Megan Santiago's Blog, page 17

The Benefits and Downsides of Homeschooling

The concept of homeschooling is not new; it has been around for a very long time. However, there has been a surge in homeschoolers and the diversity of people adopting the practice in the last two decades. 

One study found that homeschoolers have doubled since 1999, reaching 1.8 million in 2016. That’s a lot! The current year of writing this is 2022, and we know (based on recent events) that that number should be hitting 3 million now. Why? 

The Covid-19 pandemic happened! And we saw schools across the country shut down and begin to offer alternative means of education, including hybrid models and virtual learning. 

Although things are much better now, it is safe to assume that some parents and students are now comfortable with schooling from home and have stuck with it. Besides comfort, some parents may be concerned about their children contracting the virus in school and aren’t willing to take the chance. 

If you’re considering homeschooling your kids, you should know that it has many advantages and disadvantages. You shouldn’t decide based on one or two benefits; always consider the pitfalls. 

We have compiled some of the benefits and limitations of homeschooling to help you make a more informed decision. We encourage you to weigh your options before deciding because your choice will affect your family. 

The Benefits of Homeschooling

Home education can be a productive and exciting experience for you, the parent, and your kids. The following benefits 

The Flexibility to Plan Your Schedule

As a parent, this is one of the biggest attractions of homeschooling your child. You can choose and plan and execute. And all of this is possible because you are the homeschool planner, principal, manager, and teacher in this school. 

Homeschooling allows you to plan daily activities, ensuring that you have time to do everything else while still educating your child. You can still pick up the groceries, visit the laundromat, and teach your kids. It doesn’t end there!

The flexible nature of homeschooling also means that you can choose the homeschool curriculum and determine the best way to achieve learning. Some schools decide against teaching certain subjects, but that doesn’t have to be the case in your homeschool. If you believe that subject is worthwhile, you can go right ahead. 

Flexibility also means you can customize teaching to suit your ward, especially if they are special needs children. That way, learning is personalized and more effective, and you can advance according to their pace. 

Strengthens Parent-Child Bond

Relationships are stronger and better when there is communication, companionship, and support. You can achieve all of these fairly easily when you homeschool. If not anything, you are always there with your kids – teaching, encouraging, helping, and giving them all the love. That’s quality time, and nothing else compares. 

On top of that, you will be there for every milestone, promotion, and success. Being there to celebrate with your kids and cheer them on is an excellent bonding experience for you and your kids. And it’s not just the happy times. When they don’t do well, you’re there to reassure them and plant positive affirmations against depression or frustration. And that’s arguably more effective than being in a traditional school.

Ah yes! Beyond academic activities, you can achieve stronger bonds with field trips, grocery shopping, seeing a movie together, etc. Homeschooling gives you enough time to fit these into your schedule. Beyond the parent-child relationship, you can also boost sibling-to-sibling bonds through homeschooling. Isn’t that amazing? 

Ensures Our Children Get the Best Care

With your children within your reach every day, ensuring they get the best care is more effortless. You can make it happen by providing healthy food cravings, exercise routines, getting enough rest, and daily nutrient requirements. While it is possible to achieve this with regular school, homeschooling makes it more efficient. 

Homeschooling your kids also helps you ensure they’re not doing anything that might hurt them. For instance, if your child gets heartburn after eating cinnamon, you can ensure everything they eat has no trace of cinnamon. On the flip side, if your kids had to go to regular school every day, they could consume foods that include cinnamon or anything they’re allergic to. And the effects can be life-threatening. 

Personalized Learning 

Home learning allows you to customize teaching methods according to your children’s needs. You can focus on areas where they are struggling and be patient with them. For instance, if your child is underperforming in a subject, you can spend more time explaining the concepts. 

Also, because every child is different, it is best to use different approaches to communicate with them. Some students learn faster, some don’t, and some assimilate better with a particular style or method of teaching. When you realize these differences, you can tailor teaching to each child’s unique needs (if you have more than one). It is easier to achieve academic progress with this approach.

No child has this level of focused and individualized education in a traditional school. 

The Downsides of Homeschooling Little to No Personal Time

Let’s be honest with ourselves; if you plan to homeschool your children, you should also know that you will have less time for yourself. Homeschooling is a tiring, time-consuming job. If you thought you were busy before as a stay-at-home parent, that was child’s play. This is the real deal! 

Every day, you will wake up to being a parent and teacher, which includes getting the kids ready for daily activities, preparing meals, teaching, and putting up with children’s tantrums. If it sounds like a handful, it’s because it is! Homeschool programs can be challenging, and it’s not for everybody. If you believe that you can manage all these, go for it. 

Here’s something that can help ease the pressure: Create routines and judiciously follow them. If you’re an exercise brat, you might want to make time for it at dawn before the kids wake or have exercise time for everyone later in the day. If you don’t plan every day, it will get overwhelming, and you might regret deciding to homeschool. 

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Buy Now We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Reduced Social Interaction 

We are all social beings, and relating with other people contributes to our growth in every facet of life. Keep in mind that home-based education isolates your child from activities with other students they would have had if they were in regular school. 

Social interactions are crucial to child development—for example, classroom conversations, group assignments, dance rehearsals, workshop classes, etc. Your child will miss out on all of these. But, all hope is not lost. You have to create opportunities for social interaction beyond what they will have with you. Be creative here; think about those experiences they would have had in school and recreate them at home. 

You can occasionally invite other kids from the neighborhood to play and learn together and develop fun projects that involve interaction with people other than yourself. Your kids will appreciate the effort. 

Heavy Workload for You

Now you know that you will have less time for yourself, and well, that’s because you will be extremely busy every day. Homeschooling demands that you wear many hats, including those you’re already wearing. The hats? You’re now the teacher, counselor, curriculum provider, and principal of this school you’ve created in your home. 

Performing these roles alongside your domestic duties and possibly professional ones can be too much for anybody. And if you have younger kids that aren’t school-ready, you’d have to teach the older ones and find a way to keep little Katie occupied all day. It’s a lot, a lot of work. 

So, go for homeschooling with your eyes wide open. Some parents started it, saw the reality of things, and scampered back to the original arrangement. And that’s because they thought homeschooling was easy peasy, and it’s not. But if you’re prepared for the job, it could be (not easy, though, let’s stick with manageable).

Overwhelming Togetherness

Not sure that’s the correct expression, but you get the point, right? You know they say too much of everything is bad; it applies in this case. Having to see your kids every day and almost every minute of every hour can be too much. That’s a lot of attention!

You may find frustration slowly creeping in if you don’t nip it in the bud. What can you do? Take breaks! Let the kids have time for themselves and others. You can also find and team up with another homeschooling family (or a non-homeschool family) in the area and send your kids there sometimes. 

Closing Thoughts

If you’ve read this far, you know whether homeschooling is a fantastic idea or not. As a prospective homeschooling parent, you want to discuss and weigh the pros and cons with your spouse before making a final decision. If the positives outweigh the downsides in your books, go ahead to homeschool. But be prepared for everything homeschooling throws at you. 

And don’t forget to bring your kids into the conversation and see what they think about it. After all, if they have zero interest, learning will be impossible. If everyone is on board, a good first step is to get a comprehensive guide on how to homeschool.

This post originally appeared on Hello Sensible.

Tips for Overcoming Leaky Gut Syndrome Naturally

Leaky gut syndrome, medically referred to as “increased intestinal permeability,” is becoming more and more widespread. 

What do depression, anxiety, hormone imbalance, and autoimmunity have in common? Studies are showing that many health issues, both mental and physical, likely have leaky gut at their root (source).

The good news is, there are definitely things we can do at home to improve gut health and overcome leaky gut. The best place to start, I believe, is in the kitchen.

It can be overwhelming when making lifestyle changes, but it doesn’t have to be. In order to overcome leaky gut, I like to recommend taking a deep breath, and focusing on just four things:

Stop the damage to the gutSeal the gut wallStop feeding pathogensPopulate the gut with friendly flora

Let’s take a look at what foods can help seal leaky gut, what foods to avoid while the body heals, and other holistic tips for overcoming leaky gut syndrome. 

This is NOT medical advice; it is only meant to inform.

What is leaky gut syndrome?

Leaky gut syndrome is a common term for a condition in the digestive tract called increased intestinal permeability. The gut lining is supposed to have some permeability in order for us to be able to absorb nutrients from the foods we eat. The problem comes when the junctions in the gut wall become too big, allowing undigested food and other foreign matter into the bloodstream. This is leaky gut syndrome. 

The inside of our digestive tract is coated with a thick layer of bacteria. This layer acts as a barrier that protects agains invaders, such as toxins, parasites, and undigested food. If the protective layer gets damaged, the protective barrier is no longer there.

Leaky gut syndrome brings a lot of problems. Undigested food particles enter the bloodstream, where they wreak havoc with brain and immune system function (source). Instead of being a source of nourishment, a leaky gut becomes a major source of toxicity, which can bring mental and physical health issues. 

A leaky gut may be caused by a variety of things, such as antibiotic use, high fiber foods that haven’t been properly prepared, and pesticides, to name a few. 

When we provide the right resources, and provide a rest from certain things, our bodies have an amazing ability to rebuild themselves. There are certain key foods we can eat that provide the right nutrients for overcoming leaky gut syndrome, as well as things we can do holistically to support our digestive systems. 

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Buy Now We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Drink Meat Stock

A short cooked meat broth, meat stock is the clear champion when it comes to the best foods for leaky gut syndrome. Meat stock contains the very nutrients that the body needs to seal leaky gut. Meat stock contains many amino acids, and you might recognize one of these, L-Glutamine, as a supplement recommended for leaky gut syndrome. 

Adding meat stock accomplishes step 2 in the four steps for overcoming leaky gut that I mentioned at the beginning: seal leaky gut. Meat stock is broth made from cooking the meaty bones of chicken, beef, fish, game, turkey, and any other species for a short time in water. Adding high quality salt, spices, and vegetables make for a really delicious stock. See how to make meat stock the right way here. 

Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride, creator of the GAPS diet, recommends that adults work up to 4-6 cups of meat stock per day for a concentrated period of time in order to overcome leaky gut. Meat stock can be enjoyed in soups, stews, sauces, and in mugs as a warm and nourishing drink. 

Enjoy Cultured Dairy

Step 4 of overcoming leaky gut focuses on repopulating the gut with friendly flora. Restoring the healthy balance of intestinal flora in our microbiome is important to overcoming leaky gut, because the flora in the gut lining help to maintain the integrity of the gut wall. Friendly flora is also key in having a healthy, balanced microbiome, which enable us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy gut-brain connection.

Cultured dairy is one of the most important probiotic foods. Not only do they provide large amounts of beneficial bacteria and yeasts, high quality cultured dairy from animals on pasture is very nutrient dense. Yogurt and kefir are my favorite cultured dairy products for leaky gut syndrome.

As new friendly flora comes into the body, the overgrowth of pathogens start to die. If this happens too fast, some uncomfortable symptoms can happen. I like to recommend my clients start with yogurt first, because it is more gentle than kefir. Kefir is a powerful probiotic food that can trigger a lot of die off. This is because it contains so many more beneficial strains than yogurt. 

When it is introduced at the right time, kefir is a powerful probiotic food that can really help calm yeast issues and bring balance to the microbiome. 

Eat Fermented Vegetables

Fermented vegetables are another important tool when it comes to populating the digestive tract with friendly flora. Some of the more common fermented vegetables are sauerkraut, lacto-fermented pickles, kimchi, and kvass.

Fermented vegetables are fun to make at home, and the variety can be endless. Sauerkraut is an easy one to start with. The sauerkraut itself and the brine are both wonderful to add to meals. See how to make probiotic rich sauerkraut here. 

When it comes to fermented vegetables and cultured dairy, I find that it’s important to start introducing them slowly. Going too fast can cause uncomfortable die off reactions. The body needs time to adjust as the friendly microbes come in and start doing their cleanup work. 

I typically recommend my clients start with just one bite of fermented vegetables, wait a few days, then slowly increase from there as they feel ready. 

Add Egg Yolks

This recommendation doesn’t fit exactly in any of the four steps I mentioned in at the beginning, but I had to include it. People with leaky gut aren’t able to absorb nutrients well, which results in nutritional deficiencies over time.

The body needs a lot of resources when it undertakes a big job like sealing leaky gut, so it’s important to eat foods rich in nutrients and support the body well during this time. Egg yolks are some of the most nutrient dense foods out there.

Egg yolks contain a wide variety of nutrients (source), including:

Vitamin AFolateVitamin DB vitaminsPhosphorusSeleniumVitamin EVitamin KCalciumZinc

Raw egg yolks are one of the most easily digestible foods on the planet. This is important, because we want to provide a leaky, healing digestive system with foods that are easy to assimilate. A leaky gut needs less work, not more, when it comes to digestion.

I like to recommend my clients start adding egg yolks to their soups, starting with raw yolks from organic, pasture raised chickens. My favorite thing to do is to add yolks to blended soups – they disappear right in! After working up to 6 yolks per day, I like to recommend advancing through the cooking techniques: soft boiled eggs, then scrambled, and so on. 

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Now let’s talk about step 1 from the four steps: Stop the damage to the gut. It’s important to know what foods to avoid while focusing on overcoming leaky gut syndrome. 

The biggest offenders when it comes to foods that damage the gut are grains. Grains are some of the hardest foods to digest. They also contain various anti nutrients that can block the absorption of nutrients in the digestive system, and are high in starches (more on starches later). 

The high fiber in grains is also very irritating to a leaky gut lining. Think of it like sand paper on an open wound – ouch! It’s important to give a leaky gut a break from trying to digest grains, including gluten free grains, and stop eating these for a while. 

After the gut has healed and is no longer leaky, most people can go on to enjoy properly prepared grains, like sourdough bread, without old symptoms returning. This is because traditional food preparation techniques (like fermenting grains when making sourdough bread) pre-digests grains, making them easier for our bodies to digest, and makes the nutrients more available. 

Avoid starches

This one fits with step 1, as starches are harder to digest, and it is also an important part of step 3: Stop feeding the pathogens. 

What’s the deal with starches? Starch feeds all gut flora, friendly and unfriendly, indiscriminately. When sealing leaky gut, we want to increase the friendly flora and decrease the unfriendly flora. Avoiding starches for a time goes a long ways in bringing balance to the microbiome, which supports a healthier gut lining. 

Examples of high starch foods to avoid for a time:

Grains, including gluten free grainsPotatoes, white and sweetCornArrowrootThickeners and stabilizers Eat the Right Sugars and Avoid the Wrong Ones

Sugars and sweetness are another important food group to consider. Again, this fits with steps 1 and 3: Stop the damage to the gut, and stop feeding pathogens.

Certain sweeteners are both hard to digest, and tend to feed the unfriendly flora. Other sweeteners are easier to digest, and contain important nutrients. I like to recommend my clients include the following sweet foods listed below, and avoid all others for a while, including cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. 

Sweet foods that are gut friendly:

Raw, local honeyDried fruitFresh, ripe fruitDetox support for gut health

Another important aspect when it comes to gut health is supporting healthy detox. An unhealthy gut becomes a major source of toxicity in the body (source). As the body tries to deal with the flow of toxins from a leaky gut, the detox pathways become overburdened and in need of support. 

Some ways to support healthy detox are to reduce our general toxic load and eliminate common outside sources of toxins, including unnatural personal care items, cleaning products, and anything around the house and yard that contains toxic chemicals. As we become more aware of the impact of toxins on our bodies and the environment, it’s becoming easier to source more natural body and home products. 

Other ways to support healthy detox can be to add these actives to a self care routine:

Skin brushingEpsom salt bathsOil pullingJuicingSun bathingConclusion

Having a leaky gut can be a huge problem and bring a lot of difficult symptoms. Thankfully, there are tried and true ways to support the body in natural ways and overcome leaky gut syndrome. 

How Your Gut Microbiome Makes You Happier

L-Glutamine for Leaky Gut: Critical Reasons You Need to Take it

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155 Uplifting Self-Care Quotes for Mental Health

Self-care is one of the most important things you can do in your daily routine to maximize your inner peace, increase your confidence and productivity, and improve your relationships. Still, as with so many aspects of life, it can be easier said than done. Using positive quotes helps you remember to make caring for yourself a priority, so you’re living the best version of yourself instead of putting yourself through the wringer to accomplish your goals.

30 Self-Care Quotes To Remind You of The Importance Of Taking Care of Yourself“Exactly what are you wanting to teach your children? How to love and care for themselves, or how to neglect and abandon themselves? Self-sacrifice is NOT setting a good example.” – Miya Yamanouchi“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde“We must take care of our minds because we cannot benefit from beauty when our brains are missing.” – Euripides“Self-care is never selfish, but it may feel that way when you live a frenzied life.” – Arthur P. Ciaramicoli“Self-care is not a waste of time. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.” – Jackie Viramontez“Doing something nice for myself is not selfish.” – Christine Morgan“Do something nice for you. Because you deserve it.” – Unknown“Acknowledge, accept, and honor that you deserve your own deepest compassion and love.” – Nanette Mathews“When you recognize and reflect on even one good thing about yourself, you are building a bridge to a place of kindness and caring.” – Sharon Salzberg“Choose, every day, to forgive yourself. You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love.” – Alison Malee“People who love themselves come across as very loving, generous and kind; they express their self-confidence through humility, forgiveness, and inclusiveness.” – Sanaya Roman“Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” – Kristi Ling“Learning self-care is like building your own lifeboat, plank by plank. Once you’ve got your boat, you’ll still be rocked by the waves of life, but you’ll have a feeling of safety, and stability that means you can pick other people up on your way.” – Nadia Narain“I believe that self-care is a daily practice that should involve your interests, needs, and preferences. And it should have room to evolve with you over time.” – Portia Jackson-Preston“No more martyring myself.” – Sharon E. Rainey“Our soul is like a soft and gentle flower; it needs to be nurtured, cared for, tended to, with sufficient sunlight, fresh air, and freedom to bloom into its most precious and beautiful form. This, my friend, is self-love.” – Miya Yamanouchi“Respect, Love, and Value yourself. Always remember to be good to yourself by taking care of yourself. Make yourself a priority and know that it’s okay. Don’t feel guilty for loving yourself first! You’re just as important as anybody else.” – Stephanie Lahart“By taking care of myself, I have so much more to offer the world than I do when I am running on empty.” – Ali Washington“Life’s too short to spend it at war with yourself.” – Unknown“Harmony begins within. If we are to influence the world around us, even in minor ways, the real work begins inside and emanates outwards.” – Gudjon Bergmann“If you want to help her, you need to help yourself first. No one serves their friends by grinding themselves into dust on the altar of compassion.” – Seanan McGuire“For those of you who struggle with guilt regarding self-care, answer this question: What greater gift can you give to those you love than your own wholeness?” – Shannon Tanner“You can’t really be present for the people in your life if you aren’t taking care of yourself.” – Kerry Washington“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm S. Forbes“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.” – Kristen Neff“You only have one life to live. Make sure it’s yours.” – Eleanor Brownn“How we care for ourselves gives our brain messages that shape our self-worth so we must care for ourselves in every way, every day.” – Sam Owen“Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” – Pema Chodron“The relationship you have with yourself will determine what your relationships with others will be like.” – Akiroq Brost30 Self-Care Quotes About Treating Yourself Respectfully“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” – C. Joybell C.“Gard the doors of your temple, do not let anyone pollute it with their mess.” – Patricio Telman Chincocolo“Self-care is a deliberate choice to gift yourself with people, places, things, events, and opportunities that recharge our personal battery and promote whole health: body, mind, and spirit.” – Laurie Buchanan, PhD“Bathing is a basic need, but it doesn’t have to be a forgettable moment in your routine.” – Amy Leigh Mercree“I want to be as healthy as I possibly can be. I just want to make sure that I do everything to take care of myself. So I want to do the best for me. I want to pamper myself and do the best for my body.” – Kriti Kharbanda“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin“You don’t have to love yourself in muttered whispers while loving everyone else with a megaphone.” – Jasmine Farrell“Self-care has become a new priority – the revelation that it’s perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” – Frances Ryan“Our soul is like a soft and gentle flower; it needs to be nurtured, cared for, tended to, with sufficient sunlight, fresh air, and freedom to bloom into its most precious and beautiful form. This, my friend, is self-love.” – Miya Yamanouchi “Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” – Pema Chodron“When the body forces you to STOP, it’s saying, hey buddy, you’ve gone too far.” – Jacqueline Escolme“Self-care sometimes is doing the things that will make your next 2 hours difficult, but your next ten years easier.” – Em.x.thoughts“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley“Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” – Deborah Day“For me, recovery and self-care are inextricably connected. My recovery from abuse, addiction, and a suicide attempt required dump truck loads of self-care.” – Steve Austin“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou“Stopping takes courage, too.” – Emma Xu“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” – Hermann Hesse“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.” – Zig Ziglar“To accept ourselves as we are means to value our imperfections as much as our perfections.” – Sandra Bierig“Self-care is so much more than a beauty regimen or an external thing you do. It has to start within your heart to know what you need to navigate your life. A pedicure doesn’t last, but meditating every day does.” – Carrie-Anne Moss“A person who is humble would never be abusive or selfish; so don’t abuse yourself or withhold self-love or self-care.” – Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life“Setting boundaries is a way of caring for myself. It doesn’t make me mean, selfish, or uncaring because I don’t do things your way. I care about me too.” – Christine Morgan“Honoring your own boundaries is the clearest message to others to honor them, too.” – Gina Greenlee, Postcards and Pearls: Life Lessons from Solo Moments on the Road“Be kind to your body, gentle with your mind, and patient with your heart. Stay true to your spirit, cherish your soul and never doubt yourself. You are still becoming, my love, and there is no one more deserving of the nurturing grace of your love.” – Becca Lee“Be kind. Be patient. Be generous. Be accepting. Be all of these things to yourself. That is where it begins” – Seed & Song“You are worth the quiet moment. You are worth the deeper breaths, and you are worth the time it takes to slow down, be still, and rest.” – Morgan Harper Nichols“It’s okay to take time for yourself. We give so much of ourselves to others, and we need to be fueled both physically and mentally. If we are in balance, it helps us in all our interactions.” – Faith Hill“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” – Anna Taylor55 Self-Care Quotes To Inspire Productivity“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey“Stop what you are doing. Go outside and breathe. The world will not end if you take ten minutes for yourself.” – Fawn Germer“When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody notices, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle, and yet most of the audience still sleeps.” – John Lennon“Stepping out of the busyness, stopping our endless pursuit of getting somewhere else, is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit.” – Tara Brach“It’s not knowing what to do, it’s doing what you know.” – Tony Robbins“If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.” – Dalai Lama“Good well-being leads to good working performance.” – Lailah Gifty Akita“Though we all make mistakes, don’t handicap yourself in difficult tasks; self-sabotage is not a strategy. Sometimes all you need to do is protect yourself from your own self.” – Efrat Cybulkiewicz“If you do not respect your own wishes, no one else will. You will simply attract people who disrespect you as much as you do.”– Vironika Tugaleva“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” – Stephen Covey“Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds, and work that nourish you.” – Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” – David Allen“Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost“You don’t need a new plan for next year. You need a commitment.” – Seth Godin“Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” – Peter Drucker“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” – Bruce Lee“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Tony Robbins“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill “It is not enough to be busy…. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau“There’s a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice, you’ll never be successful.” – Shia LaBeouf“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that in itself is a choice.” – William James“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” – Leo Babauta“If you have time to whine, then you have time to find a solution.” – Dee Dee Artner“When you waste a moment, you have killed it in a sense, squandering an irreplaceable opportunity. But when you use the moment properly, filling it with purpose and productivity, it lives on forever.” – Menachem Mendel Schneerson“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King“Time is not refundable; use it with intention.” – Unknown“The key to productivity is to rotate your avoidance techniques.” – Shannon Wheeler“Starve your distraction and feed your focus.” – Unknown“Reflect on what you do in a day. You may have never realized how some simple, harmless activities rob you of precious time.” – Vivek Naik“Start by doing what is necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Saint Francis of Assisi“Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes in a day.” – Denis Waitley“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali“To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe“When we truly need to do is often what we most feel like avoiding.” – David Allen“One of the great challenges of our age, in which the tools of our productivity are also the tools of our leisure, is to figure out how to make more useful those moments of procrastination when we’re idling in front of our computer screens.” – Joshua Foer“You don’t have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.” Martin Luther King“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn“Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.” – Napoleon Bonaparte“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” – Henry C. Link“What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent.” – Susan Cain“Productivity is the deliberate, strategic investment of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources, and opportunities in a manner calculated to move you measurably closer to meaningful goals.” – Dan S. Kennedy“The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too.” – Norman Vincent Peale“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are hard work, stick-to-itiveness, and common sense.” – Thomas Edison“If you want an easy job to seem mighty hard, just keep putting it off.” – Richard Miller“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.” – Calvin Coolidge“Position yourself to succeed by doing the other things in your life that rejuvenate you. Exhaustion affects your quality and productivity.” – Jeff VanderMeer“If you want something done, give it to a busy man.” – Preston Sturges“Grab a coffee. Journal your intentions. Get to work. Create miracles.”– Elyse Santilli“Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it” – Ralph Waldo Emmerson30 Self-Care Quotes To Promote Mental Health“The primary thing that people are going to try to take away from you— is the purity of your happiness. Rare is it to find in someone a pure happiness. A happiness so innocent, so spontaneous, and so raw… it is the way we are born, but it is most often not the way that we die. The world comes in and tries to take that away from you. People come in and try to take that away from you. I have learned not to jump into the pigsty with them. You have to protect the purity of your happiness and the innocence of your joy. People WILL try to take it away. Don’t go there, don’t let them. Keep what is yours.” – C. JoyBell C.“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” – Berne Brown“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” – Jean Shinoda Bolen“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” – Eleanor Brownn“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” – Pema Chodron“Self-care is allowing yourself to appreciate the moment for what it is, instead of wishing it was something else.” – Sharon Pearson“When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs, and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” – Kim McMillen“You are worth the quiet moment. You are worth the deeper breaths, and you are worth the time it takes to slow down, be still, and rest.” – Morgan Harper Nichols“Keep taking time for yourself until you’re you again.” – Lalah Delia“Saying no can be the ultimate self-care.” – Claudia Black“When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” – Paulo Coelho“Be enough for yourself first. The rest of the world can wait.” – Unknown“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hillesum “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” – Anna Taylor“If we truly loved ourselves, we’d never harm another. That is a truly revolutionary, celebratory mode of self-care.” – Sharon Salzberg“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” – Katie Reed“It is not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.” – Lena Horne“Words may show a man’s wit, but actions will show his meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.” – John Wayne“I do not equate productivity to happiness. For most people, happiness in life is a massive amount of achievement plus a massive amount of appreciation. And you need both of those things.” – Tim Ferriss“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and deep, loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” – Elizabeth Kubler-Ross“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.” – Grantland Rice“Do something nice for yourself today. Find some quiet, sit in stillness, breathe. Put your problems on pause. You deserve a break.” – Akiroq Brost“There is no cowardice in removing yourself from a wildly unhealthy and unwinnable situation . . . You shouldn’t feel like you have to play . . . you don’t owe anyone anything. You don’t have to be available to everyone. You can stop.” – Scaachi Koul“It is only when we feel deprived that we resent giving to others. Self-care does not mean you stop caring about others; it just means you start caring more about you. Start thinking about yourself more and others less. Since you have a choice between taking care of someone else, or giving to yourself, try choosing yourself sometimes.” – Beverly Engel“When we self-regulate well, we are better able to control the trajectory of our emotional lives and resulting actions based on our values and sense of purpose.” – Amy Leigh Mercree“Self-care is a deliberate choice to gift yourself with people, places, things, events, and opportunities that recharge our personal battery and promote whole health- body, mind, and spirit.” – Laurie Buchanan, PhD“… don’t worry too much about what someone else says you “should” do. Know what you want to do and why it’s important to you.” – Melissa Steginus“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emmerson10 Self-Care Quotes To Inspire A Positive Mindset“Each positive thought, every vibrant attitude, all purposeful activities water the seeds for success along your path. You will encounter many seeds for success today. Pay attention to these and feed them appropriately. Then maintain their beautiful growth through conscious self-care.” – Rebecca Gordon“The Golden Rule is a two-edged sword. If some of us treated others as we treat ourselves, we would be jailed.” – Richard Paul Evans, The Mistletoe Promise“If we truly loved ourselves, we’d never harm another. That is a truly revolutionary, celebratory mode of self-care.” – Sharon Salzberg“Be as kind to the person in the mirror as you are to others.” – Marilyn Suttle“Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for ‘better than yesterday.'” – Izey Victoria Odiase“Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem“Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when you share it.” – Albert Schweitzer“There is enough time for self-care. There is not enough time to make up for the life you’ll miss by not filling yourself up.” – Jennifer Williamson“Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” – Pema ChodronApplying Self Care Quotes To Your Lifestyle

Reading a self-care quote is one thing. Applying those quotes to your life takes them to a whole new level, especially during life seasons that have you feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and anxious. To use your favorite inspirational quotes like taking mental vitamins, simply engage with them every day in various ways.

One popular way to use inspiring quotes is to journal what they mean to you. Choose one, write at the top of a new page in your journal, and write about what it means, how it applies to your life, and how it makes you feel. Another way to use your favorite quotes is to write them down on Post-It notes, and stick them around your home, office, lunch box, in your fridge, or other random places to give yourself cute little love notes to uplift your mood, self-esteem, and confidence throughout the day.

Parents and caregivers may also use quotes to teach their kids the importance of self-care and find self-care activities to do together that honor the meaning behind their selection. A less common use for your favorite positive quote is to use a dry erase marker to write it on your bathroom mirror each day or week.

However you practice them, these quotes will inspire you to take control of your self-care habits, and that will lead to a more sustainable future for you and yours.

This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.

How to Use Credit Card Churning to Travel For Free

Credit cards are something that people often use with caution. They can bring on unnecessary debt if you lack the discipline, and generally, people carry around one to two cards personally.

Credit card churning is a method of opening and closing many credit cards to obtain points and miles to travel for free. If you want to grab lots of points and miles, having many credit cards can help create this path. Gaining rewards and not damaging your credit can be tricky and make many people feel uneasy.

The Reddit churning thread often has good information to help guide people along their journey to secure free travel, but a word of caution you must be organized and pay off your card at the end of each month. It takes strategy, and sometimes you must turn to other platforms to figure out how to do this.

Credit card churning is often frowned upon by credit card companies. They are not in the business to lose money but are in the industry to make money. It is a delicate subject that many companies try to warn about. As a travel hacker, I try to keep things simple, but you must have some strategy.

Travel hacking can sometimes use credit card churning to help achieve their goals.

What is Travel Hacking?

Travel hacking is the mode of gaining free or cheaper travel by earning points and miles through credit card sign-ups and bonuses.

Simply put, credit card companies want people to sign-up for their cards. They give out bonuses for hitting minimum spending, and the customer now has money they can use for travel.

Travel hacking is not illegal, but specific modes such as manufactured spending can be seen as unlawful or taking advantage of credit card companies. Still, it is about earning points and miles to travel for free.

Through travel hacking, you can learn how to maximize your credit cards to earn more points and miles. Most people do it the old-fashioned way; you fly a specific airline or use a particular hotel to reach more miles and awards.

Credit cards like Chase, Capital One, Citi, and American Express, allow you to have higher category bonuses through their portals of using their cards. The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred allow 5x of any money spent in their portal. The Capital One Venture X card allows the same thing.

With these category bonuses, you can rack up more points and miles to transfer to airline programs like United or Singapore Air’s KrisFlyer program to book business or even First class tickets to international destinations.

Some of the best rewards credit cards are travel cards. You can pair these up with cashback cards and business credit cards to reap even more rewards. The possibilities are endless.

What is Credit Card Churning?

Credit card churning opens up cards, hits the sign-up bonuses, and closes them. People will use credit card churning to earn air miles, travel rewards, or cashback.

You can achieve many bonuses and reap the rewards through many cards like Chase credit cards or American Express cards.

Credit card churning makes the process of earning points and miles quicker.

All You Have to do :

Open up a card for a particular credit card currency like Ultimate Rewards Points or Credit card airline miles.Hit the credit card bonus to get the rewards quickly.Once you have the bonus, close the card before the annual fee hits the account.Rinse and Repeat

Many travel hackers use this method to gain business class and first-class air travel throughout the year. It is part of their long-term strategy to travel for free. Many credit card companies have put in security measures not to allow this to happen.

Certain companies allow you to obtain a second bonus only after 24 months, or companies like Chase have the 5/24 rule. You can only apply for five credit cards in 24 months, or you will not get a new card.

Some of these strategies may not be right for everyone. There are many downfalls to these strategies, and you also must be dedicated and organized to pull this off.

How Credit Card Churning Affects Credit

When opening up new credit cards, you must be wary about the factors forming your credit score and how companies look at how much you are spending and how many applications you are opening.

The credit score considers many factors such as:

Payment HistoryAmounts owedCredit History LengthCredit MixNew Credit.

With the influx of new applications, you may throw off some red flags, and banks may think you are in financial struggle.

Also, be wary of your available credit. Credit card companies like users to use less than 30% of their credit.

Opening cards can allow you to increase your credit score. By paying off debt and being responsible, you can move your credit score from a fair score to a much higher one.

Banks Protecting Themselves From Credit Card ChurnersThe Chase 5/24 Rule:

When looking at creating a strategy, you must be mindful of the Chase 5/24 Rule. Chase doesn’t want people to be signing up for cards and canceling all the time. They can see this when you apply for new cards. They are pretty clever with this kind of stuff.

What you need to do is pick out some cards that are Chase cards that you can apply for without hitting the Chase 5/24 Rule. I am a fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card.

You can even partner these with Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex. These two cards help gain even more points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

Next, I would apply for other cards that are non-Chase. Applying for other cards later helps you to avoid the Chase 5/24 Rule.

American Express Rules

American Express only allows one welcome bonus for one person over their lifetimes. Once you get that bonus, you will never get another bonus on that card again.

Citi Credit Card Rules:

Citi has a 48-month rule. Once you get their sign-up bonus, you cannot get their bonus again for 48 months.

Apply Some Manufucatured Spending Concepts.

Now manufactured spending may sound a little illegal, but it is not. Manufactured spending is spending money to achieve card rewards from credit cards. You have to manufacture enough spending where you are not losing money.

If you go out to eat with many friends, you could put the meal on your credit card and have the friends pay you back in cash. You can use your card to pay off rent through apps like Plastiq or even use your card to pay for bills. Anything you can spend money on can help reach those rewards.

You can use the concepts to hit the minimum spend.

Credit Card Churners Beware

Credit card churning is not for everyone. It brings on many complexities but also brings on many rewards and bonuses. If you are thinking about doing some credit card churning, it is time to make sure some of these other factors will not affect your strategy.

Buying a House:

If you think of buying a home soon, be careful of churning credit cards. Mortgage lenders do not like those people opening and closing cards in a certain period. It brings on some fear to them in seeing if you can handle new debt. It is best not to churn many cards if you are getting ready to buy a house.

Lack Of Organization

It would be best if you were to get organized. Some credit cards have considerable fees, and if you are not using them, you may be spending more on the fee than the card is worth. Some cards are worth the cost, like hotels that give you a night free, but it is best to be organized.

One other thing about being organized is when you are manufacturing spending, and you know you need to hit a bonus, make sure you have a plan to hit the bonus. It will suck to come up short of hitting that bonus and lose out on that real opportunity.

The organization goes a long way when playing the travel hacking game.

Credit Card Debt Issue

The primary thing to be careful about is credit card debt. Credit cards have enormous interest rates, and we do not need debt to be added. If you seek out big bonuses, do not get into debt for the reward. It is not worth it.

If you have had credit card debt issues in the past, be careful with any additional debt. It is always best to pay your credit card statement at the end of the month. Debt is not in the sense of credit card debt. Be careful and be aware.

Making a Strategy For Churning Credit Cards

When we are credit card churning, you must have some strategy. The strategy will help you stay organized and avoid any unwanted failures that could occur. You also must be mindful that banks want to protect themselves from credit card churning.

Pick a couple of cards you would like to apply for to help you achieve your goals. If you want to take a specific flight, think about an airline co-branded card like the Delta Gold Card or the United Explorer Card. These cards can help you get miles quickly as a bonus to fly somewhere lovely.

There are some excellent travel credit cards out there. You can also have a bank card like Citi, Chase, Capital One, or American Express that can give you points and miles that you can send to transfer partners. These points and miles can help you have free trips or cheaper ones as you book.

Hotel cards are an excellent pick-up as well. They are great because they give you status, and usually, with the yearly fee, they give you an anniversary night that can be worth more than the fee. Pick a hotel you think you will be loyal to and start collecting points through their card.

Final Thoughts:

Credit card churning is not for everyone. It takes strategy, organization, and discipline to make things happen—one of the most fantastic perks you can have from credit card churning. Through travel hacking, you can use credit card churning to help you travel for free.

Be responsible and take it slowly. Once you get the hang of the points game, you can learn more about accumulating points. The Reddit thread r/churning has many tips and tricks to help you out. The Points Guy is another valuable resource to continue to help you with your education. Learn, do, and have fun with the points and miles you can accumulate.

This post originally appeared on Savoteur.

Originally posted 2019-04-15 23:27:00.

Lithium Orotate: Natural Bipolar Treatment

Lithium orotate is the combination of the salt lithium and orotic acid which used to be considered vitamin B13 and it is a natural form compared to conventional lithium treatments. Orotic acid is derived from uracil which plays a role as a prodrug and human metabolite, uracil is a natural component in Panax Ginseng.

Lithium carbonate is the commonly prescribed and more man-made form that was commonly experimented on in the 1960s that it became the more common form prescribed. Lithium carbonate has a narrow therapeutic window, and it can still have an increased concern for toxicity even within the low dosage levels. (Pacholko & Bekar, 2021)

Benefits of Lithium Orotate

It is more natural than the use of medication, it can be purchased online or at a local health food store and it occurs in nature. Therefore, making it overall less-risky, easily accessible and easier to absorb.

Due to the high absorption rate of lithium orotate, lower doses are more effective and higher doses should be avoided.

1. Alcoholism.

Lithium orotate was used in a study with individuals who struggled with alcoholism for long periods of time. 150mg of Lithium Orotate was given for at least 6 months and 10 out of the 42 research participants did not have relapses for as long as 3 years up to 10 years. In addition to lithium, orotate they were given bromelain, magnesium and calcium to help them with liver and heart concerns. (Sartori, 1986)

2. Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is often treated with Lithium carbonate, however there are many challenging side effects when administering this form. Because lithium orotate can cross the blood brain barrier better, it has a decreased chance of toxicity compared to lithium carbonate.

Around 25% of individuals suffering with bipolar disorder attempt suicide.

The use of lithium had been decreased for quite some time due to the introduction of antipsychotics, however they also pose great side effects as well.

Lithium works by inhibiting the enzymes Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) and IMPase which are at the root of bipolar disorder symptoms. Lithium orotate can also reduce inflammation which is a contributing factor in bipolar disorder. Increased GSK3 disrupts the circadian clock and contributes to mania. Lithium orotate supplementation helps reduce the elimination of (BDNF) brain-derived neurotropic factor which is typically lower in individuals with bipolar disorder. (Pacholko & Bekar, 2021)

3. Suicide

This is not a claim and it’s not something to take lightly, however research shows that bipolar sufferers are 20-30 times more likely to commit suicide.

Lithium has been shown to decrease in suicide attempts. Lithium effects serotonin as well and can help with the manic episodes and depressive phases of bipolar disorder. Lithium is proven to be more effective than antidepressants in managing bipolar disorder. (Benard et al., 2016)

Where Can You Buy Lithium Orotate?

Lithium orotate is a dietary supplement that can be purchased in a health food store. You can also purchase it on amazon as shown below and the dosage is low to where there is little to no risk of toxicity. However, it is effective in raising lithium levels because of its ability to cross the blood brain barrier.

KAL Lithium Orotate 5 milligrams | Chelated Lithium Orotate Mood Support |120 VegCaps $12.25 Naturally Occurring Trace Element: Lithium is found in grains, vegetables & therapeutic hot springsLow Serving: 5mg of Lithium Orotate offers benefits without an excessive serving sizeBioavailable: Chelated form of Lithium enhances bioavailability for maximum uptake & utilization

Buy Now We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. 04/12/2022 03:58 am GMT

References:

Benard, V., Vaiva, G., Masson, M., & Geoffroy, P. A. (2016). Lithium and suicide prevention in bipolar disorder. L’Encephale, 42(3), 234–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.encep.2016....

Pacholko, A. G., & Bekar, L. K. (2021). Lithium orotate: A superior option for lithium therapy?. Brain and behavior, 11(8), e2262. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2262

Sartori H. E. (1986). Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions. Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), 3(2), 97–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/0741-8329(86)...

How to Be More Confident at Work in 21 Steps

In the nearly ten years since Sheryl Sandberg released Lean In, there’s been a lot of conversations about how to be more confident in the workplace. However, many employees still struggle with negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, and nagging fears of rejection.

Faith in oneself comes from an inner strength developed through positive reinforcement, discipline, and practice. Unfortunately, no one is born with a golden bag of confidence. So, if you’re struggling, lean in–here are 21 ways to boost your confidence at the office.

If you also struggle with social anxiety, then you may be looking for a job for people with social anxiety to help you feel more content and confident.

How To Be More Confident 

Confidence is a behavior that drives how we interact with the world, our co-workers, our friends, and our family. It’s a tool that influences others to follow and believe in you.

1. Practice Confidence

Ever heard the phrase “fake it til you make it?” Well, there’s some truth to it. While perfection isn’t the goal, practice does lead to high levels of confidence, skill, and ability.

You can speak up, engage with supportive people, and become more confident in safe environments. Try dressing the part, standing tall, smiling, being friendly, and communicating well. Over time you’ll change how you feel about yourself and how others view you.

2. Identify Your Confidence Triggers

Successful, confident people have learned what works for them and what doesn’t. Take a moment to identify your confidence triggers. What makes you feel fabulous? What do you do well?

Surround yourself with the people, activities, and things that make you feel good. Then, focus on what you can control and forget the rest. Confidence-busters serve as distractions and aren’t helpful.

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Buy Now We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. 3. Accept That You’ll Never Be 100% Confident

Nothing’s perfect, and you’ll never be 100% confident, but you don’t have to stress it. High-performing employees set unrealistic standards and expectations that lead to discouragement. Get rid of the negative chatter in your mind.

You can take control of your actions. Take a moment to recognize that you’ll have good and bad days. Then set reasonable expectations with attainable goals. Once you accept that you’ll never be 100% perfect, you can move on from things that take your confidence and focus on what works for you. It will help you feel free to take risks and new challenges.

4. Be Specific – What Are You Not Confident In?

Go ahead and recognize where you’re not confident. Be specific. Why aren’t you confident in those situations? What can you do differently? Now stop obsessing over these things. Instead, identify your weaknesses and make an effort to overcome them. You’re sure to gain confidence as you minimize your limitations and focus on the good in your life.

5. Uncover What Gives You Confidence

Become obsessed with things that give you confidence. Then, capitalize on them and find ways to integrate these boosts in your faith into what you do regularly. Lead from your strengths. Stay engaged and energized because you are amazing.

6. Think about the days you did feel confident

Back to the power of your mindset. Focus on how you felt on your most confident days. What did you do differently? What drove you to perform? Look back on those feelings when you’re feeling less confident. Instead, choose to believe in yourself and your abilities.

7. Work On Your Shaky Public Speaking Skills

Now is the perfect time to work on your speaking skills. Practice is vital–the more you use your speaking muscles, the more comfortable you’ll get. Aside from you, no one cares that much about your presentation. So, get rid of filler words like “um,” “like,” and “so,” and remember to have fun. You’re the expert.

8. Keep Up The Great Work

You’re doing fantastic work. That’s why you have the job. Now grow in it. Confidence is created, not given. You have to earn it. Give yourself time to grow. Then, feel free to get excited about your work and share it with others.

9. Engage In A Daily Self Affirmation Routine

Self-affirmations boost confidence and help you achieve your goals through your mindset. Our brain is powerful and can adapt to different circumstances. As a result, you have the power to do more than you’ve ever dreamed.

Start by creating a mental image of what you want to do–like public speaking. Then, think about how you’ll feel while doing it, and replace the negative thoughts with positive affirmations. This activity will help you relax and avoid self-sabotaging thoughts or behaviors.

10. Never Stop Learning

Pick up some new skills and never stop learning. Knowledge naturally makes you more confident. You can express ideas and thoughts with greater conviction and planning. Check out some books for motivation to inspire you to reach new levels and try something new. While you’re at it, you may pick up a trick or two on how to improve your confidence.

11. Remember Your Strengths

As you work to build self-confidence, focus on your strengths. Look at all the places you’ve made an impact. When have you made a meaningful contribution? What was your last win? Take a moment to list your accomplishments. This activity will make you stronger and more confident. You deserve to be at that leadership table. Put your successes on paper-write them down.

12. Learn To Love

The business world isn’t filled with sunshine and roses, but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel good and be kind to yourself and others.

Promote a positive self-image. Remove negativity and quiet your inner critic and doubts. Learn to love yourself no matter what the outcomes and offer compliments freely. You are good enough. Be patient and recognize that kindness can spread through an organization.

13. Don’t Listen To Self-limiting Beliefs 

Replace negative qualifiers like “I’m sorry,” “I don’t know if this is correct,” or “I don’t know if this makes sense” with “I would like to try” or “I’ve been thinking we should.” Give yourself credit to make a decision and stand behind it. Don’t minimize your thoughts or actions.

14. Counter Negative Thoughts With Positivity

Develop a positive attitude. Your team will appreciate your honesty and optimism. People want to be around people with an uplifting mood. When they begin to seek you out, your confidence will skyrocket. Remember, things can always be worse. No matter what, let positivity be part of your brand. Let it project from your persona. Let it be contagious.

15. Gain control by facing your fears

It’s time to embrace failure. Face it head-on. Most of the time, no one notices your mistakes as you do, so don’t let fear stop you from trying something new. It’s not a failure if you learn something along the way.

16. Ask For Feedback From Others

Seek encouragement but learn to accept criticism from others. These things are neither right nor wrong. They’re opinions. Ask others–friends, co-workers, family– to provide feedback. Find out what they consider your strengths and places they’d like to see your work differently. Accept compliments when given because you deserve them. Accept constructive criticism as this builds resilience and makes you better.

17. Overcome Impostor Syndrome

It’s common for professionals to compare themselves to others. However, the sooner you learn that you do belong, the better. Refrain from judging yourself as inadequate or weak. You’re talented and ready to take on any challenge. Everyone has to start somewhere. Here is your start today. Stay focused on yourself and block out the noise.

18. Stay organized

A decluttered desk equals a decluttered mind. Boost your confidence and productivity with an organized workstation that allows you to be efficient in your work. You’ll find that you are motivated to take on new tasks more confidently when you can keep it all straight on your desk.

19. Be Curious and Challenge Yourself

Boost your confidence with knowledge and a good challenge. Find a new project or assignment that will allow you to grow. Try something new that you’re unsure about doing. Don’t be scared that you don’t know something. Instead, lean into it and learn more. Knowledge is power.

The more you learn, the more strength you’ll have to perform better. So, immerse yourself in new tasks and see how it goes. You will be surprised to know that you can do more than you thought.

20. Track Your Success

Keep a list of your accomplishments and reflect on them. This simple act helps you remember all of your contributions. Try to find one success every day. Perhaps you could start a journal. You didn’t fall into this moment by chance or luck. You’ve done some fantastic things. Over time, you’ll reshape how you see yourself and interact with others. You’re in control of your future.

21. Be Patient

Lastly, be patient with yourself because all good things take time. You may find that nervous butterflies in your stomach before every presentation. That’s ok. You’re building self-confidence a little more every day. Keep practicing, and you’ll get there.

Why Is Confidence Important?

Research has shown that many people struggle to develop self-confidence at work. Low confidence can result from a lack of experience, being new, or your personality. However, it doesn’t define you. Believe you can do it, and you can.

Confident people struggle with self-doubt too. However, they employ a sense of security and belief in themselves to continue. As a result, they have the trust to push through challenges at work, in relationships, and in self-development. Confidence is central to strong leadership, success, and career advancement. Confident people will take risks, look for opportunities, and learn from their mistakes. As a result, they’ll grow to their full potential.

Final Thoughts

Confidence isn’t about being loud, harsh, or demanding. It’s about knowing your self-worth and asserting yourself positively. A boost of confidence can conquer any challenge or insecurity.

Feel confident knowing you will never be the smartest nor the most talented. There’s always someone else. You can be the best that you can be and carry that feeling with you everywhere. It may seem awkward, but confidence is a skill to practice.

This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.

19+ Stimulating Car Games for Kids to Stay Busy On a Road Trip

A long car ride may not be the most exciting activity, but they’re especially challenging for kids to sit through. Kids need stimulation and entertainment to keep them from going wild. This list of car games for kids is the perfect tool to keep their minds busy while they wait.

Whether you’re going on a week-long car ride or a one-day road trip, these games will keep the kids entertained so you can focus on getting to your destination safely and quickly without having to stop on your car trip every hour and let the kids get their wiggles out. Some of these fun games are perfect for one child, and some will require someone else to play with, whether it’s another sibling or a parent.

19+ Best Car Games for Kids That Will Keep Them From Asking “Are We There Yet?”1. I Spy

An original, but still great! It doesn’t require any prep work and little to no adult interaction (if you have more than one child). If it is just an adult and a child, this game is still great because it isn’t overly distracting for the driver.

2. License Plate Games

There are quite a few license plate games to choose from, so you can pick one or do them all! There is never a shortage of license plates on a road trip.

Spot All 50 States

For this license plate game, family members can work individually to try and spot a license plate from every state, or you can work as a team. Each time someone spots a new state, they get the point. You can also make bonus points if someone spots a Canadian license plate! Bring a printout of all 50 states or a U.S. map to cross off states as you go to make it easier.

Make A Phrase

Using the letters on a license plate, make a silly phrase using each letter as the first letter of a word. For example, if a license plate has the letters CLS, you can make the phrase Cats Love Skittles.

3. Would You Rather

Would you rather questions are fun for any age, but it’s entertaining to hear kids answer them. Their answers will surprise you and probably give you a good laugh. Bring a list of kid-friendly ‘would you rather’ questions with you, or make them up as you go. You can never be bored when you listen to young kids answer funny questions.

4. 20 Questions

20 Questions is another oldie, but a good one nevertheless! To play, choose whose turn it is, and have them think of a person, place, or thing. Then the other players can ask yes or no questions to help them figure out, such as “is it a person?” or “can it fly?” If players think they know what it is, they can use their turn to guess. They are only allowed 20 questions in total. If they can’t guess what it is within those 20 questions, the person who is ‘it’ wins.

5. Trivia

Trivia is a fun way for your kids to learn new things. Print out a list of trivia questions ahead of time that revolves around the children’s interests. A few ideas could be kid’s movies, music, history, or even personal experiences that your family has had. You can also look up general trivia geared towards your child’s age.

6. Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt does take a little bit of prep work, but it can be as simple as printing off a free printable road trip scavenger hunt. The kids can use their page and check off things as they see them. The first child to cross off all of their items on the list wins. You can also make it a team effort to cross off everything on the list, and whoever finds the most wins.

7. Staring Contest

A staring contest is probably the most straightforward game on the list. Although, the driver shouldn’t participate. This game would work best if you had two or more family members in the back seat, so no one has to face backward to play. Have two people stare at each other for as long as possible. The first person to look away or blink loses.

8. Once Upon A Time

This game is also called storytime. Have one person start with “once upon a time…” and have them add one or two sentences to the story. Then the next person gets to continue and contribute their part of the story, and so forth. These stories can be silly, scary, or anything in between. You can record the story and play it back for everyone to hear.

9. The Concentration Game

Concentration is a trendy game for young grade school children. It’s typically played with the hands, but that is unnecessary on a car ride. You start the game by saying, “This is a game of concentration, no repeats or hesitation; the category is _____.” The person who starts will pick a category, we will say animals, and then they will take turns naming animals back and forth. You can do this with various topics, such as animals, colors, car makes, sports, school subjects, etc. When someone hesitates or repeats, they are out.

10. Don’t Say It

Before leaving for the trip, or when you first get in the car, make a list of words or phrases that are off-limits. They can be road trip-related, such as “are we there yet,” “miles,” “gas station,” etc. Or they can be random like “breakfast,” “water,” or “socks.” Any word or phrase you think will be challenging for them to avoid saying. Keep a tally of every time someone says one of the words, the person at the end with the least tally marks wins.

You can use props such as marbles, crackers, or anything to make this more fun. Each person starts with 10, and every time they say an off-limits word, they lose one of their marbles, and the person who catches them saying it gets it. The person at the end with the most marbles wins! This is a fun game for kids and adults, and it’s a challenge for everyone.

11. Joke Telling

Kids love jokes! You can print out a list of jokes ahead of time, or you can have kids make them up as they go. It can be fun for everyone to hear what the kids come up with. Their imagination is sure to run wild! If you’re taking a trip around the holidays, these Thanksgiving jokes for kids would be the perfect addition to your car ride.

12. Mad Libs

Doing mad libs is a seriously entertaining activity for the family! If you’ve never done mad libs before, you need to try it. The whole family will be laughing. The best way to do mad libs in the car is to bring some from home to fill in on the way. You can find tons of free printable mad libs online or get a mad lib book.

13. Spot the Car Make

If your kids or family members are into cars, try to spot at least one of every car make. Make or print off a list of all of the most popular car brands and bring it with you, or you can make one as you drive. Each time someone spots one on the list, they get the point.

To make the game even more fun, you can decide that unique car brands are worth more points. The family member who gets the most points at the end wins.

14. Tic Tac Toe

Another simple game, but a classic! You can bring a notebook for the car ride and let the kids go wild playing tic tac toe.

15. Name the Song (Or Movie)

Before leaving the house, make a playlist of songs on your phone that your child would know, maybe soundtracks from kid’s movies. Play the first few seconds of the music and see if the kids can guess which song or movie it is.

16. Slug Bug

Some people call this game punch buggy. Every time someone sees a Volkswagon bug, they yell out “slug bug!” (or punch buggy). The person at the end who found the most bugs wins. This game is a little more challenging now because this car is not as popular as it used to be. So you can play it while also playing other games.

17. Simon Says

You might have to get creative with this one since you are in the car and limited to what movements the kids can do. There are still plenty of ways to play, and creativity stimulates the brain!

18. Let’s Make A Picture

There are a few different ways to use drawing as a game in the car! Using a piece of paper or an LCD drawing tablet, have one child draw one thing, maybe it’s a line, a circle, etc. Then pass the paper to someone else and have them add something new to the picture. Keep going for a specific time or until every person has had a certain number of turns and see what kind of picture you end up with.

19. Alphabet Games

There are a lot of different alphabet games to choose from! You can play one or play them all. The best thing about alphabet games is that they are just as educational as fun.

I’m going on a picnic

To play this alphabet game, someone starts by saying, “I am going on a picnic, and I am bringing…,” and they choose something that starts with an A. The following person repeats what the last person said and then adds another item to bring that begins with the letter B. You continue until someone can’t remember all of the previous things people have stated. To make it easier for young children, don’t worry about repeating the last items. Just keep adding on an item for each letter of the alphabet. It’s fun to see how far into the alphabet the kids can make it.

Letter Hunt

The letter hunt can be an individual challenge or a team effort to find every alphabet letter in your surroundings, whether on license plates, billboards, road signs, etc. Start with the letter A, after you see it, then go onto B, and so on. It might seem easy until you get to the harder-to-find letters, such as Q, X, Z, etc. You can also create a point system and make the more challenging letters worth more points!

Letter Follow Up

Pick a topic to play letter follow-up (we will use animals as an example). You can choose any category, such as animals, food, etc. The first person chooses an animal, say Zebra, and the next person has to think of an animal that starts with the last letter of the previous animal. So the next animal would have to start with the letter’ A.’

Bonus: Tablet Games for Kids to Play In The Car

If your children have a tablet or an iPad, there are many different games for kids and kids apps that you can download that don’t require the internet. You can find educational learning games, car racing games, multi-player games for children to play together, and many more! If your child is into computer programming, check out these coding games for kids.

Final Thoughts: Car Games for Kids

Hopefully, out of this list of road trip games, your kids will find plenty of ways to stay busy for the duration of your family road trip. Stimulating their minds by playing various games is a great way to get their energy out without actually stopping the car and getting out. You can always change or add to the games to decrease or increase the difficulty to work best with different ages of children. These games will work for kids of all ages and any number of players!

This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks.

These Emerging Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate Are Sure to Please

Magnesium Glycinate is also known as Magnesium Bisglycinate. It is the combination of two glycinate molecules bound to magnesium. This enhances its bioavailability or absorption.

What is Magnesium Glycinate?

Magnesium is an electrolyte, and a mineral and glycine is an amino acid and when combined we have Magnesium Glycinate. Magnesium and glycine can be found in different foods. Minerals are found in fruits, vegetables, grains and meat, glycine can be found in protein.

However, magnesium glycinate is the chelation or bonding of magnesium (mineral) and glycine (amino acid) to increase their overall absorption.

What are the Benefits?

The benefits are that it magnesium glycinate especially in the bisglycinate form is highly absorbable. It offers the same benefits that supplementing with magnesium include such as:

Blood Sugar BalanceBetter Quality SleepHydration (it’s an electrolyte)Help with headachesReduces Stress & Anxiety Helps with DepressionMagnesium Rich Foods Include:Dark Chocolate (Real Chocolate, not Dove or Ghirardelli unfortunately)BananasGreen Vegetables & AlgaeAvocadoNuts Where Can I Buy Magnesium Glycinate?

Magnesium glycinate can be purchased at your local health food store, this is the best option after purchasing them at Thrive Market. Thrive market is my favorite way to save time and money by grocery shopping without leaving my house and I am able to shop by my diet restrictions.

Thrive Market saves me money because I get free full-sized items almost every order.

You can also purchase from Amazon but be careful you are buying directly from Amazon or the supplement brand themselves. This ensures you get a quality product at the right price point.

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Magnesium glycinate, just like any other magnesium can be taken at night in case you take too much, and it makes you a little sleepy. It is a great combination to take with melatonin for sleep because the two can really help you relax and stay asleep.

Magnesium is not always going to make you sleepy; it is found in many foods, and it can be taken in the morning or at night. However, as I mentioned if you are sensitive to supplements it is best to take it at night.

How much magnesium glycinate should I take?

A research study showed that taking magnesium for anxiety and depression, the individuals took between 125-300mg of magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate (combined with taurine). They supplemented with this magnesium for at least 7 days and some saw relief from depression before the 7 days. (Eby, 2006)

Magnesium deficiency can be caused by a lack of magnesium in your diet, poor gut health, medications that deplete magnesium and stress.

So, the amount that you need personally is dependent on these factors that I just listed.

How much magnesium glycinate should I take to help me sleep?

Magnesium is beneficial for sleep and oftentimes individuals who struggle with depression or anxiety suffer from insomnia.

Because of this, your brain has a hard time shutting off and you often times being able to relax.

Magnesium supplementation was given at 500mg per night to older adults struggling with insomnia and they saw improvements in their sleep. In the study their sleep time was increased, along with their sleep efficiency along with their melatonin production. (Abbasi et. al., 2012)

References:

Abbasi, B., Kimiagar, M., Sadeghniiat, K., Shirazi, M. M., Hedayati, M., & Rashidkhani, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(12), 1161–1169.

Eby, G. A., & Eby, K. L. (2006). Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment. Medical hypotheses, 67(2), 362–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2006.0...

Serotonin vs. Dopamine: Why do we need them & what are they?

Serotonin and dopamine are both neurotransmitters (chemical signals in the brain) that cause us to “feel good”. Everything we do is essentially based on how it makes us feel. We eat tasty foods because it makes us happy, we date the person that makes us happy, etc. Serotonin and dopamine are what motivate us and can contribute to addiction if we are not careful. If you have heard these terms before but aren’t sure how to increase them or what the difference between serotonin vs. dopamine is then this article is for you.

What is the difference between serotonin vs. dopamine?

Both are neurotransmitters as mentioned above and they are how our neurotransmitter communicates positive feel good feelings.

Serotonin

Serotonin is our “happy” neurotransmitter that 80%-90% is produced in our gut. Increasing your serotonin production naturally can help reduce the risk of heart disease. This is partially because low levels of serotonin contribute to depression, anxiety and hostility is a risk for coronary heart disease. Whereas a positive mood can reduce your risk for heart disease.

Having a positive mood decreases your chance of struggling with anxiety, depression, and heart disease. Higher levels of serotonin are associated with a better mood.

Tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin production.

Low Symptoms of Serotonin

Serotonin levels in the body can be low from poor gut health, stress and other factors. Common Symptoms and Disorders Include:

ADHDBipolarDepression SchizophreniaAnxietyDecreased Impulse ControlPursuing Short-Term Gratification, despite Long-Term BenefitsAntisocial BehaviorAngerUncontrolled AggressionDecreased Sensory Gating (Blocking out external things)Autism Spectrum DisorderHow do I increase Serotonin Naturally?

Having social support can increase your serotonin, a community of individuals (family and/or friends).

1. Positive Thinking.

Positive thinking can actually alter your brain metabolism and utilizing therapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy can be helpful to increase your positive thoughts. Another form of therapy is mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps you be more mindful of how your thoughts are impacting you and how to change them.

2. Sunshine

We know that sunshine is important for the production of vitamin D and to also help with depression. However, recent research shows that bright lights from a red light in your home or sunlight can actually increase your serotonin. (Young, 2007)

This is truly incredible, because if you are having a bad day, the combination of exercise and sunshine is proven to actually increase your “happy” neurotransmitters!

Vitamin D is needed to activate tryptophan in order to produce serotonin via tryptophan hydroxylase 2.

3. Exercise

We KNOW that exercise is good for us but if you have symptoms of depression or anxiety, you may not feel like exercising. You may be too tired or too exhausted and have no desire.

Exercise works as a natural antidepressant by increasing serotonin levels, tryptophan & 5-HIAA. A study on aerobic exercise showed that 5-HIAA was increased, 5-HIAA is a way to measure serotonin in the body.

Exercise also increases your tryptophan production, tryptophan is what makes you want to take a nap after eating thanksgiving turkey every year (in combination with the carbs & desserts). Tryptophan helps relax you and can help you sleep and therefore when you sleep well you feel better as well.

A good point that I wanted to make is that our lifestyle has changed dramatically from when we were once hunter and gatherers. We spent the majority of our days outside, food was from the ground or an animal and we received plenty of bright light and exercise.

Depression and anxiety increases every year and we wonder why. Well people are working from home, inside and sitting the majority of the day.

They say that “sitting, is the new smoking”, because of the detrimental effects being sedentary has on our mental and physical well-being.

4. Diet

Since 80-90% of our serotonin is produced in the gut, this means that our diet plays a major role in our serotonin production.

Some ways we can take care of our gut health is by eating prebiotic and probiotic rich foods such as kefir, kimchi, pickles and other fermented foods. It is also beneficial to supplement with the amino acid l-glutamine to decrease any intestinal permeability that could cause poor nutrient absorption.

Tryptophan raises serotonin, but research shows that eating large quantities of turkey is not enough to actually increase serotonin levels in the brain.

5. 5-HTP or Tryptophan Supplementation

Purified tryptophan crosses the blood brain barrier and can be absorbed. Whereas tryptophan consumed in high protein foods, causes tryptophan to compete with the more dominant amino acids. Since protein is made up of a combination of amino acids.

Milk contains a protein called ?-Lactalbumin that contains more tryptophan than most forms of protein. Therefore a cup of warm milk before bed with some manuka honey could boost your immune system while increasing your serotonin!

Tryptophan supplementation is a great way to increase your serotonin levels, allowing it to cross the blood-brain barrier and without it competing against stronger amino acids in a protein molecule.

Increasing tryptophan levels can help with impulse control and decreased aggression. (Zamoscik et. al., 2021)

Low tryptophan levels increase the chances of an individual pursuing decisions with a less probable outcome as well as a lack of impulse control and they get easily distracted by short-term gratification versus long-term benefits. (Patrick & Ames, 2015)

5-HTP is a product of tryptophan and it can be taken with other proteins and amino acids and it does not compete. This makes it better absorbed and a great option to take as a precursor for serotonin. (Birdsall, 1998)

Tryptophan or 5-HTP supplementation has been shown to reduce symptoms of social anxiety.

6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3s particularly EPA and DHA help increase serotonin and dopamine levels both.

“EPA increases serotonin release from presynaptic neurons by reducing E2 series prostaglandins and DHA influences serotonin receptor action by increasing cell membrane fluidity in postsynaptic neurons.”

– (Patrick & Ames, 2015)

Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in addiction. It is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in motivation, motor function and even reproductive behaviors. Dopamine plays a role in cognitive function, hence why conditions such as Parkinson’s cause a decrease in motor function due to lowered levels of dopamine. Environmental factors like social defeat can contribute to lowered dopamine.

Symptoms of Low Dopamine

Stress and environmental factors can cause lowered levels of dopamine causing the following:

PsychosisSusceptibility to AddictionADHDSchizophreniaDepression or Major Depressive DisorderHow do I increase Dopamine Naturally?1. Meditation

Research shows that dopamine can be increased through meditation, giving us a sense of pleasure and calmness. (Young, 2007)

Meditation, along with deep breathing can help us to slow our heart rate down and decrease our negative reaction to an event.

2. Exercise

Aerobic exercise has been shown to increase dopamine release in the body. (Sacheli et. al., 2019)

Dopamine is lower in individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disorder and exercising is an important way to naturally boost dopamine levels. Exercise works by improving the plasticity of the cortical striatum, the cortical striatum effects motor control, decision-making and motivation.

3. Social Interactions

Social isolation can cause an increase in aggressive behavior and therefore aggressive behaviors are lessened by increased social interactions.

4. Healthy Childhood

This one may sound confusing, but childhood trauma can affect presynaptic dopamine function. (Howes et. al., 2017) Research shows that child abuse or childhood trauma can cause schizophrenia.

Lower levels of dopamine can be from acute stress.

5. Omega 3s

Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as Omega 3s help increase dopamine levels. Omega 3s also decrease overall brain inflammation which contribute to depression and anxiety.

Dopamine and Addiction

Dopamine plays a role in addiction as mentioned above, especially drug addiction. That is because addictive drugs raise dopamine levels, due to the increased feeling of “pleasure”.

Not only are drugs addicting, but also food, exercise, alcohol, sex, and believe it or not stress can be addicting. This is because these behaviors have been reinforced hits of dopamine.

You eat a food that makes you feel good and it gives you dopamine and serotonin like in a sugary dessert. The dopamine and serotonin both in this case contribute to addiction of sugary foods.

Dopamine reinforces addiction of drugs or food by increasing your motivation to obtain those substances and receiving the dopamine after receiving them reinforces those behavior. Hence the reason why addiction can be difficult to deal with.

When we are stressed, we have low levels of dopamine and serotonin and this is why people often turn to substance use or food as ways to make them feel better.

Unfortunately these only temporarily increase your dopamine and your body can become dependent on sugar or drugs because of this. This is all part of the “dopamine motive system“.

References:

Birdsall T. C. (1998). 5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor. Alternative medicine review : a journal of clinical therapeutic, 3(4), 271–280.

Howes, O. D., McCutcheon, R., Owen, M. J., & Murray, R. M. (2017). The Role of Genes, Stress, and Dopamine in the Development of Schizophrenia. Biological psychiatry, 81(1), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.20...

Patrick, R. P., & Ames, B. N. (2015). Vitamin D and the omega?3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: Relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior. The FASEB Journal, 29(6), 2207–2222. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.14-268342

Sacheli, M. A., Neva, J. L., Lakhani, B., Murray, D. K., Vafai, N., Shahinfard, E., English, C., McCormick, S., Dinelle, K., Neilson, N., McKenzie, J., Schulzer, M., McKenzie, D. C., Appel-Cresswell, S., McKeown, M. J., Boyd, L. A., Sossi, V., & Stoessl, A. J. (2019). Exercise increases caudate dopamine release and ventral striatal activation in Parkinson’s disease. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 34(12), 1891–1900. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.27865

Young S. N. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN, 32(6), 394–399.

Zamoscik, V., Schmidt, S., Bravo, R., Ugartemendia, L., Plieger, T., Rodríguez, A. B., Reuter, M., & Kirsch, P. (2021). Tryptophan-enriched diet or 5-hydroxytryptophan supplementation given in a randomized controlled trial impacts social cognition on a neural and behavioral level. Scientific reports, 11(1), 21637. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01...

Understanding High Functioning Anxiety: Signs & How to Help

“High functioning anxiety,” while not a formal diagnosis, is a term that has been used to describe high-achieving people who experience high levels of nervousness and stress. It’s believed that high-functioning anxiety causes high performance in some individuals by triggering their “fight or flight” response. But what does high functioning anxiety feel like? And how can you help someone with it? In this article, we will explore these questions and more!

What are the symptoms of high functioning anxiety?

– high levels of stress and nervousness

– increased heart rate

-shortness of breath

-dizziness or lightheadedness from even small things such as a phone call with bad news.

-panic attacks that look like anger

– extreme worry about health symptoms that others would dismiss more easily (e.g., thinking the slight chest pain is a sign of a serious problem).

People with high functioning anxiety also tend to magnify everyday problems into larger issues in their minds (“I’m going to lose my job” instead of “I didn’t get enough done today.” ) The symptoms will vary depending on how an individual responds emotionally to challenges–some people may outwardly appear angry while others might feel extremely anxious. Some high-functioning anxiety sufferers might also have high levels of perfectionism, which can cause even more stress.

What are the causes of high functioning anxiety?

So what is it that drives some people to experience high levels of nervousness or constant worry while others don’t?

There are several possible explanations for why someone may be at risk for experiencing high-functioning anxiety: genetics, brain chemistry and life experiences all play a role in how an individual responds emotionally to different situations.

High-performance work environments with long hours spent away from loved ones can add additional pressure. Chronic illness or pain often leads to increased feelings of vulnerability–and this could trigger strong emotional responses as well.

They may also have been raised by someone high functioning and they learned those behaviors from their guardian or parent.

Or a person could have felt like they were not enough as a child or that their family struggled so they are determined to not let that happen again.

How to help someone with anxiety?

If you know someone high functioning who is experiencing high levels of stress or constant worry, it might be tough to figure out what’s going on. Your instinct may be to tell them everything will be okay and they need to calm down–but this won’t help!

Telling a person with high-functioning anxiety that things aren’t as bad as they think can lead the individual to feel more isolated and misunderstood. In fact, trying to convince an active worrier that their fears are irrational can make anxiety worse because it leads people with high-functioning anxiety to believe there must really be something wrong if others don’t agree.

The best way for anyone struggling with high-functioning anxiety is through support from friends and family members — not criticism–that means you too! your loved one is ready to get help from a medical professional, there are several things therapists recommend including: -meditation and deep breathing exercises (exactly what we do in our online course) -helping

Instead of trying to calm them down, it’s more helpful to acknowledge what they are feeling and show that you understand. Be encouraging instead of dismissive when someone high-functioning tells you about their nervousness or anxiety. You can say phrases such as: “I know this must be hard for you” or “This seems really stressful.” Just listening without judgment also goes a long way–and if the person has high-performing perfectionism tendencies, try not criticizing how they spend their time either!

Be patient and don’t take it personally if they are high maintenance.

Anxiety Relief Techniques

Relaxation techniques such as taking a deep breath and then clenching each part of your body and then relaxing them. Starting with your feet and going through every body part up until you get to your head.

If you feel like you are very anxious and you want help getting relief now, check out my Holistic Anxiety Relief Course

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Buy Now We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Can you self diagnose high-functioning anxiety?

High-functioning anxiety can be difficult to self-diagnose but there are some signs that indicate high-functioning anxiety may be present in a person’s life. Generally, when people think of high-functioning they assume the individual must have all their mental health together so this type of diagnosis is often overlooked.

An important thing for individuals who suspect high-functioning anxiety in themselves or others around them to know is that even though high-functioning people seem mentally healthy most likely they haven’t been diagnosed yet because many times symptoms go unnoticed until an episode occurs where then the severity of the issue becomes very apparent.

Having too busy of a schedule can cause someone to feel overwhelmed and accomplish a lot but they may become overwhelmed and anxious. Anxiety can be very exhausting and cause someone to be very tired and then fall into depression, where they don’t want to get out of bed or go anywhere due to exhaustion.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is just defined as excessive anxiety for 6 months or more. However, it can cause symptoms such as:

InsomniaRestlessnessIrritabilityTensionDry MouthPanic Attacks

This disorder is twice as common in women as it is in men and it is often treated with SRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors). (Tyrer & Baldwin, 2006)

What treatments are there?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most common treatment to help someone be able to worry less about their daily activities.

Also, medication use or there are natural supplements that work great to help you minimize your overall anxiousness.

Many people are prescribed benzodiazepines to help them deal with their anxiety. However, I did some research and found some natural alternatives to benzodiazepines that do not have side effects.

Therapy and medication are the typical methods for dealing with anxiety, however there are natural alternatives to combine with therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most commonly recommended form of treatment, interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapy have also been used but are not as recommended as cognitive-behavioral therapy.

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References:

Tyrer, P., & Baldwin, D. (2006). Generalized anxiety disorder. Lancet (London, England), 368(9553), 2156–2166. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06...

Originally posted 2021-10-07 21:07:04.