Do you tend to forget things when you’re stressed? Like when you’re late for a meeting and can’t remember where you left your car keys? Or when you have to give a big presentation and suddenly forget all your talking points seconds before you start? Source: CNN There’s nothing like stress to make your memory go a little spotty. A 2010 study found that chronic stress reduces spatial memory: the memory that helps you recall locations and relate objects. Hence, your missing car keys. University of Iowa researchers recently found a connection between the stress hormone cortisol and short-term memory loss in older rats. Their findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience this […]
Many of us sit behind our desks and stare at computer screens for far too much of the day. Although concentrated work can be beneficial to our jobs, it can be taxing on our bodies. The following yoga exercises will help you relieve any tension you might feel after too many hours of poring over spreadsheets. The poses also provide long-term benefits with regular practice. Each pose takes fewer than two minutes to complete, and you can do the whole series in just 10 minutes—but I promise you’ll feel the effects long after. Source: Harvard Business Review Breathe deeply throughout the poses because sending oxygen to your muscles allows […]
Stress and anxiety — to some degree — are natural parts of everyday life. Think about it: You get that feeling when a driver cuts you off on your way to work, or when you have a looming deadline, or when you spill coffee on your shirt. Source These stressful moments can range from uncomfortable and annoying (even motivational) to completely debilitating. What’s worse, these negative feelings can build on themselves really quickly until they feel out of control. That’s why it’s crucial to monitor our emotional health whether or not we have a diagnosed disorder. According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, unmanaged stress symptoms “can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior,” […]
Most of us have worked with various different companies in our life span. Regardless of the deadlines and targets that need to be met, there are work environments that simply thrive on stress and others that keep it to a manageable minimum. Why is that? It often relates to the culture and actions that companies take to achieve just that. Increase results but make a strong effort by taking specific actions to reduce tension. Here are some steps towards that much desired balance: Source 1. Identify the problem areas The first step to helping your stressed out employees is to find out what they’re stressed about. Stress comes in many […]
Meditation is a practice that requires mindfulness. Contrary to what some people believe, its goal is not to empty the mind of thoughts, but to experience them objectively. That is to say, you experience your thoughts, feelings, and memories as if they were leaves floating down a stream. You watch them all come and go, holding on to nothing. You pay attention only to the moment you’re living in, but it’s a deep attention, which accepts both the painful and the pleasant experiences. Source In practice, some people try guided meditations, in which a 3rd party helps them to direct their focus on different aspects of the moment they’re experiencing. Others […]
“I’m so busy, I don’t have time to slow down”: the mantra of our times in this always-connected world. Source Technology promises to make our lives easier, faster and simpler. But, it’s made our world exceedingly unfocused and overwhelming. Smartphones and laptops mean there’s no division between work and home. Our brains, which grow linearly, are overloaded by the exponential complexity of technology, which deteriorates our focus and performance capacity. How do we overcome compounding distractions and evolve into higher-performing individuals? Enter the science of mindfulness. MINDFULNESS FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE Mindfulness is a systematic approach to reprogram our brain and master ourselves to always perform at our peak. Through conscious attention to your mind, body […]
Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was one of the first scientists to take the anecdotal claims about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness and test them in brain scans. What she found surprised her — that meditating can literally change your brain. She explains: Source: Health Science Journal.gr & remedyspot.com Q: Why did you start looking at meditation and mindfulness and the brain? Lazar: A friend and I were training for the Boston marathon. I had some running injuries, so I saw a physical therapist who told me to stop running and just stretch. So I started practicing yoga as a form of […]
Envisioning corporate wellness programs is one thing – implementing them with success and high employee participation is another! Keeping in mind that the participation levels will either ‘make it’ or ‘break it’, we must always strive to make them meaningful and practical when we set them forward. In this article, we’ll cover six ideas including fitness, stress management, nutrition and more. Source: IncorporateMassage.com 1. Food and Nutrition Finding ways to eat healthy food with a busy work/life schedule can be tough. Some people struggle with knowing what kinds of foods are best for their body, others may want to know more about portion controls, or simple ways to clean […]