Talking About Health, Mental Health & Recovery

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The Magic of Positive Thinking

The old saying, “mind over matter,” may be much more significant than many would think. Positive thinking can work wonders. Maintaining an optimistic demeanor can improve one’s health, their success, and of course, their happiness.

While many people believe that thinking positive can improve their lives, others remain skeptical. Many wonder whether a person’s thoughts could tangibly improve their life. Surprisingly enough, research is proving that the benefits of remaining positive are not the product of wishful thinkers with great imaginations. The benefits of positive thinking are absolutely real.

A psychology professor and researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, named Carol Ryff, has been studying the relationship between mental well-being and physical health. This study, which is being funded by the National Institutes of Health, is revealing that positive thinking does affect the overall health of the brain and body. Ryff has been quoted as saying that her research is part of a new “science that is emerging” and that happiness “isn’t just a state of mind.”

The Health Benefits of Thinking Positive:

Robert Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University, is finding that stress can actually slow the body’s healing process. Stress may even weaken a person’s immune system and make vaccines less effective.

However, these are not the only physical effects of mental well being on the body. Research has also shown that positive thinking can help:

? Reduce stress
? Improve immune system function
? Fight depression
? Increase longevity
? Lower risk of heart disease
? Lower risk of death from heart disease
? Improve overall health

Positive thinking may even help overweight individuals reduce their body fat. When a person becomes stressed, their body begins releasing an increased amount of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that plays a role in storing fat in the abdomen. Lower levels of cortisol will help dieters refrain from storing belly fat, as well as reduce their stored fat.

The Financial and Career Benefits of Positive Thinking:

Positive thinking can also have a significant impact on a person’s career and finances. Taking the time to positively prepare oneself for stressful professional events, like important meetings or interviews, will help improve one’s confidence and their ability to handle obstacles. Optimistic, confident individuals are more likely to get the jobs they want, get raises, and be given more responsibility.

Positive thinkers are also more likely to take risks, like committing to a new investment or asking for increase in salary. This is because these individuals have envisioned themselves reaching their goals and have prepared themselves to handle the stress that these situations may bring. Under stress, positive thinkers are more able to cope and make beneficial decisions.

Why Women Really Need to Stay Positive

One study, conducted at the Ben-Gurion University, located in Israel, has shown that women who have dealt with several emotional hardships, like divorce or a death, are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. One very important aspect of the study was that the women who were diagnosed with the disease claimed to have been depressed or anxious before their diagnosis.

Women especially must make an effort to think positively. Women are more prone to depression, suffer from more eating disorders, and on average, have lower self esteem. Making positive thinking a priority is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety and depression, as well as help women more effectively reach their goals.

At times, it can be difficult to think positively. Yet even when times get tough, it’s important for people to make the effort to maintain their mental well-being. While positive thinking may not really be magical, it is as close to magic as many people will ever get.

Lisa
June 23, 2011
Motivation
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There’s A First Time For Everything

People always say, “There’s a first time for everything”, and with some things that is very true, but with others it seems like its all been done before. Take the French Open for example, one of the four grand slam tournaments, which is held at Stade Roland Garros, in Paris, France. The greatest players from all over the world come to play on the clay courts and try to prove they are truly the best.

It seems as though at an event like this there might be a few upsets but it feels as though you’ve seen it all before. Typically the higher seeded players advance through and end up winning the tournament.

Well not this year, the women in the tournament are shaking things up, starting with the elimination of the top three seeded players, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijster, and Vera Zvonareva. These three women were all eliminated before the quarterfinals, which has never happened in the history of the French Open. As of now the highest seed still in the tournament is number 4, which is jaw dropping considering the skill level of the top three players.

Another historical moment was the advancement of Li Na into the quarterfinals, making her the first Chinese woman to reach the quarterfinal round. She is ranked number 7 in the world and defeated Petra Kvitova (ranked number 9) to advance into the next round.

Thus far, the French Open scores have been very surprising and it will be very interesting to see what happens with the women’s bracket as they advance into the next rounds. As the excitement surrounding the tournament builds, it would be well worth it to watch French Open streaming so that you can actually watch the matches as opposed to merely looking at news headlines.

Lisa
May 31, 2011
Entertainment, Sports, Uncategorized
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Always Use Your CPAP Machine

Bad habits seem so much easier to form than good habit. That’s because bad habits are built on immediate gratification. People satisfy an urge and it feels good, proving instant positive reinforcement that trains their mind to repeat the activity. Good habits tend to result in delayed gratification, or in no gratification at all. They may provide financial, emotional, or physical benefits that are removed from the actual activity, which makes it more difficult to train the body to adopt the habit.

Take for example the use of a CPAP machine. Learning to wear a mask and breath through a tube connected to a weird device is far from gratifying. It is awkward and uncomfortable and so far removed from natural that most people feel foolish the first time they use it. There is no immediate feeling of pleasure or relief and the entire point of the equipment, to provide continuous breathing, happens when the person is asleep, so they aren’t even aware of any difference. As a result, many people decide that using the machine isn’t a necessity, but something they can do when they remember or only when they feel really horrible.

CPAP works best when it becomes a nightly habit. When patients can no longer fall asleep without the machine, when they feel wrong if they don’t have the mask on, then they will get the maximum benefit from the treatment. Night after night of continuous, deep sleep will improve mood, memory, the ability to think, and even the body’s immune system. None of these results are immediate, but all are of great benefit to the overall quality of life — and that makes them worth the work of developing the CPAP habit.

Lisa
May 19, 2011
Health
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Using Maps as Home Decor Accessories

Instead of recreating a home design from a television show or magazine, try using your own imagination. The next time you need to decorate — or redecorate — think about your own personality and style. Maybe you don’t trust your style sense to decorate an entire room, but you can certainly choose accessories that express you rather than a professional designer. It’s those small touches that will make it feel like home, instead of a showpiece.

One way to express your own interests is by using maps as accessories. Maps are appropriate accessories in a wide range of design styles. You just need to find the right frame or mounting to make it blend with the rest of the room.

A gorgeous antique wall map can be a good conversation starter. If you choose the subject of the map based on your own interests, say a love of ancient history or a passion for the British Empire, then you’ll feel a little surge of excitement every time you glance at it.

With digital printing now the norm, most dealers can offer custom wall maps at very reasonable prices. These maps are designed by you to focus on a specific region or to depict geographical features of your choosing. It’s hard to find a more personal expression than that.

Lisa
May 3, 2011
Home
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Strength, Appeal and Safety in Tungsten

While tungsten carbide has been on the jewelry market for many years, people continue to have questions about it. The metal is stronger than what most other rings are made from and this is actually one of the features for which it is most known. When the compound was originally used for rings, there were rumors and concerns that it would be too tough to remove in a severe accident. The rumor was that the finger of the wearer would have to be cut off in order to remove the ring. This has the unfortunate feel of urban legend, and the truth is now well known that this is not a danger.

In fact, emergency rooms are specially equipped with saws that can easily slice through tungsten, and other hard substances, and not injure the flesh underneath. This is just one of the realistic aspects that contradicts the old rumor. And, as is true for most things you hear, it is always best to research on your own as thoroughly as possible before subscribing to outrageous beliefs.

Meanwhile, it is actually the strength of the material that is attractive to most men who choose tungsten wedding bands . There is a nice aesthetic appeal with the shiny dark complex that belies the unbeatable strength and hardness of the actual material. One thing to keep in mind is that any additional elements that are added to the ring, such as gold or silver, will scratch and/or tarnish much easier than the tungsten carbide. However, this should only be a concern if you plan to perform rough manual labor while wearing the ring.

Lisa
April 23, 2011
Technology
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Respiration and the Breath of Life

Working with the breath is an old activity, one that goes back much further than one might imagine. While there are many reasons for entering into the health field these days, the core of it is still one that makes it a noble profession. It is one of the largest and fastest-growing fields, but it’s also one that has elements of compassion at its very core. So while those who are considering attending respiratory therapy school out of need for a better standard of living, there is something simultaneously altruistic that is the essence of medicine.

In terms of respiratory therapies, the work involves, as one would imagine, things to do with the breath. Helping people with breathing disorders and handling emergencies are certainly a big part of the day to day work. These all utilize the latest innovations, and use some of the newest medical technologies. But the idea of working with the breath predates these technologies by many generations. The breath is, after all, at the heart of yoga, where prana is considered to be the essence, or manifestation, of life itself. The notion that breath is connected to being is a very old one, then, but it’s also one that is at the heart of contemporary experience, and this includes medical practice.

Lisa
April 16, 2011
Education
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Amenities & Apartment Hunting

Looking for apartments in Canada ? There are certainly lots of choices. Even in small university towns the number of units available can be overwhelming. Figuring out how to weed down those choices to find the apartment that is best for you can be very stressful.

The most important considerations are financial. How much apartment can you afford, including utilities, parking fees, and other expenses? Once you know your price range, you can look in the neighborhoods that are closest to work or school for properties that fit your budget. Everything else is considered an amenity.

Sorting through the various amenities offered by individual properties and complexes can be very time consuming. This is why many apartment hunters turn to a management company, such as TransGlobe Property Management . They will do the winnowing down for you. Whether you use a management firm or do the searching yourself, you will want to make a list of those amenities you can’t live without — like a parking space or high speed internet access. Making a second list of your preferences (things you’d like, say an onsite laundry room, swimming pool, or microwave in the unit but don’t need) is also an important step.

While the perfect apartment is going to have every amenity on both lists, you will likely have to settle for one that has everything you consider a necessity and a few of the preferences.

Lisa
March 28, 2011
Real Estate
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Learning to Take Photos with the Nikon 300s

If you’ve ever thought that you’d really like to take up photography, one of the first things you’ll likely want to do is to start exploring cameras. There are some really great introductory, which means easy to use, models though that also means limited freedom, and many pros will recommend you seek a more sophisticated model. That’s in part due to the fact that learning how to use a camera is essential to taking great photos, and also because a more dynamic camera is going to offer greater options and freedom of focus. This is part of the overall composition of photos and is important in becoming a competent photographer.

That’s why Nikon is a frequently recommended name among camera professionals as well as instructors. The Nikon 300s is a great camera for students, and professionals alike. This is one of the reasons it’s great to study with. It is easy to learn to use and the features are accessible for all skill levels. The camera’s DX format offers a high degree of creative versatility and dynamic photos. The LCD monitor offers great live views that help the novice compose their photo. There is really nothing about this camera that isn’t great to work with or suitable to learn on. Many people think that photography is all about instinct and an artistic sensibility. That is definitely part of great photographs , however, learning the basics of quality photo composition, and the use of light and focus are the key elements to any photograph.

Lisa
March 23, 2011
Culture
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Training for Loan Officer Licenses

Knowing that the mortgage industry is ripe for con artists and other criminals, state governments require that loan officers obtain a license in order to be allowed to work with residential mortgages. Individuals who want to be employed as mortgage loan originators or brokers are usually required to complete extensive Loan Officer Training and meet additional licensing requirements.

Training usually focuses on mortgage law. Officers are expected to master the intricacies of both federal mortgage statutes as well as state laws. Training programs will usually spend seventy to eighty percent of the course time imparting mortgage law to students. The remainder of the training time will usually cover subjects like professional ethics and consumer protection as well as fair lending practices .

The actual content of the training will vary from state to state as will what other licensing requirements candidates must meet. There are some minimal standards set by the federal government, but most states have much stricter requirements. Once officers obtain their initial license, they will most likely have to renew it every year after completing continuing mortgage education coursework.

Residential mortgages are probably the largest single investment that most Americans will make in their lifetime. Taking out a loan worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that will take several decades to pay off is a major commitment. They deserve to know that the mortgage officer they are working with is licensed and in good standing with their state banking agency.

Lisa
March 18, 2011
Real Estate
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Purchasing Dental Equipment for a Clinic

Any trip to the dentist guarantees that a patient will encounter a wide range of equipment — usually without them even being aware of it. The visit begins with checking in at the desk where specialized computer software is in use. This system likely follows the patient throughout the clinic, recording diagnostic tests and treatment notes entered by the dentist and technicians. Other equipment encountered will include x-rays and diagnostic cameras, the infamous dentist chair , and everything from drills and hand-held tools to the sterilizers and autoclaves that are kept behind the scenes.

Paying for all this equipment is a major expense for any dental clinic. Dentists should also look ahead to when and how they will be able to afford to upgrade equipment as new tools and systems are developed. Existing clinics will also face the day when equipment breaks down or simply becomes so outdated that it absolutely has to be replaced. They then have to come up with the money to purchase new equipment or invest in a cutting edge computer system.

Three options exist for purchasing equipment for a clinic. One of the more popular options is dental equipment leasing , which allows clinics to pay for use of the equipment on a monthly basis. An added bonus is that they usually don’t have to worry about paying for repairs and maintenance, as those will be figured into the leasing fees. The second option is to obtain some form of financing or loans from banks or money mutual lenders They will still end up with monthly payments, but the equipment will be theirs. The final option is to simply pay for the equipment at the time of purchase. Since these costs quickly run into tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars, few dentists can afford this route.

Lisa
March 16, 2011
Business
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