Tips for a Healthy and Happy Mind

Tips for a Healthy and Happy Mind

Tip 1 : CALM YOUR MIND We live life at a hectic pace with many demands and responsibilities. Stress has become an important part of our lives. But for most of us the balance between deep relaxation and stress has been lost. Deep relaxation is a completely different state from just socializing with friends or being in front of the television. In a deeply relaxed state our minds are alert, yet calm and peaceful. Our metabolism, heart rate and breathing become even slower as we become more relaxed. Our body produces nitric oxide to neutralize the negative effect of excessive stress hormone Cortisol.   Excessive stress can make us feel older than we really are. Stress affects telomeres, strips of DNA at the end of chromosomes, which appear to protect and stabilize the chromosome ends. These key pieces (telomeres) of DNA are also involved with the cell divisions, until eventually there is nothing left, making cell divisions less reliable and increasing the risk of age-related disorders.   High stress people have lower levels of telomerase in their immune cells. It is suggested that changes in stress hormone levels could have an effect on telomeres activity. Learning and practicing serenity to elicit deep relaxation response is the most important step toward neutralizing stress response.   Here are some suggestions for serenity practices: Breathing:     Life is in the breath. He who half breathes, half lives. Your breath is the first line of defense in stress and can create almost instant calm and relaxation. Breathing is necessary for speaking, laughing and singing. Meditation:     Individuals practicing meditation for more than five years were proven to be twelve years younger than their chronological age, as measured by physical testing.  Any moment you attempt to clear the mind creates the intention of healing. Prayer is the most personal and intimate of all spiritual practices. Affirmations are positive statements we tell ourselves. A positive affirmation is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Journaling our thoughts and experiences are ancient serenity practices with its origins at the beginning of humankind. Journaling moves your emotions and thoughts from your mind/body to the paper. It also integrates the mind, body and soul. Gratitude is accepting what you have. Grateful individuals have more energy, less physical complaints and a higher level of enthusiasm and optimism. Laughter:  In laughter we are lifted above our feelings of fear, discouragement and despair. When you are engaged in a good heart laugh the energy system in our body gets a workout (inner jogging). Hearty laughter stimulates practically all the large organs and heightens resistance and vitality against disease but it should not be artificial that does not match with inner which is dangerous for heart.. Hugging helps the body's immune system; it cures depression and reduces stress. It is invigorating and rejuvenating. Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, 100% wholesome and fully returnable. Tip 2 : KEEP YOUR BRAIN SMART There is a growing interest in preserving and enhancing the brain's capabilities into high age. Neuroscientists around the world with powerful tools have literally been looking into the mind as it thinks. They are discovering that many of the negative myths about the aging brain are, indeed, only myths. In much the same way that we can maintain our physical well-being, we can take charge of our mental health and fitness. A new form of brain exercise called neurobic is designed to keep the brain agile and healthy. These exercises enhance the overall health of your brain as you grow older. These new approaches can be incorporated into every day activities to develop and maintain brain connections by adopting these strategies. Scientists, in 1996, demonstrated for the first time that brain cells are generated in adult humans ( November 1998, Nature Medicine). Also old neurons can grow neuritis to compensate for losses. Neural circuits in adult brains have the capacity to undergo dramatic changes. The aging brain, however, continues to have a remarkable ability to grow, adapt and change patterns of connections. Neurobics as a new brain exercise can help you take charge of your overall mental fitness, strength and flexibility as you age. The exercise program calls for presenting the brain with non-routine or unexpected experiences using various combinations of your physical senses; visions, smell, touch, taste and hearing - as your emotional ?sense.? It stimulates patterns of neural activity that creates more connection between different brain areas and causes nerve cells to produce natural brain nutrients, called neurothrophin ? a protein-based brain gross factor. Neurotrophin can dramatically increase the size and complexity of nerve cell neurites. Neurotrophin also make surrounding cells stronger and more resistant to the effects of aging. Any other exercise, using five senses in a novel way can stimulate the brain, so that you can grow your own brain food. Examples of multi-sensory (mind-body) exercises: 1. Do your daily routine activities with your non-dominant hand (brushing your teeth, shaving, eating and using TV remote). 2. Walk without swinging your arms, holding arms away from your body as if you were carrying a sack of rice, while keeping your fingers open (Chi Gong walking).   Tip 3 : NUTRITION & WATER 1. Nutrition:  Eat a rainbow of colorful fruit and vegetables which provide powerful antioxidants. Animal fat and shellfish cause inflammation due to arachidonic acid. Sugary foods, or refined grain, (e.g. white flour and white rice) can trigger inflammation by raising blood sugar and insulin levels. Fine tune your fats. Avoid margarine and anything with hydrogenated oil in it and replace them with extra-virgin olive oil. Eat more plant- and fish based proteins. Cut down on meat, alcohol and caffeine and increase your intake of beans and dark green leaf vegetables for keeping your homocysteine level low enough to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease. High-quality, nutrient-rich and anti-inflammatory food is the most fundamental step toward protecting your brain.   2. Water:  Water is Mother Nature's perfect cocktail. We are water, in order to maintain radiant health; we need to replenish the water that comprises two-thirds of our bodies. It is important to drink good quality water. The health benefits of water are numerous and Mother Nature knows best. The liver filters 200 liters of water each day, sending purified water to other organs in the body. Drinking purified, electrically-charged (enlivened) water, acts as a live antioxidant and stimulates the body's ability to cure a wide variety of health problems. Drinking good water should be a discipline that reduces the workload and stress on the liver, and has a positive impact on the body's energy field. When the kidneys are overworked, some of their functions are transferred to the liver which normally metabolizes stored fat into energy. If the liver is doing the kidney's work, it metabolizes less fat as a source of energy and the cholesterol level rises.   Tip 4 : PHYSICAL EXERCISE:   Mind-Body Practices 1. Walking is a man's best medicine (Hippocrates). A regular walking program has a host of positive health benefits; weight loss, muscle conditioning, improved cardiovascular health, offsetting osteoporosis and lowering the risk for diseases including depression, diabetes and heart disease. Fitness walking delivers a sense of euphoria by releasing endorphins. Mindful walking conveys its own rewards including the opportunity for contemplation and reflection. Mindful walking brings about deep relaxation. Walking provides the tremendous health benefit of preventing lifestyle disease. It is also a wonderfully calming and spiritually restorative activity. Walking in nature is an opportunity to support and nurture our spirit. Take a walk in nature, unaccompanied except for the presence of your real self as guide. You send forth an invitation for meaningful encounters with birds, trees and crystalline insights. 2. Chi Gong is an ancient Chinese art form for strengthening the body's vital energy. It is a mind/body practice for physical, mental and spiritual fitness. It combines gentle, circular, graceful movements and whole body breathing exercises. Chi Gong is a Chinese system of self-care which aims to balance the flow of ?Chi? (vital life energy). Chi is believed to regulate mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Chi flows along the meridians, which are like rivers that irrigate the body and nourish the tissue. Chi Gong helps one to experience with the non-physical self when you connect with your Chi field (energy), you experience yourself as pure consciousness. Any obstruction along the meridians will block the vital energy flow, therefore creating dysfunction and disease. Tip 5 : WHOLESOME SLEEP   Our brain works poorly when deprived of sleep, when we loose sleep, or do not sleep at regular times. Our brain chemicals become imbalanced, leading to higher Cortisol (stress hormone) and lower growth hormone (a healing and repair hormone). The purpose of sleep is for the body to relax totally, recuperate and regenerate damaged cells caused by stress and strain. The sleep allows the brain to take out the trash to deprogram the miscellaneous events that are not to be stored for long term memory. Lack of sleep for a prolonged period of time results in mental derangement in humans, and sufficiently prolonged, in animals may even result in death. Sleeping is a great way to bypass the conscious mind with all its illness, role playing and nationalization. It is a high road to your higher self right to subconscious. Dreaming is an important part of sleep. Dreaming has to do with organizing information, it is a filtering process. It is connecting with the soul. We all need more and better sleep to protect our brain function. Here are some tips for improved sleep: ? Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and try to get to sleep before midnight. ? Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. If you have trouble falling asleep, try a little ritual. Stop your day at least one or two hours before bedtime to wind down. Don't watch TV or check your e-mail. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and 10 drops of lavender oil and just soak and relax for 20 minutes. Tip 6 : COOL THE HEAT Avoid lifestyle diseases by keeping silent inflammation at bay. Invisible and symptom-free chronic micro-inflammation is a factor in Alzheimer's and all lifestyle diseases. Cooling the fires of hidden inflammation may be the most important thing you can do for your long term health and well being. Silent inflammation is the key cause in almost all chronic degenerative and lifestyle diseases. What ignites the fire in the first place? Repeated or prolonged ailment, such as sinus or bladder infections, gingivitis or stomach ulcers, can trigger chronic silent inflammation, as can food allergens, pesticide, even untreated surgical sutures. People often don't know they have it. You might not have any symptoms at all. To detect silent inflammation you measure blood level of C ? reactive protein (CRP), a substance found in the blood when systemic inflammation is present, reported level 1.0 to 10.0mg/L. A level below 1.0mg/L is ideal. When CRP is elevated, additional tests are done to determine whit's triggering the inflammation. You can cool the heat by very ordinary and simple strategies: 1. Calm your mind. Your emotions have as much to do with silent inflammation as your lifestyle. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that people who are prone to anger, hostility and depressive symptoms, have higher CRP levels. You don't have to be a hothead to be at risk for inflammation, however, many of us feel overscheduled, overworked and overwhelmed ? in other words, stressed. In the case of stress, that invader is psychological, rather than physical. Unrelenting stress makes the body's normal immune function suffer, the net result is that inflammation works overtime. Serenity practices that calm the mind, such as mindfulness has been linked to lowered CRP levels. More mind/body practices like Chi Gong and Yoga may also help keep inflammation at bay. Try one of the serenity practices that appeal to you and see if it works. 2. Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet. Revising your diet is one of the easiest, most effective ways to affect inflammation. Food contains not only calories, but also specific messages that turn on or off messages of inflammation. Boost your berry intake: Blueberries, cherries and blackberries are rich in anti-inflammatory flavonoid compounds. Fill up on fiber: Incorporate beans, legumes and whole grains (such as brown rice or quinoa) into your diet. Also add nuts: Sprinkle almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts on cereal; toss them into salads. Fine tune your fats: Rid your kitchen of saturated fats and trans fats (avoid margarine and anything with hydrogenated oil in it) and replace them with healthier options, such as extra-virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil. Eat more plant- and fish-based proteins. Wild salmon, sardines and herring are rich in omega-3 fats and relatively low in the toxin mercury. Spice up your Mealtime: Certain spices have strong anti-inflammatory effects ? in particular, ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric and rosemary. Make them an integral part of your diet. Try using ginger, garlic and onion in stir-fries, turmeric in soups and rosemary on roasted veggies.   3. Move More:  Regular, consistent physical activity is one of the best ways to keep inflammation at bay. This may explain why long-term regular exercise dramatically reduces heart disease, a condition we know to be a disease of inflammation. An active body revs up production of antioxidants, which ?vacuum? the free radicals that can otherwise lead to inflammation. Free radical damage is like rust on the inside of our bodies, in the cells themselves. Don't overdo: Working out too hard may boost inflammation levels rather than reduce them. While some muscle soreness is warranted, if you are feeling exhausted or overly achy, rest a day before hitting the gym again. Tip 7 : NATURE Nature is the most powerful tool to facilitate health and well being. Nature offers an easy and safe path to subordinate the ego and access our higher selves, which is the beginning of transformation. Nature ?meditates? us whether we are aware of it or not. Nature, one of the best medicines, can be harnessed to bring about transformation toward health and well being. Nature is a universal pattern of resonant energy which can influence other energies to move toward wholeness and healing. Take a walk in nature (forest or Oceanside), unaccompanied except for the vital presence of the soul guide. You send forth an invitation to your own psyche and to the world at large that you are available for meaningful encounters with birds, trees and water, or possibly your sudden crystalline insights. You enter the imaginable and fruitful realm that belongs not quite to the ordinary landscape you usually pass through but to a numinous fertile place in between.