Phone addiction is more than a buzzword; it’s a reality for millions who find themselves checking their screens constantly, craving notifications, and feeling anxious without their devices. Could the device that connects us to the world be isolating us from it at the same time? In this article, we’ll explore the surprising psychology behind our digital dependency, the signs it may be affecting us, and practical ways to regain balance.

What Is Phone Addiction and Why Does It Happen?

Phone addiction, often referred to as “nomophobia” (the fear of being without a mobile phone), is characterized by excessive and compulsive use of smartphones, leading to significant interference with daily life, relationships, and responsibilities. This behavioral addiction shares similarities with other compulsive behaviors, such as gambling, where individuals experience a loss of control over their actions despite negative consequences.

The underlying mechanism of phone addiction is closely linked to the brain’s reward system, particularly the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine plays a crucial role in motivating behavior by providing pleasurable sensations when we engage in rewarding activities. Smartphone use, especially interactions on social media, triggers the release of dopamine, reinforcing the behavior and creating a cycle of craving and reward. As noted by psychiatrist Anna Lembke, “That’s the hallmark of an addictive drug. It just intrinsically draws people in.”

Research has shown that notifications and social interactions via smartphones activate the brain’s reward pathways, leading to repeated engagement. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry highlights that problematic cell-phone use has been associated with personality variables such as extraversion, neuroticism, and impulsivity, as well as psychiatric comorbidities like anxiety and depression.

The design of smartphones and applications also contributes to their addictive potential. Features like infinite scrolling and variable rewards are intentionally implemented to keep users engaged. Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist, pointed out that “services like Facebook and YouTube leverage our attention and engagement to sell ads or otherwise attract funding. It’s happening not by accident, but by design.”

Recognizing the Signs of Problematic Phone Use

Recognizing the signs of problematic phone use is essential for understanding and addressing potential addiction. Individuals may experience a range of symptoms, including:

• Preoccupation with the phone: Constantly thinking about or using the device, even during important tasks.
• Anxiety without access: Feeling anxious or disoriented when the phone is not nearby.
• Excessive use: Spending an inordinate amount of time on the phone, often at the expense of other activities.
• Negative emotions upon restriction: Experiencing irritability or distress when phone usage is limited.

These behaviors can lead to significant disruptions in daily life, affecting personal relationships, work, and overall well-being. A study published in BMC Psychiatry found that approximately 23% of children and young people exhibited problematic smartphone use, which was associated with increased odds of depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality.

Additionally, the phenomenon of “ringxiety”—the false sensation of hearing a phone ring or feeling it vibrate when it hasn’t—has been identified as a symptom of phone addiction.

Impact of Phone Addiction on Daily Life

Excessive smartphone use, often termed “phone addiction,” can significantly disrupt various aspects of daily life. Research indicates that individuals with problematic smartphone use may experience increased social isolation, diminished self-confidence, and heightened levels of depression and anxiety.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that problematic smartphone use is negatively associated with young adults’ psychosocial well-being, with time spent using smartphones influencing mental health.

The pervasive nature of smartphones can lead to constant distractions, adversely affecting productivity and concentration. This constant connectivity often results in sleep disturbances, as individuals may find it challenging to disconnect from their devices, leading to poor sleep quality and associated health issues.

Physical health is also at risk; prolonged smartphone use can cause eye strain, headaches, and musculoskeletal problems due to poor posture. Moreover, the overuse of smartphones can interfere with personal relationships, as face-to-face interactions may be neglected in favor of virtual communication, leading to weakened social bonds and increased feelings of loneliness.

In severe cases, phone addiction has been linked to more serious mental health concerns. A longitudinal study published in BMC Public Health found that mobile phone addiction during the COVID-19 quarantine period could directly predict suicidality in adolescents within the subsequent five months, even after controlling for depression and daytime sleepiness.

When to Seek Professional Help

Recognizing when to seek professional help for phone addiction is crucial, especially when self-regulation efforts prove insufficient. If excessive phone use significantly disrupts daily life, relationships, or mental health, consulting a mental health professional is advisable. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have shown effectiveness in addressing behavioral addictions, including phone addiction. CBT helps individuals identify and modify negative thought patterns and behaviors associated with excessive phone use.

Additionally, support groups like Internet and Tech Addiction Anonymous offer communal support and shared experiences, which can be beneficial in overcoming phone addiction.

Recognizing the need for professional assistance is a proactive step toward regaining control and fostering a healthier relationship with technology.

Reconnect with Life: Simple Steps to Break Free from Your Phone

Excessive smartphone use can disrupt daily life, affecting productivity, relationships, and mental well-being. To regain control over your phone usage, consider implementing the following strategies:

1. Set Clear Boundaries

Establish specific times and places where phone use is limited or prohibited. For instance, designate the dinner table or bedroom as phone-free zones to encourage face-to-face interactions and improve sleep quality.

2. Monitor and Limit Screen Time

Utilize built-in features or third-party apps to track your screen time. Setting daily limits for app usage can help you become more aware of your habits and reduce unnecessary phone use.

3. Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications

Disable notifications for apps that are not crucial. This reduces distractions and the compulsion to check your phone frequently. By minimizing interruptions, you can focus better on tasks at hand.

4. Engage in Offline Activities

Rediscover hobbies and activities that don’t involve screens, such as reading, exercising, or spending time outdoors. Engaging in offline pursuits can provide fulfillment and reduce the urge to reach for your phone out of boredom.

5. Implement the Pomodoro Technique

Adopt time management methods like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for a set period (e.g., 25 minutes) followed by a short break. This structure can help you stay focused and reduce the temptation to check your phone during work sessions.

6. Utilize Digital Well-being Tools

Many smartphones offer features that monitor and limit usage. For example, Apple’s Screen Time and Android’s Digital Wellbeing provide insights into your habits and allow you to set restrictions on app usage.

7. Seek Professional Support if Needed

If self-imposed measures aren’t effective, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have been shown to assist individuals in managing and overcoming behavioral addictions, including problematic phone use.

Reclaiming Control Over Technology

Breaking free from phone addiction is not merely about cutting down screen time; it’s about reclaiming control over your attention, time, and overall well-being. Recognizing the signs of problematic phone use and understanding its impact on your daily life are crucial steps toward change. By implementing practical strategies—like setting boundaries, engaging in offline activities, and seeking professional help when needed—you can foster a healthier relationship with your smartphone.

Remember, technology is a tool designed to enhance our lives, not control them. By taking conscious steps to manage your phone usage, you’re investing in better mental health, stronger relationships, and a more mindful existence. It’s about finding balance in a digitally connected world and ensuring that you’re present for the moments that truly matter.

In fact, in the US about 8% of adults and 1.6% of children have tried it already.

This is because the health benefits of mindfulness meditation are incredibly impressive… and supported by scientific studies.

This article explores the health conditions and diseases it may help with.

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Meditation is the ancient practice of connecting the body and mind to become more self-aware and present (1).

There is a range of different meditation styles, but the most popular are:

• Focused Attention (Vipassana)
• Transcendental
• Mindfulness.

Most techniques emerged from a religious or spiritual context, but most now practice outside of these traditional settings.

Mindfulness is a specific approach that can be used alone or with other meditation techniques.

It’s most commonly defined as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

Mindfulness meditation is the most well-studied in health research. Scientific literature may also refer to it as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which are types of mindfulness training.

I’ll refer to it as mindfulness in this article from here on.

Summary: Mindfulness is a form of meditation that is the most well-studied in health literature. It’s an ancient practice that emphasizes presence of mind and focus.

Reducing Stress is the Secret Sauce

Mindfulness appears helpful in a wide spectrum of health conditions.

It’s not understood why, but stress reduction appears to be the common link.

Stress is associated with decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, thought to be problematic. Mindfulness allows for conscious thinking in the prefrontal cortex, which may reverse this pattern of brain activity under stress (2).

Under high stress there are high levels of catecholamine release in brain, which weaken prefrontal cortex function. Click to enlarge. Image source.

It makes sense then that those who regularly practice mindfulness tend to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. At least, that’s what early research indicates (3, 4).

For these reasons most experts suspect the ability of mindfulness to reduce stress is the key reason to its benefits.

Summary: Mindfulness appears to reduce stress and markers of stress. This is important as many health conditions are worsened by stress.

Mindfulness Meditation For Anxiety and Depression

Mindfulness has a direct effect on mental health.

Evidence is strongest for anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder) and depression, two of the most common mental health conditions worldwide.

Anxiety

Anxiety causes chronic, excessive, and often uncontrollable worry.

Unfortunately up to 60% of patients do not improve with conventional treatment, such as medications and psychotherapy(5).

Studies show mindfulness can help.

In one clinical trial of 89 patients with anxiety, one group undertook an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR), while the other group received 8 weeks of stress management education.

Members of both groups who participated in just one or more sessions showed symptom improvement, assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale.

However, the MBSR group showed much greater improvement than the stress management group when additional anxiety symptom scales were used (5).

Change in symptom scores for three anxiety measures after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. The lower the number the better. Click to enlarge.

Other studies have found similar benefits, particularly when mindfulness is used alongside anxiety medication (6).

Depression

Clinical depression is complex disorder characterized by low mood and avoidance of usual activities.

Conventional care includes medication and psychotherapy. Unfortunately, many patients relapse with this protocol or are do not comply with medication regimens (7).

Research suggests that mindfulness can help prevent relapse for those who do not wish to use maintenance antidepressants.

In one study (7):

• One group of 28 patients with major depressive disorder in remission received maintenance antidepressants
• The second group of 26 patients gradually discontinued antidepressants while receiving an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program
• The third group of 30 patients gradually discontinued medications while receiving placebo pills under clinical supervision.

Compared to the placebo group, the mindfulness and antidepressant groups showed equally reduced likelihood of relapse. Keep in mind the mindfulness group were weaned off antidepressants.

Proportion of unstable remitters who survived without relapse during maintenance/follow up. M-ADM = maintenance antidepressant pharamacotherapy, MBCT = taper + Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and PLA+CLIN = taper + pill placebo and clinical management. Click to enlarge.

Data from several studies suggests mindfulness and antidepressants are comparable for treating mild to moderate symptoms of depression (8).

This certainly does not suggest those with depression should discontinue medications. However, mindfulness does show promise as an alternative, and certainly as therapy alongside antidepressants.

Summary: Studies indicate it’s useful for managing anxiety compared to conventional stress management practices. It may also be an effective alternative to antidepressants for those at risk of depression relapse.

Mindfulness Meditation and Weight Loss

Obesity rates worldwide have more than doubled in the past 36 years.

Research is now heavily focused on prevention and treatment strategies.

Mindfulness is promising as it has been shown to help limit stress and stress-related overeating (10, 11).

It can also increase awareness of hunger and satiety cues, a concept known as mindful eating (12).

A very large observational study showed a relationship between mindfulness and reduced risk of being overweight or obese. Although it was not able to prove that mindfulness causes lower body weight (13).

Results from smaller clinical trials are promising, but we can’t make solid conclusions yet (14, 15).

Average weight change by group condition among overweight versus obese participants. Mindfulness dramatically reduced cortisol awakening response in obese but not overweight subjects. Click to enlarge.

It makes sense that mindful eating is beneficial for weight loss given our modern, fast-paced, fast food lifestyles.

Summary: Research has shown a link between mindfulness and healthy body weight, but more research is needed.

Mindfulness Meditation and Metabolic Risk Factors

Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms that raise risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

You are considered to have metabolic syndrome if you have three or more of the following symptoms:

• A waist circumference greater than 102 cm (40 inches) in men and greater than 88 cm (35 inches) in women.
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Elevated fasting glucose (sugar)
• High blood pressure.

Observational studies have shown that metabolic syndrome is less common among those who use mind-body practices, including mindfulness (16).

Smaller clinical studies have explored the cause-effect relationships between mindfulness and metabolic risk. Interestingly, improvements to metabolic risk were seen in studies that showed no significant reduction in body weight (15).

In one study of 194 obese adults, the first group received diet and exercise advice, and the second received that same advice plus an all-day mindfulness retreat.

Compared to the first group, the mindfulness group showed significantly improved cholesterol and triglycerides after 12 months, and better fasting glucose levels after 18 months (15).

Changes in weight, fasting glucose, and triglyceride/HDL ratio for mindfulness and control groups from baseline to 18 months. Lower values are better for all 3 measures. Click to enlarge.

Other studies have shown mindfulness may improve blood pressure in those with hypertension, as well as exercise capacity and heart rate in those with heart disease (17, 18).

The mechanism for these changes is still unknown, but it’s suspected that mindfulness can alter the autonomic nervous system, which regulates blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate (17).

Summary: Mindfulness appears to improve certain metabolic risk factors, even without weight loss. In particular triglycerides, cholesterol ratios, blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

Mindfulness Meditation and the Gut Microbiome

The human body is full of bacteria.

These bacteria make up the human microbiome, mostly located in the large intestine or “gut”.

Alterations and imbalances in the microbiome may contribute to inflammation, weakened immunity, and maybe even weight gain(19).

Very small, early studies on humans have shown a correlation between psychological stress, stress hormones, and changes in microbial composition (20).

In theory then, mindfulness based stress reduction could be a way to help prevent negative changes in the microbiome.

This has so far been tested in rodent studies designed to place mice in stressful situations (19, 21).

Increased stress seems to dramatically alter the types of bacteria in a mouse’s gut, which has been observed multiple times.

Interestingly, this shift in bacteria does indeed increase inflammatory marker levels in the blood, which has huge implications for many common health conditions.

Summary: Research has linked psychological stress to changes in the microbiome, which could theoretically contribute to illness. But more human studies are needed to determine if mindfulness can help maintain a healthy microbiome.

Mindfulness Meditation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common health problem, affecting 7-10% of the world population (22).

The exact causes of IBS are unknown, but it’s likely multifactorial. Gut microbiome imbalance, stress and other psychological issues are suspected triggers (19, 23, 24, 25).

Considering the potential benefits of mindfulness on each of those triggers, it makes sense it helps with IBS management.

In one study of 43 IBS patients, the group who received mindfulness training showed significantly greater reductions in IBS symptoms than the group who received standard medical care (26).

These benefits were still noticeable after 6-months.

Other small studies have shown 30 minutes of mindfulness activity per day to help with IBS symptoms, although these weren’t well-designed (27, 28).

Summary: Small studies indicate that mindfulness may help relieve IBS symptoms. This makes sense given the suspected triggers of IBS are stress and psychological-related.

Mindfulness Meditation and Pregnancy

Stress during pregnancy has been associated with negative health outcomes, including preeclampsia, hypertension, and low birth weight (29, 30, 31).

Small studies have shown that mindfulness may lessen pregnancy-related stress.

In one study of 74 pregnant Indian women, participants who received twice-weekly mindfulness sessions for 5 weeks showed significantly reduced perceived stress than the control group (32).

This suggests mindfulness could very well be beneficial in reducing day-to-day perceived stress during pregnancy, but much more research is needed.

Summary: A small study shows that mindfulness reduces perceived stress in pregnant moms at 12 weeks gestation. More research is needed though.

Mindfulness Meditation and Cancer

In 2012, there were 14.1 million new cases of cancer worldwide.

The number of new cases per year is expected to increase 68% by 2030.

Mindfulness has been shown to significantly improve symptoms and side effects from cancer and its treatment. This includes stress, anxiety, depression, vitality, fatigue, and sleep levels (33, 34, 35, 36, 37).

Newer studies suspect that mindfulness may also help to treat cancer progression in the first place. In particular, markers of cancer activity in breast cancer.

The mechanism for this is still under investigation, but stress reduction appears to play a key role (38, 39).

In one study of 128 stage I to III breast cancer patients who had completed standard medical treatment:

• One group of 53 patients attended eight, 90-minute mindfulness-based educational sessions, plus a 6-hour mindfulness retreat.
• The second group of 49 patients attended a 90-minute group supportive-expressive therapy (SET) sessions once a week for 12 weeks.
• The third control group of 26 patients attended single 6-hour stress management session.

Compared to the mindfulness and SET groups, the control group had significantly shorter telomeres following the intervention.

Telomeres protect the structure of DNA. Shorter telomeres have been linked to disease progression and mortality in breast cancer and leukemia (39, 40).

Although it could have exciting implications for cancer treatment, it’s important to remember this is an emerging area of research. Mindfulness should not replace standard cancer care, but instead be used alongside it.

Summary: There is potential that mindfulness can positively influence cancer progression, or at least breast cancer. At a minimum, mindfulness appears to improve certain cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

Mindfulness Meditation For Beginners

The potential health benefits of mindfulness meditation are very impressive.

It’s a harmless practice that can only be good for us.

If you are a beginner looking to explore the benefits of mindfulness, many free resources are available online.

I personally use Headspace, which is a guided meditation app for beginners available on iphone and android. It’s free for 10 sessions, and is a great way to understand what it’s all about.

Featured image credit: Medscape

Article submitted and used here with permission from the author at DietvsDisease.org.

This mechanism also explains how we are able to plan out entire future events without spending a lot of time in our minds planning. In other words, somehow we are able to speed up our memory and future memory very quickly. The breakthrough has many implications including research into spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s, and schizophrenia according to the scientists.

Mental Compression ‘Software’

This newly discovered mechanism can compress information in your brain for later memory retrieval, planning, or imagination. The data is encoded within the brain on a wave frequency that is different that those used for recording experiences in real-time.

Our brains can share information in electrical waves that flow throughout the mind and by tapping into the various frequencies, we can play back our memories or use them to construct possible future scenarios. All of this mental work can be played in fast forward showing us that our minds are incredibly intuitive computers.

“The reason we’re excited about it is that we think this mechanism can help explain how you can imagine a sequence of events you’re about to do in a time-compressed manner,” says Laura Colgin, an assistant professor of neuroscience. “You can plan out those events and think about the sequences of actions you’ll do. And all of that happens on a faster time scale when you’re imagining it than when you actually go and do those things.”

Inside of our brain, fast rhythms of gamma waves will encode memories about the things happening to your right now. These waves are encoded one after another as your brain and senses process the vast amounts of information coming at you every moment of every day. Scientists found that when they slowed the gamma rhythms which your mind uses to retrieve past memories, imagine or plan for future events, you can store much more information in the longer waves. This makes it easier to fast-forward data retrieved in the brain.

During mental compression, your mind acts very much like a computer. When you replay a mental image it often doesn’t have the original detail that you had when you first experienced the memory. Unless your computer is allowed to fully extract a file the quality is also lost. This data may help us learn how to strengthen our memory as well as understand why memory surrounding emotional events such as crimes is less than reliable.

Colgin also found in the research that this discovery could help people with schizophrenia because they have a disruption in their gamma rhythms which makes it hard to tell the difference between their imagination and real experiences.

“Maybe they are transmitting their own imagined thoughts on the wrong frequency, the one usually reserved for things that are really happening,” says Colgin. “That could have terrible consequences.”

Recall and Memory

As we gain greater control over our minds ability to compress and rewind time we may be able to tap in a more accurate memory known as recall. Recall is where we literally rewind our minds and then play the event in its true form again in our mind. This is the core of photographic memory and is not clouded by the haze of traditional memory or emotions.

Kairos vs Chronos Time

In Ancient Greece, they had a way to explain the difference between our perception of time speeding up and slowing down (Kairos), and regular chronological time. Kairos time was also known as gods time because it feels as though you are outside of the matrix of regular time. In Kairos time life just flows around you, you perceive it at a very fast rate, respond quickly, follow coincidences and feel as though no time has passed or energy was spent on the task at hand.

This type of time perception has also been termed being ‘in flow‘ or ‘in the zone’. Sports athletes and spiritualists seek after and study this state in order to maximize their performance.

How Scientists can Slow Down Time

Time dilation is a concept that is largely based on the spatial relativity theory from Einstein. This theory basically states that the faster something is moving the slower time appears to move. This relative experience reminds me of videos that show life from the perspective of a fly. The fly moves at ‘normal’ speed relative to himself but large animals and humans appear to be moving very slowly. All a scientist would need to do in order to slow down the perception of time is to speed up physically. Since flys can move very quickly they can get a small dose of what it is like to slow down time.

How to Hack the Matrix and Slow down time

Another theory about the slowing down of time isn’t physical, however, it is mental. Until we can learn to move our physical bodies at a superhuman speed we can instead train our minds to do the speeding up for us.

If we can train our minds to move much faster then it could appear to us that time has slowed down. Although it is technically a perception and not reality it would still give us very fast reflexes and the ability to absorb grand amounts of detail all at once. This superhuman trait would be like the Jedi powers of the star wars universe or the mind powers of sherlock holmes.

1. Shift into Observer Mode: Learning how to get into a neutral space in your mind is the quickest way to start training your mind and emotions to become calm and receptive to the rapid data of your surroundings.

2. Practice Mindfulness: Everyday as often as you can try practicing mindfulness. Get deep into your senses so that you can fine tune your abilities to receive data from everywhere all at once.

3. Practice slowing your mind down: Try thinking and perceiving your world in slow motion. Though you can still move at full speed allow your mind that slow presence in order to shift into a receptive state and quiet itself.

After some time of practice staying in the moment, being neutral and slowing down you will find that you will snap into moments of flow where time will appear to slow down and you will be able to react very quickly to what is going on around you. Your reactions will be more than just physical as your mind will be able to process intellectual and emotional data more quickly as well.

Sources-

University of Texas at Austin. “Scientists discover how we play memories in fast forward.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 January 2016.

testtube.com

Image Credits: videos.revision3.com

One of the most incredible parts of this practice is that you can make it a part of nearly everything you do in a normal day.  When you fully become present you tap into what appears to others as super powers.  You don’t miss the subtle happenings around you and can better anticipate future events.

This hyper awareness will not only help you better respond to your surroundings, but it helps you become fully in tune with your body, emotions, feelings, thoughts and spiritual intuitional as well.

I have to tell you that these practices have completely changed my life, but I don’t want you to get caught up in what it has done for me personally, instead I want you to experience it yourself and create your own stories of transformational change.

1. Connecting Completely with Your Senses

The first step to really tap into mindfulness is to completely connect with your physical senses.  Studies have shown that this is the easier when you are doing something repetitive or familiar such as washing the dishes, folding your laundry or even playing a video game.

Example: When washing the dishes become present enough that you smell the soap in the air, feel the warm water, hear the water dripping into the sink, see the unique pattern of the soap on the surface of the water.

As you become fully anchored in your senses you will start noticing more than you ever did before.  Colors will become more vivid, food will smell and taste more rich, and the texture of something as simple as clothing will become something you are tuned into.

“According to the study conducted with 51 students, they found that those who used the mindfulness technique reported a 27% decrease in nervousness. They also experienced an increase in mental inspiration by 25%.” -Fitlifetv

2. Observe your breathing

Most of us are breathing all the time.  With that being said, every time you take a breath you can use it to recenter and observe.  Feel every sensation of your breathing and if thoughts or emotions float your way then observe them without engaging with them.  They are there, you respect their space and continue to breathe.

Most of us don’t think about how sacred and powerful breathing is unless it has been taken away.  Suffering from choking or asthma shouldn’t be the only reason to be in complete awe at the incredible exchange of life-giving molecules that each breath contains.  We are in constant communion with nature, with every breath.

3 Eating mindfully

Too often with eating the first bite fills us with pleasure and then every bite after that is chasing that initial feeling.  We are in a society that eats unhealthy and often ends up overeating as well.  When you slow down and feel each bite both physically and emotionally, meals become more about the long term effects than the short term pleasure.

During and after a meal ask yourself how you feel.  Did that meal leave you balanced, happy and energized or do you feel heavy, slowed down and negative?  Mindful eating can help you become more aware of how food affects us and will help us gain more control over the fuel we put into ourselves.

You may notice right away with healthy eating that your mind, body and spirit feel lighter and more aware.

4. Walking mindfully

Motion is wonderful for mindfulness meditation.  Every new step can be an adventure as you dive deep into your senses and feel the wind at your back.  This is a great way to observe your thoughts and emotions, almost as a third party and understand them from a higher level.

When I have used walking as a meditation I am always honored to think that the earth is there to catch me with every step.  We own a lot to our mother earth and it is through the grounded steps of mindful walking that we can more easily remember her.

5. Pause between actions

When something happens such as you hear the buzz of your phone you need not rush to it.  Instead try mindfully observing the pauses between tasks.  When your nose itches observe the itch, observe the desire to scratch the itch.  Such a silly thing desire is.  It is neither bad nor good, it just is.  How curious.

Use these pauses to slow down, recenter, mindfully and consciously move from task to task instead of getting whisked away by the business of life. Pausing can take but a second.  No one needs to notice that you are doing it.  Just breathe and observe why you are about to do that next thing.

This practice specifically will help you to think before you react, breathe before you speak, and recenter before you act.  This can be priceless when dealing with difficult situations.

6. Listen wholeheartedly

When you are listening to someone do not listen with the intent to reply.  Instead, slow your mind and just absorb what they are saying.  Listen to their words, their tone, their body language, what is going on around you and what your feelings are saying.  This is a great time to keep your thoughts silent.

When you are taking in new information, it is much easier to quiet the mind.  Some people can turn their thoughts off like a switch but for people like me who seem to constantly have their mind going a million miles a minute instead try slowing them down.  Literally think in slow motion and put all of your focus on the person or situation you are connecting with.

This technique isn’t just for speech.  Go to a park or out in nature and listen with your eyes, ears, nose, and touch.  Fully experience the world through your senses.  Smell the earth, touch a tree, and listen to the birds sing.  Animals have some of the most incredible reflexes because for the most part they are fully present.  Learn from their example.

7. Observe your thoughts and emotions

It is important for us to learn how to tell the difference between our emotions and our feelings. When you are grounded and present with mindfulness it is much easier to tell the difference.  Emotions are chemical based and often linked to hormones.  They are more closely associated with the three lower chakras and are about anger, over excitement, fear, rejection, pride, urges, power, lack, and control.

Feelings, on the other hand, are from a more neutral space.  This is where your souls speaks to you.  This is where your intuition, gut feelings, and calm observation pay off.  You will not be fooled by others when you are trusting your feelings.  Calm balanced neutrality is key for guiding the decisions of your life.

Don’t make decisions when you are sad, don’t speak when you are angry, and don’t make promises when you are excited.

It is also important to realize that you are not always your thoughts.  Just because a thought goes through your mind doesn’t mean you are a good or bad person.  The thoughts you engage with the most trickle down into words and actions so it is good to know which parts of the thought realm you truly wish to entertain within your mind.

8. Get lost in the flow of doing things you love

Following your greatest joy may land you in places or with projects that completely sweep you away.  The flow is so strong that you lose all sense of time and enter what ancient greeks called kairos time (gods time).  Sometimes for people this is art, music or dancing.  For others it’s inventing, reading, healing, writing or connecting with other souls.

It’s ok to go with this flow, to trust your instincts and to mindfully follow what your heart desires.

9. Meditate daily

Though all of these activities can be a form of meditation there is a lot of power in choosing to sit in meditation every day.  You give yourself that moment to observe, to breathe and to just be.  How often do we allow ourselves to have a true break at least mentally?  Probably not often enough.  Even if it is just ten minutes give yourself some time to breathe, recenter, connect with yourself and be present.

10. Travel or mix up your routine

Changing up your routine and traveling to new places will help you better prepare for life.  Reality is continuously changing, shifting and molding into new experiences.  The quicker we can fully accept change the sooner our soul can be at peace and we can return to the present moment.

Even if the present moment is uncomfortable I have found that the quickest way to find peace is to fully accept it and be present with it.  There are powerful lessons in the uncomfortable parts of life.  When your stomach hurts don’t numb out or distract yourself.  Instead, experience it fully.  Maybe there is a message there and maybe that lesson is to eat more mindfully.

Perhaps you are uncomfortable because someone hurt you.  Be present and fully accept what has happened.  Once you do that you can emotionally process it better and more creatively find a solution where everyone involved can thrive.

You are a powerful being, just remember that most of your power is contained in the present mindful moment.  Right now you have the power you are looking for to find peace, change, or whatever your heart desires most.

Let us know in the comments below what you do to stay mindful in your daily life.

Sources:

fitlife.tv

fitlife.tv

1. Practice Yoga

The benefits of Yoga are countless, and many of them are key for long-term health:

Stretching – Yoga poses work by stretching your muscles, making your whole body more flexible. Stretching is beneficial for general relaxation and tonification of your muscles. In one study, people improved their flexibility by up to 35% after only 8 weeks of yoga.

Increase Blood Flow – Twisting poses bring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated.

Increase Mobility and Flexibility – During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, but if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll also probably notice that aches and pains starting to disappear, and your posture getting better.

2. Practice Gratitude

When was the last time you woke up in the morning, and immediately smiled, suddenly overwhelmed by a massive wave of gratitude, just for being alive? With all the struggles of everyday life, we tend to forget about the blessings in our lives. While getting too busy fixing the things that are wrong, we forget about the things that are right.

However, gratitude is one of the pillars of a healthy life, and our mental health -just as important as our physical health-, can benefit a lot from living a grateful life.

3. Try New Supplements

Food nowadays is not as nutritious as the food our grandparents and great-grandparents grew up with, so an extra input of certain nutrients is often useful to prevent any deficiencies. These are some that might help improve your health:

• Vitamin D

It helps your body absorb calcium and also has a role in your nerves, muscles, and immune system. Deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. Muscle aches and weakness, muscle twitching and light-headedness are common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency; and some studies have found that it is also linked to depression.

• Magnesium

Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones, for the proper function of nerves and muscles, among others. Magnesium supplements can help with irregular heartbeat, blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, fibromyalgia, diabetes, kidney stones, headaches, PMS, asthma and hay fever, among many others

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include cramps, tremor, spasms, fatigue, loss of appetite, apathy, confusion, insomnia, irritability, poor memory, and reduced ability to learn.

• Fish oil

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, known to reduce inflammation in the body among other health benefits. It is most often used for conditions related to the heart and blood system, lowering high triglycerides, and preventing heart disease and stroke.

• ZMA

ZMA is a natural mineral supplement made up of zinc, magnesium aspartate, and vitamin B6. These three nutrients in your system can build muscle strength and stamina, speed muscle recovery, and improve the quality of your sleep.

4. Drink More Water

Around 75% of people are chronically dehydrated. Are you drinking enough water? Signs of fatigue, poor memory, difficulty focusing, and sleepiness, might be telling you that you’re not. Your body is 70% water (your brain is almost 90%!); water is essential for proper digestion and circulation, numerous chemical reactions, nutrient absorption, waste elimination and flexibility of the blood vessels. It regulates body temperature and acts as an internal skin moisturizer, as well as preventing premature aging due to toxic buildup.

5. Eat More Greens

A plant-based diet includes more nutrient-dense foods that will help keep you full longer and give you more energy with less toxins, making you feel better overall. Switching to a natural plant-based diet like veganism or any of its varieties, has many other benefits for your body, the animals and the environment.

Can’t think of what to eat? There are various vegan meal delivery companies that could help start you on your journey. Give it a try and let the new flavors, textures and ideas change the way you’ve always thought about healthy eating.

6. Eliminate or Reduce Toxins

Reducing or completely eliminating toxins from your diet and lifestyle will make it easier for your body to recover its natural healthy state. The list of toxins to avoid includes tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and sugar, which have an acidic effect -the process of neutralizing this acid spends energy from other processes, which affects your energy levels and ability to focus. Plastics and other hormone disruptors are another kind of toxins to avoid as much as possible, in order to get healthier.

7. Aim to Sweat Everyday

With sweating comes great benefits: an increased heart rate works as a “heart workout”, which improves your general cardiovascular health, and increases the blood flow to major organs. Sweating from intense exercise also releases endorphins, which help you feel good and prevent depression, stress, and anxiety. Sweating helps filter your blood and rid the body of toxins through your skin, making you feel lighter and better.

8. Get a Blood Test

General fatigue, mood swings, skin issues, vision sensitivity, joint pain and muscular weakness are common physical signs of nutritional deficiency. Mind fog, confusion, difficulty focusing, poor memory, or sleep issues, could also be signs that something is missing.

The best way to find if you have any deficiency, is to get a complete blood test.

9. Do a 3 Day Juice Cleanse

One of the easiest ways to start a reset in your system and rid your body of toxins by cleaning out your organs, is to do a 3 day juice cleanse. This has the effect of mild fasting, without the risk of upsetting your blood sugar levels or being too extreme if you’re not used to it.

10. Add superfoods into your diet

Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are especially beneficial for your health and well-being. Some examples are:

Turmeric – Curcumin in turmeric has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and neutralizes free radicals. It also increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain. Curcumin is beneficial for heart health, and helps prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. It can also treat symptoms of arthritis, and alleviate symptoms of depression.

Matcha Tea – If you haven’t heard of matcha tea, this is going to be life changing! Matcha green tea has over 100 times the antioxidants of regular green tea. The health benefits of drinking matcha tea include improved mental alertness and clarity, stronger immune defense and detoxification. It also helps relaxation and prevents bacterial, fungal and viral infections, cancer and type-2 diabetes. It assists in maintaining cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health and works as a superb energy booster.

Spirulina – Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is rich in protein, minerals, B vitamins, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid). It also has a high supply of carotenoids, which have antioxidant properties.

Spirulina can be beneficial for anxiety, ADHD, depression, diabetes, fatigue, heart disease, high cholesterol, improving your immune system and memory, PMS, and assist in wound healing and weight loss.

What are your ways of resetting your health? Feel free to share with us in the comment section!

Sources:

38 Health Benefits of Yoga

Vitamin D Wikipedia

Magnesium WebMD

Magnesium Wikipedia

Fish Oil Wikipedia

ZMA Wikipedia

How to Use Painful Emotions to Better Yourself

View your dissatisfaction with life as a message from your inner self: When an aspect of your life is not in alignment with your soul’s desires and your core beliefs and you continuously ignore it, your soul will often rise up in opposition and manifest itself as a debilitating condition such as depression, leaving you with no choice but to spend time in solitude. Isolation from debilitating depression demands you to explore every corner of inner turmoil, inevitably bringing to light the behaviors, actions, hobbies, or habits which are not in alignment with your fundamental beliefs. In solitude, you begin to explore the deepest parts of your inner self, which inevitably leads to the unveiling of the inner conflicts hindering your life. You may find you are unbearably miserable with your mind numbing job that has stripped you of your appetite for wonder, a romantic or platonic relationship, familial discord, the way you allow people to treat you, or a plethora of other things. Whatever it is, inner child work via hypnosis, meditation, and journaling can help you identify it.

Once you identify the root cause of conflict within, it is incredibly important to then take swift and immediate action to dissolve it. Otherwise, if you do not act, you risk worsening your depression by sending a message to your subconscious that although you know what is wrong and therefore what steps you need to take to take to begin healing, you do not think you are worth the effort to take them. Your subconscious is always eavesdropping on your thoughts, and responds accordingly.

Channel negative energy into creative expression: You are likely familiar with the stigma that artists are tortured, depressed souls. Of course, this is not true for every artist, but nonetheless many musicians, writers, painters, and other types of artists have long been known to draw their creative energy from deep within the murky waters of depression. Perhaps this is due to the fact that depressed people tend to ruminate over details of past experiences more so than the average individual. There are invisible dimensions of feelings in our day to day lives that we all feel, both good and bad. The average person dismisses lingering memories of the “bad” ones at their earliest convenience while creative people, especially those who are depressed, dive deep into those feelings. Going deep into the darkness of depression is unavoidable when the extent to which you feel things is far greater than the average person. Depression is able to consume you because it evokes such strong emotion. This makes it an incredibly powerful tool for channeling your energy into creative work, perhaps more so than most other emotions. When you use this monumental force of energy, you step aside mentally and allow the essence of the universe to flow through you to create a work of art — a painting, a song, poetry, a book, and so on.

Sharing your creative work with others helps you feel less alone. When others make an effort to pay attention to what you create, they likely identify with some part, or perhaps even all, of it. When this occurs, you contribute to an ever-growing and desperately needed collective movement to forge deep, compassionate connections with others in a world where we frequently separate and isolate ourselves from one another, often for surface reasons as trivial as race, political beliefs, disability, or societal status. When a diversity of people connect with the same work of art, whatever form it may take, the truth that we are all the same at our deepest levels becomes blatantly clear.

You do not have to share your creative work with others for it to be productive, though. There are many ways in which engaging in privately kept artistic expression can be productively used to harness the monumental flow of energy from depression into creative activity. For example, a research study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology showed journaling about upsetting experiences and aspects of your life for a mere 15 minutes a day for only three days boosts levels of happiness. [1] If you are more prone to expressing yourself freely if you know it will be kept private rather than shared with others, then you should absolutely choose that option —if you push yourself to share your creative work publicly regardless of your hesitation to do so, still engaging in private creative work on the side not only amplifies the benefits of committing to inner work, it may also diminish feelings of angst or fear fueling your hesitation to openly express yourself.

Both private and public creative expression are productive ways to minimize, if not overcome, depression. When you engage in creative expression fully, you drop into a meditative trance-like state. Although you do not realize it at the time, your consciousness makes contact with the inner demons hiding in your subconscious while in this state. When you emerge from this creatively induced trance-like state, so do the inner conflicts you uncovered within it, allowing you to finally acknowledge them and make peace with them.

Increase your gratitude: Yes, using depression as a vehicle to increase your sense of gratitude sounds paradoxical, but it is nonetheless very possible when a conscious decision to do so is made. This in no way means sitting around and waiting for something to happen that you can grateful for. It means discovering all of the things you already have to be thankful for. Intentionally practicing gratitude even when you don’t actually feel grateful reprograms the brain to focus on positive aspects of life more than negative ones. Keeping gratitude journals and engaging in gratitude meditations  are two excellent ways to do this.

Improve your physical health: Not surprisingly, when it comes to physical and mental health, the two go hand in hand. Boosting physical health also boosts mental health. So, striving to spend more time in the sun, eat healthier, and exercise more are often beneficial for combating depression — and at the same time, you improve the longevity and virtually every other area of your life to some degree, even if small, too.

Practice Mindfulness: Calming techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, hypnotherapy, and tai chi ease depression by helping you relax and clear your mind. Repetitively executing such techniques for depression does more than merely provide short term results like pharmaceutical antidepressants do (which, not to mention, often have harmful consequences in the long run), it also deeply instills a long lasting, life changing skill within you — a shift in consciousness, the ability to be more aware, more present, and ultimately more alive.

Of course, there are many other productive activities that may heal or ease symptoms of depression. I personally feel the above two require more inner work and thus generate the greatest results. Of course, everyone is different. Like most other things in life, productively working with your depression to alleviate it and improve your quality of life is a highly individualized path.

What it all comes down to is that at some point or another, in some way or another, we are all pushed to edge and consumed by darkness, by despair, by depression, by rage, and all of the friendly counterparts of pain. The vehicle that delivers us to this consumption differs –often significantly- among each of us. Regardless of how different the surface details of our painful situations may be, we all have our own form of rock bottom where we are ultimately forced to make a life changing decision: to gloss over our pain with medications and/or keep ourselves constantly busy with meaningless activity that allots us no time alone with our thoughts; or to stop, open our eyes, acknowledge the sickness of mankind in some way, in some aspect we were previously oblivious to, and let it change us on a deep level forever, for the better. From the moment of our first shutter of darkness, we all became one -cast out in some way and different, even if the shift within us is subtle, than we were before. The first time the spirits of those of us who allow ourselves to feel pain fully and let it change us are frosted with darkness, we sink beneath the glaciers of the lives we once knew and sink deeper, always deeper, into water so icy it burns the spirit like shards of shattered glass. Eventually, we hopefully begin to see that these shards of glass were but tools carving a passageway into the underlying invisibles of life where all things begin to shimmer with luminous particles not unlike the golden flecks that can be spotted in rays gleaming through windows as the scorching August sun begins to set.

Eventually, we see the burning of what we knew to be our spirits as exposed fallacies of a society struggling to place a word on something so deep -the invisible, wildness of the world. The place where we all must go, but to where no one can journey with us. The place pain, if fully felt, forces us to enter after we make it beyond the wall that we feel we simply cannot go past, one we all eventually hit at some point. Past that wall exists deeper realms so beautiful they possess no name, unattainable by the thinking mind, as it would only work to reduce these luminous things, these uncharted territories within, the ecstasy felt only once one has been seared with the hot iron whose board is made of feelings more painful and dark than we ever thought possible. The beautiful meanings we eventually find within our tragedies do not come to our attention at first. For some of us, it takes a few months. Others, years. Others, decades. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the truth is that within each of us lies the strength to adapt and withstand the relentless sting of passage from dark waters of emotions like deep depression -whose rapids, with time, push us off its smoothly surfaced sharp cliff, into the deep pleasure pain teaches us if and when we nobly follow it into the abyss.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.m.webmd.com
2. http://m.everydayhealth.com