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8 Habits That Give You Increased Focus In Life

July 12, 2021 by Lakeisha Ethans

Do you often have difficulty concentrating on tasks? Does your stress seem to mount uncontrollably no matter what you do? Does this all feed into an endless cycle where your lack of focus increases your stress, which worsens your focus some more? Do you wish for increased focus?

Don’t fret! You’re not alone. Many people struggle to maintain their attention, especially when doing important tasks, and many more people feel stressed out by their everyday requirements.

But if it’s such a common problem, then why hasn’t anyone solved it? Well, as a matter of fact, science and research have already long held the answers to overcoming these issues – if you’re willing to practice them, that is. Here are 8 skills you can master to live life with increased focus and reduced stress.

1. Limiting Focus

Multitasking seems like a good thing, and lots of people pride themselves on their ability to multitask. As it turns out, though, it’s actually better to learn to narrow your focus and view instead of expanding it.

The human brain has limited resources. Budgeting how you spend them is crucial to living with healthier stress levels and better concentration. Consider these ways that help boost increased focus:

Doing multiple tasks means that you do more things at lower quality.
It isn’t necessarily faster to multitask; cycling between focuses may even slow you down.
When you focus on too many things, you don’t get .to focus on details properly.
Most people who claim to be good multitaskers are actually quite bad at it.

Try to think of your concentration as a type of spotlight. Shining that spotlight on one task at a time gives you a nice, bright view of the entire endeavor, as opposed to forcing you to look in multiple different directions at once.

If you need to do more than one thing to focus on (which is a common experience for neurodivergent individuals), try to stick to a few things as possible. It can be tough to be aware of the line between helpful multitasking and unhelpful multitasking!

2. Making Good To-Do Lists

In this day and age, there’s no excuse not to use lists. You have a phone with you that likely has a note application or can download task organizers. If you haven’t been doing so already, then you need to start!

Productivity experts explain that written-out action plans, whether in the form of schedules, to-do lists, or other similar option, will boost your positivity. This is because:

It gives you a clear outline of your tasks.
It can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed.
Writing ranked lists will allow you to prioritize efficiently.

Not sure how to start? Pick two or three key, most crucial, and urgent tasks and place them at the very top of your to-do list, then rank the rest of your tasks in order of importance. Tackle them one at a time and feel the great sense of accomplishment from crossing off each one!

3. Assessing Current Focus Levels

To master your stress levels and focus, you need to know how to assess your current state. This self-awareness level doesn’t come naturally to many people, so it’s a skill that you may need to hone.

Start by trying to determine if you’re focused or not. If you’re focused, you:

Tackle tasks and goals as needed
Are you capable of breaking up big tasks into smaller ones if you have trouble with them?
Can stay alert and concentrate on what you’re doing without needing to push yourself
Take regular breaks but can get back on task relatively easily after a set amount of time.
Are you making noticeable progress on your tasks

On the other hand, if you’re not focused, you:

Find yourself regularly daydreaming, losing a lot of time in between
Lose track of where you are in your tasks and keep having to retrace
Feel like you’re constantly being distracted by everything, from simple ambient noises to actual interruptions
Aren’t too sure if you’re making good progress or not and keep cycling between tasks
Are you just “winging it” when it comes to getting out good quality results

4. Deep Breathing

Deep breathing is a fantastic way to bring increased focus to your life, keeping you grounded and expelling stress from your mind. The act of concentrating on yourself in the current moment is beneficial in honing your ability to stay relaxed and focused.

Research has long indicated how proper breathing exercises and techniques can improve positive thinking by calming the body and mind. These exercises are all easy to do and can be done discreetly just about anywhere, without disrupting spaces or letting others know what you’re doing.

Your chosen breathing technique or exercise’s daily practice sharpens the skill, allowing it to be more effective for you and even take less time to become effective. Better yet, combine it with the next number: mindfulness!

5. Using Mindfulness to Build Increased Focus

Mindfulness has been a common part of millennia’s mental well-being practice, and recent research has proven its many benefits. In fact, one such study indicates that individuals who received mindfulness meditation training have better focus and lower stress levels when performing high-stress, time-sensitive jobs, and multitasking.

What is mindfulness? It refers to the ability to keep your focus on the present without allowing your mind to drift to worries or linger on negativity. It is typically done by focusing on one’s breathing, the sensations of one’s body, and what the senses are picking upon.

Mindfulness doesn’t need to include meditation, but it can! Regardless of your preference – meditation or none – everyone can benefit from mindfulness, so put it to practice in the way you prefer. It’s harder than it sounds, but it’s also effective for stress reduction and concentration.

6. Using SMART Goals

We’ve already talked about the importance of to-do lists. But what about, on a larger scale, beyond the simple routine of everyday tasks or work-related assignments? That’s where goal-setting comes in.

In your personal life, there are likely ways that you want to grow and improve. You might want to take up new skills, learn to handle certain negative traits of yours, or even get to a specific place in your life or career. These types of desires, when not addressed, can cause stress, as it’s often quite difficult to achieve these bigger goals without a proper plan. It’s also hard to stay focused on them if you’re not setting goals correctly.

A certain type of goal-setting is well-known for providing benefits in this vein. These goals are known as SMART goals, and research has found that they have positive effects on productivity and achievement. Learning to set SMART goals is crucial in your journey to living a relaxed, focused life.

So, what does SMART mean? Here is what the acronym stands for:

· S for Specific

Goals must have a clear and direct definition that you can’t hedge around, be confused by, or compromise on them.

· M for Measurable

Your progress towards your goals must be clearly trackable and measurable. An inability to determine your progress affects your motivation and can distract you.

· A for Achievable

It’s always nice to challenge yourself, and your goals shouldn’t be easy to achieve. But at the same time, they shouldn’t be impossible. Unreasonable expectations can only lead to disappointment and stress.

· R for Relevant

How do your goals fit into the rest of your life or into other goals? Are they relevant to your current desires and plans? If not, it’s going to be hard to stay focused on the.

· T for Timely

This means imposing “deadlines” for certain milestones in your goals.

7. Taking Breaks

If you’ve ever tried to focus really hard on something specific for a prolonged period of time, then you’ve probably noticed your concentration begin to drain away as your stress levels rise after a while. You might even reach a point where progression is nearly impossible, and if you keep pushing it, you may fall into a severe state of mental exhaustion and become burned out.

There are a few explanations for why this happens. Common beliefs include:

The brain has spent its resources already and cannot expend any more.
The brain tends to ignore nonstop stimulation sources, meaning constantly focusing on the same task for too long becomes too boring for the brain.
Constant work and effort tires the mind the same way exercise tires the body

Regardless of which belief you abide by, research has shown that shifting attention away from tasks for a concise and quick period of time can positively affect your ability to focus. A short break may be necessary for you to maintain concentration and produce good-quality work.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have it in their heads that resting is synonymous with being lazy. More still have trouble noticing when they do need a break. Learning to step away and rest quickly is a tough skill to learn after years of conditioning to the contrary, but you can do it!

8. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a common calming technique. It works by evoking relaxation and positive thinking by individually tensing and relaxing separate muscle groups in the body, one at a time.

Muscles and the human body, in general, often hold a lot of excess tension from mental stress, and most people aren’t naturally aware of that tension. Progressive muscle relaxation allows each muscle group to release that tension that it holds, providing an almost massage-like effect.

To do progressive muscle relaxation, begin at your forehead. Please focus on the muscles in that area, tense them, and then release. Continue working your way down your body until you get to your toes. At first, it may be hard to focus on it, but eventually, you’ll get skilled at noticing muscular tension and relaxing your body in this manner.

Final Thoughts on Mastering These Helpful Skills That Help You Live Life of Increased Focus

Living life with a poor attention span and a lot of stress on your shoulders is far from ideal. You can learn to master these specific skills better control over how you handle this kind of tension. Once you’ve honed these abilities, better concentration and improved stress management techniques will soon follow.

Meet a Family of 13 Fluffy Alaskan Malamutes

July 11, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

The Alaskan Malamute is arguably one of the most beautiful dogs on the planet. With their thick, fluffy coats and almond-shaped eyes, it’s hard not to fall in love with them. Plus, they have beautiful hearts to match their stunning outward appearance. Malamutes make lovely family pets, as they are loyal, gentle, and loving.

You might call them “gentle giants” because, despite their massive size, they’re surprisingly affectionate and playful. They have muscular, sturdy bodies and incredible endurance, originally bred to carry heavy loads as sled dogs. People living in the Arctic still use them for hauling freight, but they’ve also become a beloved household pet. They do need a lot of exercise, though, so they do best in homes with plenty of space.

Most people adopt one or two Malamutes at most, but one woman in Indonesia couldn’t get enough of them. One turned into 13 eventually, and they’ve become her family.

“About six years ago, I bought Puffy, my first Alaskan Malamute. Then I got another one, and the next one, and quickly we became a family of 7,” their owner Soesanti said. “Then they started mating, and I decided to keep some of the puppies. Finally, we’ve become a family of 13.”

The dogs are named Alfa, Puffy, Alaska, Lexi, Akira, Hugo, Goyard, Pooh, Manuka, Dakota, Chelsea, Truffle, and Lexa. Soesanti lives in an area that affords them plenty of space to roam in a natural setting. She walks them as a pack, and they all seem to get along well. After all, malamutes are used to working as a team, so they behave nicely together.

Malamutes in… Indonesia?

While malamutes usually live in colder climates, Indonesia is tolerable for them. They’ve adapted to warmer temperatures by shedding more during the summer months.

“I stay in Bandung – it’s about three hour’s drive from Jakarta – the capital city of Indonesia. The weather here is about 18 to 28 degrees (64 – 82 degrees F) for the whole year, so it’s safe for the pack here.”

Caring for the Alaskan Malamute family

“Taking care of 13 Alaskan Malamutes is totally a lot of hard work for me, so I hire some caretakers to help me take care of them,” Soesanti says. “Every day, I spend a lot of time with them, especially on the weekend, and I feed them myself with a really healthy, balanced diet.”

Due to their large size, many people believe malamutes need tons of food. However, they eat less than other dogs their size because of genetic adaptations. In the Arctic, where they once lived, food was scarce, so they got used to going long periods without food. Their metabolism converts food into fuel very efficiently, meaning they don’t need as much to survive.

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However, they’re highly motivated by food, and many owners make the mistake of overfeeding them. A typical adult malamute needs around 3-4 cups of high-quality dog food per day. They can also eat raw meats and treats on occasion. Malamutes that are very active may need to eat more depending on their exercise habits.

Malamutes can weigh anywhere from 75 – 100 pounds and stand 23 – 25 inches tall at the shoulder. They need tons of exercise since they were bred to run long distances. If you live in the city, make sure you have a large fenced area for them to exercise. While malamutes can adapt to living in an apartment, they need to be walked or exercised daily.

Many owners enjoy taking their malamute companions on hikes, backpacking trips, or bike rides. Any long-distance adventures are perfect for this type of dog to tag along. Just make sure to keep them on a leash, as they can be stubborn with following commands sometimes.

“My advice for you guys if you want to get a pet is to make sure that you can really take care of them well. You spend a lot of time with them and always make them happy,” the dog mom says. “My thirteen Alaskan Malamutes are totally a blessing for me and my family…truly fun companions for us. I really hope that you will keep enjoying our adventures.”

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Essential facts about the Alaskan Malamute

Life expectancy: 10-14 years
Strong, heavy-duty workers
Needs a firm pack leader for guidance
Known to have a stubborn, dominant streak
Requires a lot of training and care
Are highly intelligent and will get bored quickly if they’re not challenged
Love exploring, so it’s best to keep them fenced or on a leash
Very friendly with people, not intimidating
Self-reliant and headstrong
Can be highly possessive with food
Are not recommended for first-time pet owners
Have tons of energy
Best suited to cold environments
One of the oldest, and definitely the largest, sled dog breeds of the Arctic
Descendant of the Arctic wolf (hence their wolflike appearance)
They can have either an all-white or a white and gray, black or red coat
Malamutes need socialization and obedience training due to their strong-willed personality
They love to dig large holes in the dirt; while you can’t train them to stop, you can give them a designated place to dig
They were first recognized by the AKC in 1935
The breed’s name comes from the Mahlemiut, Inuit people who lived in northwestern Alaska.

Final Thoughts: A woman in Indonesia loves Malamutes so much she has thirteen of them

Most people wouldn’t dream of having so many dogs, but Soesanti calls them her family. Having 13 Malamutes to look after isn’t easy, of course, so she hires people to help. However, despite the challenges, not a day goes by that she isn’t thankful for her fur family. She enjoys making the dogs happy because they add so much joy to her life as well.

If you’re considering getting a malamute, make sure you have the time and willingness to care for it. They’re beautiful animals, but they need an owner with lots of energy and patience. However, in the right environment, they are an excellent pet to have around!

What do you love about the Alaskan Malamute? Let us know in the comments!

4 Effective Ways Never to Feel Overwhelmed Ever Again

July 11, 2021 by Lakeisha Ethans

Have you ever had so much going on that you wound up nearly completely shutting down altogether? Being overwhelmed like this can be not very comforting. If that feeling lingers, it can affect your everyday tasks and life in unwanted ways. How can you fight these feelings and reclaim your natural power and capability? Here are four practical ways never to feel overwhelmed again.

1. Get Better At Management

Being overwhelmed is often a mark of poor management. Many people think they don’t have time to perform management tasks properly. Still, they don’t realize that they’ll wind up taking even longer than intended to finish everything on their schedule by not managing themselves well. It’s no wonder they’re so overwhelmed! Here are some tips for getting better at management:

· Set Up A System For Time Management

Everyone has a certain amount of time that they can use in their day, and overall, everyone is granted the same number of hours per day and days per week. Why, then, do some people seem overwhelmed, and others don’t, even when they work the same job? Well, it’s all about managing that time. Studies have found that learning positive time management techniques can be beneficial to mental wellbeing, including depression, anxiety, and even quality of sleep. There are plenty of pieces of advice available for the best time management strategies. Try them out and see what works best for you!

· Determine What Is And Isn’t Urgent

Some people feel best about themselves when they are very productive, but the truth is that many people equate being busy with productivity when that’s not the case at all. Being busy all the time and always keeping yourself moving can contribute significantly to feelings of being overwhelmed. You’ll feel like everything has to be done now and under time pressure! Instead of falling into this trap, take a step back and breathe and separate your tasks. Which ones are urgent and which ones aren’t? Which ones need your immediate attention, and which ones can wait? Use this to determine how to split your time less overwhelmingly.

· Write Things Down, So You Don’t Feel Overwhelmed

Some people pride themselves on having a good memory and try to remember everything, wearing that as a badge of honor. But not only is this viable, not the most effective management method, but it also may be making you overwhelmed. If you’ve been feeling lost lately, it may be because there’s already too much in your head for any more to get wedged in. The human brain is not designed for foolproof, conscious storage – it’s meant to be used for processing! Let it do its job and focus on writing down goals, schedules, tasks, deadlines, and even thoughts that you want to remember to manage them more accurately.

2. Learn To Let Go

The thoughts you hold in your mind can crowd your brain and make it challenging to make space for important things now. You have to let go of these things you hold onto so desperately to reduce those overwhelmed feelings. There is wisdom in knowing what is not worth holding onto, and you can be thankful for the lessons you’ve learned from those things without keeping them in your mind forever. Here are some things that you may need to let go of:

· Guilt

A lot of people feel guilt over things that aren’t deserved. You may feel guilty for not having done enough in a situation where you genuinely couldn’t do much more, or you may feel guilty for not noticing things, or you may feel guilty for not measuring up to expectations. None of these things are worthy of guilt, and feeling guilt will only overwhelm and stifle you. What about for things, where you did make mistakes and guilt was warranted? Well, then you must learn from those mistakes and then release your guilt all the same! Nothing can be gained from hanging onto guilt.

· Comparison

It’s easy to compare yourself to other people you perceive as more successful, more attractive, capable, skilled, or more driven than you. But remember that whenever you do this, you’re comparing your most profound knowledge of your worst sides to the surface-level projection of other people’s most positive sides. That’s always bound to overwhelm you, and it’s uneven from the start – so why even bother?

· What You Can’t Control

You can’t control everything in life. In fact, most things you’ll see are far beyond your control, and obsessing over trying to have as much of a rein on them as possible can be very distressing and overwhelming, especially since that’s unlikely to work or bear any fruit. You’ll get more overwhelmed when you fail to control outcomes. Instead, learn to let go of the things that you can’t determine or guarantee the results of. Focus, instead, on positive thinking on the things that you can control.

· The Past

The things that you’ve experienced in your life may contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed. It’s more complicated than it sounds to let go of such painful things, of course, but you can learn to overcome them one step at a time. Count your breaths out and in, and remember that your past does not define you and that you are more than what you have been through. When thoughts of the past come back to haunt you, acknowledge them respectfully, but remind yourself that these thoughts no longer serve you. You have learned your lessons and have grown more potent for it – and it’s time to let go.

3. Whittle Down Commitments

Overcommitting is a common cause of being overwhelmed. You have so much to do, and you have people who expect you to do it. But now your schedule is so complete that you have no time even to breathe! Learning to choose commitments properly is, therefore, a must for positive thinking. Here are some ways to whittle down commitments:

· Make Time For What You Love

When you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to lose sight of the things you love and forget to make time for them as you scamper and scurry to other commitments, left and right. But studies show that making time for hobbies works wonders on your positive thinking, and it can help you reconnect with things that relax and delight you. Remember that you need to make time for the things you love, too – and those things are more important than random commitments if you want to stay sane!

· Learn To Say “No.”

Being a people-pleaser can be detrimental to you, filling you to the brim with tiring commitments even though you don’t have any more space on your calendar. It’s hard to say “no” when you want to make others happy or even seek their validation. But when you overcrowd your schedule by making so many commitments to others with “yes”es and “of course”s, you’re setting yourself up to burn out and even not to be able to meet those commitments at all. Learn who is worthy of your time, who is simply using you, and when you need to take a break, regardless of who is asking for the favor.

· Set Gentle Boundaries First

Suppose you have trouble turning down specific commitments, gently set boundaries, and work yourself up to braver and bolder statements. Tell others what your priorities are. Explain the state of your schedule. Then say these words: “I’ll get back to you,” or something similar. This shows that you are a whole person with your tasks and a lot on your plate; you’re not there to fill the needs of others constantly.

4. Avoid Distractions to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

Distractions eat up your time, take up your senses, and drown out what you need to do. It’s normal to get overwhelmed when you can’t even focus on being productive! Here are some ways to avoid distractions:

· Limit Attention To Devices

Smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and even just the vast expanse of the Internet and social media can be very attention-grabbing. If you let yourself be distracted by them, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Set time limits for these things, limiting yourself to a certain amount of time on them before you turn them off. Put your phone on silent mode, leave the TV and games for later, and turn off devices that keep your attention for too long. You get to decide what you spend your time on, after all.

· Don’t Fall Victim To Bad Habit Perpetuation

There are many bad habits out there that people perform, and some are more harmful than others. But when it comes to being overwhelmed, it’s best to avoid or limit them as much as possible. Bad habits weigh on the mind and soul, depleting positive thinking and making productivity harder. Things like gambling, drinking in excess, and other similar patterns can bleed into your everyday life and make you feel overwhelmed.

· Don’t Multitask

People everywhere like to brag about their ability to multitask, but studies prove that this isn’t a positive way to work at all. In fact, doing multiple tasks at once can force self-interrupting. As a result, it leads to an overall longer time taken than if you had done those tasks separately. Your brain has to work extra hard to keep up with all the task-switching it’s doing, which can make you feel overwhelmed very quickly.

· Stop Thinking About Other Timelines

As you are right now, you are currently present in the actual state of your current reality. You can’t go back and undo the past, and you can’t go forward and predict the future. Ruminating over things to come and things that have passed will only overwhelm you further, as there’s no solution to the thoughts you experience about them. Instead, focus on your world right now. Ask what the most important thing at the moment is and devote yourself to acting on that.

Final Thoughts On Some Effective Ways Never to Feel Overwhelmed Again

It would be best if you didn’t have to feel overwhelmed all the time, or even at all. Learning to manage your time, thoughts, and commitments while avoiding distractions can help you avoid such experiences positively. Additionally, it promotes better productivity, lower stress levels, and improved well-being.

This Adventure Loving Labradoodle Loves Exploring Canyons

July 11, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

Lou the Labradoodle lives in scenic Utah with her awesome dog parents Maya and Carson. Lou is no ordinary dog; she goes exploring canyons in the vast desert with her mom and dad. They love taking her on adventures, and she seems to enjoy it just as much as they do!

“We absolutely love Lou and she brings such joy to everyone we meet in canyons,” says Maya, the proud dog mom of Lou. “It always surprises people to meet her in canyons, especially because she’s not a tiny dog. She does weigh about 70 pounds, which doesn’t always make it easy, but it makes it absolutely worth it!”

Of course, it took Lou a while to feel comfortable rappelling off giant cliffs and hiking through slot canyons. Once she warmed up to the sport, though, it seemed like she was a natural! She now rappels and hikes through canyons like she was born to do it. They’ve taken her on countless adventures, and they couldn’t imagine their excursions without her now.

Maya says lovingly of her furry friend:

“Lou is pretty incredible. She is a year-and-a-half old red Labradoodle, but she doesn’t quite look like one; she’s a mix between a Lab and Labradoodle. She just didn’t end up curly, and we love her just the way she is.”

Maya and Carson have a lot of experience with canyoneering. After mastering the sport, they decided to show Lou the ropes as well. There’s nothing like exploring the great outdoors with your best friend!

“My husband and I are extraordinarily active; we’ve spent the last couple of summers being canyoneering guides. Canyoneering is the exploration of slot canyons through downclimbing, hiking, rappelling and even swimming at times. This is an incredible sport and we have fallen in love with it.”

Adventure dog Lou is a master of canyoneering

Canyoneering takes time to become skilled in, so they wanted to ease Lou into it slowly. Hiking in Utah’s deserts is no easy feat, so they wanted her to feel comfortable with that first.

“When we got Lou, we wanted to bring her on as many adventures as possible. We began simply by hikes,” Maya says. “She got really, really good, really fast. We began taking her on more difficult hikes and training more and more with her each day. Eventually, we decided to start with very basic rappels after she was comfortable with being on the edge of cliffs and we could trust her there. We began rappelling, and she fell in love with it; from then on, we’ve been canyoneering with her for the last year.”

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A post shared by Lou (@lookwhatloucando)

If you want to take your dog hiking or canyoneering, you need to make sure you have the proper gear. Dog shoes or boots are an absolute necessity in the desert, as the rocks can get scorchingly hot. Also, dogs can easily step on thorns or sharp plants which can cause painful cuts. Maya talks about the importance of boots in one of her Instagram posts.

“The first time we went canyoneering with Lou, we didn’t have boots for her, and by the end she had several cuts in her paws. Not to mention, she got into a cactus. Boots protect her feet from sharp rocks, cactuses, and the heat off the rocks. If you are looking to do a lot of adventures with your dog, boots are essential! Our favorite brand is My Busy Dog Boots!”

They also bought Lou dog goggles to keep sand out of her eyes and protect her from the sun. In addition, it’s important to make sure you have the right rappelling gear for your dog. They use the Ruffwear double back full body harness, as it seems most comfortable for Lou.

Lou proves that adventuring is more fun with a dog

Throughout their adventures together, they’ve also made adjustments to their rappelling technique. In the beginning, they tandem rappelled with Lou suspended below them. While this is the most common technique, they found that rappelling with her in their lap felt more comfortable. They also discovered it gave them more control over the experience.

Now that they’ve made the right adjustments and gotten the appropriate gear, canyoneering goes smoothly and is even more fun! Lou has mastered the sport of canyoneering, but she’s still a little skittish when it comes to crossing water. A bit strange for a retriever for sure, but it’s one of those quirks unique to every dog.

“We absolutely love her. She’s very talented, she’s had lots of training and we’ve gone on so many fun adventures with her. She’s a part of my family, and she looks out for me just like I look out for her, and I absolutely love that about her,” Maya says.

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A post shared by Lou (@lookwhatloucando)

“She’s a ray of sunshine in our lives; she has brought so much happiness and continually just brightens our day. We want to share that with the world.”

While dogs can make life much more fulfilling, it’s important to be prepared for the responsibility.

“If I was to give advice to anyone, I would say first off, do your research. Don’t go in not prepared,” Maya says. “My husband and I, before we got Lou, were preparing to get her for a year and a half. We didn’t want to just get a dog and then give it away. We wanted it to become part of our family, and that’s what we did. There’s so much more you can do with your dog and that has just brought pure positivity into our lives.”

Final thoughts about Lou the adventure-loving, canyoneering dog

Lou proves to any dog owners out there that dogs are capable of more than just neighborhood walks. They can go on long hikes and even explore canyons, provided they have the right gear. Dogs can and should explore the great outdoors with their pet parents, because it benefits them as much as it does us! Hopefully, if you have a dog, Lou will inspire you to bring your pet with you on your next adventure.

Canadian Study Links Lockdowns to Cleaner Air in Urban Areas

July 10, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

Canadian researchers have found that pandemic lockdowns have resulted in cleaner air in major cities. Throughout the virus outbreak, billions of people worldwide have had to adjust to a new way of life. Many of them have started working from home to prevent the further spread of the virus. Therefore, carbon emissions and mobility have dropped dramatically.

Since people have been at home more, there have been noticeable improvements in air quality. Fewer vehicles on the roads mean less pollution being emitted, and therefore, cleaner air. The study published by Concordia researchers appeared in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) provided funding for the research.

Researchers analyzed data from downtown air quality monitoring stations in eight major Canadian cities. These included Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and St. John’s. They looked at the cities’ concentration levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. The team compared levels measured between February and August 2020 with data recorded over the same period in 2018 and 2019.

They also used satellite imagery and urban transportation fuel consumption data to analyze emissions traffic congestion figures. This data came from tracking technology in cars and phones. After looking at all this data, the research team found that emissions levels decreased significantly during lockdowns.

When did this improvement in air quality begin?

The scientists noted that the most dramatic drop-offs occurred during the week beginning Sunday, March 15, 2020. Of course, this coincided with the start of the national lockdowns.

“We saw traffic congestion levels decrease by 69 percent in Toronto and by 75 percent in Montreal, compared to the same week in 2019,” says the paper’s lead author, Xuelin Tian, a second-year MSc student at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. Fellow student Zhikun Chen and her supervisor Chunjiang An, assistant professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, co-authored the study. Zhiqiang Tian of Xi’an Jiaotong University in China also collaborated.

Fewer cars on the roads mean cleaner air, especially in urban areas.

The research shows that motor gasoline consumption dropped by almost 50% throughout the pandemic, especially at the beginning. Carbon dioxide emissions fell by about the same amount during this period as well. According to the data, motor gasoline consumption accounted for 8,253.52 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions in April 2019. In April 2020, this number fell to 4,593.01 – nearly a 50% decrease.

The authors also noted huge drops in nitrogen dioxide concentration levels in four major Canadian cities. In Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton, these figures have decreased since the start of the pandemic. Carbon monoxide concentration levels, impacted greatly by the transportation and mobile equipment sectors, also dropped. In Edmonton, carbon monoxide concentration levels declined by around 50%. Researchers noted a decrease from 0.14 parts per million in March 2018 to 0.07 in March 2020.

While emissions began increasing during the summer, researchers haven’t yet analyzed data from the second lockdown in the fall/winter of 2020. Using the data collected from this period, governments can better understand how to keep Canadian city streets free of pollution. For instance, replacing gas cars with electric ones could keep emissions down and promote cleaner air.

“This pandemic provided an opportunity for scenario analysis, although it wasn’t done on purpose,” says An, Concordia University Research Chair in Spill Response and Remediation.

“Governments everywhere are trying to reduce their use of carbon-based fuels. Now we have some data that shows what happens when we reduce the number of gasoline-powered vehicles and the effect that has on emissions.”

Other signs of cleaner air due to lockdowns

According to CNN, satellite images taken during the first few weeks of lockdowns in March 2020 showed improved air quality. Compared with images from March 2019, those taken at the same time in 2020 showed less nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide in the air comes mostly from burning fuels and emissions from vehicles, power plants, and off-road equipment. This information comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

In populous cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, the contrast between March 2019 and 2020 is striking. California had strict stay-at-home orders last March, so people could only leave their homes for essential activities. Western Washington also showed dramatic decreases in emissions due to impacts from the virus. The US and Canada closed their borders to unnecessary travel, so most activities came to a virtual standstill.

Italy and China also saw cleaner air throughout the pandemic, especially during strict lockdowns. Last March, China started to get back to normal after recording no new cases of the virus. During the lockdown, however, air quality improved dramatically because of less traffic on the roads. At the start of the outbreak, China put its citizens in quarantine and closed factories to prevent further infections.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) observed a huge decline in surface particulate matter in China. From December 2019 to March 2020, satellite images and computer models revealed a 20-30% decrease over most of China.

According to Marshall Burke, an assistant professor at Stanford, the cleaner air may have saved between 50,000 and 75,000 from premature death.

Final thoughts: lockdowns from the pandemic improved air quality in big cities

All around the world, satellite images and air quality monitoring stations have shown the positive impact of lockdowns. While many people have grown weary of staying in, this gave the Earth a chance to “detox” in a way. Because most of us have cut our travel dramatically, this, in turn, led to much less pollution. The Canadian study proved that emission levels have decreased by as much as 50% in major cities.

At the start of the lockdowns, satellite images showed much cleaner air in populous areas like California and China. Perhaps moving forward, we can apply what we’ve learned from lockdowns to our daily lives. Electric cars, fewer fossil fuels, and other renewable energies can ensure cleaner air for everyone.

15 Affirmations That Help You Choose Positivity Over Anxiety

July 10, 2021 by Sarah Barkley

If you have anxiety, then you know the negative feelings that come with it. The negative feelings can stand in your way of happiness and reaching your goals. The good thing is that you can train yourself to choose positivity over anxiety.

Feeling anxious is normal, and it can be a beneficial stress response. Anxiety can alert you of danger, encourage you to check in on someone, and helps you pay attention to your surroundings. In these instances, it is helpful and sometimes life-saving.

Oftentimes, though, anxiety can become an overwhelming sensation that controls your thoughts. It can even cause you to believe things that aren’t true. In these instances, it goes beyond a normal response and becomes detrimental to your wellbeing.

When your anxiety has reached the point of becoming a problem, you can decide to choose positivity instead. Positive affirmations can help you change your mindset by retraining your brain.

Some of the benefits of positive affirmations for anxiety include these:

-reduced stress
-better coping mechanisms
-positive attitude toward the future
-improved concentration and focus
-more success
-increased self-esteem and confidence
-better relationships
-an improved sense of wellbeing

Signs That Your Anxiety is Controlling Your Mind

Many signs can help you determine if your anxiety is normal or if it has become a problem. These signs include the following:

-anxious feelings overtaking your mind
-constant hyper-vigilance
-nagging thoughts that make you feel bad
-stressing over how your text message or email will be interpreted
-living with a worry of something that hasn’t happened and likely won’t happen
-convincing yourself of things there is no proof of or that you know aren’t true

Fifteen Affirmations That Help You Choose Positivity

Reflect on these statements to show yourself a little bit of love.

1. I choose to think positive and calming thoughts always.

When you choose to think this way, you will feel better and less anxious. If you notice that your thoughts are becoming negative, then repeat this affirmation. Say it as many times as it takes to change your mindset, and open your mind to positive thinking.

2. I am strong enough to deal with any situation.

Always remember that you have everything it takes to overcome anything. No matter what situation you find yourself in, repeat this affirmation so that anxiety doesn’t overtake your mind. If you can remain positive, getting through hard times will be easier.

3. I know that I am safe, and there is nothing to be afraid of right now.

When you feel anxious about something, it often means you are afraid or unsure. In those moments, assess the situation and determine if you are in danger. If not, there is nothing to fear, and you can change your mindset by reaffirming it.

Repeat this affirmation and allow yourself to believe it. Repeating and trusting the statement will help you form a positive mindset instead of letting the anxiety take over.

4. I learn and grow from every situation I go through.

When you know that you are learning and developing you will see the positive things about your situation. When you focus on the positive aspects instead of what you’re unsure of, you will feel better. Anytime you feel anxious, remind yourself that this is a learning opportunity and you will be better because of it.

5. I know I can’t change everything, so I will only focus on what I can change.

Sometimes the things you can’t change are what lead to anxiety. Instead of allowing this to happen, accept that you can’t change everything. Then, make a conscious decision to only focus on the things that you can change.

When you stop obsessing over what you can’t change, your mind will be clear. You can then focus on the things that matter right now, which is what you can change. If you focus on what you can work on right now, it will help you stay positive as you move forward.

6. I will be watchful but calm when I feel anxious.

It can be hard to ease your anxiety when you feel like something might be wrong. When this happens, remind yourself that everything is okay, but it is also okay to observe your surroundings. Tell yourself to be calm and pay attention, and you will begin to notice the positive things instead.

When you permit yourself to be watchful, it allows you an opportunity to trust yourself. It also lets you see that things are okay, which will ease your mind and anxiety.

7. I always look for things to be thankful for in my life.

In moments of overwhelming anxiety, thinking about what you are grateful for can help. Thinking about what you are thankful for will bring to mind the things you cherish and the people you love.

Each time you do this, you will notice that it is calming. Doing this can help you choose positivity as you focus on what makes you feel happy and safe.

8. I accept the things I can’t change and understand that everything will work out.

When you can’t change something, you must accept it. Nothing you can do will change how things worked out, and with acceptance, you will feel better. Just remind yourself that everything will work out the way it was supposed to.

Have faith that your life will be okay, even if you are unsure about it right now. When you don’t know what your future holds, choosing to think positively about it will prevent anxiety from settling in.

9. I know that this feeling will pass, so for now I will take deep breaths.

When all else fails, this affirmation will help you choose positivity. When you acknowledge that you know the negative feeling will pass, it helps ease your mind more quickly. Tell yourself to take deep breaths, and then do it because it will help reaffirm the words you have spoken.

10. I understand that my anxiety causes me to think about things that aren’t always true.

When you feel anxious, your thoughts tend to become extremely negative. Then, you will begin to convince yourself of things that aren’t true. You may convince yourself that your best friend doesn’t like you or that your family doesn’t like having you around.

When these types of thoughts come to mind, use this positive affirmation to change your mindset. Remember that your negative thoughts aren’t true and that your anxiety is manipulating you.

11. I am in control of my thoughts, and I choose which mindset I will take on.

Always remember that you control your mind, and you can decide your mindset. Since you are in control, if you want to be positive you simply have to choose positivity. Take control of your mind so that you can live a better, happier life.

12. I exhale anxiety and inhale strength and positivity.

After you say this positive affirmation, physically do what it says. As you exhale, imagine the anxiety leaving your body. Likewise, when you inhale, imagine inhaling strength and positivity.

You can even let this affirmation run through your mind as you focus on your breathing. When you keep the positive statement in your mind, it will allow you to do it anywhere and any time.

13. I am good enough and know that I am doing my best.

Anxiety can cause you to feel like you aren’t good enough or aren’t doing enough. If this is the case for you, this affirmation can help you overcome that feeling.

You are good enough, and if you know that you are doing your best, you should feel good about yourself. Use this statement to reaffirm your belief in yourself.

14. I find joy in the little things, even when I feel anxious.

With anxiety, you may notice that you don’t find joy in your life as often. Repeat this affirmation each day, and you will remember to look for joy as you go through your day. Looking for things to be happy about can help ease your anxiety, and you will become more positive as the day goes on.

15. I can make mistakes can bounce back from them.

Everyone makes mistakes, so you shouldn’t give yourself a hard time about it. Learn from your mistakes and use them as an opportunity for growth and development. When you learn from your mistakes, you will bounce back and be better than you were before.

Choosing a positive mindset when you make a mistake will you move forward. It will help you overcome the obstacle and come up with a new plan that works. Don’t let your anxiety prevent you from doing better next time.

Final Thoughts on Affirmations That Help You Choose Positivity Over Anxiety

As you read through these affirmations to help you choose positivity, keep an open mind. Say them all out loud and then determine which ones resonated the most. You must find the positive affirmations that work for you because they might not all do the trick.

As you choose positivity each day, it will become easier to think with a positive mindset. Always remember that you are the only person that can decide how you feel. Make sure you choose positivity so you can feel good and be happy.

What’s Your Romantic Style? This Fun Psychology Test Reveals All

July 10, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

Your romantic style can reveal a lot about your expectations and desires in a relationship. For instance, your partner might enjoy a quiet night in, while you prefer an exciting evening on the town. It all comes down to your personality, beliefs about romance, and connection with your partner.

Some partners may have the same romantic style, while others have totally different love languages.

Romantic styles and love languages have many similarities, and many couples find their relationships deepen after learning theirs. People have different ideas of what constitutes romance and love based on their own views and personalities. Of course, we all want to feel loved and wanted, but how we express that varies widely. One person may show love by doing errands or chores for their partner, while the other gives words of affection.

Dr. Gary Chapman, Ph.D., a well-known marriage counselor, discovered early on in his career that many couples had similar complaints. After studying thousands of session notes over the years, he realized that all of their concerns fell into five categories. He then coined the ‘5 love languages’ and wrote a best-selling novel with the same title. His research has helped many couples learn how to love and understand each other better.

What are the five love languages?

People’s romance styles differ based on many factors, but when couples have different love languages, it can cause misunderstandings. Oftentimes, simply stating what they want from one another doesn’t change anything. They may fall back into similar patterns and feel unsatisfied in the relationship. However, when they take the time to understand one another’s unique love language, they feel more fulfilled in the partnership.

The five love languages include acts of service, words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, and receiving gifts. We will go over each of these in detail below.

1 – Acts of service:

If you have this love language, you value anything your partner does to alleviate your workload. For example, your spouse cooking dinner one night when you’re exhausted or helping you clean the house makes you feel loved. You prefer action to words because talk is cheap. When your partner puts effort into doing chores or acts of kindness, you feel seen and understood.

Actions to take:

Do little things for them like making their coffee or breakfast in the morning. They need you to show you love them by helping with chores or daily tasks.

2 – Words of affirmation:

Unlike those who enjoy acts of service, you need to hear encouraging words from your partner. You need your partner to tell you how much they love, care about, and appreciate you. When you don’t hear your loved ones express how they feel often, you feel neglected and unloved. People with this love language may not have gotten much verbal validation, so they greatly value it in a relationship.

Actions to take:

Listen intently when your partner talks to you, and ask questions for clarity.

Encourage them often, and express your feelings with love notes or sweet texts/messages. They love thoughtful gestures like that, and they appreciate words that come from the heart.

3 – Quality time:

People with this romance style cherish one-on-one time with their partners. So, staying in to watch a movie or play a board game together goes a long way with them. They value undivided, close attention from their spouse and greatly appreciate spontaneous date nights. When you turn off your phone and focus on conversation or an activity with them, they feel on top of the world.

Actions to take:

Plan a date night where you can both truly enjoy each other’s company. Eliminate distractions so you can focus on one another without anything getting in the way.

4 – Physical touch:

Having this love language means you prefer intimacy and physical affection over anything else. You feel the most loved when your partner embraces you, whether with hugs, kisses, or sex. This helps you connect emotionally with him or her as well and makes you feel wanted. Cuddling on the couch while watching TV, for example, helps you feel validated, loved, and safe.

Actions to take:

Give your partner intimacy and physical affection whenever possible. They love spontaneous gestures like holding their hand when walking in a park or giving them a kiss in public.

5 – Receiving gifts:

While this is the least popular love language, it doesn’t mean people who enjoy gifts are materialistic. Oftentimes, they value the time, effort, and thought that goes into gift-giving. Gifts are very personal and say a lot about a person. When you pick out a gift for your spouse, it shows them that you care about what adds meaning to their life.

Actions to take:

Buy them a small gift that really resonates with them. For example, if they’re into candles and incense, pick up their favorite scent at your local store and surprise them.

According to Dr. Chapman, affirmation words are the most popular love language, but only by a hair. In 2010, 10,000 people took the love language quiz on his website, and 23% got affirmation words. Following closely behind was quality time, at 20%. 20% also got service acts; 19% chose physical touch, and 18% got receiving gifts.

Final thoughts: everyone has a personal love language and romantic style…what’s yours?

Many couples have trouble communicating and figuring out their wants and needs. Learning about each other’s romance style and love language could help bridge that gap. When you understand how to show love to your partner, it changes everything about approaching the relationship. For example, maybe you’ve been giving your spouse too much physical affection and not enough words of affirmation.

When a couple takes time to understand how their partner feels the most loved, it can reignite that spark in a relationship. If you’d like to find your love language, take the quizzes linked above for more information.

To find out more about your romantic style, you can also take this 10-minute quiz on Psychology Today. It will reveal detailed information about your love language and help you understand how you show affection.

Research Shows How Faith Helps Regulate Emotions

July 9, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

In our increasingly chaotic, stressful world, many people look for ways to help regulate emotions and restore peace. A new study found that people who believe in some type of faith use similar emotion-regulation strategies as psychologists. The research showed that religious people try to think about hardship in a positive light, known as “cognitive reappraisal” in psychology. They also have higher confidence when faced with struggles, called “coping self-efficacy” to psychologists.

Both of these skills have been proven to reduce symptoms of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. The research was published in the Journal of Religion and Health.

“It appears that religious people are making use of some of the same tools that psychologists have systematically identified as effective in increasing well-being and protecting against distress,” said Florin Dolcos, a professor of psychology in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He led the study along with psychology professor Sanda Dolcos and graduate student Kelly Hohl.

“This suggests that science and religion are on the same page when it comes to coping with hardship,” he said.

They decided to undertake the research because of prior studies showing that religion and psychology both employ similar coping techniques.

“For example, when somebody dies, a religious person may say, ‘OK, now they are with God,’ while someone who isn’t religious may say, ‘Well, at least they are not suffering anymore,'” Florin said. So, in both scenarios, the person views the situation in a positive light to cope with their pain or grief.

The in-depth study that showed how faith can regulate emotions

For the study, the researchers wanted to find out if religious people utilized and benefited from reappraisal to regulate emotions. 203 volunteers with no history of clinical anxiety or depression partook in the study. 57 of the participants answered a questionnaire about their religious or spiritual beliefs. Then, the research team asked the group to describe their coping strategies, attitudes, and religious practices.

“We asked them about their coping styles. So, for religious coping, we asked if they try to find comfort in their religious or spiritual beliefs,” Hohl said. “We asked them how often they reappraise negative situations to find a more positive way of framing them or whether they suppress their emotions.”

Then, the team asked participants questions designed to quantify their depression and anxiety symptoms. They also evaluated their coping self-efficacy when faced with challenging situations. Hohl said she looked for any correlations between coping strategies, levels of discomfort, and religious or non-religious practices. Furthermore, she employed a mediation analysis to understand what practices or attitudes affected levels of depression and/or anxiety.

“If we are just looking at the relationship between religious coping and lower anxiety, we don’t know exactly which strategy is facilitating this positive outcome,” Sanda Dolcos said. “The mediation analysis helps us determine whether religious people are using reappraisal as an effective way of lessening their distress.”

Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed whether a religious person’s coping self-efficacy helped them regulate emotions during times of crisis. Psychological studies have shown that people with higher confidence in their ability to cope with crises have fewer symptoms of mental illness.

“We found that if people are using religious coping, then they also have decreased anxiety or depressive symptoms,” Sandra said.

Benefits of believing in something greater than yourself

She went on to say that the two skills listed above, cognitive reappraisal and coping self-efficacy, resulted in decreased distress. Hohl said that this study should pique the interest of psychologists working with clients who follow a faith.

“It should also speak to clergy members or church leaders who can promote this kind of reappraisal to help parishioners make sense of the world and increase their resilience against stress,” she said.

“I hope this is an example of where religion and science can work together to maintain and increase well-being,” Florin Dolcos said.

Once again, this study proves that religion and science actually have more similarities than differences. While they take different approaches to understanding life, they do have some common ground, especially when it comes to psychology. Of course, some people will say they don’t need faith to help regulate emotions, and everyone’s entitled to their own beliefs.

However, believing in something out there can offer more than just easing emotional distress. Many studies have been done on the benefits of having faith in mental and physical health. It seems that the positive impact of faith on health comes from the comfort and solace people get from their beliefs.

Here are a few benefits of having faith in something, backed by science:

Believing in religion or something spiritual reduces suicide rates, alcoholism, and drug use.
Organized religion helps one feel as though they belong to a group and provides social support.
Having faith increases acceptance, endurance, and resilience. In times of stress, a person may feel better because they believe that, for better or worse, the outcome is in God’s hands.
Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism practice meditation. Whether you’re religious or not, scientists have found meditation provides a plethora of health benefits. Some of these include improvement in mental illness symptoms, lower blood pressure and heart rate, better sleep, and reduced stress.
It provides structure in a person’s life, giving them guidelines to live by.

Final thoughts: Having faith helps regulate emotions and provide comfort during difficulties

A groundbreaking study found that psychology and religion have more in common than previously thought. The research revealed that two specific skills, coping self-efficacy and cognitive reappraisal, help people get through trying times.

Religious people use these skills whether they know it or not during times of hardship. For example, when someone passes away, they see it in a positive light because they believe the person is with God. Non-religious people may view it as freedom from suffering for the person who passed on. In both cases, the common coping skills used among religious and non-religious people help them regulate emotions and reframe difficult situations.

7 Ways Gratitude Helps You Prevent Burnout and Stress

July 9, 2021 by Lakeisha Ethans

It’s easy to overlook mental and emotional exhaustion. You rest when you’re physically exhausted, but when was the last time you took stock of your psychological energy? A lack of such energy can lead to a commonly misunderstood phenomenon known as burnout.

Simply put, burnout occurs when you become mentally exhausted. This is often caused by an overwhelmingly negative outlook on life that builds as you become more and more tired. Though it sounds silly, being thankful may help reduce that negativity so that you don’t get burned out as quickly.

Gratitude Can Help Prevent Burnout and Stress–Here’s How

Here are seven ways gratitude helps you prevent burnout.

1. It Helps Sleep Quality

Getting enough sleep is usually enough to feel rested, but sometimes sleep quality matters just as much, if not more. The quality of your sleep determines how restored you feel after a night spent snoozing. Typically, it would be best to have a long enough series of deep sleep cycles to feel restored and energized the next day.

A lack of sleep can contribute to faster experiences of burnout as you feel tired and exhausted, even when you think that you shouldn’t. Research indicates that gratitude is capable of activating a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a crucial component for bodily mechanisms, as it is responsible for the control of many different necessary functions. Sleep is one of them.

2. It Eases Experiences Of Anxiety

Anxiety is often a factor that exists alongside burnout. This is because it’s the body’s natural way of informing you when something is wrong. It’s like a wake-up call that sends you into fight-or-flight mode, indicating that you’re in some danger. That danger doesn’t have to be physical, either. In fact, emotional risk feels just as real and significant to the body.

Burnout and the process leading up to it involves pushing yourself to mental exhaustion. It’s natural, then, that anxiety begins to mount as you approach the point of burning out, as it attempts to warn you. The problem, of course, is that pressure can also speed up the arrival at burnout point because the stress from those emotions can mess up your psychological state.

Reducing anxiety can help prevent burnout because it minimizes the fight-or-flight reaction, giving you time to properly assess your situation with a logical mind before the adrenaline begins to surge. Gratitude can help with that, too.

Gratitude pushes your brain to focus on positive thinking, good feelings, and optimistic thoughts. Studies indicate that those who are grateful naturally concentrate on the bright side of situations, allowing them to feel less anxious, even when confronted with significant anxiety sources such as great fears or the inevitable nature of death.

On a more scientific scale, gratitude is also capable of regulating your nervous system, especially in the sympathetic quadrants. It teaches the brain to see the good, filtering out unnecessary negativity so you can focus on either positive things or only important and realistic negative factors.

3. It Releases Toxic Emotions

Your feelings are always valid, but they can become a problem when they stay repressed and lingering in your mind for prolonged periods. Emotions have to be expressed, not repressed, if you want to maintain positive thinking. Burnout can come more quickly if feelings like anxiety, stress, worry, and frustration keep building up.

Gratitude is crucial in activating certain parts of the brain that can help regulate these emotions. You see, feelings are formed and experienced in these portions of the brain:

Amygdala
Cingulate gyrus
Hippocampus
Hypothalamus
Thalamus

These are parts of the limbic system or the neocortical brain portions. When you practice gratitude, you can “light up” these parts of the brain to better manage those emotions, leading to better positive thinking. Research has indicated that gratitude can speed up mental health recovery and improvement in this manner.

4. It Builds Resilience

Resilience is a fascinating subject, and it’s a complex and psychologically proven phenomenon. Emotional resilience, specifically, is crucial to maintaining the strength necessary to fight burnout. It refers to the ability to combat stress, manage negative emotions, and overcome hurdles and difficulties. Without emotional resilience, you’ll burn out much more quickly and become very tired.

Gratitude manages to build up resilience quickly. Here’s how:

· It Helps You Find Ways To Push Forward

It’s not uncommon for people to focus a little too much on the difficulties they face. In fact, studies have long documented how individuals see their struggles more clearly than their blessings. Gratitude helps you balance your view of these factors, and ironically, seeing blessings will make it easier for you to combat struggles.

· It Creates Adaptive Coping Mechanisms

Gratitude helps to balance emotions, promoting positive ones like pleasure, satisfaction, and appreciation. These improved emotions can help fight stress and are essentially coping mechanisms that help build resilience to emotional disturbance.

· It Can Make You Happier

Happiness is a complex emotion, and it’s not something that magically comes to you. Sometimes, you have to build happiness, and that’s what gratitude does. It makes you focus on the good things in life, after all. On that note, a lot of research has indicated a clear link between happiness and emotional strength and resilience. The happier you are, the more resistant you are to usual stressors.

5. It Aids Depression Management

Burnout and depression are often comorbid. With depression and mood disorders, it can be harder to avoid burnout and see positivity in different circumstances. With burnout, you feel useless, hopeless, and lost, which contributes significantly to depression.

Gratitude isn’t a perfect cure for depression – and nothing is – but it can aid in managing low mood and depressive symptoms. This is because it shifts focus from the worst features of situations to some of the better ones.

Even on a deeper, more scientific level, gratitude has its benefits. While depression is not the most well-understood disorder, doctors know that it has its basis in neurochemistry and, of course, psychology. These factors can be helped by gratitude because:

Gratitude makes you feel good using positive hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, which can correct chemical imbalances from depression.
The apathy from depression can be removed when you actively feel good about things through gratitude.
The loss of motivation from burnout and depression can be renewed when gratitude helps you find things you appreciate and love in life.
Gratitude can improve your self-esteem by better appreciating yourself and your abilities, which can fight depression.

In some cases, gratitude has been an accurate and effective mechanism for the treatment of depression, which is excellent for burnout caused by or is causing it. According to research, these are the most effective practices of gratitude for this purpose:

· Gratitude Assessments

These tests help evaluate how much gratitude you feel and toward what aspects of your life. They help harness awareness of your appreciation and areas where it can be improved or increased. It can be beneficial for those who have trouble noticing their inner thoughts. It’s also a convenient way to get objective feedback without being swayed by the emotions from a potential burnout.

· Gratitude Journals

Gratitude journals are diaries where you record a few things that you’re grateful for every day. This helps your mind to focus on positive thinking, which can prevent burnout. These journals work best when you do them daily, as they train your mind and help deviate attention to good things rather than bad. This, alone, may be capable of circumventing the worst of burnout, though it is primarily effective for treating depression.

· Gratitude Meditation

This grounding technique makes you sit in silence and ponder all the things in life that you’re grateful for, whether they relate to loved ones, achievements, material items, or even the wider world. Meditation, in general, is a helpful tool for handling depression and burnout symptoms and is used to promote gratitude. It delivers a powerful alleviation from the worst of mental exhaustion.

6. It Helps You View Your Work More Positively

Jobs can get tiring, and they’re the primary source of burnout that you’ll face in your lifetime. Though all careers have their share of mentally exhausting features, some can be incredibly taxing. This is especially true for caregiving roles, such as that of:

Nursing home workers
Medical practitioners
Teachers and instructors

In these jobs, gratitude has been proven to address, prevent, and even reverse burnout, according to studies. This involves decreases in the critical components of burnout, including:

Depersonalization
Emotional exhaustion
Decrease in the sense of accomplishment
Life dissatisfaction

Gratitude-based intervention is capable of helping people in intensive careers like this savor positive thinking and positive emotions. This allows them to better focus on the benefits of their work and how others’ lives are improved by it, thus allowing them to escape burnout.

7. It Helps You Self-Regulate

Self-regulation refers to maintaining balanced control over certain lifestyle habits that can become negative in excess. This includes:

Eating junk food or emotional eating
Drinking, smoking, and other vices
Skipping out on routines of positive habits

Those who feel grateful experience decreases in cortisol, a stress hormone that sends the body into a fight-vs-flight mode, say studies. When cortisol levels are unbalanced, you are more likely to perform destructive actions in an attempt to gain short-term relief. Of course, that can lead to bad habits and a lack of self-regulation. In turn, this can be a gateway into addiction and a loss of health.

Gratitude helps by managing cortisol, lowering its levels so you can function in a more rational state of mind. Acknowledging little things to be grateful for can give you the relief you crave more positively than by performing negative habits.

Final Thoughts On Some Ways Gratitude Helps You Prevent A Burnout

Burnout is a serious problem and can lead to a lot of mental health issues down the line. It’s amazing how something as simple as being grateful can save you from such a difficult experience!

Though gratitude helps prevent burnout, do note that work-life balance, sufficient rest time, and a neutral-to-positive lifestyle and environment are also key factors. So if you’re feeling burned out and gratitude isn’t enough to help you, you should speak to a mental health professional.

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