Unlocking Your Second Brain

The gut is referred to as the enteric nervous system or the brain in your belly. It is rich in neurochemicals and produces an immense amount of neurotransmitters found in the cranial brain such as serotonin and dopamine. It is connected to the central nervous system, brain and influences not just mood, but plays a key role in disease processes as well.

There are many facets to the human body, some known and some not so well known. One area that we are learning more about is our brain or should I say our ‘brains.’

The Other Brain

Yes, you read that right. We humans have two brains. We tend to think of the brain in our head as the command center from which all physiological functions occur. But there is another kind of intelligence that you may not know about – your other brain. Our digestive tract houses a very critical part of how we perceive a variety of emotion-based sensations and not just
digestion. The gut is referred to as the other nervous system: the ‘enteric nervous system’ that is really the brain in your belly. The belly brain is located under the mucosal lining and between layers of the esophagus, the stomach and the small intestine. You know that feeling of having ‘butterflies’ in your stomach or a lump in your throat or what about that ‘gut feeling?’ The enteric nervous system is rich is neurochemicals and produces an immense amount of neurotransmitters found in the cranial brain such as serotonin and dopamine – feel good chemicals. In fact, the gut produces 95% of the chemical serotonin. This gut brain not only senses and control events in the digestive tract, but throughout other parts of the body as well, including your emotions. This belly brain contains more than 100 million nerve cells – more than the spinal cord. The enteric nervous system brain is connected to the central nervous system brain and influences not just mood, but plays a key role in disease processes as well. In fact, 70% of our immune system is located in our digestive tract. Despite its deep reach in terms of our health and emotions, it does not play a part in our conscious thinking or decision-making. An example of how tied our gut is with our emotions, Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of California, stated up to 70 percent of the patients he treats for chronic gut disorders had experienced early childhood traumas like parents’ divorce, chronic illnesses or parents’ deaths. “I think that what happens early in life, along with an individual’s genetic background, programs how a person will respond to stress for the rest of his or her life” Taking care of both brains is going to serve us well in many areas of health. By reducing
stress , choosing a healthy nutrient dense diet and listening to your gut..you will help to create emotional and physical life-long health.

by Dr. Lori L. Shemek

4 Ayurvedic Herbs That Help Boost Your Brain Power

Selected herbs can improve intellect and cure brain related disorders. Shankhpushpi, small amounts with milk cures insomnia, anxiety, stress, memory loss, and lethargy. Brahmi as powder or paste with milk relieves stress. Combined with Shatavari or Ashwagandha it controls Pitta. Jatamansi roots cures hysteria, depression, insomnia, epilepsy and Shatavari helps overcome fatigue, improve eyesight.

In this age of day-by-day increasing mental stress , strain and cut-throat competition, we are finding it more and more difficult to cope with the pressures of day to day life.

Ayurveda claims at not only increasing the powers of the brain but also at keeping the mental diseases away, along with helping to cure them desirably. It is believed that a number of the diseases have their root in the brain of an individual. That is one of the reasons why the number of psychological and neurological cases is on the increase.

Ayurveda Dosha Healing and Mental Balance

According to ayurveda text, the balance of the three body humors viz. air, fire and phlegm or the vata , pitta and
kapha doshas when gets disturbed, tends to manifest itself both in somatic as well as psychic spheres.

Vitiation of the vata dosha destroys mental sense and gives rise to grief and infatuation.
When the pitta dosha or the fire humor of the body gets aggravated beyond its normal limits, may lead to mental states of fear, lust and grief.
Similarly, imbalance in kapha causes lethargy and in-discrimination.

These dosha imbalances disturb both the body as well as the mind. Although the predominant factor in case of mental disturbances is believed to be an increase and imbalance in the two mental states of the brain viz. rajas and tamas.

These two states are ascribed to iccha (Desire) and dwesha (Repulsion). It is believed that when these states of mind tend to cross the limits set by social norms and values; they tend to excite the basic humors of the body resulting into degeneration of the brain powers and birth of mental diseases.

Top 4 Ayurvedic Herbs For Your Brain

These four herbs are immensely useful in helping brain performance and also improving the overall health and well-being

1. Shankhpushpi

Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) is one of the nature’s precise answers to the brain weakness. It has been used since ages in Ayurveda therapy to sharpen intellect and increase the mental powers, as it has a cooling, calming and subsiding action on the brain.
Shankhpushpi is believed to be a
medhya rasayana (Brain tonic) in ayurveda and it is a rejuvenator par excellence.
One teaspoonful of powder of this herb taken twice daily along with a cup of milk could prove beneficial in maladies like insomnia, anxiety , everyday stress, and loss of memory, anorexia nervosa and lethargy.

2. Brahmi

Brahmi ( Centella asiatica ) is another useful brain tonic. It can be taken in powder or paste form along with milk. You could also extract juice by pounding the fresh herb and take it once or twice in a dose of 20-ml approx.
Though useful for all ages, it is a boon for students as it increases the intellect and helps undo stress and strain. Powder of this herb taken along with powdered herbs of shatavari (Asparagus) and ashwagandha (Winter Cherry) aids in reducing the aggravated
pitta or fire in the system and thus gives a calming effect to the brain. It is also a good cure for bilious headaches.

3. Jatamansi

Roots of the herb of Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) help to tone up the brain and stabilize mental abilities. It is an excellent restorative as it helps to subside all the three body humors.
It thus has a specific action on the nervous system and aids in curing a number of mental diseases such as hysteria, depression, insomnia, epilepsy and loss of memory. It has also proven effective in treating hypertension.

4. Shatavari

Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is a body and brain rejuvenator and is good for intellect. Additionally, it helps undo the everyday strain and induces sound sleep.
This can be taken in powder form in a dose of 3 to 5 grams along with milk or mixed into equal amount of honey. Also, some medicinal preparations of the herb are available like shatavari gritha , which can be taken a teaspoonful at bedtime along with warm milk. Regular use of the same for sometime helps fight mental stress, exhaustion and fatigue. It aids in increasing the eyesight and mental faculties as well.
Use of these remarkable herbs and
lifestyle modifications recommended by ayurveda ensure a long and healthy life.
The daily diet intake should be regularized in means of proper timing as well as nutritional balance. Try avoiding oily, heavy and spicy meals in your routine. Fresh juices, fibrous foods, raw green vegetables and garden herbs provide with ample supply of anti oxidants and resistance boosters. A good amount of water intake is also a must.
A sound mind dwells in a sound body. It is, therefore, essential to keep the body fit and healthy in order to develop better intellect. A regular exercise schedule or walks in fresh air especially in the early sunrise could do wonders.
Sound sleep for eight hours is your daily rest requirement for the proper functioning and recharging of your brain powers.
Make a daily work list and try to handle problems one by one, as it would be rather difficult to cope up with the accumulation.
It is equally important to stay involved and seek for counseling whenever required.
Massage of the scalp and soles of the feet with sesame seed oil is also suggested.
Cow’s ghee is quite beneficial for the brain. It should be included in daily diet and can also be inhaled through the nostrils.

by Sonica Krishan

10 Signs Of The Wrong Relationship

A close relationship with the right partner is important to your health and happiness. You want your relationship to be the right match for you, but sometimes the initial attraction isn’t enough to make a lasting partnership.

Tension, boredom, frustration, fear andanger are not emotions that you should be feeling often when you have a healthy romantic partnership.

Evaluating your feelings about the relationship is a good place to start when you’re not sure if it’s the right relationship for you, but here are 10 signs that it’s probably the wrong relationship.

10 SIGNS YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS WRONG FOR YOU

1. YOU FEEL CONTEMPT.
Not being in love with your mate anymore is one thing, but feeling hatred or contempt for their behavior is a very bad sign for your relationship. Bitterness, resentment and fear are also painful negative emotions that are not part of a healthy partnership.

2. YOU BLAME EACH OTHER.
Your partner blames you for the way things are in the relationship, but you’re blaming them at the same time. It’s likely that you both share some responsibility for the way things are.

3. YOU ARE VERY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
Your partner likes to sit and watch TV all day but you’d rather be out socializing with friends. If you have very different interests, one of you is going to feel let down when their needs are not being met. Major personality differences can lead to conflict in a relationship.

When you met, you felt a connection, but now that you’ve learned more about each other, you just don’t have the same things in common anymore. Couples have an easier time if they share similar backgrounds, culture, beliefs, education and economic status.

4. YOU AREN’T ACTING LIKE YOURSELF.
If you’ve changed as a person since you began this relationship, and it’s not for the better, it’s a sign that your relationship is wrong for you. Ideally, your partner would help you to become a better person. If you are declining in health, determination, focus, or emotional well-being, it is probably time to look for another partner who can provide a more fulfilling bond.

5. YOU’VE LOST INTEREST.
Your partner tells you about their day but you didn’t really hear them because you’re just not interested. If you or your partner has stopped listening, it’s a sign of a communication problem. This is easily fixable if you work on active listening with your partner, but maybe you don’t want to make the effort.

6. YOU HAVE DIFFERENT GOALS.
When you met, you talked about your future together. You made plans for your living arrangements and how you would share financial responsibility in the relationship. Maybe you talked about having children or your career goals. If things have changed and your partner no longer shares your dream, it’s a sign that this relationship is not going to have a future much longer.

7. YOU HAVE RELATIONSHIP FANTASIES INVOLVING OTHER PEOPLE.
Emotional cheating is still cheating. If you’ve found yourself envisioning a better life, even if it’s with a fictitious romantic partner, it’s a sign that you are not fulfilled by your current relationship.
Talking to a potential romantic partner about your relationship problems when you feel like you can’t talk to your partner about them is a sign of broken communication in the relationship. You should be able to tell your partner what’s upsetting you. Working it out with someone that is a possible romantic partner means that you are seeking an understanding connection with someone else.

8. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE INTIMATE.
You’ve stopped touching, kissing and cuddling like you used to when your relationship was new. You lie in bed away from each other. Sex isn’t interesting to you anymore and you aren’t likely to initiate anything intimate with your partner.

9. YOU DON’T TRUST EACH OTHER.
Trusting your gut when something doesn’t feel right is smart. If you’ve just got a feeling that your partner is hiding something from you, it might be a sign that you either need to confront them about it or move on. Distrust in a partnership leads to accusations.

10. YOU AREN’T MAKING AN EFFORT.
In a study of married couples at the seven year mark, couples who reported being stuck in a rut and very rarely did anything exciting together also reported very low satisfaction in their marriages nine years later. Boredom in a relationship now can cause significant unhappiness later.

When it comes to doing anything new and exciting together, you or your partner don’t want to make the effort. And that’s understandable if it’s the wrong match. Why invest time and money in this relationship if it’s wrong for you?

When you’re at a breaking point and have decided that something must change, you can ask your partner to work with you to make things better. You can also seek the help of a professional couples counselor. Or, you can trust your gut and get out of a bad relationship before it causes more emotional harm.

Simple and Effective ways of Ayurveda for Hair Loss and Premature Graying

Avoid Pitta-aggravating foods like spicy, heavy, and oily foods, as well as tea and coffee. Avoid refined foods, junk food, and alcoholic and carbonated drinks. Increase intake of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables. Panchakarma like Virechana, Nasya and Shirodhara can prevent gray hair. Shirodhara with Bhringraj Oil or Neeli Oil can help to reduce hair fall.

Ayurveda for Hair Loss and Graying

In Ayurveda, hair fall is referred to as
‘khalitya’ and premature graying of hair is termed as ‘ Palitya’. Both khalitya and Palitya are considered as pure paitik (arising out of ‘ pitta ’) disorders. It means, when you continuously disturb ‘pitta’ (heat in your body), it can gray your hair. So, according to Ayurveda, if you consume
pitta enhancing substances, your pitta aggravates and cause gray hair. From ayurvedic point of view, good hair growth is linked to one’s physical and mental health. When one is cheerful, the hair looks lively, alternatively when one is feeling depressed and pessimistic, the hair acquires a fallen and lifeless look.

According to Ayurveda, hair is a byproduct of bone formation and the tissue responsible for building bones is also responsible for the growth of hair. Early hair loss is related to body type and the balance of the mind-body constitution (doshas). Any problem with the hair will always indicate a dosha imbalance as well as a disequilibrium in the activities of your mind. People who have excess Pitta in their body are likely to lose their hair early in life, or have prematurely thin or gray hair. Excess Pitta in the sebaceous gland, at the root of the hair, or folliculitis can also lead to hair loss. Ayurveda recommends specialized home remedies to prevent as well as manage the gray hair all over the body. According to Ayurveda physiology the digestive essence (Rasa element) is responsible for healthy hair both color and structure. Any pathology affecting this leads to white hair. Correction of the causes with Ayurveda therapies and medicines, bring back the normalcy. Ayurveda says that the white hair after the middle age that is 82 is not reversible.

Symptoms

The symptoms are loss of hair whenever one combs the hair and graying of the hair at an early stage of life. Some systemic symptoms of Pitta aggravation might also be present as acid stomach, nausea, excessive sweating, and intolerance to heat.

Causes

Increased intake of fried, sour, spicy, salty, and fermented foods, as well as
tea and coffee, aggravate the Pitta Dosha in the body. This Pitta accumulates in the skin of the scalp, leading to hair falling out and graying prematurely. Factors like excessive anger and stress are also responsible for unstable Pitta. Excessive consumption of alcohol and meat also aggravate Pitta.

How To Prevent Gray Hair and Loss Of Hair

Here are some useful ayurveda tips to control hair fall and gray hair. Reduce the stress of hair loss and premature graying of hair by following these effective ayurvedic home remedies.

1. Panchkarma Therapy

Panchkarma like Virechana, Nasya and Shirodhara are also very useful for gray hair. Virechan helps balance vitiated Pitta Dosha, so helps to reduce gray hair. Best oil for Nasya is Shadbindu Oil, Neem oil or Yashtimadhu Oil. Shirodhara with Bhringraj Oil, or Neeli Oil can help to reduce hair fall and gray hair. Regular massage hair with Til Oil(prepared with Amla- Indian Gooseberry, Neem and Yashtimadhu- Liquorice) helps prevent hair loss. Applying Ghee (made from cow milk) before sleep on bottom of the feet with bronze vessel, this will help to convert gray hair into black.

2. Diet

Avoid Pitta-aggravating foods like spicy, heavy, and oily foods, as well as tea and coffee.
Avoid refined foods, refined sugar, junk food, and alcoholic and carbonated drinks.
Increase intake of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, and vegetable juice prepared from lettuce, carrot, capsicum, and alfalfa.

3. Daily Hair Care

Always, keep in mind hair are an essential part of our body and need special attention and care. Handle your hair gently. Whenever possible, allow your hair to air-dry naturally, Avoid compulsively twisting, rubbing or pulling your hair.

Cleanliness

To begin with, everything used for the hair should be clean. Brushes should be of good quality. The whalebone-bristle variety is perhaps the best, as it is not so stiff as to damage the hair, but the bristles are long and stiff enough to brush the scalp apart from the hair. Remember, combs should always be blunt-toothed. Both combs and brushes should be washed twice a week, and kept in a bag, which should be washed frequently. Both the brain and scalp prefer to be kept cool, so whenever washing the hair, it is best to use lukewarm water and a cool water rinse. It helps in toning the scalp and refreshing the nervous system.

Massage

Massage of the scalp is perhaps the best method for keeping your hair healthy and preventing hair loss. Though a good massage can be given with blunt-toothed comb, the best way is to massage with hands. The thumbs should be placed at the back of the ears, and the scalp rotated under the fingertips. Ensure that the scalp is also moved, apart from the fingers. Then, deep pressure should be applied with palms pressed firmly against the scalp. This ensures good circulation and an increased blood-supply to the hair-roots. A head massage helps relieve tension, improves circulation, and strengthens the hair roots.

Shampooing / Cleaning

The purpose of shampooing is to remove any dirt or impurities from hair making them clean and tidy. Harsh shampoos will just cause the sebaceous gland to overcompensate by producing more oil than necessary. It is advisable to wash your hair daily or alternate days using Amazing Herbal shampoo or any baby shampoo diluted with water. Traditionally, powdered herbs are used to cleanse the hair, which remove dirt without disturbing the natural functioning of the scalp. You can also prepare your own wet shampoo. Take one tablespoonful of grated or powdered ritha and shikakai. Add a handful of herbs (according to the need) and boil in half pint of water. Alternately, you can pour the boiling water over the mixture also. Allow it to cool. Strain and use as you would use your regular shampoo. The foam of the chemical shampoos has little to do with the cleaning effect. They are simple and harsh chemicals which strip the outer protein layer of the hair and dry the scalp, making the use of conditioners necessary.

Conditioning

Artificial conditioners do little more than provide an oily film that traps dirt and makes the hair look dull. If one feels the use of conditioners that are essential, one can always prepare an effective conditioner at home: mix sugar or honey, lemon juice and water in the ratio of 2:1:5. Prepare the needed quantity depending upon the length of your hair. After washing the hair, rub this mixture over the entire scalp and the hair thoroughly. Rinse it after about a minute. If you have dry scalp or if the skin keeps peeling off, use a mixture of yasthimadhu (Liquorice/Glyccyrrhiza glabra) roots. After washing the hair, apply this mixture all over the scalp, rubbing and massaging with the fingers. Leave it on for two-three minutes and then rinse once again with water.

Proper Combing

You should comb your hair every day with careful gentle 15-20 strokes. Combing the scalp helps keep your hair healthy and can also promote hair growth. It also an effective way to relax. It, which in turn prevents and fights avoidable hair loss, and re-establishes the natural development of healthy hair. Hair should be brushed well for five minutes at night and in the morning, preferably in front of an open window, as air is necessary for healthy air. Brushing should not be so vigorous as to stretch the hair, as it will weaken the hair. Brushing the hair from back to front ventilates the scalp.

4. Take treatment for cold

Don’t let kapha accumulate in your head. People who suffer perpetually from cold are more susceptible to get gray hair at an early age. Do not take a persisting common cold lightly. Seek treatment.

5. Take treatment for sinusitis
Do not neglect sinusitis . It has adverse effect on hair.

6. Good Digestion
Make sure that your digestive system functions well, your liver is healthy and you do not suffer from other gastric troubles. A sluggish liver and other digestive problems promote hair loss and turn the hair gray.

7. Head Massage

Regular care and an ayurvedic massage of the head is essential to revitalize the scalp.

8. Apply Essential Oils

Bhringaraaja referred to as keshraja or ‘king of the hair’ is an excellent rejuvenator. It also promotes hair growth and makes it black and lustrous. It is the best known herb to effectively stop and reverse balding and premature graying. It cools the brain and helps calm the mind from excessive activity, thus promoting sound sleep. Bhringaraaja is taken internally and used externally as Bhringraj oil.

9. Eat Copper Rich Foods

Sometimes gray hair begins to appear due to lack of copper in your diet. Take a multi-vitamin daily as most of them contain copper. Foods that are rich in copper are turnip greens, lima beans, yams, spinach, and most meats. Copper is also found in blackberries,
pineapple, pomegranates, almonds and pumpkin seeds.

Yoga To Prevent Hair Loss And Gray Hair

According to yoga, nerve endings below the fingernails are directly connected to the roots of a person’s hair. Rubbing the nails against one another improves the blood circulation in the scalp, which in turn reduces gray hair. Yoga Asana and Kapalbhati is also said to help in arresting the graying process.

1. Prasana Mudra

Method: Keep hand near the chest. Rub the nails of the eight fingers against each other for 5 to 10 minutes for 30 days. The thumbs should be straight.
Benefits: This slows down hair loss, with reduction of gray hair and split ends. It makes hair lustrous and strong.

2. Mandukasana

Mandukasana is very good for premature graying hair and help to stop further graying of hair. It is also useful for some other illness like constipation, diabetes and digestive disorders, effectively reduce weight of thighs, hips and the abdomen. This asana strengthens the lower parts of the loins.

5 Steps to Launching a New Life

Research-based tips for reinvention, starting today.

Is there a decision you’re putting off, or a change in your life that you want to make but you’re feeling too angsty to make it happen? Do you keep asking everyone for advice that leaves you more confused than ever about what, if anything, you ought to do?

Maybe it’s time to declare your independence.

I’m not suggesting you go off the grid in a hideout on a mountain. But sometimes, you’ve got to be able to go it alone—for you and by you. If you’re tired of running in circles or feeling stuck, maybe it’s time to take a different tack.

Here are 5 strategies drawn from research to get you going:

1. Know how you’ll react to stress.

When a decision looms and you feel under the gun, which of these statements describes you best?

I’m decisive and it’s easy for me to set my sights on the future. I don’t rely on other people’s advice much. I focus on what’s next, I don’t look back, and I deal with emotional and other fallout without much fuss.

I’m not great at self-starting and I can get easily derailed. If I’m stressed, I overthink things and end up procrastinating. I have trouble getting over setbacks, and what other people think of me is very important.

If the first statement fits you, you’re “action oriented,” according to a theory called Personality Systems Action (PSI) which focuses on emotional regulation and coping skills. You are likely to initiate action under demanding circumstances—put another way, you're a clutch player. But if the second statement captures you in broad strokes, you are “state-oriented,” and declaring your independence may be a challenge. These people—amounting to roughly half of us—are very reactive to negative cues, have trouble managing their negative emotions, and do best when someone is giving them directives.

But here’s the good news: Once you realize that you're state-oriented, there are pro-active things you can do. Research by Sander L. Koole and Daniel L. Fockenberg suggests that by working consciously to change your emotional context—thinking of a relaxing time in your life when you’re stressed to the max, for example—can help you become as independent and actually more unresponsive to negative cues than action-oriented peers. By seeking the support of those you trust, combined with a conscious awareness of where you ultimately want to end up, you’ll find yourself more capable of decisive action.

2. Take on your own fear of loss.

All human beings are hardwired to be loss aversive; it just comes with the territory, as the Nobel Prize-winning work of Amos Twersky and Daniel Kahneman showed. Among the habits of mind that keep us firmly tethered is the sunk-cost fallacy , which has to be tackled so that you can actually consider your options. The sunk-cost fallacy refers to how we focus exclusively on whatever we have already invested in a job, a situation, or a relationship—time, money, effort—when we think about making a change. But this stance guarantees that we stay put no matter how unhappy it makes us. On the face of it, this kind of thinking—“I’ve already got five years invested in my relationship and all that time will be wasted if I break it up”—isn’t very logical, since it only guarantees that your investment will increase over time, but not that your misery will decrease. Once you recognize the fallacy, you can take steps to actively combat it by thinking of viable alternatives that would deliver more

happiness and satisfaction than where you are now, and figuring out a route to your new tomorrow.

3. Make sure you’re deciding, not sliding.

These terms are taken from a very counterintuitive—trust me, you will be surprised—study on how living together before marriage actually is predictive of future marital problems. Some 50 to 60 percent of all couples cohabit before marriage in the United States; most people see it as a tryout of sorts, a way of seeing whether or not their relationship will be seaworthy in the long run. It turns out, though, that the effect of living together before marriage is actually deleterious—studies have shown that people who cohabited demonstrated lower levels of commitment, less

confidence in the relationship, and more negative interactions. Scott M. Stanley and his colleagues have posited that living together actively erodes commitment. While getting engaged and married force you to confront your choices consciously and directly, living together is a much more ambiguous state.

People end up living together for a multitude of reasons that have nothing to do with commitment, like convenience and saving money. And so a large proportion of people tend to “slide” into marriage rather than actively deciding to wed. This is a function of relationship inertia; while it takes real work to break up with someone you’re already living with—dealing with a joint lease, shared belongings, a pet, etc.—it’s easy enough to just slide into marriage “as the next logical step.” I’ll bet you can name at least one couple in your social circle who slid into marriage in this way. The problem is that sliding doesn’t raise your level of commitment, either to your partner or the institution of marriage.

Inertia and the phenomenon of sliding can apply to other parts of your life as well. It’s easy enough to take a job and slide into one promotion after another without asking yourself whether you really want to be there in the first place. The takeaway lesson is to remain alert and sensitive to your decision-making processes, and to review them often and carefully to stay independent.

4. Plan it out.

Thinking about your future isn’t nearly as effective as writing down your goals. The success born of mapping out your goals turns out not to be an urban legend, as a study done at McGill and Toronto Universities showed. And given the recent study by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer showing that using a laptop to take notes encouraged more shallow thinking than writing by hand, you should probably do your planning with pen and paper.

Divide your goals into two columns, one devoted to short-term goals and the other to long-term goals. Aligning them in this way will help you determine whether any are in conflict, and permit you to think about what that conflict means in real terms. For example, if your goal is to make more money and get promoted at company, how will you reconcile that with another goal of spending more time with family and friends?

Review the columns and ask yourself how many of your goals are extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic goals are those which are means to other ends (like making money); may have been imposed on you by the expectations of others (such as parents or spouses); or are aimed at garnering social position and recognition.

Intrinsic goals are central to your sense of self. They define you; are valuable and satisfying in and of themselves; and contribute to a sense of meaning in your life. Science recognizes that the healthiest, happiest people are those with largely intrinsic goals and aspirations.

5. Be sure you’re in it to win it.

In her book, Commit To Win, psychology professor (and fellow Psychology Today blogger) Heidi Reeder suggests the following

formula:

(Treasures - Troubles) + Contributions

- Choices = Level of Commitment

I think it’s a fresh way of looking at commitment. Let me offer a brief explanation based on Reeder's work:

Treasures are the rewards you derive from an activity, and they may be intrinsic or extrinsic. Troubles are the prices you pay for those rewards—your long commute which has you miss all your kid's recitals, or your boss' unfortunate habit of springing last-minute deadlines so that you're always canceling plans. This part of the equation has you looking at benefits versus costs.

Contributions are the actions you take in pursuit of a goal. Reeder breaks them down into four categories— time, talent, tenderness, and tangibles. Time and talent are self-explanatory; tenderness refers to your emotional investment. Tangibles include money and material resources.

In Reeder’s equation, your contributions—what you are actively putting in now—are balanced by the choices or alternatives you might be pursuing instead. That, in turn, will lead to figuring your level of commitment.

The truth is that imagining those alternatives is difficult for many of us and requires some independent, out-of-the-box thinking. It’s here that the sunk-cost fallacy and other biases often stop us in our tracks as we wrack our brains to figure out where we could be instead of where we find ourselves.

By Peg Streep

 

Top 10 Benefits of Carrot Juice .

Benefit #1 :- Carrot juice contains less calories and is very beneficial for weight loss.
Benefit #2 :- The functioning and health of liver and digestive tract improves by the intake of carrot juice.
Benefit #3 :- Carrot juice contains Vitamin E which helps in preventing cancer.
Benefit #4 :- Aches and pains associated with aging lessen with the intake of carrot juice.
Benefit #5 :- Vitamin A present in carrot juice improves eye-sight and helps in bone disorders, osteoporosis etc.
Benefit #6 :- It contains potassium which helps against cholesterol.
Benefit #7 :- Carrot juice is extremely beneficial for the liver as it reduces fat and bile in the liver.
Benefit #8 :- The juice revitalizes and tones the skin.
Benefit #9 :- Carrot juice is very rich in beta- carotene which is an antioxidant and it prevents cell degeneration. The aging process is also slowed down.
Benefit #10 :- Carrots contain beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A by our body. This natural vitamin A is very good for our body.

8 Ways to Keep Your Stomach Clean .

1. Stay hydrated : There is nothing better than water for your body. Drinking less water slows down our digestive system creating problems for our stomach. We must drink plenty of water each day to keep our system healthy. When your urine is clear and odorless its a sign you’re getting enough water.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grain products Vegetables, fruits and whole grain products are rich in fiber. Fiber is important to your
body. Fruits like strawberries, mangoes, avocados, and dried fruits like raisins and prunes provide the required fiber and help keep the stomach clean and healthy.
3. Don’t lie down for 2 hours after you eat Often many of us lie down or rest after having our dinner. This slows the digestive process which can create problems in your stomach.
4. Eat on schedule : Some doctors say that having
your meals on a regular
schedule can help keep your stomach healthy and in shape. Practice having your breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day.
5. Regular Yoga/Exercise : Regular exercise and yoga
keep the food inside your
stomach moving, thereby
reducing constipation. It will also help you to maintain your figure and weight. Add it to your schedule and stay healthy for life.
6. Avoid fast food : The more saturated fat you eat, the more your stomach gets strained. You should try to cut down on burgers, cakes, chips, pizzas, and donuts to help keep your stomach healthy and to prevent it from any kind of ache.
7. Eat slowly : Eating in a rush or taking big bites can put a lot of stress on your stomach and your
digestive system will have to work harder to digest the food. This may cause stomach ache or affect your digestive system adversely. Chewing thoroughly will lead to easier digestion and you can also enjoy the delicious taste of food longer.
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8. Quit Bad habits : Intake of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs can disturb the functioning of your stomach and digestive system which can cause stomach ulcers and heartburn. These should be avoided or at least reduced.