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15 Empowering Affirmations to Use When You Don’t Love Yourself Enough

March 11, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

When you don’t love yourself enough, it can stand in the way of reaching your goals as you lack self-confidence. It can also make you unhappy in general and negatively affect your personal and professional life. These empowering affirmations can help you love yourself again, boosting your confidence and increasing your resiliency.

Self-love can make you more optimistic, confident, and enthusiastic about your life and all that you have to offer. You’ll want to share your talents and strengths with the world as you strive to reach all of your dreams. Affirmations are statements you say to yourself that help validate certain truths about yourself.

The empowering affirmations will give you everything you need to radiate positive energy within your soul. They provide you with positive internal thoughts that turn into spoken truths. Plus, they help you guide your life in any direction you desire.

Repeat the affirmations, keep an open mind, and believe the words that you say. The more often you repeat them, the more self-love you will experience. Don’t hold yourself back thinking that you aren’t good enough because you can do anything.

Fifteen Empowering Affirmations to Use When You Don’t Love Yourself Enough

1. I keep myself safe and prioritize my well-being.

Reassuring yourself that you are safe can make you feel better about yourself and your life. Knowing that you are protecting yourself will prevent some of the anxiety that accompanies not loving yourself enough. Plus, fear of being harmed can help you focus on the essential parts of your life.

By saying that you prioritize your well-being, it encourages you to put yourself first. You’ll start thinking about what’s best for you and turning down things that don’t align with it.

2. I have what it takes to do great things and reach my goals.

You have everything that you need to start working toward your goals. While other tools might make it easier, you have what you require within you. Use what you have right now, and you’ll quickly acquire more tools to help you along the way.

Please don’t get stuck in a negative thought cycle of telling yourself that you don’t have what it takes. You are good enough, and you can do anything you set your mind to. Set your goals, and don’t lose sight as you keep moving forward and learning to love yourself again as you see what you can do.

3. I look for the good in all situations to keep my mind positive.

When you look for the good, you’ll feel happier and experience more self-love. With a positive mindset, anything is possible, and you’ll start to see the good in yourself, too. Repeat this phrase each morning until you feel positivity radiating within you.

With consistency, you’ll start seeing the good around you without telling yourself to look. Even when things don’t go as planned, you’ll look for the silver lining in the situation.

4. I am manifesting love, happiness, and joy in all areas of my life.

When you manifest love and happiness, you won’t struggle to love yourself enough anymore. Things will seem more manageable, and you’ll stay focused on the essential things in your life. Plus, you will become more resilient to unfortunate situations or mistakes. Life can’t always be perfect, but you can always choose love, happiness, and joy.

5. I am open to new opportunities and experiences.

Being open to new opportunities and experiences will help you identify and acknowledge your strengths. You’ll be more equipped to take on new challenges, showing yourself what you’re made of. This empowering affirmation helps manifest new experiences, bringing things into your life that wouldn’t have come otherwise.

6. I trust my decisions and know that I’m doing what’s best for my life.

When you trust yourself, everything else seems to fall into place. It helps you love yourself for who you are and gives you the confidence to move forward and chase your dreams. Plus, it’ll reassure you that you’re making the right decisions for your life.

Never forget that this is your life, so you get to decide what is best. You’ll likely encounter other people who tell you to do things differently but return to this affirmation when it happens. You know what you want and need in life, so trust in your decisions always.

7. I am strong and can handle anything that comes my way.

With inner strength, anything is possible. Unexpected things happen in life, no matter how well you prepare for a situation. Use this empowering affirmation each day so that you’ll be ready for the unexpected.

You are strong enough to handle whatever situation you find yourself involved in. Don’t let your lack of self-love stop you from doing what it takes. This affirmation will remind you of your worth and abilities, helping you embrace who you are right now.

8. I am kind and compassionate toward myself.

Being kind and compassionate toward yourself can make all the difference in loving yourself enough. When you give yourself grace, forgive your mistakes, and say kind things to yourself, you’ll quickly feel better.

Talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend because you likely don’t say mean things to them. Don’t belittle yourself or say negative things about who you are. Instead, be kind, show compassion, and learn to love yourself again.

9. I choose to feel good no matter what is happening around me.

You can’t control what happens in the world, but you can choose how you feel. Even when everything seems to be falling apart, you can choose happiness and love. Don’t let unexpected situations, the actions of others, or anything else get in the way of your life.

Using this affirmation each morning can get you started on the right path. Keep it in mind as you go through your day, repeating it whenever necessary. When you empower yourself this way, you’re sure to start loving yourself more, too.

10. I deserve good things, and I accept them as they come.

When you don’t love yourself, you might feel like you don’t deserve good things. However, you are deserving of all the great things the universe has to offer. Don’t let opportunities pass you by, assuming that you aren’t good enough for them.

Using this affirmation each day will eliminate the negativity that tells you that you don’t deserve goodness. Then, you’ll be more open to accepting good experiences when they come your way. You never know what can happen in your life if you shift your thoughts to positivity.

11. I love my resiliency as I go through challenges.

A lack of self-love will make you feel like you can’t overcome challenges. You might want to give up, thinking you’ll never make it anyway. This affirmation can shift your mindset and allow you to see how much you can truly handle.

You are resilient, but you have to see it in yourself first. Making a habit of repeating this phrase will give you the self-love and confidence it takes to overcome anything.

12. I can change any part of my life at any time.

You control your life, even when it feels like things aren’t going well. You can decide to make a change for the better and focus on empowerment at any moment. If you aren’t happy, do something about it instead of beating yourself up over the situation.

13. I create my life path because I deserve to love my life.

While other people will always tell you how to live your life, you shouldn’t listen to them. When you do what everyone else wants for you, you’ll never love your life, and you’ll struggle to love yourself. Creating your life path will make all the difference in your life, allowing you to embrace the person you indeed are.

14. I am doing everything I can to show myself love today.

Use this empowering affirmation each morning as you get ready for the day. It’ll help you take the time to care for yourself, and it’ll encourage you to put yourself first.

After only a few days of doing this, you’ll begin to see how beneficial it is for your life. You’ll learn to love yourself again, prioritize your well-being, and do the things that make you happy. Plus, you’ll be more likely to make healthy choices, including eating healthier and being more active.

15. I am intelligent, valuable, and worthy.

Never underestimate yourself because you are beautiful the way you are right now. Tell yourself that you are intelligent, valuable, and worthy, and you’ll start to see it in yourself. Then, your self-love will increase, and everything about your life will seem better.

Final Thoughts on Affirming Your Self-Worth When You Don’t Love Yourself Enough

As you read through these empowering affirmations, a few likely stood out to you. Choose the phrases that resonated the most and implement them in your daily routine. It’s best to use them in the morning or at night before bed, but they’re helpful any time of day.

The more often you repeat these empowering affirmations, the more of a difference they will make in your life. It solidifies the things you’re saying, forcing you to believe them. Eventually, it’ll become a part of your routine, and you won’t even have to think about it.

How to Do Kegel Exercises for Stronger Pelvic Muscles

March 11, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Most people have heard of Kegel exercises, but not many know what they are or how to do them. They can improve many areas of your life, and you’ll be glad you learned about them. Once you know how easy they are, you’ll want to do them daily.

Kegel exercises help strengthen the muscles on your pelvic floor. Stronger pelvic muscles improve bladder control, relieve pain, and increase sexual function. Many people believe that these exercises are for women, but men can benefit, too.

A gynecologist in the 1950s developed this exercise concept to help people with urinary incontinence. However, many other benefits have been found since then, making it more popular in current times. This exercise takes less than a few minutes, and you don’t have to go anywhere to do them.

The pelvic floor holds up the pelvic organs, preventing leakage and pain. The organs include the uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum, making it essential to take care of. Once you know what the exercises can do for you, you’ll want to do them whenever you can.

The Importance of Kegel Exercises

Many life experiences can weaken your pelvic floor. If you’ve experienced pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, or excessive straining, it could pose a problem. The straining can occur because of constipation or chronic coughing, and being overweight can contribute, too.

You can benefit from these exercises if you experience any of the following issues:

Leaking a little urine when laughing, coughing, or sneezing
Having a sudden, strong urge to urinate without warning
Leaking stool
Inability to hold gas
Pelvic organ prolapse, or herniation that leads to the collapse and protruding of vaginal walls

If you don’t have any of these issues, you can still do the exercise. It isn’t harmful, and it can prevent these situations from occurring in the first place. Please don’t neglect your pelvic floor muscles because you haven’t had issues yet because it’s best not to deal with the problems at all.

Benefits of Performing Kegel Exercises

With a weak pelvic floor, you can suffer from medical problems. The conditions include urine or fecal leakage, pain in your lower back, pelvis, or genitals, and pain during intercourse. However, doing Kegel exercises can help you build stronger pelvic muscles and treat or prevent these issues.

These exercises are popular because they can be done anytime, even during pregnancy or right after childbirth. Doing them during pregnancy can prepare the body for labor and prevent urine leakage common in the third trimester. Regularly doing them can quickly improve your symptoms and allow you to return to normal sooner.

This exercise tightens the muscles, increasing blood flow and supporting a healthy sex life for both men and women. Studies show that men who have erectile dysfunction regain normal functioning after doing it for six months.

While most people exercise to improve their appearance, this activity won’t do that but is just as important. You don’t want to lack support and suffer from incontinence forever. If you’re going to live your everyday life without worrying about leakage, it’s time to get started.

However, you must find your pelvic floor to ensure you’re doing the exercise properly before getting started. Pelvic-floor exercises are simple enough, but only if you know which muscles to use.

How to Find Your Pelvic Floor

Finding your pelvic floor is essential before beginning the exercise. It won’t help you if you aren’t using the correct muscles. Many people mistakenly use their abdominal, buttock, or inner thigh muscles, hindering their results.

It’s easiest to find your pelvic floor while you’re urinating because you can feel the muscles contract. Stop and start the flow of your urine so that you can identify which muscles to use during the exercise. However, please don’t do this multiple times, or it can lead to an infection.

It doesn’t usually take more than one instance of stopping and starting the urine flow to find the correct muscles. Another option for finding them is to pretend to hold gas in and identify the strengths. Women can also pretend to tighten their vagina around a tampon to locate the pelvic floor.

All of these actions use the same muscles that you use to stop and start your urine flow, so any of them will work. The correct muscles contract more towards the pelvis’s back than the front.

How to Do Kegel Exercises

You can do these exercises in any position, but most people prefer to lie down and do them until they’re comfortable. Once you get the hang of contracting the pelvic floor muscles, you can do the exercise while sitting or standing anywhere. To get started, do the following:

Contract your pelvic floor muscles and hold them for three to five seconds
Relax for three to five seconds
Repeat the cycle ten times before stopping

While you contract your pelvic floor muscles, make sure to keep your other muscles relaxed. An easy mistake is to tighten your abdominal, thigh, or buttock muscles, so focus on contracting only the pelvic floor muscles. It might help if you keep your hand on your stomach so that you know if you’re contracting other muscles.

As time goes on, you can extend the duration of your exercise. Start by gradually increasing the length of contractions and relaxations, working your way up to ten seconds.

You’ll benefit most from doing at least thirty to forty Kegel exercises daily. Spread them throughout the day to give your muscles rest in between. You can do them while waiting in the car, standing in line, or riding an escalator.

When to Do Kegel Exercises

You can do these exercises any time of the day, no matter where you are. They are discreet, so no one will notice that you’re doing them. It’s best to do them multiple times a day, so try to develop a schedule.

You might want to start your day with exercise, which you can do while you do your hair or shower. Additionally, you can implement them into your regular exercise routine. You can also do them whenever you have a few minutes of wait time in your day.

Doing them as you sit at your desk or relax on the couch is a good idea. When you make it a point to utilize these times for exercise, you’ll quickly experience the benefits. With regular exercise, you’ll notice improvements in as little as a few weeks, but it could be a couple of months. Everyone is different, depending on how well you do them and how often.

What to Do If You Struggle with the Exercise

While Kegels are usually easy, some people struggle to do them correctly. Don’t give up if you can’t find the right muscles or can’t keep your other muscles relaxed. Your doctor can help you figure it out and give you tips for doing them correctly.

Additionally, you can use tools to help you get it right, including vaginal cones. Vaginal cones are weights women can place in their vagina and use their pelvic muscles to hold it in place. Eventually, they won’t need the cone anymore because they’ll learn to use the correct muscles.

A tool that works for men and women is biofeedback. When using biofeedback, your doctor inserts a pressure sensor into the vagina or rectum. Then, the patient will squeeze and relax the pelvic floor muscles while the pressure sensor measures activity.

Biofeedback can help you determine if you’re using the correct muscles. It also has electrical stimulation to recreate the sensation of the exercise. This process enables you to get it right, allowing you to do the workout anywhere you are.

Potential Complications

This exercise is generally safe, but there are always potential complications. You must be careful of a few things during your exercise routine, including:

Avoid Kegels while you urinate. Although you stop and start your stream to find the muscle, you only want to do it once. Otherwise, it can cause a urinary tract infection. It can also cause your pelvic floor to weaken and cause bladder and kidney damage.
Please don’t overdo it when you contract your muscles. If you do, it could lead to straining when using the bathroom and pain during sexual intercourse.
Don’t stop doing the exercises, or your symptoms can quickly return. You’ll likely need to do it for the rest of your life.
Using the correct muscles is essential. Otherwise, it can worsen symptoms and cause pelvic organ prolapses and stress incontinence.

Final Thoughts on How to Do Kegel Exercises for Stronger Pelvic Muscles

With consistency, Kegel exercises will become a positive part of your life. You’ll notice an improvement in incontinence, and sexual health, and a decrease in pelvic pain. Men and women can benefit from this exercise, making it essential to learn.

While finding your pelvic floor might make you uncomfortable, you’ll be glad you did it. The exercise can be life-changing, and you’ll be happy about your strengthened pelvic floor muscles.

Experts Explain 4 Healthy Habits to Increase Cognitive Performance

March 11, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

As you age, your brain begins to slow down, and you find previously unchallenging cognitive tasks difficult. This effects on your cognitive performance can be problematic, especially if you have a family history of neurodegenerative diseases.

But what if we told you there are habits you can add to your daily routine that will boost your brain’s function? You can enjoy a sharpened mind right now and in the future by changing up some of your activities. Here are four healthy habits to increase cognitive performance, supported by science and research.

1. Prioritize High-Quality Sleep to Improve Cognitive Performance

Anyone who’s stayed up late knows how a lack of sleep negatively affects cognitive performance. After burning the midnight oil, you’ll find that you reduce the ability to focus the next day. This impact isn’t just a short-term effect. Over time, constantly lacking high-quality sleep will damage your brain’s ability to function.

According to studies, a lack of sleep causes the brain’s neurons to become progressively more overworked. This causes decreased performance in various cognitive tasks, such as the following activities.

1. Impaired Cognitive Performance and Reaction Time

Research shows that a lack of sleep produces similar short-term cognitive issues to being drunk. Even a couple of hours of missed sleep is sufficient to make driving on the road dangerous!

2. Reduced Executive Function

When you lack sleep, it’s harder to perform everyday tasks that generally require little effort. You can’t plan, carry out, and take the steps necessary to complete these tasks, say studies.

3. Decreased Memory Retention

Without sleep, your brain cannot correctly commit things to memory. You’ll become very forgetful quickly and can’t pay attention to what needs to be recalled. Some research even suggests you may form false memories due to a lack of sleep!

4. Damaged Cognitive Flexibility

You can’t quickly adapt to different situations when you’re sleeping deprived, according to studies. Your thinking becomes more rigid, you’re not able to maintain resilience to unexpected incidents, and you cannot think creatively.

5. Poor Mental Health

Expert research indicates that a lack of sleep causes heightened stress and mood issues. This can contribute to disorders like depression and anxiety in the long run.

Worse still, those are just the short-term cognitive performance effects of one night of inadequate sleep. In the long run, constantly being exposed to poor sleep is responsible for a massive increase in the risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s, say studies.

According to research by the National Sleep Foundation, healthy adults require between seven and nine hours of daily sleep. And no, you can’t distribute the required weekly sleep hours as you like and “make up” for lost sleep on the weekends. Studies have shown that catching up to sleep debt is unfeasible, with four days of rest needed to make up for just a single lost hour.

But it’s not just the hours of sleep that matter – it’s the quality of that sleep. If you’ve ever slept for a good eight hours but woken up feeling drowsy and exhausted, that points to poor-quality sleep. It may involve your sleep getting disturbed too much, your brain failing to produce the right chemicals, or a sleep disorder.

Poor sleep hygiene is the most common reason for low-quality sleep that impacts cognitive performance. Good sleep hygiene requires:

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even when not strictly necessary for your schedule.
Maintaining comfortable bedding suitable for your preferences, such as the right firmness of the mattress.
Keep as little light on as possible when you’re asleep, so your brain correctly produces sleep chemicals.
Avoid stimulating activities, food, and drink in a couple of hours leading up to bedtime.
Getting off screens and devices in the hour before bedtime to prevent the light from those screens from sabotaging sleep hormone production.
Maintaining the correct temperature of your sleeping room for your preferences.
Creating a quiet sleeping environment.
See a doctor for any notable sleep concerns, such as feeling exhausted with good sleep hygiene and healthy sleeping hours.

2. Puzzles and Brain Games Can Stimulate Cognitive Performance

You put your brain to lots of use every day. So when you engage in various tasks, it continues to experience growth and development on its own. But there are some additional activities you can use to train your mind for even higher cognitive performance. Some of these activities can also prevent impairment and degeneration later on, or so says research! Here are puzzles and games to try.

· Challenge Your Brain by Playing Chess

Studies show that cognitive, leisurely activities like chess can improve various cognitive functions. This includes executive function, memory, and the speed at which you process different information.

· Sudoku

Sudoku and other number puzzles can be beneficial for the cognitive performance of older adults. Some research even indicates that regularly doing these puzzles can cause long-term improvements in cognitive function, putting you above your peers in terms of mental competency.

· Crossword Puzzles

These viral puzzles can be real head-scratchers, making them such good material. Studies even show that they may prevent memory decline later in life for those at risk of cognitive impairment.

· Checkers Can Improve Cognitive Performance

If chess does it, it’s of little surprise that checkers can do it, too! Studies have shown that checkers and other games that stimulate cognitive function can help the brain’s health. They’re correlated to better cognitive health that fights generation and more considerable brain volume.

· Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles require pattern recognition and the ability to literally and figuratively put two and two together. Research indicates that this process helps to activate several different cognitive functions. You’ll experience enhanced cognitive performance in skills like working memory, perception, reasoning, and mental rotation. Frequent versions of these puzzles may even reduce symptoms of brain aging.

3. Meditate Regularly for Better Cognitive Performance

Like all organs in the body, the brain requires sufficient oxygen to perform its functions effectively. This is why shallow breathing can affect your brain, and a lack of oxygen for a prolonged amount of time can cause brain death, even if the rest of you remains alive.

Neuroplasticity and neurogenesis are two notable processes that need sufficient oxygen for optimal performance. The former refers to creating new brain connections to compensate for brain cell deterioration. The latter refers to developing, producing, and maintaining new brain cells.

While you can power these processes with normal breathing, scientific evidence suggests that breathing more deeply will further aid them. Most people don’t focus on their daily breathing, as respiration is such a natural and automatic subconscious process.

As such, a need arises for more focused breathing practices. Performing activities where you breathe calmly and deeply can achieve this and may even help your breathing become more relaxed and deep in the long run. That’s where meditation comes in.

Meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, has been proven in research to help reduce the progression of various cognitive impairment disorders. This is partly due to how meditation can reduce stress, but there are other notable changes as well.

For example, the meditation practice engages the hippocampus, a memory and learning center. Mindfulness keeps the hippocampus strong, so you enjoy boosted cognitive performance while preventing or slowing age-related decline.

If you’re not a fan of meditation and find it boring, there are similar meditative practices that can engage and occupy you better. Yoga, for example, focuses on deep breathing while also providing much-needed exercise. Indeed, yoga reduces stress similarly to meditation, which has allowed it to boost cognitive performance, too. Research has already found lots of links between the health of your brain and the practice of yoga!

4. Continually Learn New Things for Increased Cognitive Performance

Not being in school doesn’t mean you have to stop learning new things. In fact, your cognitive performance may come to a standstill if you quit utilizing your brain for additional learning.

Studies have shown that the secret to maintaining sharpness through aging is by continually learning various skills, including incredibly complex and “demanding” ones. While less demanding skill sets can provide benefits, challenging yourself in the same way you were challenged with learning at a younger age is essential for cognitive performance.

On top of that, those same studies have shown that simply doing any old activities is much less effective than novelty. This means that learning and experiencing new things is more important to cognitive performance than repeatedly engaging in already-known challenging activities. The openness to different experiences matters, especially as the brain ages.

While learning anything at all will have a benefit, some tasks and skills are proven to have additional benefits to cognitive performance. Here are some of them:

· Cognitive Performance Improves By Studying A New Language

If you can only speak one language, why not learn another? Studies have shown that bilingualism, or the knowledge of two languages fluently, can boost cognitive performance. This is because knowing these languages helps to strengthen different parts of the brain and their connections to each other. This could reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and slow the rate of decline.

· Sports

While exercise, in general, is suitable for cognitive performance, some high-demand sports have even better benefits. Certain athletic sports require cognitive skills that include adapting to new situations and information. They might also require multitasking, sustained attention, and quick planning. Research shows that the brain can benefit from these types of sports, repairing faster processing speeds and heightened attention spans.

· Music Enhances Cognitive Performance

When you play instruments, you have to coordinate many different parts of the brain. Studies have indicated that learning to play instruments correlates to a much younger and healthier brain and can protect you from cognitive impairment.

Do note that any new hobby or activity can still benefit you. If instruments, languages, and sports aren’t interesting to you, seek out a hobby you can enjoy that requires motor control, coordination, and mental stimulation. These can be activities like dancing, painting, knitting, drawing, and embroidering. What matters is that you’re repeatedly engaging in novel activities!

Final Thoughts On Some Healthy Habits To Increase Cognitive Performance

Cognitive performance and the health of your brain have a lot to do with your everyday life. Positive, healthy habits are primarily responsible for making your brain smarter today and more robust for the rest of your life!

20 Signs You’re Overanalyzing and Causing Drama

March 11, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Many people struggle with overanalyzing every situation in their life. While it might seem harmless, it can make the situation worse. Before you know it, the thought process can cause drama in all areas of your life.

Thinking too much can affect your personal and professional life. It can make your partner dread being near you, and it can push your friends away. Plus, it can cause conflict at work and make things tense with your boss or co-workers.

Overanalyzing is unproductive and can create further problems. When you can go with the flow and stop dissecting every situation, life becomes simpler, and your relationships improve.

Understanding the signs that you’re overanalyzing and causing drama in your life can make all the difference. You’ll be able to identify when you’re overthinking again, and you can reel it in before it creates problems. However, it’s helpful to know what many people overanalyze before discussing the signs.

The Topics People Are Often Caught Overanalyzing

Everyone is different, but there are many common topics that people over-analyze. Think about these situations in your life to see if you notice any issues with overthinking:

Feelings between two people
The future
Spending time away from those they are closest to
Personal habits
The habits of others
Friends and family
Work or school
Physical intimacy
Parenthood
Finances
Characteristics and traits

Twenty Signs You’re Overanalyzing and Causing Drama in Life

Identifying the signs can help you overcome the issues and make the most of your life again. Look for these signs in yourself and make changes as necessary.

1. You Get in Frequent Arguments

If you often get snappy and become angry for seemingly no reason, it’s a good sign that you’re overthinking. It causes you to get mad about things that may not have even happened. Or, you might get angry about what your thoughts have led you to believe about situations.

You’ll know that the arguments have created drama in your life if others start behaving the same way toward you. They will overanalyze you in return, and they’ll become angry at you for minor things. People typically mirror a person’s behavior, so watch for this in your life.

2. You Ask Everyone for Advice

It’s okay to ask those closest to you for advice but, beyond that, it’s not helpful. If you go to everyone you know, it’s a sure sign of thinking too much. This situation is especially true if you value the opinion of others over your own.

You’re the one who has to live with your choices, so asking for advice from everyone means you’re thinking about it too much. Plus, you’ve likely noticed that it quickly leads to drama when everyone knows the details of your life.

3. You Assume You Know What People Are Thinking

You’re not a mind reader, so you should never assume you know what someone is thinking. When people do this, it leads to misunderstandings and tension. Even worse, telling someone that you know what they’re thinking is a sure way to start an argument.

4. You Can’t Make Decisions

If you can’t make decisions or second guess yourself, you’re likely dissecting the issue. When this happens, overanalyzing leads to obsessing, making it harder to choose.

You might be overanalyzing if you regularly can’t make simple decisions like what to eat for dinner. Likewise, you create unnecessary drama in your life spend too much time going over a pros and cons list. These seemingly harmless situations signify an issue with overthinking.

5. The Other Person Changes the Conversation

If the people in your life change the conversation when you start analyzing, it’s a sign that they’re over it. They don’t want to listen to your never-ending stream of thoughts about the same topic, especially if it’s stressful. Watch for this sign in your relationships and use it as a tip to reel it in.

6. You Wake Up Wondering Who You’re Going to Get Mad at That Day

If you wake up and know you’ll be mad that day, you’re likely an overthinker. It shows that you’re ready to be angry over the slightest situations, starting your day out on a negative path. If you live this way, it’s time to make a change and shift your mindset.

7. You Keep Bringing Up the Past

Everyone makes mistakes, and we all spend time wondering how things could have turned out if we’d done one thing differently. However, it’s a bad sign when this becomes a regular focus of your thoughts and conversations.

Dwelling on your past won’t fix it, and it’ll only make you feel worse in the present. What’s worse is that ruminating hinders your progress, stopping you from reaching your dreams in the future. You’ll constantly wonder why things don’t work out for you, and it’s because your mind is stuck in the past.

8. They Stand in Doorways

Body language can tell you quite a bit about how people feel around you. If the people in your life often stand in doorways when talking to you, it’s an indication that they’re eager to leave. It shows that they’re expecting a tense situation because of your over-analyzing, and they want a quick way to exit.

9. You Assume You Were Left Out

If your friend forgot to call you about something, you might think you’re left out. You naturally assume that people don’t want to talk to you or tell you what’s going on in their lives.

Other times, you’ll assume someone is angry at you, even if you can’t identify anything you did wrong. If feeling left out is a natural occurrence in your life, it’s a sign that you’re overanalyzing and causing drama.

10. You Have No One to Laugh with Anymore

Think about the last time you laughed with someone you care about. If it’s been a while, it could be a sign that thinking too much is causing problems in your life. When people constantly feel tense around you, it ceases all humor from the relationship.

11. You Have Different Memories of the Same Event

If you have a different memory than others of the same event, you likely spend too much time thinking about it. This situation is especially true if your memory is negative compared to other people’s memories. Your memories are remembered based on personal perspective, so it’s a good indication that your perspective is off.

12. You Read Too Much Into Text Messages

If you ever read a single text and create an entire story around it, you likely overthink things. It shows that you fill in the blanks without answers, assuming you know everything about the situation. Then, when you react to your fabricated story, the other person might become frustrated.

13. People Start Ignoring You

If people you were once close to start ignoring you, it could mean that your overanalyzing is creating drama. Their avoidance might be because you no longer have anything safe to talk about that won’t make you mad. Or, it could be that they don’t want to deal with the negativity anymore.

14. You Make People Feel Like They Aren’t Good Enough

If thinking too much causes drama in your life, it could signify how you make people feel. Your overanalyzing and accusations could make people feel like they aren’t good enough. Eventually, they’ll walk away from the relationship because it makes them feel bad about themselves.

15. You Always Have a Negative Mindset

A sign that your overanalyzing is causing drama in your life is if you always find the negative aspects. If you receive a gift but would have preferred a different color or flavor, you might become angry. You’ll point out the one negative aspect, ruining what could have been a good moment.

16. You Have Repetitive Thoughts

Repetitive thoughts are sure signs of thinking too much. It shows that you think about things too much, and the situation likely worsens in your mind each time. When you don’t find a way to overcome the thoughts, it harms your mental health and creates a repetitive cycle.

17. You Stop Seeing People As Often

You might notice that someone in your life is suddenly working tons of overtime when they never did before. If it isn’t overtime keeping them away, you’ll still notice an increase in their absences. Either way, it’s a sign that you’re creating drama, and they want to keep their distance.

18. You Need Constant Reassurance

If the people in your life always have to reassure you, then it’s a sign that you’re overanalyzing and causing drama. When they don’t give you constant reassurance, you start to assume they don’t like you. This type of behavior can push people away as it leads to drama.

19. You Easily Get Offended

If the most insignificant comments and actions set you off and you become offended, you probably think too much. It leads to drama in your life, and it doesn’t make anyone around you feel good.

20. It Keeps You Up at Night

When you can’t stop thinking about something after lying down in bed, it’s a sign you think too much. If your thoughts interfere with your sleep, it’s sure to have other effects on your life, too. You’ll be crankier towards others and unable to perform to the best of your abilities.

Final Thoughts on Signs You’re Overanalyzing and Causing Drama in Life

These signs will help you recognize if overanalyzing is causing drama in your life. Once you know that it’s a problem, you can address it and overcome the situation. Don’t let your thoughts continue to interfere with your relationships and well-being. You deserve to live a happy and fulfilling life, so don’t ignore these signs.

15 Body Language Cues That Reveal A Failing Relationship

March 11, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

When you’re in a relationship, it’s sometimes hard to see the signs that it’s failing. The people around you usually see it first, but you can see it, too, if you know what to look for. Understanding the signs of a failing relationship can help you get out of it before things worsen.

Relationships might not seem complicated on the surface, but many subtle actions indicate issues. When relationships seem perfect, you can guarantee problems are going on when no one is looking. The same is likely true for your relationship because the last thing you want to do is share your relationship problems with everyone.

However, you know what is happening in your relationship to watch for the signs. These signs that reveal a failing relationship can help you decide what will be best for both of you. Plus, you’ll see what’s truly going on within your relationship.

You might notice that your partner is acting differently than they used to, or negative energy is present. While it’s normal for people to change, they shouldn’t treat you differently. Pay attention to the changes and see if they are on this list of signs that reveal a failing relationship.

Fifteen Body Language Cues That Reveal a Failing Relationship

Constantly arguing, having affairs, or generally being unhappy are apparent signs, but there are many other indicators, too. The symptoms typically start before the more obvious signs, allowing you to catch them early on.

1. There’s Physical Distance in a Failing Relationship

If your partner leans away from you when you’re together, it’s a sign that the relationship isn’t going well anymore. When you feel emotionally close to someone, it shows through physical closeness, so it’s a sign that something has shifted. It’s a subtle sign, but leaning away from one another is an obvious sign.

Additionally, they might do anything they can to put some distance between you. If your partner keeps their distance and doesn’t interact with you, it shows that they don’t want to be there.

2. A Parnter in a Failing Relationship Will Keep Their Hands in Their Pockets

When someone hides their hands while conversing, it’s a sign that they hide something from you. Dishonesty makes people want to keep their hands hidden and still so that they don’t give anything away. It’s their barrier from sharing their true feelings or telling the truth.

Additionally, hiding their hands shows that they don’t want physical contact. Please don’t ignore it when you’re sitting next to each other and they make sure their hands are unavailable.

3. They Sigh When You’re Around

Signs can come through in someone’s voice and intonations instead of only through physical movement. When your partner often sighs, pauses, or sits silently, it indicates deeper issues.

4. They Point Their Feet Away from You

When you talk to your partner, watch for which way their feet face. Even if you’re sitting down, the position of their feet can tell you all you need to know. If they consistently turn their feet away from you when speaking, it shows that they’re losing interest.

They might still turn their head toward you, but they’re only being polite. Their feet will show you when that is the case, allowing you to reveal a failing relationship.

5. They Fake Smile in a Failing Relationship

People in happy and healthy relationships don’t have to fake smiles at one another. If your partner fake smiles at you, it’s a sign the relationship might not last much longer. Their smile should reach their eyes, and if it doesn’t, you should pay attention to the way things are going.

6. You No Longer Do Nice Things for Each Other

When your relationship is going well, you’ll always want to do nice things for one another. However, once things start going wrong, you won’t notice the kind gestures anymore. Making each other happy won’t be at the top of the list, which is never a good sign.

Doing nice things for one another doesn’t mean you have to buy gifts. Instead, small acts of kindness don’t have to cost a thing. Think back to the beginning of the relationship and what you did for each other. Those actions should continue throughout a happy relationship.

7. Your Partner Rolls Their Eyes, and Their Eye Contact Is Off

If your partner takes to rolling their eyes at you when you speak, it’s a sign of disrespect and a failing relationship. They aren’t taking what you say seriously, indicating different desires and needs. If it only happens once, it isn’t a sure sign, but when it happens regularly, it’s a problem.

However, if you are the one rolling your eyes at your partner, you have some thinking to do. Ask yourself why you’re taking the things your partner says so lightly. If you aren’t on the same page anymore, it might be time to end things.

Additionally, a lack of eye contact indicates the same thing. It shows a lack of respect and an undesirable feeling not wanting to converse. Not making eye contact also shows that someone is lying or feels emotionally disconnected.

8. Someone in a Failing Relationship Might Cross Their Legs or Arms

When conversing with your partner, pay attention to if they cross their legs or arms. If they cross their legs, it shows that they are physically, mentally, and emotionally closed off. It isn’t an intentional reaction, so it indeed reveals how they feel.

If your partner crosses their arms, it shows a lack of trust and that things aren’t going well anymore. They will subconsciously cover their stomach area, which is a vulnerable space to expose to others. It shows their guard is up, and they no longer desire intimacy.

9. They Move Away When You Try to Touch Them

If your partner moves their hand away when trying to hold it, don’t assume it was an accident. One instance indicates an accident, but it’s a sign of something more when it happens all the time. They might shy away from holding your hand in public or at home because they’re developing feelings of resentment.

Your partner might also shy away from you no matter how you try to touch them. If you hug them, they might pull out or tense up. Anytime they seem to pull away from your touch, it could indicate a failing relationship.

10. They Gesture With Their Left Hand

Surprisingly, the hand someone uses to gesture with tells us quite a bit about their mindset. If your partner uses their left hand, it indicates that they are uncomfortable with the conversation. Additionally, if they rub their eye with their left hand, it’s because they don’t want you to pay full attention to what they’re saying. It shows that they might be lying to you about something.

11. They Continually Bite Their Lips

Your partner might attempt to cover up their true feelings, but continually biting their lips can give them away. It shows that they are nervous or uncomfortable and could mean they are holding something back.

You might also notice that your partner purses or licks their lips frequently. These subtle signs indicate nervousness, anxiety, dishonesty, or aggression. If you recognize these things often, you might want to start questioning your relationship.

12. Their Embraces are Unenthusiastic in a Failing Relationship

If the way your partner kisses and hugs you is different than it used to be, don’t ignore it. The difference could be a sign that the relationship has shifted and is on rocky terms. Their hugs and kisses won’t only be different, but they’ll also be much shorter than in the past.

The less your partner touches you, the more withdrawn they have become in the relationship. It shows that they don’t want to touch you but feel obligated to do so. Another sign of unenthusiastic embraces is if they keep their elbows locked. They do this to make as little contact as possible and resist a full embrace.

13. They Keep Their Distance When Walking with You

It doesn’t seem like walking together if your partner isn’t near you when you walk with them. However, they will do whatever they can to put distance between the two of you.

Your partner might walk fast without stopping to let you catch up. Or, they’ll walk slow and keep letting you get ahead of them. It shows that they don’t feel any romantic connection to you anymore.

14. Someone in a Failing Relationship Will Not Give You Undivided Attention

If your partner does anything to avoid giving you attention, it’s a bad sign for your relationship. They might constantly check their phone, even during serious conversations.

Sometimes they’ll be texting someone else, or they’ll be looking at YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. No matter what they’re doing to divert their attention, it’s a sign of a failing relationship.

15. Their Pupils No Longer Dilate When They See You

Studies show that pupils dilate when they see someone they are attracted to. Dilated pupils indicate sexual arousal, so it’s a beneficial way to tell if your relationship is failing. If your partner’s eyes no longer widen, it likely means they don’t feel the same way about you anymore.

Final Thoughts on Body Language Cues That Reveal a Failing Relationship

Many signs indicate a failing relationship, and identifying them can help you get through it. You can either decide to end the relationship or find a way to fix it. Remember that sometimes relationships aren’t repairable, and it’s best to move on.

These signs can tell you everything you need to know about your relationship. You know when things are different, and these signs will help you pinpoint it.

10 Signs Someone Is Drinking Too Much Alcohol

March 10, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Many people believe that the only signs of drinking too much alcohol are getting arrested or losing a job. However, there are many other signs you can look for to see if someone is consuming too much. Understanding alcohol use disorder (AUD), formerly known as alcoholism, can help you recognize the signs. Studies show that one in eight adults in America have AUD, and many don’t realize it.

However, you can look for alcohol use disorder in yourself and others to help you identify an issue.

Unfortunately, many people turn to drinking too much as a coping mechanism. Not everyone knows when they’ve gone too far or partake too often. Understanding when someone is drinking too much will help you recognize the signs in yourself and others.

How Much is Drinking Too Much

Experts say that drinking in moderation is different for men and women. Men can have up to two drinks daily, and women can have only one. Drinking more than these amounts is considered too much.

The differences between men and women are due to physiological differences. Women feel intoxicated quicker than men because their bodies contain less water, fatty tissue, and enzymes that break down foreign substances. However, it ultimately depends on an individual’s tolerance and metabolism.

Ten Signs Someone Is Drinking Too Much

The severity of AUD differs based on the number of symptoms over 12 months. A mild case of AUD means that two or three symptoms are present. If someone has four or five symptoms, it becomes a moderate case, with six or more severe symptoms.

1. They Drink Even When It Risks Safety

Everyone knows drinking and driving isn’t safe, but some do it anyway. Other activities are unsafe when drinking, too, including:

Skiing
Swimming
Hiking
Using machinery
Operating a boat

If someone does any of these activities while under the influence, it indicates they are drinking too much. Research shows that excessive drinking causes 10% of deaths for people between 20 and 64 years old. Drinking at the expense of safety is common for those with AUD.

2. It Creates Problems at Work, School, or Home

If someone has unexplained issues at work, school, or home, they might have a problem. Drinking in excess can affect all areas of someone’s life.

Research shows that one in four college students miss classes or get behind on schoolwork because of their drinking habits. Regularly drink employees report frequent tardiness, careless mistakes, or missed deadlines. After a while, these issues can lead to disciplinary action.

Excessive drinking can create problems at home, too. Studies show increased debt for those who drink excessively because they spend money carelessly. They also forget about paying bills later on.

Also, drinking habits affect a person’s partner, kids, friends, and loved ones. Drinking too much forces others into the role of caregiver and leads to codependency. However, some people might react differently and walk away from the relationship.

Children who have a relative with AUD are also at an increased risk of emotional issues and thoughts of suicide. Plus, the children are four times more likely to develop AUD at some point in their lives, too.

3. It Takes Up Too Much Time, or They Drink More Than Intended

If someone spends every weekend morning recovering from a hangover, it’s a sign of overconsuming. Having headaches and nausea indicates someone is overdoing it. Additionally, if someone is too tired to do any necessary tasks, it shows they are spending too much time drinking. They might also spend lots of time visiting the liquor store.

Not only will they spend too much time on drinking and obtaining alcohol, but they might drink more than intended. The person might say they will only have one drink and go home but then order a second and third. Before they know it, midnight rolls around, and they’re still out drinking.

4. They Develop Anxiety and Depression

There are many causes of anxiety and depression, and drinking too much is one. Alcohol affects the central nervous system, causing mental health issues. If you notice a sudden change in someone’s mental health, look at their drinking habits.

Additionally, it’s not a good sign if anxiety and depression worsen because the person doesn’t have a drink. They might become angry or overreact to little things and have a negative mindset.

5. Changes in Appearance and Balance When Someone is Drinking too Much

When someone drinks too much, it can lead to malnutrition. It causes them to lose interest in eating healthy foods, which lacks nutrition. They can lose weight quickly and often get tired after doing simple tasks.

Additionally, the person’s skin might change severely. You might notice they have red palms, a flushed face, and spidery veins throughout the body. Due to liver inflammation, part of their skin might also turn pale yellow.

You might also notice that someone who drinks too many struggles with balance. They might be unable to walk and remain stable, and their physical coordination decreases.

6. They Keep Drinking Even When They Know It’s Affecting Their Wellbeing

When someone keeps drinking when they know it’s negatively affecting them, it indicates a problem. It can cause sleep problems, and affect how someone thinks, feels, and acts. Many people with AUD know these issues are happening in their lives, but they still don’t stop.

The longer it goes on, the more it negatively affects their life. They still keep excessively drinking, making it difficult to get much done or do things they enjoy.

7. They Crave It When They Aren’t Drinking

Many people have cravings, but not everyone craves alcohol. If someone craves a drink, it’s a sign that they depend on it a little too much.

They will likely have intense cravings when experiencing anxiety in a social situation. Heartbreak or sorrow are other sensations that might trigger cravings. The cravings occur because alcohol abuse releases endorphins, promoting temporary feelings of happiness and pleasure.

8. They Experience Withdrawal

Anxiety is a typical result of excessive drinking, but it can indicate withdrawal. Sometimes the anxiety might get to the point of shaking, sweating, and experiencing chills. The symptoms indicate withdrawal, typically within five to ten hours after having a drink.

When someone has AUD for a long time, and their intake is reduced, it’s hard on them. Some of the other symptoms of withdrawal include:

Irritability
Headaches
Racing heart
Tremors
Insomnia
Seizures
Hallucinations

Eventually, the person will drink to prevent these terrible experiences rather than enjoy the beverage. They will no longer use it to have a good time or cope but to survive.

9. They Can’t Stick to Limits

When someone sets limits for themselves but can’t stick to them, it’s a sign of AUD. They struggle to stop drinking and end up getting drunk. When the issue becomes a consistent pattern, it’s a sure indication of AUD.

The person might promise their loved ones that they’ll cut back but fail to follow through. Or, they might promise themselves but struggle to stick to the plan. Someone without AUD will have no issue making a change for the better, so it’s a sure sign when someone struggles.

10. They Can’t Sleep and Often Lose Attention

Those who drink too much often have trouble sleeping. Part of the trouble comes from disruptions to their sleeping routine, which can also cause insomnia.

Heavy drinkers also have trouble paying attention to the world around them. One reason for the lack of awareness is that they didn’t get enough sleep. However, their inattention can also occur because they struggle with memory loss.

How to Stop Drinking Too Much

Helping a loved one or yourself stop drinking too much might sound like an intimidating experience. However, working toward recovery is possible. These tips can help you or your loved one get started:

Make a list of reasons to stop.
Set a limit on how much you will drink, and regularly decrease the limit.
Keep a journal to track every time you drink.
Sip slowly.
Choose specific days of the week that you won’t have alcohol at all.
Avoid peer pressure.
Stay busy by taking a walk or doing something fun.
Reach out to your support system.
Identify your triggers and avoid the temptation.
Talk with your doctor about how to quit – your body makes physiological changes when you consume alcohol daily. Thus, stopping can cause stress on your body.

Final Thoughts on Signs Someone Is Drinking Too Much Alcohol

When someone is drinking too much, you must address it as soon as possible. AUD can have long-lasting effects on both physical and mental health. Additionally, it affects professional and personal relationships and can take a toll on your life progress.

Don’t ignore the signs if you think you or someone you love overindulges in alcohol. The sooner it’s addressed, the easier it’ll be to overcome. Look for these signs and do whatever you can if you see a problem. Help is out there, and anyone can overcome AUD.

8 Isometric Exercises That Make You Stronger Every Day

March 10, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Isometric exercises are when you tense your muscles but don’t move them. Many people believe that training requires lots of movement, but these exercises prove otherwise. These exercises are low-impact, and you can do them with no gym equipment, no matter where you are.

When doing isometric exercises, you strengthen your muscles by holding them in certain positions. You will maintain the poses for at least six seconds at a time, being careful not to move. These exercises make your muscles work overtime, strengthening them in ways other activity doesn’t.

You can do these exercises with weight-lifting or resistance training for optimal benefits. The activities often include yoga poses or Pilates but aren’t limited to those areas. With regular use of these methods, you’ll notice improved muscle endurance.

If you aren’t familiar with isometric exercises yet, this article will tell you all you need to know. Plus, it includes quite a few bodyweight exercises to help get you started.

How Isometric Exercises Work

You’ve likely done these exercises before without realizing it. Anytime you experience tension in your muscles, and your joints aren’t moving. It sounds easy, but holding still while contracting your muscles is challenging.

These exercises work because they activate your muscle fibers. When equal forces act against each other, but there isn’t any movement, it triggers the muscle fibers, building strength. You can target specific muscles, too, allowing you to use them to achieve your goals.

Static exercises don’t only strengthen the muscles, either. As you do these bodyweight exercises, your muscle tissues fill with blood and create metabolic stress. The metabolic stress increases physical endurance and stabilizes the muscles.

Eight Benefits of Isometric Exercises

Studies show that these exercises have a range of health benefits, including:

Lower blood pressure
Higher pain threshold
Improved jump height
Increased kicking ability
Quicker recovery after surgery or an injury
Decreases symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
Improves muscle stability
Decreases pain in the lower back

Health benefits aren’t the only thing you have to look forward to. Other benefits include the following:

No gym equipment
It can be performed anywhere
Targeting specific areas without straining joints
Requires less practice to develop good form
Safe for those with restricted movement

Risks of Isometric Exercises

Similar to any form of exercise, these exercises come with some risks. While they are less intense for major muscle groups than other dynamic movements, they can still affect injuries. You shouldn’t perform these exercises unless your doctor clears you to do so after an injury or surgery.

Tips to Keep in Mind When Starting Isometric Exercises

Remember to squeeze your muscle as you hold each pose. Since you aren’t relying on movement to fatigue your muscles, you must tighten them to reach that point. Tighten up your muscles as much as possible, but stop if it becomes painful.

It is also essential that you remember to breathe correctly. When you tense up your muscles, it’s natural to want to hold your breath, but it isn’t suggested. Your muscles require oxygen to enhance performance, so you’ll want to focus on your breathing.

The proper way to breathe during static exercises is to fill up your belly with air on the inhale. On the exhale, push the air out through your nostrils until your belly contracts. Continue inhaling and exhaling this way throughout the exercises.

You’ll also want to ensure that you maintain proper form to avoid injury. If you don’t stick to the position, it could damage your shoulders or lower back. Plus, you can only target your muscles effectively if you hold the pose correctly.

Don’t overdo it, even if you want to keep pushing. If you can’t hold the correct position anymore, it’s time to stop. Anytime the pose doesn’t feel right, move on to another one and try that one again another day.

Another tip is to switch it up every day. Do different isometric exercises, and mix in other types of movement, too. You don’t have to give up running when you take up isometric options.

Try These Eight Isometric Exercises

Now that you know what isometric exercises are and how to do them properly, it’s time to get started. Here are a few of the best static exercises to begin with, but you can add them to your routine at any time.

1. Wall Sit

Wall sits are a simple but powerful leg workout, targeting the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. They also strengthen the hips and promote balance. Stand about two feet away from the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, lean toward the wall so that your back is flat against it.

Slide down the wall slowly until your thighs are parallel to the ground. You’ll be in a sitting position but using the wall for support. Make sure your knees don’t go out past your toes, and don’t put too much pressure on your knees.

Flex your legs as tightly as you can, and hold them for six to fifteen seconds, repeating the action two or three times. You should also keep your core tight so that you feel tension there, too.

2. Triceps Extension Against the Wall

Triceps extension against the wall works your triceps. You’ll start in a lunge position, but put your palms on the wall at head level. Then, use your triceps to push your hands into the wall. Don’t tense your shoulders during the exercise, and make sure you breathe deeply.

3. Glute Bridge

The glute bridge targets the gluteal muscles, which are behind the quadriceps. You’ll start by lying on your back with your knees bent upward. Keep your knees planted flat on the floor and extend your arms with your palms facing upward.

Then, engage the core muscles as you lift your hips off the ground until your torso is in a straight line. Use your arms throughout the exercise for stability, and hold the post until you can’t anymore. Do this exercise two or three times, holding for thirty seconds each time if you can.

4. Low Squat

A low squat works your glutes, quads, and adductors. You’ll start with your feet shoulder-width apart before squatting until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Once you become comfortable holding the position, push yourself by squeezing your feet inward without actually moving them.

When you try to squeeze your feet together, your inner thigh muscles will contract even more. Make sure your knees don’t go in front of your toes, or you won’t sit back far enough.

While squatting does require moving down into a sitting position, the muscle tension happens while you stay still. Hold the squat for ten to thirty seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat the activity three to five times or until your muscles become fatigued.

5. Self-arm Wrestling

Arm wrestling with yourself sounds silly, but it’s an effective way to work out your biceps and triceps. You’ll start by bending your right arm at a 90-degree angle and then grab your right hand with your left. Push your hands together as hard as you can without moving them in either direction.

After six to fifteen seconds, switch to the other arm. Don’t tense your shoulders while you do it. The focus should be on using your biceps to prevent your arm from dropping and your triceps to push your arm down.

6. Forearm Plank

The forearm plank works your abs, but you must focus on your form. Keep your spine straight and tighten your abs as much as you comfortably can. Don’t let your butt fall or go too high, as your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should align.

7. Bent-over Press Against the Wall

The bent-over press against the wall works your shoulders. You’ll start in a low lunge position with your hands on the wall at chest level. Then, you’ll lean into the wall and push, staying upright. The lower you go into the lunge position, the more exercise your shoulders receive. Staying upright allows it to work out your chest, too.

8. Side Plank

The side plank works your obliques, spinal stabilizers, quadriceps, glutes, serratus anterior, shoulder stabilizers, and hip abductors. You’ll want to start by lying on your left side with your legs straight. Keep your hips, knees, and feet stacked over one another.

Then, bend your left elbow and place your forearm on the ground directly beneath your shoulder. Push your left forearm into the ground and lift your torso and hips. As you do this, keep your core tight and body straight.

You can keep your other arm straight in the air or by your side. Hold the position for at least ten seconds before switching sides.

Final Thoughts on What Are Isometric Exercises? Try These Eight Moves

You can do isometric exercises anywhere, as most don’t require any equipment. They are quick workouts that make a big difference. Consistently doing these exercises builds muscle and tones your body.

Combine these exercises with other workouts for optimal results. You’ll quickly feel stronger and more toned, and you’ll be able to push yourself further. Try these eight moves to get started, but don’t be afraid of branching out after a while.

Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Helps Pets Find New Homes

March 10, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

When Courtney Bellew opened a special needs animal rescue in 2011, she didn’t imagine how many lives it would save. The shelter prides itself on saving the toughest dogs to rehome – those that were abused, neglected, or have medical conditions. These dogs and cats would have otherwise been euthanized if not for SNARR Northeast, the shelter founded by Courtney.

SNARR stands for Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation. Our mission is giving hope to the hopeless, and we just celebrated our ten year anniversary,” Courtney says. “So, we were founded in 2011, and in those ten years, we’ve rescued thousands and thousands of animals. In 2021 alone, we rescued over 1,500 animals, and we are really proud of where we’ve come.”

Many of the dogs that come to the pet rescue have serious health conditions. Some are paralyzed, blind, deaf, severely underweight, or suffering from neurological conditions. They may have behavioral issues, injuries, or orthopedic problems, as a few examples. However, the shelter doesn’t turn away any dogs, aiming to save as many as possible.

They also promote fostering as a way for the public to get involved, as they rely on volunteers to step up to the plate.

“For us, every foster home represents saving lives, because if we have one more open spot at our shelter, it allows us to pull one more animal to safety,” Courtney says. “Foster homes are also really important because it allows animals to live in a home environment.”

Fostering also conditions the dogs to human love while the shelter searches for their forever homes! Courtney says many people come into the special needs animal rescue asking to foster pets. If you’d like to get involved, the shelter accepts foster homes all over the country! However, if you’re local to New York and want to adopt or foster, you can stop by the rescue in person.

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Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Helps Pets Find New Homes

“SNARR is still a very small, personalized rescue; we like to have a really personalized experience for adopters. We kind of live and breathe rescue every day – there’s so much that goes into it. You know, we have lots of volunteers and lots of moving parts to make everything happen,” Courtney explains.

The special needs animal rescue takes in dogs from all over the country in addition to locally. Many of their out-of-state dogs come from Texas and Tennessee. In order to transport so many dogs, it takes a lot of work from everyone involved. Volunteers help process applications, workers help transport the animals, and the public comes in to adopt and/or foster dogs. It’s a group effort and well worth it to save so many souls who want a loving, warm home.

Courtney says transport days are some of her favorite times at the shelter. They usually have regular transport once a week and significant transports one or two times per month. This entails a van or bus full of dogs arriving with between 20-50 animals.

“I always think that it’s such a powerful experience because it brings together all the different components of rescue. You’re watching these animals arrive to their new life and to safety,” Courtney says.

She also loves watching adopters and foster homes pick up their new furry friends off the transport. Many volunteers help out on these special days as well.

“You are watching these animals come off the van, and sometimes they’re nervous, sometimes they’re excited, but again, they’re starting their new life. So to me, transport is always a very important, memorable experience, no matter how many of them I do over the years,” Courtney says.

Saving Lives, One Animal at a Time

Other than that, Courtney greatly enjoys watching the beautiful transformation the dogs go through. They come in broken, both physically and spiritually, and the special needs animal rescue helps them heal. They get a chance at a new life, and it always warms Courtney’s heart to take part in that process.

The shelter pulls dogs from high kill shelters all over the New York and New Jersey area. While the special needs animal shelter mostly takes dogs with medical conditions, they also take in healthy dogs. If a dog needs help and a place to live, the shelter will do their best to accommodate them. They not only give the animals a warm place to lay their heads, but provide costly medical care and help train them.

After Courtney opened the shelter, she said, “I had found my passion and wanted to do more to help in my own area.”

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“We take a lot of dogs with special needs, a lot of dogs with severe medical conditions that have been neglected for years, and I just love watching those transformations. It will never get old, it will never get boring, and it’s what continues to drive us to do what we do,” Courtney says. “And to be better and bigger every year, and save more animals. If you want to be involved, the best way is to visit our website at snarrnortheast.org. We can always use new volunteers, fosters, donors of course; there are so many different ways to be involved.”

If you’d like to help, you can also visit your local animal shelter and consider fostering or adopting. We can all do our part in small ways to make our four-legged friends feel loved and appreciated!

4 Red Flags a Pet Owner Has Become an Animal Hoarder

Final Thoughts on Special Needs Animal Rescue in New York

There are hundreds of animal shelters around the country, but not many special needs animal rescues. The SNARR Northeast takes in animals with severe medical conditions, rehabilitates them, and tries to find their forever homes. They’ve saved thousands of animals over the years and continue to rescue as many dogs as possible. The shelter doesn’t turn away any animal, accepting dogs as they are.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about this beautiful special needs animal rescue! It’s always heartwarming to hear about people going out of their way to help the most fragile and vulnerable among us.

Northwestern University Develops Method to Shrink Tumors

March 10, 2022 by Kristen Lawrence

Northwestern University scientists have created a new device that can shrink tumors rapidly by harnessing immune cells in tumor tissues. To do this, the team multiplied, sorted through, and harvested hundreds of millions of cells using a configurable microfluidic device. This method recovered 400% more of the tumor-eradicating cells than prior techniques.

Compared with other cancer therapies, the new approach tested in mice subjects could significantly shrink tumors. The findings were published on January 27, 2022, in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Currently, many cancer treatment therapies use dangerous chemicals and foreign substances that may cause unwanted side effects. Not to mention, these therapies tend to harm the body’s immune system, making patients more vulnerable to illnesses.

While immunotherapy – using the body’s cells and tissues to treat cancer – can shrink tumors in some cases, it’s not a foolproof method.

“People have been cured in the clinic of advanced melanoma through treatment with their own immune cells that were harvested out of tumor tissue,” said Shana O. Kelley, an expert in translational biotechnology and corresponding author on the paper. “The problem is, because of the way the cells are harvested, it only works in a very small number of patients.”

Kelley is a biochemistry and molecular genetics professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She’s also the Neena B. Shwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at the Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and McCormick School of Engineering.

Shortcomings of Current Cancer Treatments

The targeted cells, called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), are potent, natural immune cells that penetrate tumor tissue. Researchers harvest these cells to shrink tumors; however, previous approaches haven’t always been successful.

In adoptive cell therapies used in clinics today, scientists use TILs with various phenotypes. This refers to the cells’ observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of their DNA with the environment. In many cases, scientists combine older and newer cells in cancer treatments. After they’ve extracted the TILs, they transport them to a lab to multiply and harvest them.

However, after they’ve populated and can return to the body, many cells have no energy left to fight the tumors. The cells have exhausted their resources after being in the body for so long.

Northwestern University Develops Method to Shrink Tumors

The team created a new technology to address this problem with current treatments. Researchers can identify the most active cells with microfluidic affinity targeting of infiltrating cells (MATIC). Using cell sorting techniques powered by nanotechnology, the scientists found the “Goldilocks population” of cells.

The scientists said this: “Compared with conventional cell sorting, immunomagnetic cell sorting recovered up to 30-fold higher numbers of TILs, and the higher levels and diversity of the recovered TILs accelerated TIL expansion and enhanced their therapeutic potency.

“Immunomagnetic cell sorting also allowed us to identify and isolate potent TIL subpopulations, in particular, TILs with moderate levels of CD39 (a marker of T-cell reactivity to tumours and T-cell exhaustion), which we found are tumour-specific, self-renewable and essential for the long-term success of adoptive cell therapies.”

By focusing on one cell phenotype, they noticed a significant shrinkage in tumors in the mice population. In fact, compared with traditional TIL cell therapies, the new method led to a dramatic uptick in survival rates. Also, the new technique could shrink tumors entirely in some cases.

“Instead of giving mice this mixture of cells with different phenotypes, we’re giving them the one cell phenotype that can actually help them,” Kelley said. “You see much more potency and a much higher response rate when you really home in on the sweet spot of T cell reactivity.”

The Future of the Cancer-Fighting Technology

The 3D-printed device offers another advantage that makes it feasible for hospital settings. The unimposing, easily replicated design means the technology doesn’t have to remain in laboratories. Having the cell therapy closer to patients would reduce costs and improve accessibility, benefiting more people.

Kelley joined Northwestern in August from the University of Toronto and continues researching how her device could improve cancer therapies. Currently, she’s using the technology to identify the same types of TILs in blood samples. This way, patients wouldn’t require surgery to remove small tumors before this type of cancer treatment.

She’s already launched a small company to make the technology commercially available. She also plans to collaborate with industry leaders and others at Northwestern to expand applications for the tool. So far, the platform has been utilized primarily for studying and measuring rare cells in the body.

“When we take on the development of a new technology, we typically end up with a hammer, and then need to go find a nail. We got introduced to problems in cell therapy, and it was immediately apparent that this was a perfect fit.” -Shana O. Kelley

The study’s first author, Ph.D. student Daniel Wang, also joined Northwestern from the University of Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow. He plans to keep improving cell therapies that shrink tumors in Kelley’s labs on the Chicago campus.

With this high-precision approach to treating cancer, hopefully, cancer rates will dramatically decline in the future. Sadly, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, according to the WHO.

While cancer therapies play a pivotal role in treatment, you can reduce your cancer risk with lifestyle changes. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, reducing stress, avoiding tobacco and overindulgence in alcohol, and protecting yourself from UV radiation can help prevent cancer.

Final Thoughts on Scientists Finding a New Method to Shrink Tumors

As scientists continue to uncover new cancer treatments, it provides hope for millions worldwide. A team of scientists from Northwestern University developed a cutting-edge technology that improves the recovery of cancer-fighting cells. The device pinpoints the most active cells in tumors, which improves immunotherapy results. They’re currently working on making the devices commercially available for use in hospital settings.

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