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Play games

Play games by yourself or with a group of people. If you play games regularly, it can imporve your coordination and your problem-solving skills. It can also enhance your memory. You can play games liek charades or trivia or even play online games like quizzes.

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Develop new skills or interests

Spend time trying new skills or activities. If you try new activities, you will be able to overcome some of your fears and learn more about who you are and what your needs and wants are. To develop new skills or interests, you can join a new class, club, or sport in your school or around your community.

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Whether you realize it or not, you spend the majority of your day doing things you've already done hundreds or thousands of times before. Very rarely do you actually try new things for the purpose of engaging a unique experience. But what if you made it a point to do exactly that? There are many benefits to doing new things - don't cheat yourself out of them.

Have you ever paused to consider the ease at which you follow daily, weekly, and annual routines? Most people wake up at the same time, eat similar things for breakfast, wear the same rotation of clothing, arrive at work at the same time, grab lunch with the same people, watch the same shows at night...yada, yada, yada.

Routines like these become so familiar that we often lose track of the fact that we're just cruising through life. Despite the fact that we live in an enormous universe with seven different continents, nearly 200 different countries, more than 7 billion people, thousands of languages, and hundreds of thousands of unique experiences, we stick to what we know. Then we wonder why we feel stuck, stale, and stagnant.

Feeling stuck in place is totally normal. What's not normal is to keep living the same way day after day and year after year. If you were driving through some muddy terrain in your car and your tires got stuck in a ditch, would you just sit there and spin your wheels? No, you'd do everything within your power to get out of the ditch and keeping moving.

The Benefits of Trying New Things

Want to pry yourself loose from the jaws of mediocrity and begin living the life that you were meant to live? It's time to make a commitment to trying new things and engaging fresh experiences that reinvigorate your life with energy and excitement.

The benefits of trying new things are manifold:

In most cases, fear is the one thing that keeps us from trying new things. We're afraid of the investment, consequences, and worst-case scenarios. What if I don't like it?

Some level of fear is always present when trying something new, but you'll soon realize that your mind exaggerates things. Eventually, once you make it a priority to try new things, fear will cease to be a crippling factor in your life. Instead, you'll see it as a minor speed bump that stands between you and some new experience.

It's weird to think that you don't know yourself as well as you could, but this is almost always the case. We think we know ourselves, but then we try new things and realize we have unique likes and dislikes that were previously unknown. As you try new things, you'll naturally recognize who you are and who you want to become. This will prove invaluable as the years go on.

Ask any highly creative person how they continue to innovate and express themselves in new ways - they'll tell you the key to their success is a commitment to trying new things.

When you try new things, you put your brain into unique situations that force it to really think. This stimulates creativity, which eventually rubs off in other areas of your life. As a result, you begin to think about everything in a new light.

You are the most important person in this equation. Your desire to try new things should be centered on you and your life goals. But at the end of the day, a commitment to forging new life experiences makes you more marketable to the world. Other people begin to see new talents and skills and your entire "body of work" becomes more appealing. This usually results in unique opportunities - both in your career and personal life.

5 Things to Try This Summer

It's easier to try new things when you're younger - when you have fewer strings attached. Don't wait until you're 45 and having a mid-life crisis to suddenly initiate movement in this area of your life.

There's no better time than now to push yourself beyond your preconceived "limitations" and engage new experiences. Specifically, make this summer a time where you ditch the normalcy of your daily routine and start living life as it's meant to be lived.

Here are a few specific things that you can/should try this summer.

Summer is the ideal time for getting active. But instead of doing the same old exercise routine, maybe it's time to learn a new sport and physically challenge yourself in ways that you haven't before.

Wakeboarding is one sport that comes to mind. It combines various elements of water skiing, snowboarding, and surfing and is relatively inexpensive. You also get to spend the day out on the water, which is never a bad thing. Other outdoor sports worth trying include rock climbing, mountain biking, and disc golf.

Most people like to travel, but with one caveat: they prefer to travel with other people. And while there are tremendous benefits to traveling with friends, there's something advantageous about traveling alone.

It may seem taboo, but solo travel is highly beneficial. It teaches you independence, allows you to set the itinerary, and provides life lessons on how to handle the good, bad, and ugly. There's also research to suggest that spending time alone staves off depression, so there are psychological benefits to it as well.

It's time to ditch blind dates and Tinder and instead try your hand at speed dating. It's something that most people have only seen in movies, but speed dating is a real thing. You'll experience a whirlwind of emotions - from nervous butterflies to genuine excitement - and will learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. And who knows - you may end up with a second date.

You don't have to leave the confines of your home or apartment to try new things. Here's a challenge for you: Try cooking every single meal you eat for an entire week. This means no fast food, takeout, or even frozen meals. Nothing comes out of a wrapper or is immediately edible. All 21 meals need to be homemade in some form or fashion. From this experience, you'll learn new skills and will come to appreciate the patience and rewards that come with cooking.

Worn out from your current job? Looking for a way to earn another couple hundred dollars per month? Try starting a new side hustle this summer. Find a skill that you have and turn it into a business. Thanks to the internet, it's actually fairly easy. You can sell both physical goods and services online. So, why not? Your business acumen will increase and you'll have fun building something from the ground up.

This summer, become a "yes" person. When confronted with new experiences, challenges, and ideas, avoid making excuses and start doing. You'll find that the benefits almost always outweigh the risks. Life's too short to get stuck in a bland routine.

It's easy to say no to yourself. It's time to start saying yes.

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A Look at the Incredible Benefits of Trying New Things

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Whether you realize it or not, you spend the majority of your day doing things you've already done hundreds or thousands of times before. Very rarely do you actually try new things for the purpose of engaging a unique experience. But what if you made it a point to do exactly that?

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Develop strategies for reducing stress

Control your stress. If you are able to control and reduce your stress, your body will be able to cope with stress in a healthy way and will help maintain motivation to persist through stressful times. This persistance helps train your brain to break apart your stress and target it piece by piece. To reduce or control your stress, you can write in a journal, go for a run, or meditate.

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Reducing stress in your everyday life is vital for maintaining your overall health, as it can improve your mood, boost immune function, promote longevity and allow you to be more productive. When you let your stress get the best of you, you put yourself at risk of developing a range of illnesses - from the common cold to severe heart disease. Stress has such a powerful impact on your well being because it is a natural response that is activated in the brain. Let's examine how this process works, why stress affects you the way it does, and the severe impacts it can have on your health.
The Science of Stress
When you become stressed, the brain undergoes both chemical and physical changes that affect its overall functioning. During periods of high stress, certain chemicals within the brain, including the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine begin to rise, causing larger amounts of these and other "fight-or-flight" hormones such as adrenalin to be released by the adrenal glands. The release of these chemicals contributes to certain physiological effects, including rapid heart rate, higher blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. When left unmanaged over time, chronic stress can lead to the development of other serious problems, such as stomach ulcers, stroke, asthma, and heart disease.
Physical Effects
Many health care professionals consider chronic stress a significant risk factor for illnesses such as cancer and heart attacks. One reason is that our body's physical reactions to prolonged stress may accumulate slowly and go unnoticed in our attempts to adapt to ongoing stress. However, even if it seems we're building a tolerance to stress, our nervous system is still dealing with an overload which can seriously affect overall health in the long run. One of the most common physical reactions to stress is the tensing of muscles, which can ultimately trigger tension headaches, migraines and other musculoskeletal conditions. Stress is also hard on your digestive system, as it affects which nutrients your intestines absorb, influences how quickly food moves through your body, and can provoke you to eat more or less than you normally do. The disruption of your body's natural digestive processes can cause nausea, pain, vomiting, heartburn, constipation, acid reflux or diarrhea.
Psychological Effects
In addition to the various physical effects of stress, it can also contribute to a number of mental and emotional disorders, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and panic attacks. This emotional stress can make it difficult to focus, make decisions, think things through or remember things. Stress may also cause irritability, making you easily frustrated and impatient with others, and can even contribute to depression, anger, feelings of insecurity, and relationship conflicts. While the many physical effects of stress can be overwhelming, it is important not to ignore these psychological effects as they also play a large part in overall health and vitality.
Stress Management Techniques
So, what can you do to shift yourself into a healthier pattern and reduce stress? One of the most effective and rewarding techniques is meditation, which encourages you to relax your mind and examine your inner self with a sense of honesty and compassion, rather than judgment and criticism. Meditation practice helps to let go of old patterns of stress, tension and distraction, and encourages a more spacious and relaxed state where our innate healing capacity can emerge. This process can inspire you to find a deeper source of real motivation to make healthy changes in your life.

Meditation also teaches that change comes about by taking small steps and making them part of your life rather than making dramatic leaps that you cannot sustain over time. Committing to just 15 minutes of daily meditation and breathing is a simple step that has profound benefits. Understanding the real damages of stress in your life will help you maintain motivation to incorporate consistent practices which reduce stress.

In addition to meditation, engaging in regular moderate exercise such as walking, yoga or swimming has proven stress-reducing benefits, as exercise releases positive stress-busting endorphins and can increase self-confidence and lower the symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Regular exercise also helps to improve your sleep, which can be compromised by stress, depression and anxiety. In combination with daily activity, eating a healthy whole foods diet rich in dark greens and chlorophyll-containing foods are helpful for treating stress. Since chronic stress can strip your body of essential B vitamins, it is important to obtain these nutrients, as well as magnesium and calcium, through diet or supplementation. Remember to avoid caffeine and sugar, as these stimulants can contribute to stress and depression.

Getting adequate sleep is also imperative to reducing stress. Stress can physically wear out your body, and without sleep, you will feel the effects of stress much more. Finally, work to reduce stress by learning to think differently. Knowing when to let something go and thinking positively about your life will help prevent you from being upset about minor things and worrying that you aren't good enough. Supervising your thought process is only part of the battle, but if you work at easing stress with healthy lifestyle and diet changes, you can largely avoid escalating anxiety issues. For more practical health information and prevention tips, visit dreliaz.org.

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Why Stress Management Is So Important for Your Health

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Reducing stress in your everyday life is vital for maintaining your overall health, as it can improve your mood, boost immune function, promote longevity and allow you to be more productive. When you let your stress get the best of you, you put yourself at risk of developing a range of illnesses - from the common cold to severe heart disease.

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Maintain close relationships

Spend time with people who make you happy and who keep a positive outlook. If you maintain close relationships with people, your skills of trust and acceptance will increases making you a more relaxed, honest, and open person. To mainatin close relationships, you can spend time with the people you or close with or create new bonds by joining groups with like-minded people or volunteer.

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by Laurie Wilhelm

Strong positive interpersonal relationships are essential to achieving our success - whether they be work relationships, family relationships or relationships with others in our communities. We're in almost constant contact with others and we should make every contact an opportunity to strengthen our social skills and reinforce our relationships.

With that in mind, here are ten benefits for having good interpersonal skills that contribute to maintaining rewarding long-term relationships:

1. Trust: Long-term relationships are based on trust. When we trust others, we are more relaxed, comfortable and willing to be ourselves without any pretenses or trying to maintain a facade of someone we're not.

2. Acceptance: Once we experience trust with others, we can be honest about our weaknesses and shortcomings because we're confident that we will be accepted for who we are, without judgment or criticism.

3. Support: Our lives go through many changes, some planned and some take us by surprise. In either case, they often take us out of our comfort zone and challenge us to grow and become more than we were before. Good, healthy relationships give us the support and encouragement we need to rise to new and different challenges.

4. A Kind Ear: We often think of good communication skills as being able to speak well. That's only half of it. The ability fo listen well is the other half. Having someone who will listen non-judgmentally when you're feeling down or frustrated and want to "vent" gives you the freedom to express yourself. Sometimes you just need to get something off your chest without feeling like you have to watch every word you say.

5. Understanding: When someone knows you well enough to understand where you're "coming from" and instantly know the context in which you're speaking, it's easier to open up. Individuals in long-term relationships have a history of shared experiences that build a mutual understanding so they "get you" without a lot of explanation.

6. Someone to Call On When You Need a Hand: Everyone, from time to time, needs a hand from a friend, colleague, peer, or family member. This can be in the form of advice, a new job, or assistance with a particular project in which you need to call on another's expertise.

7. Referrals and References: You can count on the people with whom you have a good relationship to give you a positive reference or referral - they're more likely to be a good advocate for you and expound on your strengths and strong points.

8. Share and Celebrate: Celebrating with people who truly care about you and want celebrate with you when your life is going well, when you secured a promotion, or when bought your first house is a ton fun. Being acknowledged for your accomplishments is a rewarding experience and when you have good relationships, most want to be part of celebrating your success.

9. Reduced Stress: Sharing your life with friends and coworkers who you trust, who accept, understand and support you reduces stress because you have camaraderie and, therefore, less potential for interpersonal conflicts. Good relationships bring about the best in work teams and families by reducing the anxieties that cause stress and, at the same time, good relationships cultivate a sense of well-being and emotional security.

10. Happiness and Satisfaction: Having good relationships means there's a mutual like for one another. Being around people you like and who like you create situations that are harmonious, supportive, and well, happy. You have an overall feeling of satisfaction in your life - be it at work, at home, or in your community.

Now, here are ten benefits others will receive from having a good relationship with you:

1. Trust
2. Acceptance
3. Support
4. A Kind Ear
5. Understanding
6. Someone to Call On When You Need a Hand
7. Referrals and References
8. Share and Celebrate
9. Reduce Stress
10. Happiness and Satisfaction

Did you notice that the list was exactly the same?

The strongest and best relationships are made when all parties give and receive. If you want these ten benefits for yourself, you have to give them to others.

Too often we look at relationships with a "what-do-I-get-out-of-this?" perspective. That's not how good relationships work. It's about give and take.

Think about what you want out of a relationship, then give it. You'll be surprised at how much better your relationships become!

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Express Yourself To Success " Ten Benefits to Maintaining Good Relationships

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by Laurie Wilhelm Strong positive interpersonal relationships are essential to achieving our success - whether they be work relationships, family relationships or relationships with others in our communities. We're in almost constant contact with others and we should make every contact an opportunity to strengthen our social skills and reinforce our relationships.

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Practice good nutrition

Have a good balanced diet. If you eat a balanced diet and not overconsume junk food, your immune system will be very strong and you will have lots of energy. To practice good nutrition, you should eat the recommended daily amount of foods in each food group and limit your sugar intake.

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You know that healthy habits, such as eating well, exercising, and avoiding harmful substances, make sense, but did you ever stop to think about why you practice them? A healthy habit is any behavior that benefits your physical, mental, and emotional health. These habits improve your overall well-being and make you feel good.

Healthy habits are hard to develop and often require changing your mindset. But if you're willing to make sacrifices to better your health, the impact can be far-reaching, regardless of your age, sex, or physical ability. Here are five benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Eating right and exercising regularly can help you avoid excess weight gain and maintain a healthy weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, being physically active is essential to reaching your weight-loss goals. Even if you're not trying to lose weight, regular exercise can improve cardiovascular health, boost your immune system, and increase your energy level.

Plan for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week. If you can't devote this amount of time to exercise, look for simple ways to increase activity throughout the day. For example, try walking instead of driving, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or pace while you're talking on the phone.

Eating a balanced, calorie-managed diet can also help control weight. When you start the day with a healthy breakfast, you avoid becoming overly hungry later, which could send you running to get fast food before lunch.

Additionally, skipping breakfast can raise your blood sugar, which increases fat storage. Incorporate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet per day. These foods, which are low in calories and high in nutrients, help with weight control. Limit consumption of sugary beverages, such as sodas and fruit juices, and choose lean meats like fish and turkey.

Doing right by your body pays off for your mind as well. The Mayo Clinic notes that physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. Eating a healthy diet as well as exercising can lead to a better physique. You'll feel better about your appearance, which can boost your confidence and self-esteem. Short-term benefits of exercise include decreased stress and improved cognitive function.

It's not just diet and exercise that lead to improved mood. Another healthy habit that leads to better mental health is making social connections. Whether it's volunteering, joining a club, or attending a movie, communal activities help improve mood and mental functioning by keeping the mind active and serotonin levels balanced. Don't isolate yourself. Spend time with family or friends on a regular basis, if not every day. If there's physical distance between you and loved ones, use technology to stay connected. Pick up the phone or start a video chat.

Healthy habits help prevent certain health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. If you take care of yourself, you can keep your cholesterol and blood pressure within a safe range. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly, decreasing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Regular physical activity and proper diet can also prevent or help you manage a wide range of health problems, including:

Make sure you schedule a physical exam every year. Your doctor will check your weight, heartbeat, and blood pressure, as well as take a urine and blood sample. This appointment can reveal a lot about your health. It's important to follow up with your doctor and listen to any recommendations to improve your health.

We've all experienced a lethargic feeling after eating too much unhealthy food. When you eat a balanced diet your body receives the fuel it needs to manage your energy level. A healthy diet includes:

Regular physical exercise also improves muscle strength and boosts endurance, giving you more energy, says the Mayo Clinic. Exercise helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and gets your cardiovascular system working more efficiently so that you have more energy to go about your daily activities. It also helps boost energy by promoting better sleep. This helps you fall asleep faster and get deeper sleep.

Insufficient sleep can trigger a variety of problems. Aside from feeling tired and sluggish, you may also feel irritable and moody if you don't get enough sleep. What's more, poor sleep quality may be responsible for high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, and it can also lower your life expectancy. To improve sleep quality, stick to a schedule where you wake up and go to bed at the same time every night. Reduce your caffeine intake, limit napping, and create a comfortable sleep environment. Turn off lights and the television, and maintain a cool room temperature.

When you practice healthy habits, you boost your chances of a longer life. The American Council on Exercise reported on an eight-year study of 13,000 people. The study showed that those who walked just 30 minutes each day significantly reduced their chances of dying prematurely, compared with those who exercised infrequently. Looking forward to more time with loved ones is reason enough to keep walking. Start with short five-minute walks and gradually increase the time until you're up to 30 minutes.

Bad habits are hard to break, but once you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you won't regret this decision. Healthy habits reduce the risk of certain diseases, improve your physical appearance and mental health, and give your energy level a much needed boost. You won't change your mindset and behavior overnight, so be patient and take it one day at a time.

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You know that healthy habits, such as eating well, exercising, and avoiding harmful substances, make sense, but did you ever stop to think about why you practice them? A healthy habit is any behavior that benefits your physical, mental, and emotional health. These habits improve your overall well-being and make you feel good.

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Get adequate sleep

Get 9 hours of sleep each night. If you gte 9 hours of sleep each night, you will have more energy the next day to function. To get 9 hours of sleep, you should limit the use of your phone and to limit your caffine intake near the time you would go to sleep.

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Strengthens Your Heart

During sleep, your body releases hormones. Some of them keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

Lack of sleep deprives you of these hormones. That's associated with the following:

This is an even bigger problem if you already have a heart condition.

Regulates Your Blood Sugar

Sleep helps regulate your metabolism. That's the way your body converts food to energy.

Sleep deprivation can cause many problems with metabolism, including fluctuating blood sugar levels.

This can be a problem if you have diabetes. It also raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Blood sugar extremes also affect your:

Reduces Your Stress Levels

Sleep helps your mind and body relax and recover from your day. When you're sleep deprived, your body releases stress hormones.

Stress can make you react in ways that aren't productive. You may act out of fear or make rash decisions. Or you may be irritable.

A poor night's sleep can make you feel anxious. This may last until you finally get some much-needed rest.

Improving Sleep

Decreases Inflammation

Sleep regulates your immune system. When you don't get enough, irregular immune system activity can cause inflammation.

You may not notice excess inflammation. But it can have an effect on your body.

Chronic inflammation damages structures and increases your risk of many health conditions. A few examples include:

Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Research suggests that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese.

Poor sleep appears to disrupt the balance of and leptin. Those are hormones that control appetite.

If you want to lose or maintain weight, don't forget that good sleep is part of the equation.

Improves Your Balance

Sleep helps you maintain your physical abilities. Studies show sleep deprivation leads to short-term balance problems.

That's called postural instability. It can lead to injuries and falls. Even mild instability can cause problems during sports or exercise.

Increases Your Energy and Alertness

A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert. This helps you focus and get things done.

It's easier to exercise when you're energetic and alert. So that's an indirect benefit of getting enough sleep.

Being engaged and active throughout your day feels good. And being more active all day makes another good night's sleep more likely.

Improves Your Memory

Sleep appears to play a big role in what's called memory consolidation.

During sleep, your brain makes connections. It links events, feelings, and sensory input to form memories.

Deep sleep is important for this. So more quality sleep can improve your memory.

Boosts Your Executive Functioning

Executive function involves complex thinking. That includes things like problem-solving, planning, and making decisions. It can also affect your alertness and memory.

Executive function helps you with work, school, social interactions, and more. One night of sleep deprivation can impair executive function the next day.

Repairs Your Tissues

While you sleep, your body works hard to repair damage. The damage can be from stress, ultraviolet rays, and other harmful things you're exposed to.

Your cells produce certain proteins while you sleep. They form the building blocks of cells. That lets cells repair the day's damage and keep you healthy.

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Lack of sleep is linked to greater risks for weight gain, depression, cancer, and heart disease. Learn the importance and health benefits of sleep.