that people who have higher levels of certain microbes in their guts, particularly those from the phylum Bacteroidetes, enjoy deeper, more efficient sleep and less waking at night than those with lower levels. I will go into these and many other studies in more detail later on in this article, but first let's lay to rest some commonly accepted ideas about sleep-friendly foods. A Load of Old Turkey The idea that certain foods can aid sleep is not a new one. But you might be surprised to learn which really do impact sleep. They're not the ones that are commonly talked about. There is, for example, a widespread myth that eating turkey makes you sleepy. According to a self-styled sleep expert I found on the internet, Turkey is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan, which goes to your brain and is converted to serotonin, which helps you sleep. In fact, turkey contains no more tryptophan than chicken or beef, and a lot less than nuts, seeds, or cheese. Another problem with this claim is that although eating lots of turkey will raise the levels of tryptophan in your blood, it has no effect on the levels in your brain because so little of it crosses the blood-brain barrier. The sides of the structure are made of shiny black rock. There are words and images etched into the black stone. Each of the craved symbols is glowing, your favorite color. In the center of the cavern, there is a small pool of water that is also glowing your favorite color. You notice that the carvings on the walls of the cave are related to you. There are images of the things you like and words that relate to your friends, family, and interests. Each symbol corresponds to an essential part of your life! You have never seen anything like this before. The walls are so beautiful and so meaningful; All of the hobbies that you have ever loved and everything that you are good at is represented in pictures before you.

The Brain-Gut axis is definitely far too toxic in the majority of people that follow an unhealthy western diet. The Link between an Unhealthy Gut and Depression 30 Mental health disorders can be traced to feelings of emotional inflammation and stress, as well as fatigue and altered moods. Other things that are linked to emotional inflammation include diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol. An unhealthy body and an unhealthy gut will have a direct link to a person's overall outlook on life. People that struggle with unhealthily low bacterial levels in their guts do tend to struggle with more depressed states of mind than those that stick to healthier eating plans. Maintaining a healthy gut can help reduce the effects of emotional inflammation, mental outlook, and overall brain power. Many factors can lead to altered senses of self-worth and depression, but people that constantly fuel themselves with unhealthy foods will inevitably start feeling more depressed than they should. Several different types of nutrients and vitamins processed foods lack. Some of these examples include: folate, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, thiamine, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, zinc, and vitamin C. In the first article, I'll get you started with the same experiential process I used to build my own self-confidence so I could help my girls build theirs. I recommend reading the article all the way through once, before delving into it a second time with your girl. From my own journey, I can promise you this won't be the easiest thing you've ever done. However, when you see your girl surprise herself with the confidence you build together, all the work will be worth it. A GIRL ON PURPOSE The rising tide A few years ago, I did an informal survey on Facearticle asking people what they want most for their daughters when it comes to self-confidence. I received a spectrum of responses from both moms and dads. Some said they wanted their daughter to love and value herself and not look for validation from others. Others replied that it was for her to try new things and take risks without worrying whether her choice will make her unpopular.

Some critics say it is cruel to expose people to what they fear most in the world. However, the benefits believed to outweigh the risks, as exposure and response prevention therapy are among the first-line treatment approaches for OCD. ERP can be used as part of a treatment plan that includes other forms of therapy and medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In some cases, ERP may only be helpful for people who do not respond to drug therapy. Although ideally, ERP should be performed initially with the help of a trained physician, an added benefit of treatment is that people can practice self-directed exposure and response prevention exercises anywhere and anytime triggers may arise. ERP can be administered at different intensity levels and in a variety of treatment settings, including outpatients and hospital / residential patients. Through self-guided, physician-directed exposure, and response prevention therapy, people with OCD can gain a better understanding of their obsessions and gradually lessen the negative impact of ritual compulsions. History of Stoicism Stoicism was an ancient school of philosophy founded in Athens by the Phoenician merchant Zeno of Citium around 301 B. Originally it was called Zionism, but it came to be known as Stoicism because Zeno and his followers met at the Stoa Poikile or the Painted Portico. Have you ever cleaned the garage to avoid that crucial but difficult email you needed to send? An updated, specific to-do list keeps you accountable. How long does it take to write or update a to-do list? Maybe five minutes a day. I recommend doing this first thing in the morning before you open emails or check your social media. Set your agenda and envision the day's goals before you become distracted. You'll have greater chances of staying focused if you prioritize your must-dos daily. We can spend more time thinking of what needs to get done than actually doing it. You'll find this to-do list tip in many self-development articles. Because it works.