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Don’t Let Anxiety Create These Problems In Your Relationship

June 25, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Anxiety is caused by fears and strain of expectations. This emotional turmoil can put a huge tension and stress on relationships. Dr. Susan Heiter, who specializes in relationship counseling in Denver, says that she “sees cases in which anxiety, worrying and fearfulness block ability to enjoy comfortable relationships. Anxiety undermines a sense of confidence and personal power. It can arrive mysteriously, like a sudden fog on a clear day, and can hang on far too long.” There are things that trigger anxiety in relationships.

Here are 7 problems anxiety causes in a relationship and how to avoid them:

1. Being overly needy

We all want to feel wanted while being shown love through affection. However, there is a difference when you suffer from an anxiety disorder. The neediness can turn into a compulsion and it becomes too much for the other person in the relationship. Neediness becomes a smothering mechanism that suffocates the union. The person suffering from anxiety worries about seeming too needy, which then causes more neediness in the relationship.

If you begin to feel the helplessness of needing constant reassurance, step back and recognize the behavior. Find ways to cope with your fears while relying on you. When you feel better about yourself, you don’t need another to reassure you. Get creative. Fill the anxiety with positive reinforcements such as meditation, exercise, reading, or writing.

2. Jealousy

Jealousy stems from insecurities, and it’s all-encompassing. It comes from the fear of loss. It affects trust in a loving relationship. When you suffer from anxiety the magnitude of jealousy can be astronomical. You begin to spin out of control thinking about your mate cheating.

When fear lessens, so does jealousy. Recognize the behavioral patterns. No one likes to be accused of things they have not done. Trust is what makes and breaks a relationship. If you can identify the source of fear, you can stop the cycling in the mind. Put your feelings in place and don’t push your partner to the point of making a decision.

3. Chronic Stress

Stress escalates anxiety in a relationship. Financial and health issues are top on the list of stresses. It’s important to try and separate these from your relationship as much as possible. You must maintain a union with your partner rather than push him/her away. Anxiety makes you feel as if you have lost your footing in everything.

Talk about your fears with your partner. Do not blame or shame yourself, or your partner. Share your concerns. Speaking about what worries you is important to let the fear subside. Those things that live in our heads can be set free when we open up to them.

4. Impulsiveness

Anxiety can create moments so unbearable that you feel impulsive. In those erratic moments you can say things that you don’t mean. You can make irrational decisions. You can even act out in destructive behavior. Your partner may or may not tolerate these behaviors for very long.

If you find that anxiety is making you do things impulsively, sit down and breathe. Let those moments where you feel that you are about to jump the gun pass. Find something else to do. When you step back from a situation for a bit you can redirect with a positive attitude. Anxiety forces you to spin out of fear. Every emotion that follows moves on a roller coaster track. Substituting those moments with a different scenery makes a difference. Step outside. Sit in nature. Let the focus lessen before you return to talk with your partner.

5. Negativity

Negativity has a huge impact on fear-based emotions and disorders. Anxiety forces you to take on a victimization personality which is deteriorating in a healthy relationship. A negative outlook towards anything can cause your partner to take seclusion. No relationship can endure too much negativity unless it’s an abusive relationship that feeds on fears and control.

In order to shift your awareness from negativity, you have to change environments. Anxiety has a way of creating stories that aren’t real. If you are experiencing a constant mood of doom with your partner, ask yourself if this is a healthy way to live. Get assistance in this manner. Anxiety can produce a tremendous amount of scenarios that may be eliminated when you face them with someone else. Use positive mantras and affirmations.

6. Addiction

Addictive behaviors and actions can bring about a monsoon of anxiety. In relationships, when one person suffers from substance abuse, this can make the anxious person even more erratic. Drugs, alcohol or other substitutes are substitutes to a deeper issue. You cannot numb the problem or repress it. You must ask yourself if the relationship is causing this and what good will come out of it? If it’s your partner who is suffering from addiction, it’s important to get a hold of the situation for your safety.

If you are the one covering up the anxiety with drugs, sex, food or alcohol, get professional help.

7. Assumptions

When you suffer from anxiety, the last thing you need is jumping ahead of the game. You don’t need to be speculating what will happen in your relationship. One thing is to make plans for the future, but another is to be worrying about things that haven’t happen. You cannot guess your partner’s feelings, so assuming how he or she feels is unfair.

Speak openly to your partner about how you feel. Don’t over stress on the issues. In an open and loving relationship, freedom of speech is a given. You can discuss anything. Assuming and expecting are destructive behaviors in a relationship. You are condemning someone before anything has or could happen.

If you are experiencing these problems, ask yourself if the relationship is worth saving. And, are you willing to change even if your partner doesn’t change? Changes are going to happen in life. Jobs, housing, parenthood, taking care of elderly parents…these are all parts of our life experiences. You need to understand your triggers when it comes to changes. Don’t wait for the panic to strike.

Anxiety is debilitating. It can take over someone’s life and end relationships if not addressed properly. Determine the causes of your stress and fears. Work with a therapist, a support system, and your partner. You can get through this with help. If you want to save your relationship, there is always a way!

Writer Anais Nin expressed her own struggles with how anxiety dictates a relationship: “Anxiety is love’s greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic.”

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

If You Have Dreams About Natural Disasters, This Is What It Means

June 25, 2016 by Power of Positivity

We’ve all had those intense dreams that involve earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and other natural catastrophes. But, what do they mean? Is our subconscious creating scenarios of disasters to get our attention, or are they visions? These dreams are sometimes created from emotional turmoil, physical issues or spiritual transformations. Dreams have a way of significantly getting our attention.

Well known psychologist, Carl Jung said, “The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul, opening into that cosmic night which was psyche long before there was any ego-consciousness, and which will remain psyche no matter how far our ego-consciousness extends.”

If you have dreams about natural disasters, this is what it means:

Are you having a hard time moving through changes in your life?

Changes in our lives can leave us depleted. We can’t see past the issue at hand. Even though we know that life is ever changing, while we are going through the stress we internalize our emotions. Fear takes over, and during waking hours we are too busy to take notice. However, when we sleep, consciousness is no longer in charge. These are the moments that the mind is able to play out stories. The dreams become little riddles in your psyche. If you are having a hard time accepting changes, you could be dreaming about a volcano eruption, which means that you are bottling up emotions.

Are you stress about challenges that keep showing up?

Sometimes, these dreams show up to stir up the storm that has been brewing in the heart. Earthquakes “break things apart.” If you are struggling with challenges or making an important decision, you could be dreaming of these natural disasters. Step back in waking moments and write your dreams down. Try to decipher the meaning of how you were feeling during the dream. Were you in danger or just being a spectator? It’s important to look at all parts of the dream to see if you can determine the emotions behind the visions. Water, wind, fire, and rocks all mean different things. These elements stir us up.

Are you a perfectionist?

The need to be perfect and stay in control is a huge factor in stressful dreams. If you are having these sort of disastrous dreams, where everything falls to pieces, you can be sure that the anxiety level is going to be atrocious when you wake. Trying to be perfect in an imperfect world is impossible. You have no control over anything but yourself, and even that is questionable.

Research professor Brene Brown says, “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.”

Are you overindulging in drugs, alcohol or other destructive habits?

What you do during waking life affects sleep patterns. If you are using drugs, alcohol, sex, food or any other substitute to avoid your life, it will show up in your subconscious through the dream world. The sense of being out of control is a factor in dreams of natural disasters. These dreams can be signs that your psychological body is in need of help. Tornadoes passing through, hurricanes shattering everything in sight, and tsunamis wiping everything out of view are some examples of fear and losing control. Take a look at your habits. Drugs and alcohol can alter the dream state with crazy dramatic events.

Natural disasters come in different scenarios. Fires in these dreams can relate to social problems. Water, floods, tsunamis, can also represent spiritual issues. Volcanoes and earthquakes can symbolize the physical body and ailments. Dreams with tornadoes, hurricanes or other wind related disasters can mean financial challenges. If you dream with a comet or asteroid falling, it is a sign of a new era in your life. These cosmological events signify the evolving of consciousness and a deep spiritual transformation.

These dreams can also be telling you that major changes are coming your way in a positive light. Not all dreams of disasters mean doom. They can be omens of job changes, moving to a new location, and even receiving wonderful news. The dream world is a window to your emotions and your spiritual body. Only you know how to interpret these dreams because you know yourself better than anyone.

Jung also said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

Sensitive People Are Beautiful. . .

June 25, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Sometimes, sensitive people appear weak. They give in and they forgive with the same intensity that they love. They feel from the deepest part of their spirit. Besides that, they shed tears without shame, show vulnerability, and usually blame themselves for things that they feel in others.

In spite of being hurt, sensitive people still hold compassion in their hands, willing to give to everyone who needs. They share their knowledge in the simplest ways; through a kind word, a gentle touch, a listening ear, and an unconditional love that can’t be matched.

The sensitive person is able to detect a lie in minutes. And, yet, they will continue to show you profound humanness, empathy, kindness, grace, and devotion. They can smell fear, taste success, and hear those things that aren’t being said.

One thing is for sure – Sensitive people don’t care what you are or what you do – they feel the truth of who you are.

Sensitive souls are intuitive, insightful and believe wholeheartedly in their causes to help humanity.

The true beauty of a sensitive person is that they’ve endured such intense obstacles and challenges, and yet want to reach a hand out for others to transform and transcend from their own struggles.

The paradox of these lovely beings is that they have experienced deep pain, but they refuse to let it stop them from loving again. At the end of their lives, many sensitive people have lived fully through the wisdom of tenacity and persistence.

Sensitive people are the unique, beautiful souls that this world needs. They are the artists, creators, and inventors of our society. They are the originals who take chances, love without excuses, and change the world with one act of kindness at a time.

The world would be in total chaos if these beautiful souls weren’t here to balance the scales of negativity back to optimism.

What Causes Highly Sensitive People?

Being a highly sensitive person is a part of a personality trait that creates emotional sensitivity. Since many medical and psychiatric professionals don’t fully understand these sensitivities, these folks are often diagnosed with sensory processing or anxiety-based disorders. This sensitivity means that a person feels stronger stimulation when dealing with simple things like noise, light, or hunger pangs. It makes your inner life complex, and it can be challenging to manage.

It was psychologist Elaine Aron who came up with the theory of HPS, and her book detailing this personality issue has sold more than a million copies. Her vast knowledge of the mind’s innermost workings was based on self-identity. Today, it’s believed that about 20 percent of the population fits into the category of highly sensitive and being sensitive is a challenging but manageable condition.

Sensitivities Affect Everyday Life

At the crux of this matter is believed to be overwhelming feelings caused by chronic stress, tension, or violence. Folks with HSP are more apt to avoid situations where their sensitivities are profoundly manifested. For instance, if one is sensitive to lights, going to a bright outdoor event where the sun is beaming down might be complicated or even painful.

While there are overwhelming things about this condition, there are also positives to being highly sensitive. These folks are known to possess a significant level of creativity, and they tend to have more meaningful personal relationships. They appreciate things like the beauty of a flower growing in their yard or a child’s laughter.

Sadly, society doesn’t always understand the person with HSP. They often don’t have the correct emotional response when they’re in a social setting, and they can become uncomfortable when faced with trigger items. Perhaps their lack of comfort on the inside is what delves them into creative arenas like art and music.

You must weigh both the pros and cons of being a highly sensitive person, as managing this condition can be complex. A person with HSP requires proper support and the ability to recognize both strengths and shortcomings. Their home and workspace must be conducive to survival, and if something makes them uneasy, making exceptions to make their space comfortable is helpful.

7 Traits of Highly Sensitive People

Do you think you’re a highly sensitive person? Here are some common traits you can measure to see if you fit into this category.

1. They Have an Urge to Be Creative

The highly sensitive person must be creative as it’s a driving force in their personality. They find that they’re the happiest when creating music, drawing, painting, or letting their inner creative side flourish. They use this to balance all the energy they feel on the inside.

2. They Can Read People

Another fantastic thing about sensitive people is that they have an uncanny ability to read people. While they may miss some social cues, one thing they don’t miss is when someone is in pain. They tend to be empathetic as they know what it feels like to be out of sorts, so they pick up on this emotional turmoil with ease.

3. They’re Often Uncomfortable in Public

HSP may also have some social anxiety that accompanies their personality, especially since they often feel awkward when out of their comfort zone. For instance, if a person has a massive problem with noise, then going to a concert would only aggravate their situation. A psychologist might assume it’s an anxiety-based disorder when it’s a neurological nuance.

However, that’s not to say this person doesn’t have a secondary condition like anxiety that stems from their sensitivities. An article published by the National Library of Medicine states that people who have anxiety disorders are often sensitives, and those who have a sensitive personality often develop anxiety. So, while they’re two separate conditions, they’re most definitely linked.

4. They Can’t Stand Violent Movies

Since this person’s emotions are intense, they feel everything much deeper. So that movie meant just to frighten the audience might affect them for days afterward. They personalize things and feel the emotions of others. Watching violent movies can send them into emotional upheaval because they can’t shake the feeling as if it happened to them.

5. Their Feelings Are Easily Hurt

Sensitive people tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves. The smallest comment, even meant most constructively, can devastate this person. These folks will cry in an argument because their emotions become so overwhelmed, that they don’t know what to do or say, so they break down. They have no problem showing emotions as it seems to come naturally.

6. They’re Very Generous

One of the attractive traits of sensitive people is that they’re givers. These folks would give you the shirt off their back without question. They go out of their way to give their time to other people, but this also gets them in trouble. Some people will quickly take advantage of these folks and use them, as they see these individuals as doormats.

7. They Overanalyze and Overthink Each Situation

The HSP doesn’t like to make decisions as they tend to get caught up in all the little details and can’t focus on the big picture. They overanalyze everything until they drive themselves mad. Sensitive people will avoid making decisions and procrastinate until they call on others for help.

8. They Always Feel Different or Like They Don’t Belong

It’s not uncommon for HSP to feel like they don’t belong. During their school days, fitting in was a challenge that made them feel like outcasts. They might have formed deep bonds with some folks, but they always felt like the odd man out.

Final Thoughts on Highly Sensitive People

Sensitive people tend to feel things on a deeper level. It doesn’t matter if the situation is positive or negative, as it has an overwhelming effect on them. There are many highs and lows to managing this condition, as it’s quite overwhelming. It can profoundly affect relationships, stress levels, and everyday life.

If you think you’re an HSP, talk to a counselor and learn practical management tools to handle difficult situations. There’s no magic cure for this condition, but you can learn ways to manage it and have a happy life.

8 Signs You Have A Potassium Deficiency

June 24, 2016 by Kristen Lawrence

Many of us hear that potassium is essential in one way or another. What many of us do not know is precisely why. We may be aware that a banana has high potassium, but what about other foods? Do we know the functions of this nutrient?

Potassium is a macromineral, the most critical type of mineral. Also within this class are calcium, chloride, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, and sulfur. It is also an electrolyte – a mineral that carries an electric charge. This helps to explain why the mineral is vital to neural capabilities partially.

In terms of function, potassium is essential to nerve and muscle networks, such as allowing each to communicate. Potassium is also necessary for transporting nutrients into cell bodies and eliminating waste products from cells.

Potassium deficiency is precisely that: minimal to low levels of potassium. We will cover eight of the most prominent signs of a deficiency.

We’ll also list some terrific sources of this vital nutrient to get us (potassium neglecters) back on the right nutritional track.

Here are eight signs of potassium deficiency:

1. Abdominal cramping or bloating

The digestive tract is lined with smooth muscles tissue and controlled by the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. As mentioned, potassium is an electrolyte that helps stimulate functions of the neural network – including digestion. When potassium is lacking, the intestines do not function normally, which compromises healthy digestion.

2. Constipation

Since we’re on the topic of digestion, it may be best to get this one out of the way. As some of you have undoubtedly guessed, yes, abnormal potassium levels can cause constipation. It’s also worth mentioning that too much potassium can cause the same effects.

3. Brain fog

Low potassium levels can also interfere with regular electrical activity in the brain. It may lead to brain fog – overall feelings of confusion, sluggishness in thinking, and inability to concentrate. Getting enough potassium is essential to brain function, especially for individuals with demanding occupations or when in school.

4. Fatigue

This is perhaps the most common symptom of potassium deficiency: feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. Potassium is involved in the functionality of every cell in the body. Every. Single. One. Potassium is an essential part of a well-balanced diet and a critical component of energy production. Of course, not consuming enough of something that produces energy can result in less energy.

5. Feelings of thirst or frequent passing of urine

Feeling thirsty or frequent passing of urine can occur when the blood’s potassium levels are too low. This is particularly true when the body’s sodium levels are also depleted. When this happens, the kidneys’ ability to retain water is suppressed, which needs to be released in urine. The body loses its ability to regulate water balance, creating frequent or extreme thirst feelings.

6. Heart Palpitations

Potassium is essential for the proper regulation of blood pressure. Blood pressure directly affects our heart rate, which means that adequate potassium levels are vital to our heart rate. As such, low levels can potentially result in irregular heartbeat and even heart palpitations.

7. Skin Problems

Dealing with a chronic potassium deficiency can manifest into skin problems, including acne and dry skin. As potassium is involved in the healthy functioning of every cell in the body, it is probable that this nutrient also serves some capacity in keeping our skin healthy.

8. Ringing or vibrating in ears

Since potassium has such an effect on blood pressure and heart rate, inadequate potassium levels can indirectly result in ringing or vibrating of the ears. These are often secondary symptoms of irregular heartbeat or heart palpitations. Therefore, maintaining healthy levels of potassium consumption can indeed assist with two problems related to potassium deficiency.

Now that we have a list of potential symptoms, here are some great sources of potassium. Nearly every case of potassium deficiency is diet-related; in other words, extraneous factors (e.g., genetics or environment) have minimal effect.

8 Foods that Boost Your Potassium Levels

Most of the time, potassium deficiency occurs due to dietary habits such as consuming too much salt, which causes electrolyte imbalances. Luckily, there are plenty of healthy, plant-based foods you can incorporate into your diet to boost potassium.

According to the FDA, the Daily Value (DV) for potassium is 4,700mg for healthy adults. You can easily reach the recommended potassium intake by consuming the foods below.

1. Various Types of Potatoes

Potatoes aren’t just delicious. They also have potent antioxidants and essential nutrients. Plus, you can use them in various dishes such as stews, casseroles, and soups. If you want to reverse a potassium deficiency, sweet potatoes, in particular, should be a staple in your diet.

A 1-cup (328-gram) serving of mashed sweet potato contains 16% of your recommended daily intake. If you choose to eat whole sweet potatoes, a medium one boasts 541mg of potassium while a large one contains a whopping 900mg. Sweet potatoes are also rich in Vitamin A, an essential nutrient that promotes cell growth, immune function, and vision health.

Some people in the health community frown upon regular potatoes, but they have essential nutrients. One medium boiled potato contains around 12% DV.

In addition, all varieties of potatoes have complex carbs, protein, and fiber along with minimal fat. There’s a reason why cultures worldwide have centered their diets around potatoes, as they’re a nutrient powerhouse.

2. Yams

These starchy tubers originated in Asia, Western Africa, and the Caribbean. They’re very similar to sweet potatoes in appearance, but they aren’t nearly as sweet. They also have white, yellow, purple, or pink flesh compared with sweet potatoes’ orange interior.

Yams are rich in potassium, with one cup (136 grams) having 19% of the DV.

3. Bananas

When most people think of curing a potassium deficiency, bananas immediately come to mind. While other foods have higher potassium levels, bananas still boast around 9% of the DV or 422mg for an average-sized fruit. Besides this mineral, they have important vitamins such as B6 and C and various phytonutrients and antioxidants.

4. Dried Fruit

If you have a potassium deficiency, dried fruit makes a delicious, healthy way to boost your intake. Since they’re shelf-stable, they won’t get moldy like fresh produce, so that you can enjoy them for quite some time.

Just 1/2 cup of dried apricots provides 16% of your daily allotment of potassium, and a whole cup boasts over 1,500 mg! They also have other essential nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium and make a great addition to trail mixes.

If you’re not a fan of apricots, you could also try prunes, raisins, dried plums, peaches, or figs.

5. Tomato Products

Tomato products such as juices, sauces, and pastes can help reverse a potassium deficiency. You can also eat tomatoes raw, but processed products contain higher potassium levels. In fact, just three tablespoons of tomato paste pack over 10% of your DV, or around 486mg.

You can get even more potassium from sun-dried tomatoes, which have over 1,800mg in just one cup! They’re also filled with protein, fiber, and vitamins and can boost immunity. In addition, tomatoes contain antioxidants such as lycopene that can lower inflammation, insulin resistance, and cancer risk.

6. Seafood

Not everyone enjoys clams, but if you do, they can provide around 534mg of potassium in a 100-gram serving. Clams also have around 78% of the DV for selenium and generous amounts of iron and B12.

In addition, they’re high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower inflammation and reduce the risk of various diseases.

Other types of seafood, such as lean and fatty fish, can increase your potassium intake. For example, half a fillet of cooked cod contains 12% of the recommended intake, and a whole fillet (150 grams) of haddock provides 11% of the DV.

Furthermore, half a fillet of cooked salmon offers a staggering 21% of the DV, and the same serving of tuna serves up 17% of the DV.

7. Beans and Legumes

Most lentils and beans have tons of potassium, fiber, and other vital nutrients. For example, just 1 cup (179 grams) of white beans offers twice the amount of potassium as a banana, providing around 21% of the DV. The same serving of black beans boasts 17% of the DV. Kidney beans have over 600mg of potassium in one cup, making them a great choice.

Lentils also offer a hefty dose of potassium, containing about 15% of the DV for one cup. Other legumes such as chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts provide 10%, 19%, and 23% for the same serving. In addition, all of these foods provide an excellent source of protein for vegans and vegetarians.

8. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens provide a lot of potassium and other essential minerals to keep the body and mind functioning properly. For instance, a cup of cooked spinach contains over 800 mg, while the same serving of Swiss chard provides a whopping 1,000 mg of potassium, about 20% of your DV.

Plus, both of these green vegetables contain Vitamin A and K and magnesium, folate, and fiber. Since they’re low in calories, you can enjoy them without worrying about overeating.

Final Thoughts on Identifying a Potassium Deficiency

Sadly, a growing number of people worldwide suffer from a lack of this vital nutrient due to eating more processed foods. Plant foods such as greens, potatoes, and lentils have high potassium, but they take time to cook.

Since many people are pressed for time, they opt for fast food or other unhealthy options. However, getting back to the basics and eating from nature can restore our health and relationship with food.

If you have a potassium deficiency, you may notice abdominal pain, constipation, bloating, and brain fog. If you’re curious, you can ask your doctor for a blood test to check your nutrient levels.

What Being Left or Right-Handed Reveals About Your Thoughts

June 24, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Left or right-handedness is something you might not give much thought to, unless you have to use lefty scissors. However, what it reveals about how you think might surprise you.

We have one brain but it has a left and right half. Scientists call these hemispheres, and they connect in the middle. Each hemisphere of your brain does different tasks. Indeed, whether you are right or left-handed relates to how you think about problem-solving, your preferences, and it is also related to other personality factors as well.

Let’s look at what being right- or left-handedness says about how you think compared to people who use the opposite hand.

What Being Left or Right-Handed Says About How You Think

Researchers in the Journal of Experimental Psychology created an experiment where people looked at fictional characters called Fribbles and chose either a Fribble on the right or on the left column that looked the most trustworthy, attractive, smart, and other traits. They found that right-handed people had a bias toward selecting the Fribble on the right and left-handed people toward selecting the one on the left.

This side-bias also reflects negative traits but in reverse. For example, when asked to pick which Fribble is the most deceptive, unattractive, or unintelligent, right-handed people choose the Fribble on the left. Conversely, left-handed people chose the one on the right. Clearly, we associate good things with the side that our dominant hand is, and we associate bad things with things that are on the side of our opposite hand.

Awareness of this side-bias is helpful to make sure you are thinking clearly when making decisions. If you know that you tend to prefer things on the right side of the aisle, see what you’re missing on the left. Mind blowing!

Side Dominance

Are “righties” also right-eye or right-leg dominant? It appears that this is the case for most people. Only about 1% of the population is ambidextrous, meaning that they can equally use their left or right hand. Being one-side dominant in how you approach everything from dancing to sighting a target makes you different than your other-side-dominant friends.

How Right-Handed People Think and Their Personality Traits

The good news for right-handed thinkers:

Right-handed people have it easier at school than left-handed people. Conversely, teachers often encouraged lefties to change hands when writing.
Right-handed people score higher on intelligence tests. But testing is not everything, right?
Right-handed people live an average of nine years longer.

The bad news for right-handed thinkers:

Right-handed people have very few downsides to being right-handed. However, they may fail to see the more creative left-handed way of thinking as a viable option. Not being able to see more creative solutions may limit a right-handed person’s thinking to fewer options.

One other small piece of bad news for right-handed thinkers; a study of psychiatric patients found that ‘among psychotics in general there was a higher proportion of fully right-handed subjects.’ Being right-handed does not cause you to be psychotic, it’s just that coincidentally more psychotics use their right hand than their left.

How Left-Handed People Think And Their Personality Traits

The good news for left-handed thinkers:

Left-handed people only make up about 10 to 15% of the population, so you are a rarity if you are left-handed. Additionally, left-handed people tend to be more creative in the arts and in creative problem-solving skills than right-handed people.
Left-handed people score higher in measures of trust than right-handed people.
Lefties people are slightly more likely than right-handed thinkers to be geniuses.
Left-handed men are more likely to out-earn right-handed men, by as much as a 26% increase in income if they were also college graduates.

The bad news for left-handed thinkers:

Left-handed thinkers have to adapt to a world created by right-handed people. From your computer desk layout to the can-opener, you find struggles in places that the right-handed majority cannot appreciate. Here are a few differences in how left-handed people think.

Left-handers score lower on intelligence tests than right-handed thinkers
Left-handed people tend to be better at creative problem-solving tasks
Left-handed women are more likely to be introverted and have fewer close friends

Other interesting facts about left-handed people

Interestingly enough, being left or right-handed might be coincidentally connected to sexual preference. Researchers found that gay participants in a study were 50% more often left-handed than heterosexual people in the study. Homosexual men had 82% greater odds of being non-right-handed than heterosexual men. However, the difference was only 22% greater odds of gay women being non-right-handed than heterosexual women.

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

Should You Put Onions On Your Feet Before Bed?

June 23, 2016 by Power of Positivity

You may have heard that people are slicing onions to put on their feet before bed. So out of curiosity, you wondered what would happen.

In this article, we will look at the reasons you should put onions against your feet and in your socks before you go to bed, and why you might want to try this interesting health remedy.

Here’s What Happens When You Put Onions On Your Feet Before Bed

Our skin is our body’s largest organ and it can absorb chemicals, ions, minerals, drugs, cosmetics, and other things that we put on it. Transcutaneous absorption is the name for the process by which substances are absorbed through the skin.

Studies show that it is possible that you can absorb some of the nutrients from onions when you put them on your feet as you sleep. Researchers studying the skin of newborns found that coconut oil and safflower oil rubbed onto a baby’s skin resulted in a rise in the triglycerides and fatty acids in the bloodstream of the baby. The oil that was rubbed onto the skin actually showed up in the bloodstream as though the babies had eaten it.

Foot reflexology, Ayurvedic medicine, acupressure, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine all have healing practices that involve stimulating areas on the feet that correspond to the health of our overall body. The points at which you stimulate the feet correspond to energy meridians that lie in the body.

Antibacterial Properties of Onions

whfoods.org says that onions are similar to garlic in their antibacterial properties, but have not been as widely researched as garlic has been. The San Francisco Globe’s online newspaper quotes Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, who says: ‘Onions feature a variety of sulfur compounds that have antibacterial activity. … Furthermore, cutting an onion triggers the release of enzymes that initiate a chemical reaction producing propenesulfenic acid, which in turn decomposes to yield sulphuric acid … sulfuric acid also inhibits the growth of bacteria.’

How To Put Onions On Your Feet Before Bed

Slice any type (white, yellow or red) to about a half-inch thickness. Place a slice of onion against the bottom of your foot covering the bottoms of the toes and slide your sock on over your foot and the onion until it covers the first onion slice. Add a second or third slice of onion to cover the arch and heel of your foot before pulling your sock on all the way.

If you have any hard skin growths on your feet, also known as corns, onion can also help remove them while you sleep. First, soak a slice of onion in vinegar and then place it on top of the corn on your foot before you slip on socks and go to bed. The combination of the acetic acid in vinegar and the sulfuric acid from the onion will help soften the skin of the corn and may make it easier to slough off the skin on the corn when you use a pumice stone or foot file.

Nutritional Benefits Of Onions

Onions are a stinky food that we love to add to pizza, salads, salsa, sandwiches, and other foods to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. The stinky reason that onions smell this way is sulfur.

Sulfur is a very important nutrient in our diet because it helps the formation of proteins. When you put onions on your feet before bed, you are making a source of sulfur available to your body to absorb while you rest.

Sulfur is important to building healthy hair and fingernails, for making insulin in the body, and for building muscles. Putting onions on your feet before bed allows the onion oil to penetrate your skin, providing sulfur for your body. Of course, you can eat onions to get this benefit as well, just don’t eat the same ones.

Health Problems That Improve By Putting Onions On Your Feet

Onions have been used to ‘purify the blood’ for centuries as far as folk remedies are concerned. There are several health problems that may be helped when you put them on your feet before bed.

Liveandfeel.com lists the following health problems that you might help by applying onion oil to the skin:

Common cold and flu
Gland imbalance
High blood pressure
Immune system complaints
Inflammation
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Weakness

Buying oil in concentrated form is also an option for those not looking to wear slices of onions to bed. Look for a high-quality, organically grown essential oil variety. To apply the oil to your feet before bed, mix 2 drops per teaspoon of carrier oil like coconut, jojoba, or avocado oil. Rub the mixed oil on the soles of both feet before bed and wear socks to keep your sheets from getting messy.

4 Simple Exercises That Improve Balance and Strength

June 23, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Graceful fluidity of motion can be something you either lose with age or can improve upon every day by doing 4 easy exercises for strength and balance. Aging doesn’t have to mean that you lose your joint mobility and strength, but keeping active does help prevent the decline of your physical abilities.

Dancers are highly aware of their body position in the dance floor space. The same is true for athletes within the space of their sport.

People who give great attention to their physical form are said to have excellent proprioception.

Proprioception is your sense of your physical body and the force or effort it takes to move your body concerning your surrounding environment. This back-and-forth communication from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain is important for strength and balance. Improving communication by doing these four daily exercises will give your movements more fluidity.

Doing These 4 Exercises Every Day Can Improve Your Strength And Balance

Your posture, movements, and the force you use to move your arms, legs, and torso all require your brain to talk to your body. Your brain begins the process by sending a signal to your body to move, and the brain also tells your body the amount of energy to use when it moves.

For example, jumping from a standing position up to a platform one foot high requires less force than jumping to a platform two feet high. Your brain knows that, but your body doesn’t.

In our example of jumping on a platform, when you jump up, your feet and ankles send signals back to your brain about the position of your feet. Then the brain uses this information to decide if another movement is needed. For example, if you jumped onto a slippery surface, which your feet would know by their position and movement, your brain might need to decide to move again quickly.

Working on speeding up your brain-body communication is the easiest way to improve your balance and strength, as well as your posture and reaction time.

1. Joint position matching

As we age, we lose some of our body-brain communication, and we can fall more easily. Instability for elderly adults can be dangerous as it can result in hip joint fractures that result in limited mobility and decreased quality of life.

In a study of patients who had ankle injuries, muscle weakness and poor ability to perceive the position of the foot with eyes closed resulted in greater instability and the likelihood of another fall and injury.

Practice joint position matching with a partner or physical therapist to prevent injuries. To practice joint position matching, lie down, close your eyes, ask your partner to move your arm or leg into a specific pose, and then return your arm or leg to a flat resting position. With your eyes either open or closed, try to duplicate the arm or leg position and have your partner check your guess.

Your goal is to duplicate the exact body position and angle from the resting posture. The better you are at re-creating the angle and position of your body, the better your awareness of your muscle and joint position.

2. Plyometric exercises

Stretching and contracting muscles at a fast pace is a type of conditioning exercise called plyometrics. Plyometrics is also called jumping or jump training due to the use of trampolines and 18 platform jumping exercises for the lower body.

When jumping from a height, the joints and muscles are shocked when they hit the ground. This force then translates into upward momentum, which enables the body to jump higher. The muscles stretch when you land and contract as you jump up.

In a rehabilitation study after shoulder injuries, researchers used plyometric exercise equipment such as trampolines, weighted balls, and elastic tubing to test proprioception and mind-body communication in patients. They found that plyometric exercises can help nerve changes that enhance mind-body awareness and muscle performance.

3. Balancing exercises

Balance ball, wobble board, one-legged, and hand or shoulder stand yoga poses all help improve balance as well as muscle strength. While you are in a safe place and practicing balance, close your eyes and focus on your body position.

4. Strengthening exercises

Weight training isn’t the only strengthening exercise. Resistance bands provide the effect of weight training, as do isometric muscle exercises. Yoga is beneficial for both strength and balance, as is Tai Chi.

The muscle fibers are tested with strengthening exercises until they send pain signals to the brain. The brain learns the force it takes to create the pain signal and the mind and body connect to learn if the movement should continue or stop. Small tears in the muscle fibers are responsible for increasing muscle mass and the body tells the brain to initiate the repair of the muscles.

Believe it or not, certain strengthening exercises are best for certain personality types. You can read more about your Ayurvedic personality type and the exercise recommendations of Ayurvedic medicine in our related article What Exercise is Best for Your Body Type.

4 Steps To Healing After A Breakup

June 23, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Through every breakup we are left depleted, heartbroken, and undergoing several stages of loss. Many times there is shame, disbelief, unworthiness, and other traumatic emotional issues that arise. You can heal after a breakup. You can regain your confidence and place your heart back in balance. After the initial shock, anger, sadness and acceptance, you can pass on to the greatest source of healing, which is forgiveness.

An article in HelpGuide.Org shares that “breakups launch us into uncharted territory. Everything is disrupted: your routine and responsibilities, your home, your relationships with extended family and friends, and even your identity. A breakup brings uncertainty about the future. What will life be like without your partner? Will you find someone else? Will you end up alone? These unknowns often seem worse than an unhappy relationship.”

Romantic relationships give us tremendous highs of joy and hope for the future. When they fail, we experience the sense of loss beyond words. This leads to emotional and physical issues including stress, anxiety, and grief.

Here are four steps to healing after a breakup:

Try these four steps to begin healing your heart.

1. Mourn the loss during a breakup.

It doesn’t matter how long you were in a relationship. Breakups don’t take time into consideration as to how much the pain will be endured. You still must go through the 5 stages of loss that were first proposed by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler- Ross in her 1969 book, “On Death and Dying,” whether it was two months or twenty-two years.

Five stages of loss:

Denial and isolation. Sometimes a breakup catches us by surprise. We didn’t notice the red flags (or maybe there weren’t any). The moment it happens, and we are done with the relationship, we begin to deny that it happened. We return time and time again to the scenarios. It is then that we isolate ourselves from the world. Denial and isolation are defense mechanisms dealing with the shock.
Anger. This stage usually comes from vulnerability. We begin to blame the other person for doing this to us. We question everything in the relationship, angry for not taking action sooner. Anger can be explosive. It even escalates and magnifies guilt and shame.
Bargaining. This is the middle point to the stages of loss. We begin to rethink any decisions and even feel hopeful about a possible rekindling with our loved one. We begin to bargain with everything, including spiritual beliefs, friends, and egos.
Depression. Once bargaining ends its cycle of getting nowhere, we enter into the stage of deep sadness and depression. We begin to worry about what others think, how you will be talked about in social circles, and start regretting ever falling in love. This stage can linger for a long while and it’s important to get help. Depression can mask itself into feelings of hopelessness and even desperation.
Acceptance. Finally, when you are out of the darkness of deep grief, you enter acceptance. Acceptance is a deep breath of hope. Coping with any loss is a personal experience. Acceptance is finally acknowledging the loss. And, it’s in this stage that you can let go of all resentments, regrets, and start healing.

It is ok to get help!

While you are undergoing the deep mourning process, it’s important to seek help. This can be through conventional therapy, spiritual counseling, friends or other support groups. This is not the time to retreat into your own little space. It’s important to write, create, and talk about your feelings.

2. Start taking care of your body, mind, and spirit.

The first thing we deprive when we are sad is our health. We stop exercising, eating right, and doing the things we enjoy. You don’t have to return to normal habits immediately. You get a grace period to mourn. However, the faster you begin to care for your physical body, the easier it is for your emotional body to also heal.

Be in nature. Give yourself the gift of breathing clean air. You don’t have to start running or hiking, but you can just walk around the neighborhood. Sit outside under a tree. Allow nature to heal your soul.
Eat better. Cut out the sugars and fatty foods that you have been craving. Recognize any addicting habits that have taken over such as alcohol and drugs. Return your body to the equilibrium of continuum health by slowly integrating back your dietary needs. Watch cooking shows or search for recipes on the Internet for inspiration.
Join a gym or support group. Sometimes you need a new environment to start over. Take a yoga class. Join a cycling group. You can check your local newspaper for hiking or other groups. It is important to put yourself out there in new experiences. Check out spiritual gatherings or other like-minded subjects you have put aside because of the relationship.
Have a makeover. Get that haircut you have been thinking about getting. Buy new clothes and donate old ones. Get that beard shaven or trimmed. Rearrange your closet and your home to make it only yours.

3. Give of your time to heal from your breakup.

Volunteer for a hospital, church, library, homeless shelter, or other organizations. It’s satisfying to give of your time. You can’t focus on feeling sorry for yourself when you are seeing others who need so much more. Giving time to a charity raises your self-esteem and you begin to feel good about yourself.

Read to an elderly person. Many assisted living facilities to encourage volunteers to spend time with their folks. You will witness gratitude from these people who usually have no one come to visit.
Adopt a pet. Giving your love to a new animal has many healing benefits. You will start to feel an immediate unconditional love in return. Pets bring out the selfless generosity in us.
Babysit for a neighbor. Children can teach us how to play. They can show us how to take things lightly and enjoy life.

4. Meet new people.

As you begin to heal from the trauma of the breakup, it’s just as important to go out again. Reinvent yourself and put yourself in healthy places where you can be enriched and supported.

Go out with friends. Start going out to movies, dinner, or other social gatherings. You don’t have to go to a nightclub or a bar. You don’t have to rush into exposing yourself into social interactions. Restart socializing and feeling good about yourself.
Use your creativity to meet others. You can join a writing or book club. You can take a cooking or pottery class. Creativity opens you up and brings you joy.

Breakups are difficult events in our lives. We begin to question everything about ourselves. Remember that for every ending, there is a new beginning. You might just be making room for something much better in your love life.

3 Reasons Why Delaying Intimacy Is Good For Your Relationship

June 23, 2016 by Power of Positivity

When you met your partner, a definite spark made you want more. But there are at least three reasons why you should consider delaying intimacy for the good of your relationship.

Being aware of your physical attraction to another person and choosing not to act on it takes self-control. Self-control can be developed with training, just like a muscle in your body that you exercise. Let’s look at why delaying intimacy by practicing self-control is good for your relationship.

3 Reasons Why Delaying Intimacy Is Good For Your Relationship

When we are teenagers, we are encouraged to wait to have sex. We learn that it will benefit our own physical and emotional development. These are also good reasons to wait as an adult. We are still in the process of learning and becoming who we are. So rushing into things with a romantic partner can stop or delay our own growth due to the distraction that the other person makes.

It can be very difficult to make good decisions, like delaying intimacy for the good of your relationship, while your hormones tell you to go full steam ahead. Delaying your passion with your partner is like saying to yourself, ‘This person might be worth waiting for so I am making a deliberate choice to wait.’

1. That initial spark of attraction burns out fast

Is this true love? Very few people believe they can tell they have met their true love at first sight. It is indeed possible. But usually, the attraction you feel for someone will last only a month or so, and that quickly, it is gone.

Part of the quick burnout of that spark is that you are fresh and new to your partner in the first part of your relationship. As you become accustomed to each other, what was once special and new about you is now less so. The less mystery there is about you, your partner may show interest in you.

When you are delaying intimacy, you are building trust with each other, which is very important to a relationship. During this time, you can spend time bonding with conversation and learning about what is important to your partner.

Are you two compatible with your core values? Do you feel strongly about something that your partner feels differently about? It’s better to know now than when it is time to get out of a complicated relationship.

2. Research shows delaying intimacy is better for making a relationship last

Doing what scientists say doesn’t sound romantic. But delaying intimacy is necessary if you hope for a successful relationship with your current mate. Think of it this way. If you choose to stay together, you can have sex as long as you are in a happy relationship, but delaying intimacy now means you will have a long happy relationship.

Researchers in the Journal of Family Psychology asked the question ‘Is it better to test sexual compatibility as early as possible or show sexual restraint so that other areas of the relationship can develop?’ What they found reveals a reason why delaying intimacy is good for your relationship. The research showed that delaying intimacy ‘was associated with better relationship outcomes, even when controlling for education, the number of sexual partners, religiosity, and relationship length.’

A second study in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that having sex early was associated with poor relationship happiness in marriage, especially for women. The researchers say that when couples have sex early on in their relationship, they also decide to move in together too quickly. As a result, they put an extra strain on the relationship.

3. Waiting is rare and, therefore, more valuable

We have many things, like air and water, that are relatively easy to get and cost little. As a result, we value them little. What is cheap or free is not valued. On the other hand, what is rare, like pearls, is treated carefully, highly prized, and highly valued. Think of the first time with your partner as a valuable gift that you can give only once.

Although you want your first intimate moment together to be special, you also don’t need to put pressure on yourself to make it memorable. The longer you can delay intimacy, the more you get to feel comfortable. Furthermore, when you are closer to your partner, you will feel less stress about intimacy.

Your initial spark of romance includes a rapid pulse, higher blood pressure, breathing faster, and sweating. You know–all of the usual signs of anxiety or stress. Allowing yourselves some time to become more relaxed around each other will help make the eventual intimacy more relaxed and pleasurable, which is good for your relationship.

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