Think about the last time you had a stressful day. Maybe you snapped at someone you love. Or you rushed yourself and made a critical mistake. Our knee-jerk responses to stress and difficulties often turn into reactions we regret . . . . . . and that only compounds the problem. But here’s one strategy […]
Why Optimism Is Good for Your Brain
Focusing on positive experiences is a reflex for some, but it’s a skill that all of us would be wise to adopt. Because not only can it be just plain enjoyable to mentally relive good experiences, it can actually rewire your brain. New findings keep showing us that everything we do affects our brain. But […]
Brain Science and Meditation: How to Improve the Brain
Stress is no joke. Aside from the sleepless nights and lots of tension, stress can also have a range of negative health effects. So how do you reduce stress? A team of researchers at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine started looking for answers. They gathered 18 patients who had received diagnoses of breast […]
Mindful Kids: How Mindfulness Meditation Can Change the Classroom
We got a lot of heartfelt responses to our last blog post about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Judging from the words of comfort, it’s clear that the community of Newtown, CT is still in our thoughts and prayers. Reading through the comments, I noticed that a number of people mentioned a need […]
The Power of Mindfulness Meditation – Helping to Ease the Effects of Chronic Conditions
Chronic health problems, by definition, don’t go away quickly (or at all). And when we can’t help patients heal, the next best thing might be helping them cope. Enter mindfulness meditation. Jillian Simpson, RN, and Tim Mapel, senior lecturer at New Zealand’s Eastern Institute of Technology, wanted to find out whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) […]