Motivations 4U

Seventy-three percent of Netflix viewers report feeling happy while they're binge-watching. However, those marathon sessions could pose risks to your mental and physical health.  A growing body of research raises concerns about what binge-watching does to your brain.   Some studies suggest that watching back-to-back episodes can contribute to depression and anxiety and impair language and memory skills.  At first, you feel pleasure as your brain produces more dopamine. Then, you may feel let down when you finish your last season of Buffy. (ok that was an old reference, lol) But meanwhile, that passive activity can decrease oxygen levels and make it harder for your brain to focus.   Does this mean you have to choose between your brain and Stranger Things? Before you cancel your streaming subscriptions, find out how to make binge-watching healthier.   Binge Watching and Mental Health:   Binge-watching is probably here to stay. Sixty-one percent of Netflix viewers also sa

There are a lot of people that like to start the day with a cup of coffee. Our minds and bodies rely on it after a while. But is that a bad thing?   It turns out that consuming caffeine has some significant benefits. But caffeine has a few downsides, too.   Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of caffeine.   Consuming caffeine has some real advantages:   Caffeine is a safe stimulant when used at the appropriate dosages. This is one of the reasons many people love a cup of coffee in the morning. Sure, coffee tastes great, but we also love the feeling of alertness and focus that the caffeine from coffee provides. Caffeine is good for your mood. Caffeine is also a mood-booster for many people. You feel more capable and the day looks a little brighter. Caffeine blunts your appetite. Caffeine is also used in many appetite suppressants. You’re not as hungry after consuming caffeine.

 Most people consider getting their bodies in better shape. But few people think about growing their intellect. However, a mind is a terrible thing to waste!  Yes, it's important to keep your body healthy and fit. But put the rest of your available exercise time toward building your intellect! Just like a muscle, if you don't use it, you'll lose it. Seniors that keep sharp and exercise their mind continuously are healthy and less likely to have memory issues as well as brain deteriorating diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. The most important thing about intellectual exercise is you need to challenge the mind. The techniques below are exercises that challenge and strengthen your brain, much like when you lift weights, you strengthen your muscles.   Try these techniques to build greater intellectual capacity:   Read. Reading is great. You can often find out more about a topic in a few hours of reading than you can in a lifetime of experimenting

 Do you have any weaknesses? We all do, but some of us do a poor job of dealing with them. Others appear to have no weaknesses because their weaknesses are never exposed. Your weaknesses can be a big drag on your life, or they can have minimal impact. It depends on the weakness and how you address it.   A weakness doesn't have to be a hindrance! Use these techniques to deal with weaknesses strategically:   Decide if your weakness is relevant. Not all weaknesses are worthy of addressing. If you're a terrible athlete but have no interest in playing sports, why work on your athleticism? Everyone has weaknesses, but not everyone has weaknesses that matter to them. ●       Consider your life and your goals. Do your weaknesses get in the way of either? If not, don't worry about them! You are very fortunate! Work around your weakness. In many cases, it's possible to work around your weaknesses. If you're terrible o

You may know that low levels of the brain chemical serotonin are often associated with depression. However, it's been difficult for scientists to measure its natural fluctuations. A recent study provides the first glimpse at monitoring serotonin in humans in real-time.   Several patients scheduled for brain surgery without full anesthesia volunteered to have a special microelectrode inserted during their procedure. The device tracked their serotonin levels while they performed a psychological test following the movement of a random dot.   In addition to providing a breakthrough in measuring serotonin, this study by neuroscientists at University College London produced several other important findings. It confirmed serotonin's involvement in a wide range of cognitive functions and showed how it affects different parts of the brain.   These findings could help create more effective treatments for many conditions, including depression and Parkinson's Disease.  

TV commercials encourage you to have a drink to relax. However, the relationship between alcohol and anxiety can be more complicated than that. Many adults can safely drink in moderation. For others, alcohol may cause anxiety or aggravate pre-existing conditions.   There are several reasons why alcohol tends to disturb your peace of mind.   Embarrassing yourself at an office party may be an obvious danger, but there's also a molecular explanation. Alcohol causes changes in your brain chemicals, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is involved in regulating anxiety.   Your brain adjusts to the sedating effects of alcohol but may have trouble balancing itself again when your blood alcohol content starts to fall. That could leave you feeling more anxious than when you started, and that uneasiness may last for a day or more. Prolonged heavy drinking often contributes to anxiety.   Lifestyle changes and professional help can make a big difference if alcohol an

  Significantly changing your life in 30 days really is possible, although not always easy. But even though this adventure is often a big challenge, the payoffs can be enormous.   We've all taken on challenges of one sort of another for 30 days. Maybe you tried a diet or an exercise program. Perhaps you decided to give up TV for 30 days. Even if you didn't stick with the program long-term, the results were great, weren't they? Now imagine if you expanded that idea to incorporate many areas of your life.   This program includes implementing several 30-day challenges simultaneously. You can use these suggestions or develop your own. Try creating a 30-day challenge from each category, and see where your new adventures lead you. 1.      Adjust your finances. Making more money or spending less is always a good financial theme. Alternatively, you might try balancing your accounts each day. 2.      Kick start your physical health. Diet, exercise, or combinations of b