The Case for Mindfulness & Meditation for Seniors

January 22, 2016 by Jerry Daskoski

man-984062_960_720 Advances in healthcare have resulted in increased life expectancy for individuals in developed nations, like the United States. Yet, there are a spate of problems and physical illnesses which are exacerbated in old age. The body’s response to continued evolution and constant wear and tear begin to display in a number of ways, including weak bones or osteoporosis, issues with the heart, and a range of problems targeting the mind and memory loss. While medicines certainly help with many of these issues, there are ways to improve the quality of life without pharmaceuticals. Such options include mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness meditation has existed for hundreds or even thousands of years, as a common practice by religious cultures in Far East countries. However, in the modern era, and in western practice, it has been used to address a range of ailments in the medical field, and studies have shown that both are effective, not only for mental health, but in physical, tangible ways as well.

In short, meditation is a process in which individuals focus on breathing, sounds, or positive thoughts, while causing the mind to become still and free of scattered thoughts. Likewise, mindfulness increases the level of awareness of a given moment, and leads the participant to concentrate only on what he/she is feeling, experiencing, or imagining. By doing so, individuals calm themselves, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase feelings of peace and calm, to better manage activities throughout the day.

Many people have expressed skepticism about both practices because mindfulness and meditation are thought to be a form of worship. However, despite being practiced by religious communities, the process themselves are not religious (not that doing so is a bad thing). Instead, meditation is simply about the participant, and what he/she chooses to bring to mind or let go of, for that matter.

Seniors can benefit from mindfulness meditation because it helps to exercise the mind and improve brain function. As humans reach late stages of maturity, the agility of the brain decreases. Meditation has been shown to increase gray matter in the brain. What that means is your ability to process information also grows, as does creativity and analytical skill. Essentially, it is a great way to keep the brain youthful and powerful: your very own fountain of youth.

Other physical benefits of meditation is lower blood pressure, improved heart health, and a lower risk of depression. Given that many of these issues lead to even more ailments, using mindfulness meditation as preventive medicine could significantly decrease the costs of health care for seniors. For those retired or nearing retirement, this helps keep down expenditures if you’re making due on a limited income.

Overall, mindfulness meditation should be considered because it improves mental and physical well-being, and maximize the joy of life in old age. Taking care of yourself should be a top priority. This is a start.

Help Your Child Develop a Positive Attitude: Here’s How

December 16, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Positive thinking as a medical practice has grown in popularity in recent years. Research shows that optimism goes far beyond the idea of a glass being half full or empty, and can, in fact, be the difference in managing stress and the ailments which comes as a result, like heart disease, digestive issues, headaches, and insomnia. While adults understand this concept well, extending it to children is not as common; nevertheless, it certainly makes sense to lay a foundation for these practices and develop positive mindsets in children as early as possible, rather than undoing the harm later in life.

While some may believe that children can’t understand positive thinking as a concept, research shows that children as young as five begin to make associations of behaviors and emotion and, through cognition, can decipher how certain situations make them or others feel, whether positive, negative or indifferent. Furthermore, as children grow, they become better with those associations. Those in whom positive thinking is nurtured are said to be more resilient and better able to deal with upsets.

The importance of such cannot be overstated. Being able to manage stress will ultimately lead to more successful opportunities, relationships and better overall health, over time. Here are some ways parents and professionals who work with children can introduce positive thinking:

Be An Example
Children mimic nearly everything adults do. Their behaviors are learned as a result of what we say or how we act in front of them, whether we’re aware of it or not. Thus, this is one of the first and perhaps most important tool through which one can affect his or her child’s positive mindset. Having already established, or at least committing to, a set personal positive practices makes this step easy.

Count Blessings
It’s important to have conversations with your child about what he or she is feeling or their experiences throughout the day. First, listen attentively to what the child has to say in full. While doing so, take note of every emotion. Acknowledge all of the bad feelings or experiences, they are important; however, probe the child about what good happened to them today, no matter how small. If there are no good things, suggest some which the child may have overlooked. Doing so may help the child recall them going forward, leading to more positivity overtime.

Affirmations
There is no doubt that parents love their children and have appreciation for small behaviors or characteristics which their children display. Affirming the child with what makes them great or when they accomplish a task goes a long way. This step is as simple as expressing to the child that he or she is smart, handsome, kind, or a number of other positive affirmations. It helps.

Prohibit Complaining
There’s a huge difference between expressing discontent and complaining. Discourage your child from complaining about behavior; instead, empower them to develop solutions to what is bothering them. Doing so teaches children that even when negatives things occur, countering them with positive actions puts them in control, helping them gain more independence and control of their own lives.

Positive Thinking Books To Add To Your Library

November 17, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Reading is fundamental, but it can also be helpful in a variety of ways, especially if you’re doing so to learn more about adopting new behaviors. Currently, there are a number of books from different authors available in the self-help positive thinking landscape. Some are more popular than others, thanks to the likes of Oprah, who have brought the genre to popular culture. Still, there are some which you may not have heard of or, maybe, have not heard enough about. Thus, I’d like to share with you all 10 books that range from positive thinking to examples of how being aware of thoughts can better affect your life. All of these books can be found and purchased online. Click the picture below to view the list:

Six Calming Habits To Build For A Happier and Healthier Day

November 5, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Today’s busy lifestyle has many benefits. There is an argument to be made that, as a society, we are more active, interconnected, productive, vocal, and involved than ever before. However, all this activity does carry a cost. High stress, caused by the unceasing anxiety over professional and personal duties, has become a deeply rooted part of our daily life. It is certainly a challenge to find enough opportunity to enjoy peace, serenity, and calm.

When something happens outside of your control, it is always critical to evaluate and engage with what is (and is not) inside your ability to impact. You cannot decide how other peoples or other external forces will behave. All you can do is control your response. That is what matters. Happily, there are a few best practices that anyone can adopt to create substantial feelings of calm for longer stretches of time.

Start Your Day On The Right Foot

A calming morning ritual is absolutely crucial to begin your day on a positive note. Most individuals have the bad habit of waking up and immediately diving into a stressful and over-extended rush. A few simple tweaks to your schedule can alter that for the better, permanently. Wake up a little bit earlier than you absolutely need to and take some time to meditate. You can even hit a few yoga poses to clear your mind and stretch. Afterwards, use the remaining extra time to write out anything that may already be on your mind. This can be something as routine as a dream journal or perhaps something with more immediately tangible utility like your hopes for the day or a to-do list to help you reach those goals. However you choose to spend this time when you wake up, just be sure that you are allowing yourself sufficient quiet time in the morning to adopt a positive mindset and begin your day feeling good.

Think First, React Later

Take a moment to consider the last time an unexpected stressor arose in your life. How did you respond? Certain personalities are more inclined to jump into action. This sort of reflex, although direct, can also be harmful. Some people freeze up and get angry or experience sensations of being overwhelmed. Other folks may sink into a depressed state of self-pity and waste energy wishing things were different (but fail to take action to make those desires a reality). Learning how to monitor your own preferences in terms of response is the first step in altering your behavior to be more positive. You need to fully understand how you act when confronted with stress so you can put an action plan to improve your outcomes into place.

Accept That It Is Not Personal

It is not uncommon for the responses you demonstrate when presented with stress to be rooted in an emotional overinvestment in the situation at hand. When something we do not like happens, it can be easy to assume that someone or something has conspired against us specifically. In part, it can be somewhat reassuring to assume we play a more central role or have some sort of control or input in the situations which end up affecting us. In truth, that often is not at all the case. The universe is not against you personally. Every person has problems with which they are dealing. It helps to recognize they everyone is more likely than not just doing the best they can. Do not assume any event is a personal affront – instead, recognize that external events just happen and whether you choose to respond by getting stressed or staying calm is entirely within your control.

Give Thanks

It is incredibly easy to pay lip-service to saying thank you or expressing genuine gratitude in any other way. However, how often do you honestly live up to this ideal in your day-to-day life? When life gets hectic, and it feels like the sky is crashing down all around us, can you still find it in yourself to be grateful for all the things that are going excellently in your life? It is certainly much easier to just complain or fall into an otherwise predominantly negative mindset. However, choosing to hold steadfastly to the positive things going on in your life and articulating your genuine appreciation for them is an amazing habit – even if you just express it to yourself. As you engage with everything that is going well, you will almost literally feel the stress of other events roll off you as your perspective refocuses and it becomes clear once again that you can comfortably handle whatever it is that life is throwing your way.

Find The Right Outlet

Unfortunately, many people have unproductive (at best) or outright destructive (at worst) responses to feelings of stress. Withdrawing from life, falling into junk food, substance abuse, or similarly irresponsible reactions to stress often only make your situation worse and more difficult to resolve. When you notice the need to cope with stress, work hard to replace bad habits in terms of how your respond with better ones. Health coping methods can include something simple like taking 15 minutes to brew a cup of soothing tea and sit somewhere quiet while you enjoy it. You can also try drinking water, exercise, or talking with someone you trust as better ways to deal with stress as it comes up.

Ditch Multitasking

People multitask these days more than they ever have before. With the permeation of technology throughout what feels like every conceivable facet of our entire lives, it can seem odd to choose to single task. However, if you could do just one thing at a time, what would it be at this moment? That question is a great way to identify your priorities and get what you need done accomplished in a less stressful manner. When you are juggling too many different metaphorical balls, you are sure to spend your day at a high stress level just waiting to drop one. Instead, hit your tasks one a time and pat yourself on the back for each thing you do ell and finish. You will find that working in this way allows you to let go of the stress associated with everything else on your plate and just make progress one step at a time.

The Power of Positive Thinking: 5 Easy Tips to Beat Back Negativity

October 6, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Positive thinking is an effective mental strategy to mitigate the unpleasant impacts of stress on your physical and emotional health. Studies indicate that where you fall on a scale between total optimism and complete pessimism correlates strongly to a number of other key facets of your life. In fact, effective stress management has been proven to be closely associated with a number of tangible benefits to your health. This kind of positive mindset involves much more than simply ignoring the more difficult aspects of daily challenges or willfully refusing to acknowledge when life is unpleasant. Instead, reconsider your definition of positive thinking and understand that it involves engaging with these unpleasant moments in a more productive manner. Insist on what you have the power to impact and trying to make the best happen, rather than allowing your dread of the worst that could transpire exhaust your capacity to think about the scenario at hand.

Fortunately, even for those of us who may currently be more comfortable seeing the proverbial glass as half empty rather than half full, many positive habits can be learned.

Talk to Yourself

Self-talk is an excellent way to build the right positive mental reflexes to appropriately respond to stressful situations as they arise. This constant stream of consciousness fills your head throughout the day, so take control of its tone and leverage it to your benefit. Some self-talk is based in reason and other aspects may be born from misunderstanding, fear, or nervousness. Be cognizant of your self-talk and whenever you notice the way in which you are thinking to yourself is less supportive or empowering than how you might encourage a loved one or friend in a situation similar to yours, make a change.

Meditation Matters

As technology and modern society become more deeply intertwined, it can be easy to observe that work and personal life are increasingly one and the same. The decreasing ability for many people to compartmentalize the various stressors in their lives may well compound individual issues and magnify what would otherwise be a small problem into an intimidatingly large source of unhappiness. As such, it is crucial to make time to clear your mind and focus on your own inner peace. The explosion in popularity of meditation and activities like yoga that is currently been happening parallel to the aforementioned tangling of work and personal life is probably not purely coincidental across the board. Habits like meditation teach valuable stress management skills like active breathing and staying present the moment, alleviating the unnecessary weight of worrying about difficulties that may or may not be coming down the line.

Feed Off Others

There is a relatively popular saying, which is that we are “the sum of the people with which we surround ourselves.” Such an adage is inherently problematic to a certain extent, and it is fair to acknowledge that. Not everyone is as easily influenced by their peers as others. However, humans are absolutely social creatures. As a result, we can very much metaphorically feed off the level of enthusiasm, energy, and different outlooks of the people with whom we spend time. Surround yourself with positive people you can trust and with whom you would be comfortable speaking when you find your negative thinking difficult to disrupt. A great conversation with the right person can very much put your problems into much better perspective.

Refuse to Play the Victim

One of the most important life skills to master is the ability to clearly, confidently, and comfortably recognize what you can and cannot control. This allows you to appropriately take responsibility for your own actions, while enabling your to avoid worrying about things which are not worth your concern since you cannot affect the outcome one way or another. You may be surprised at times with just how much you have the power to change. Always refuse to just let things happen to you. Asset-based thinking means approaching every situation focused on what you can improve and then spending your energy on doing exactly that, rather than expending it on worrying needlessly about what you cannot impact. Although victimhood is a comfy mindset since it absolves you of hard work, it simply is not the most productive or positive way to go about your life. Recognize your own potential and spring into action.

Don’t Forget to Smile

Something as simple as smiling can make a huge difference in your day-to-day activities! It is well documented that it takes less muscles to smile than to frown, but beyond that simple fact, it also has the potential to influence the way in which others interact with you. Even if the smile does not exactly reflect your current emotional state, the positive way in which others respond to your apparent happiness is very likely to turn your day around. Before you know it, that smile will be sincere!

Positivity Is Powerful

Modern research has linked positive thinking and the associated decreased stress levels to a number of incredible health benefits. These include increased life span, lower rates of depression, reduced risk from cardiovascular disease, a greater resistance to illness like the common cold, and better coping skills during hardship. Embrace a better lifestyle by taking the first steps to change the way in which you think about your life. One day, you are sure to be positively ecstatic that you did.

3 Secrets to Successful Snoozing: Improve your Sleep for a Better Day

September 5, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Each day brings about a new adventure. Whether your waking hours involve thriving at school, succeeding at work, keeping the household running smoothly, or some combination of all that and more, one thing is certain – to do your best, you need to feel your best. To accomplish that end, you will need to be rested. This is a simple truth that all of us can attest to anecdotally. Everyone is well aware of how much longer a day can feel when you start it feeling groggy and unprepared on the wrong foot. However, what many people completely undervalue, is how severe the consequences can still be when your lack of sleep persists in a less dramatic fashion.

If you stay up all night, the negative impacts are obvious. However, cheating yourself out of an hour or two of sleep each day until it becomes a habit yields equally destructive results. In contrast, prioritizing your sleep and well-being can be nothing short of transformative in your ability to be productive, sharp, emotionally balanced, and full of energy. Here are three tips to help you maintain the highest possible level of cognitive function and achieve your best self by knowing when it is time to making snoozing your number one mission.

Consistency is Key

Identifying and committing to your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (called your circadian rhythm) is a crucial strategy in achieving deeply restorative sleep. Going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day will help you feel refreshed, significantly more so than if you were to hit the same raw numbers of hours asleep but at dramatically different times. Shifting by as little as one or two hours is enough to throw your body off. So, it is essential to establish good habits and defend them against all the curveballs of life. Set a regular bedtime and do your very best to not break this routine. That includes on weekends, when it may be more tempting to stay up late. By the same logic, also wake up at the same time. You will know you are getting enough sleep because you biological alarm clock will soon set itself. If you find you are unable to get up without the alarm, you likely need to turn in a little early the night before. If you do end up needing a nap, it is better to take one during the afternoon, rather than sleeping in late and thus disrupting your circadian rhythm.

Build the Right Habits

Your body naturally regulates your sleep-wake cycle through the production of a hormone called melatonin, which is controlled by light exposure. Your brain produces more melatonin in the evening, when it is dark, and thus makes you sleep. Alternatively, you produce less during the daytime when the sun is out and you need to alert. The vast advances in modern technology, however, have made it increasingly easy to disrupt melatonin production and thus your circadin rhythm. For example, spending all day away from natural light because you are working in a dark office can alter your wakefulness. On the other hand, exposure to the bright lights of TV, phone, computer, and tablet screens that extends late into the night can suppress melatonin production and keep you wide awake.

To counter these challenges, increase your exposure to natural light during the day. Try to spend more time outside when possible and let as much natural light as possible into your home and workplace. In the evening, turn off all your technology well before bedtime. Many people enjoy relaxing with a TV show or social media session before bed, but this is a mistake because they can be overly stimulating. Instead, listen to music or an audio book. Before sure your room is sufficiently dark and, if you do have to wake up, use a flashlight instead of turning on all your home’s lights to keep your light exposure in the late evening to a minimum.

Treat Your Body Right

Much like how you sleep during the night can affect what you are able to do throughout the day, how you spend your waking hours very much impact how well you sleep. It is especially critical to be aware of what you put into your body leading up to bedtime. Avoid large meals at night and avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of when you get into bed. Fatty foods require a substantial amount of energy to digest and can therefore keep your body working hard, which will make it harder for you to get to sleep. Similarly, imbibing alcohol before bed might make you fall asleep better but it reduces the quality of that sleep since your body is up and busy processing it. Cut out caffeine as much as possible, especially after noon, given that it can have a measurable chemical impact as much as ten to twelve hours after you consume it. Drinking too many liquids at all before bed is also a sure way to have you waking up throughout the night to relieve yourself, so avoid too much drinking of any kind before bedtime as well.

Your Sleep is Worth It

It can seem counterintuitive that going to bed, which you have likely done just about every single day of your life, stands to benefit so significantly with just a little conscious effort on your part. However, the positive impact of building excellent sleep habits cannot be understated. Put your mental and physical health first by making great sleep a priority.

Treating Anxiety

July 20, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Anxiety–what is it?

It’s a feeling of worry, of nervousness or unease, most likely in regards to an imminent event, or something out of your own control. Often associated with panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, and incapacitating phobias, approximately 40 million Americans aged 18 and older suffer from anxiety disorders.

Myriad therapies cater to the needs of those experiencing anxiety, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, giving those who suffer the tools to manage anxiety and stress levels, worrisome thoughts, and debilitating fears.

Therapy vs. Medication

Anxiety medication, though widely prescribed, isn’t nearly as effective as anxiety-targeted therapy. This is because therapy, unlike medication, addresses more than just the current symptoms presenting themselves. With therapy, you’re able to uncover underlying causes of your anxieties and fears and find the best tools to manage them in real-world situations.

Because anxiety disorders differentiate vastly, from a driver’s phobia of bridges to a war veteran experiencing PTSD, therapy can be tailored specifically to fit your symptoms as well as your individual needs. The most popular courses of treatment are cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, and are relatively short-term, with people showing significant improvement after 8 to 10 sessions, according to the American Psychological Association.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

The most widely-used course of treatment for anxiety disorders, it has proven effective in helping those suffering from panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, among others.

Addressing negative patterns and distortions in the way we view ourselves and the world around us, CBT involves two main components: cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. The first examines the relationship between negative thoughts and anxiety, while the latter examines how behaviors and reactions to situations trigger anxiety.

Exercises associated with CBT often involve: learning to recognize your own anxiety and what it feels like both emotionally and physically, adopting coping skills and relaxation techniques to cope with and overcome feelings of anxiety and panic, and confronting real and/or imaginary fears.

Exposure therapy

Experiencing feelings of anxiety is no walk in the park. In fact, for some, it’s completely debilitating. It’s only natural that those who experience it try to avoid triggers as much as humanly possible.

The problem there is that people tend to miss out on a lot, and by avoiding these triggers of anxiety and fear, they remain unconfronted, thus holding power over you and your everyday life.

Exposure therapy does exactly what the name suggests: exposes you to the cause of your fear, whether it be an object or situation. The rationale behind the treatment is that through repeated exposure, participants will gain back control and the power their anxiety and fear once held. Exposure therapy can be conducted on its own, or in collaboration with cognitive behavioral therapy.

These confrontations can happen either hypothetically, in therapy, or out in the real world. Typically, these confrontations start on a small scale step-by-step approach called systematic desensitization, which allows you to gradually challenge fears while building confidence and mastering coping strategies.

Other therapies

While discovering underlying factors and coping mechanisms in anxiety therapy, there are complimentary therapies to help manage overall stress levels you can practice in order to help achieve emotional balance:

Exercise naturally releases hormones that combat stress and anxiety, and research has shown that as little as 30 minutes of exercise three to five times per week has a significant impact on improving anxiety levels.

Practicing relaxation techniques (like mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, controlled breathing and visualization) on a regular basis is shown to reduce anxiety and increase levels of relaxation and emotional well-being. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also completely free.

Using sensors that measure specific physiological functions, otherwise known as biofeedback, helps you become more in-tune with how stress and anxiety affects your body, how to recognize it, and control it. Heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension are just some of the physical indicators.

Make it work for you

Anxiety and stress doesn’t go away in a day, it requires time and commitment. Practicing exposure therapy and uncovering underlying causes of your anxiety might make you feel worse before you feel better, but it’s key to stick to your treatment and work together with your therapist. Remember, therapy is giving you tools to manage your anxiety and fears on a long-term scale; it’s not meant to be a quick fix.

You can support your own therapy by making positive, healthy lifestyle choices daily. This includes learning about anxiety and your anxiety in particular, maintaining positive connections with people (family, friends, your therapist, support-groups, etc.), as well as eating healthy and exercising regularly.

10 Mindful Habits for the Work Place

June 2, 2015 by Jerry Daskoski

Here are 10 Mindful Habits that Will Make Your work-flow more productive

Recently mindfulness has become increasingly popular amongst various professions, executives and age groups. Mindfulness mediation has been proven to increase memory, awareness and reduce the impact that negative thinking can have on your mind and body.

Mindfulness doesn’t always consist of committing to some sort of Transcendental meditation group or signing up for a yearly membership at your local yoga studio. There are plenty of simple daily habits that you can engage in in order to make you more productive and happier at work.

Here are 10 Easy Practices from Shamash Alidina and Juliet Adams new book “Mindfulness at Work for Dummies”