Mindfulness - Page 5

In this section, we cover a variety of mindfulness practices, tips, and resources to encourage the importance of mental wellness.

How Positive Emotions Impact Our Health

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Facts about positivity

Have you ever considered the role of positivity in your life? In fact, think about this question for a moment: how positive are you?

If you immediately answered with a “very” or “yeah, I’m positive,” then stop and rethink your answer. Give yourself five minutes. Positive people exude their positivity in everything they do. They may not be eternally smiling, stereotypical balls of sunshine, but they do have a “can do, will do, will succeed” attitude that helps them get through the day.

But is there a purpose behind all of this positivity? It makes sense that being positive can increase your productivity and lift your mood some, that’s for sure. There’s also that other quip that people like to throw around that you should think about: “being more positive is healthy for you!”

Is this actually true though? Is there any direct correlation between being positive and being healthy?

In reality, there have actually been quite a few studies done on the subject. Many scientists and researchers wanted to officially find out how positivity affects a person’s health.

For instance, a 2015 study shows that what you say on Twitter could actually be directly correlated to a person’s heart health.

Based on the data found, users that used more optimistic language presented a lower risk for their mortality in terms of heart disease. This means that users that used words in their tweets like “stronger” and “faith” were healthier than those who used more negative language or who had indiscernible leanings.

Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley conducted a study based on the emotion of awe. Awe, amazement and wonderment are all positive emotions that can positively affect your health, based on the research that discovered the emotions have natural, anti-inflammatory properties.

The Berkeley study involves researches looking at subjects that had recently experienced awe versus those who had not. Those who had experienced awe were found to have lower levels of cytokines, inflammatory markers that may cause autoimmune diseases, depression, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

One of the study’s authors spoke to news website The Huffington Post about her thoughts on the study and subject.

“Rather than seeing a walk through the park or a trip to the museum as an indulgence, we hope people will view these kind of experiences as important ways to promote a healthy body in addition to a healthy mind…”

Another study conducted on positive emotions was spearheaded by positive psychologist Barbara Frederickson. Her research focused on the effects of loving-kindness meditation (known as LKM) which is a traditional Buddhist practice that combines meditation with compassion and collective love within a group.

She found that the boosted feelings of compassion led to improvement in resting vagal tone. The vagus nerve has to do with a person’s overall physical health as well as their feelings of connection and love.

Frederickson had this to say about her findings:

“In a way, our bodies are designed for love, because the more we love, the more healthy we become.”

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10 Minutes of Fitness Can Make You More Productive

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10 Minutes of Fitness Can Make You More Productive

You’re sitting all day at the office. Sitting to work, sitting to eat, sitting on the way home. You probably get to your house, sit on the couch, and then sit in bed before you lay down. When you work a lot, you become really sedentary, and this isn’t the answer to a healthy and happy life.

There’s also another problem happening here – when you sit and sit all day, you aren’t operating at your best. When you’re at work you should be firing on all cylinders, not slumping through each day wishing it was over. When you sit and don’t move, you aren’t as productive as you could be.

Here’s a fun fact for you – every year you get older, your brain’s ability to generate brain cells depletes. If you want to help curb this process, exercise is the answer. In the short term, even exercising for 10 minutes a day can help your blood circulate to your brain, keeping you sharper. When your brain is engaged, it’s staying healthy and youthful.

The happier your brain is, the more productive you are as a person. A fully engaged brain is one that is getting things done, which means you could be wasting your potential just sitting in your desk chair for hours on end. Thankfully it’s not hard to get your brain going again, even at work. Those 10 minutes that it takes to get your brain going can be done sporadically throughout the day in short bursts – or you can literally work on them while you’re working!

Not to mention, in general, exercising is good for your body and overall well-being. These exercises are all doable at work, no matter if you reside in a cubicle or the top floor office. What are you waiting for?

  • Leg Lifts – Sit at a desk all day? It’s like that this sedentary position keeps your legs in a near-still state for long periods of time, cutting off circulation. You may shuffle or cross and uncross them occasionally, but that’s not doing much. It may not seem like a lot, but do some leg lifts while you’re sitting down and working. Life one leg from the knee, hold for five seconds, and put it down. Alternate back and forth for as long as you’d like. This extra movement is enough to get your brain back in motion, especially because now it’s working harder to focus on counting and your work at the same time.
  • Dine and Dash – So you’re at work on your lunch break, sitting at your desk or in the break room. Instead of simply sitting through your lunch break, walk around and eat – where it’s polite to, of course. If you can go outside, walk around your building while you enjoy your salad or burrito. Try to keep things healthy (but that’s for another post). Getting out and moving around can get your creative and productive juices flowing again.
  • Work Rewards – Make it into a game. Pick an exercise that’s simple or that you enjoy doing, like toe touches or squats. Tell yourself that after every five minutes you spend fully focused on work, you get up and do your decided upon exercise. Once you’ve done 12 reps in a row, so you’ve worked and exercised for approximately an hour, take a 15-minute work break – if you’re allowed of course. If not, find another way to treat yourself for the accomplishment. When you feel accomplished, you’re more likely to be productive.
  • PE Routine – If you want to get your work workout over with all in one fell swoop, that’s fine. Just wait until your longest break and think back to middle school gym class. Go through about 15-20 reps of the most basic stretches and exercises like high knees, the butterfly position, a jumping jack or two. This can get your circulation going and boosts your productivity after a long and boring afternoon.

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