Perspectives

08/19/2024

Do you feel like you're constantly running on the treadmill of life? Not quite sure how to take a break or stop feeling like you always have to be "doing" something? It's not always easy to slow down, but it turns out that slowing down is exactly what we need. Slowing down is not only good for our wellbeing, but it can also help us feel less stressed while accomplishing more.

​When our minds are speeding, our performance and effectiveness get slower or weaker. It's not "being slow" that we're seeking necessarily; it's the feeling that we have time to do the things that matter. We can handle our daily tasks; we don't feel stressed; and we feel like we have the time to rest, be present and enjoy the good things in life.

We might also struggle to slow down in the right ways—ways that actually help us achieve the feeling of slowing down, which is what we're really trying to achieve. For example, we often turn to our smartphones as a form of relaxation but instead of soothing us and slowing down our thoughts, they hijack our attention, speed us up, and generally make us feel even more frazzled.

So how do we slow down—our racing thoughts, our overactive stress response system, and our bodies? Here are six science-based strategies that may help:

1. Take Intentional Pauses

It's thought that taking intentional pauses can lead to better outcomes. More specifically, taking a moment to consider something more deeply may help us to act with greater clarity, momentum, and impact (responding versus reacting).

2. Find a Quiet Space

Spaces with lots of noise, intensity and movement can activate stress systems and overwhelm the body. That's why to slow down, we may need to identify a quieter, more mellow environment that can counteract our high-alert bodily responses.

3. Explore Mindful Meditation

When our brain is constantly running over a list of "To Dos," worrying about what the future holds or ruminating on the past, it doesn't really matter how slowly our body is moving because our minds are racing! Clear your thoughts with mindful meditation.

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4. Spend Less Time on Your Phone

We often feel frazzled and need a break from our busy lives, so what do we do? We pick up our phones. We scroll through social media, the news or shopping websites. But all these activities do is make our heads even fuller as we consume huge amounts of information in a tiny amount of time.

5. Have Physical Contact With the Earth

Recent research has shown that physical contact of the human body with the earth has numerous health benefits like improving cardiovascular health and staving off depression.

6. ​Slow Down Your Thoughts​

Sometimes when we get the feeling that life is too hectic, it's a direct result of what's going on in our heads. We may just need to redirect our thoughts. Journaling—getting those thoughts out of our heads and onto paper may help... or going for a run or taking a cold shower —two techniques that can help our brains switch gears and get unstuck.

Be Brave. Honor Your Heart. Live Fully.

08/14/2024

Are you a hugger?

If no... you might want to reassess for the sake of your health!

Have you ever given or received a hug and instantly felt better? That feeling is not just in your head. In fact, there are several health benefits of hugs that can positively impact you emotionally and physically. Let’s take a look at a few important benefits.

Hugs can:

- Improve your relationships. Hugs are a form of nonverbal communication, and often what we can’t necessarily say through words may be expressed through touch. Hugs can be friendly and platonic, while also supporting deeper intimacy if desired.

- Lower your stress. Hugs provide an avenue for social support. Through touch, we may feel a sense of connection to others. When we feel stressed out, our bodies may produce elevated levels of cortisol, the body’s natural stress hormone. Some research suggests that physical touch in the form of a hug was associated with lower cortisol levels in both the saliva and blood of their participants.

- Hugs support an increase in serotonin levels, which can make people feel happier and less stressed. Serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, supports mood regulation.

- Reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Akin to lowered cortisol, hugs may support a reduction in elevated heart rate levels and high blood pressure. Research also suggests that frequent hugging in interpersonal relationships was associated with higher levels of oxytocin, which is often referred to as the “love hormone.” An increase in oxytocin is thus associated with a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. People who receive frequent hugs are therefore also less likely to be susceptible to cardiovascular disease and related illnesses.

- Not only can elevated levels of oxytocin support heart health, but oxytocin is often associated with feelings of happiness. When your body is chemically producing oxytocin and therefore increasing happiness, you may also experience an overall better mood.

- Be a natural pain reliever. Hugs often have the potential to help diminish feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anxiety.​

- Hugs can be a form of mindfulness and meditation. Think about it. Mindfulness meditation encourages us to be fully present in the moment and aware of our thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Similarly, when we hug others, we are often immersed in the thought and sensation of participating in touch. Connecting our breathing with someone else when hugging helps us take a break from racing thoughts and focus on the other person.

So, go ahead... hug it out, friends! 

Be Brave. Honor Your Heart. Live Fully.

07/16/2024

What are the things you love doing right now?

Seriously. Take just a minute to consider the activities in your life that make it full and rich… and without which you would experience a decline in happiness and satisfaction.

Is that girls’ night dinner every week what keeps you going? Do you enjoy Saturday morning hikes with your best four-legged buddy? Perhaps you enjoy having a glass of wine while you  gallery-hop downtown on a Friday night. Or, maybe you are a hardcore tri-athlete who enjoys competitive swimming, cycling and running.

Whatever activities bring you joy, if you want to continue to participate in them–or some semblance of them–as you age, you need to consistently practice three things now: eating healthy(ier), being physically active and connecting socially–and, if all three are achieved, the effects are even greater.

When thinking about food, the best action you can take is to dramatically limit/reduce your intake of processed foods. Whole foods, in their natural form, do the body, mind and spirit wonders! They are packed with things like fiber and phytonurients (e.g., compounds found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes that promote health and prevent disease), and do not contain toxins that negatively impact your physical, mental and emotional health.

When engaging in physical activity, aerobic and resistance training are both key. Maintaining strength and muscle mass is imperative as we age as it helps mitigate the risk of injury by improving balance and preserving bone density. And, believe it or not, simply walking each day for a minimum of 30 minutes will provide great benefit.

Finally, connecting with others offers a host of valuable benefits: it stimulates your mind, offers a sense of community and belonging and also can help you define and effectively live your purpose. In addition, social connections and relationships stave off depression and loneliness, which lead to increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, memory issues and even death. While episodically, these behaviors will positively impact your health, the greater benefit is that cumulatively, these effects will maintain that state of improvement long into your future.

But, NOW is the time to begin cultivating these habits so you’re able to do what you love to do later in life. And, even if you’re in mid-life, like I am, it is not too late to re-evaluate, and modify areas of your life where improvement is needed. Go ahead, begin with one change today–and start enjoying all the benefits now, and know that they will serve you well throughout the next few decades.

What are the activities you love doing now that you want to be able to do when you're in your 70s, 80s, 90s? I would love to know!

Be Brave. Honor Your Heart. Live Fully.

07/08/2024

Women, are you struggling to see the value of your mid-life transitions?

In the words of author Bruce Feiler, “Life is in the transitions.” According to Feiler’s research, Americans, on average, will experience three to five “life altering disruptions'' during their lifetime—with the associated time of transition lasting approximately five years. That’s right, FIVE YEARS!

Likely, these realities are not at all surprising to women, who endure more than a few “life altering disruptions” during their mid-life experience. In fact, I see mid-life as a profound season in a woman’s journey. It is a time of transition from the young woman we were to the mature woman we are to become. However, while mid-life can be the BEAUTIFUL space between goals and dreams realized (or perhaps left behind) and all that is still possible—the place in our journeys where we can pause to reflect upon where we’ve been and what we’ve endured, and then decide where we still wants to go and what is yet to be experienced—it is also the time when we experience burn-out, listlessness, doubt, worry, uncertainty, frustration, stress… and... a rapidly changing body that is becoming unrecognizable and betraying. So, how are we to navigate this particular “life-altering disruption”?

Feiler offers the following seven key tools that will assist with these times of transition:

1- Accept the transition is happening and that it will elicit emotion.

2- Create a ritual or acknowledgement to signify the transition.

3- Discard old and fixed-mindsets, routines, possessions—and, even hopes

and dreams.

4- Identify and cultivate a creative outlet or exercise.

5- Seek support from others.

6- Publicly reveal your new self.

7- Rewrite the story you have told yourself about your life.

If you are a woman in the throes of mid-life transitions and want to experience transformation, and are not sure how or would like support to implement these tools into your journey, I would be honored to help you! CourLife with Dr. Amy Thayer will help you reclaim your body, expand your heart and mind and unleash your mid-life soul!

Be Brave. Honor Your Heart. Live Fully.