Spring green joins nature’s vibrant palette at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Late spring is one of the more visually stunning times of the year at the park, when aspen and cottonwoods show bright new leaves, Medano Creek is flowing and the mountains are still snowcapped. The unexpected combination of these diverse elements brings a response of awe, along with a desire to share the experience with others. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service.
This Victorian cottage was designed by Eugene Cheah Architecture in 2016, and is located in Australia. It has recently undergone an extension with a more contemporary style. Because of the style already present in the building, the implementation of a new style accentuated the presence of the original. This became especially true as the inhabitants move from the confined spaces of the original building to the larger, expanded sections. The..
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It takes time to develop and master any skill, and meditation is no different. The ability to calm the mind on demand can be a phenomenal tool to have at your disposal.
Whether you are feeling burnt out, overrun by emotions, feeling stressed or off center, meditation can be a great catalyst to help you face the challenges in life. It gives you the ability to take a step back, gather your awareness and get back on track.
This doesn’t take away the significance of the challenge. Instead, it gives us the time to take a moment, refocus and move forward in a far more constructive way. As a result of this new way of thinking, life begins to spin in a completely different manner.
One of the great benefits of meditation is its ability to increase your focus and clarity in specific tasks. It allows you to be more present in the moment and not get too lost in thought.
We’ve all been there – zoning out and thinking of something else, not completely digesting what was just said to us. If we can be more present with greater clarity, we can increase our attention and focus on any given task.
Let’s face it: we are emotional beings, whether we like it or not.
One of the greatest solutions meditation brings is the ability to manage and use your emotions constructively. Whenever a challenge arises, the mind can’t resist to label and comment on what’s just happened. It’s like a TV playing over and over in your head.
We tend to cloud the situation with a storyline and that story clouds our judgment. Sometimes, we may be overcome with nerves, like just before an interview, a speech, meeting new people and so on. In a business situation, emotions, like anger, can get to the surface at times.
The key point here is that meditation gives you the option to choose if the emotion serves you or not. It allows you to see the difference between what might happen and what is actually happening.
One of the many issues we face in today’s society is its fast pace. Having drive and ambition is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it can feel overwhelming especially when you have a family, work or business. Trying to keep all the plates spinning can feel tough, but it can be managed with time and training.
So, how would it feel to know you could develop a skill to calm your mind on demand? By taking ten minutes a day for yourself, you can refresh and take on the day with more clarity, commitment and ease.
Meditation is simply health for the mind and the beautiful thing about it is you get to define it. Whether you would like to have a better sleeping pattern, manage stress more effectively, relate to others better or increase your happiness, it’s completely up to you!
It has all been proven. Here are the scientific benefits of meditation.
1. It helps lower your stress levels.
2. It can help reduce worry, impulsivity and anxiety.
3. Meditation increases insight and helps you develop positive relationships.
4. It can help develop your memory skills.
5. It ignites more positive emotions.
6. By meditating, you can improve your decision-making skills and the way you process information.
7. It helps you lower the volume of mental chatter.
8. It allows you to increase compassion for others and decrease the feeling of loneliness.
9. With EQ, compassion can be developed and strengthened.
10. With consistent practice, meditation can increase the gray matter in the brain related to positive emotions, compassion and awareness
See Also: The Profound Effects Of Meditation On The Mind
As you can see, there are many scientific studies that have looked at the profound benefits of meditation. If you take just ten minutes a day, over time, your brain can begin to show positive changes.
This is commonly known as neuroplasticity or the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Therefore, if you have always felt you’re a worrier, stressed or anxious, don’t be so quick to judge yourself. You can learn to manage difficult emotions over time and develop a healthier way of life.
Letting go of the stereotype and seeing meditation as simply health for your mind is a great place to start. We all regularly brush our teeth as we know the benefits it has to offer. It keeps them clean and stops them from falling out. You can consider meditation in exactly the same way. You can look at it as a time to declutter the mind, find space and increase your happiness!
Here’s a short video on how to meditate for beginners.
1. Meditation isn’t about stopping thoughts. It’s about being able to sit comfortably and letting thoughts arise and pass.
The cars are your thoughts and your aim is to simply watch each thought pass through without judgment. Remember, this is a skill and you may be shocked to see how many cars are actually there. But, don’t worry. This will pass with time and the mind will begin to settle.
2. Finding the right balance is key when we meditate. So, we want to hold an equal amount of attention and rest. This allows the mind to rest in a sweet spot. If we are too relaxed, we may fall asleep. If we are too focused, we lose the calm we are looking for.
3. Finally, wonderful things can happen when you rest the mind in meditation. One of the greatest insights it will teach you is when your mind is fully rested, joy naturally arises. This allows us to take life in a completely different way.
We normally recommend mornings to meditate. However, since everyone has different commitments, you can choose what works best for you. Try coupling it with something you do regularly or actually stick it in your diary!
We now have all the scientific research and all the information for us to increase the quality of our lives through meditation. Meditation can help you manage stress, grow in resilience, increase joy and find a new perspective on happiness!
It only takes 10 minutes a day! So, take the steps and increase the quality of your life!
“If you don’t have 10 minutes, you don’t have a life” – Tony Robbins
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If there’s something reflected by this apartment, it’s a sense of peace and tranquility. Its elegantly decorated spaces have been created to inspire these feelings and create a place in which to rest and relax after a long day of work. The project was undertaken by the architectural firm 152 Elizabeth and is located in the Nolita district of the city of New York, USA. Its living room is done..
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This beautiful house, located in the municipality of Brenna, Province of Como, Italy, was designed by the architectural firm Riccardo Cassina Corrado Spinelli Architetti. It is located in a beautiful area full of trees and green vegetation that provide the house not only shade and freshness in the days of intense heat, but also privacy. In the interior, we can see the use of natural wood as the main material..
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If you want to live your life to the fullest, there are five aspects of life that you need to balance: work, health, learning, social, and spiritual. Out of the five, here I’d like to take a closer look at the role of spirituality in optimizing life.
Spirituality plays an important role in our lives. In fact, I believe that it’s the most important aspect of the five. It’s the foundation upon which all the other aspects are built.
There are at least four reasons why spirituality is important:
1. It Gives You Meaning
You can only live a full life if you find meaning in what you do. Spirituality helps you find that meaning. Why? Because spirituality helps you see the big picture. It helps you see things beyond yourself.
Instead of just living for yourself, now you live for something bigger. You find your place in the world and do things with a sense of purpose.
2. It Gives You Hope
Like it or not, there are times when we have to go through difficult times. Spirituality gives you hope in such a time. That’s because spirituality builds your faith. You know that you are not alone. You believe that Someone is in control. This belief gives you the strength to keep going.
3. It Gives You Inner Peace
Spirituality gives you peace in your heart. Even in challenging situations, you can find comfort and calmness. Now you can face your challenges with a clear mind.
4. It Balances Your Life
Spirituality teaches that many things in this world are temporary. Money and fame, for instance, wouldn’t last. Instead, there are things that are more valuable in the long term such as your family and relationships. This perspective will help you live a balanced life.
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As you can see, spirituality is important: it helps you live a meaningful life, it gives you hope, it gives you inner peace, and it helps you live a balanced life. For these reasons, I believe that building your spirituality should become a priority.
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You’re reading 25 Ways to Win Over Your Depression Thoughts for Good, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Sometimes the simplest things become the hardest things when dealing with depression.
Dressing up and going out for a simple coffee with friends becomes an obligation and being alone and in bed is the most comforting place to be.
Depression sucks and is a very mean devil that needs to be dealt with by you and only you!
Because if you don’t, it will drag you down into this seemingly endless black tunnel where hope is nowhere to be found and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is non-existing, sounds familiar?
Keep reading.
Some people confuse depression with being unhappy. Yep! That was me.
However, depression is a clinical condition while unhappiness is simply a result of an unhappy relationship or a unfulfilling job. With depression, the activities you once found enjoyable lose their luster and the pursuit of happiness will never end.
One thing that I have always told my friends who went through depression is to be aware and not confuse it with being unhappy. It can become a very dangerous game for some if the confusion continues. If you feel that you shy away from what you love or what usually gives you energy then it’s time to examine deeper as to why you are feeling that way.
Remember this – everything in life is fixable if you have the will to turn things around, and depression is one of them.
To be honest it took me about a couple of years to win over the battle by forcing myself to dive into activities that are energetic and surrounding myself with the great supportive people who are understanding and sensitive to my needs.
If you are willing to follow the steps that I took to gradually banish depressing thoughts one day at a time. It will be a challenge but loving yourself means to find ways to pursuit an endless happiness in your life and those around you.
Below is a cheat sheet that shows 25 activities that will help you crush your depression thoughts once and for all.
However, whatever you do, do not give up half-way because learning how to keep going will help you overcome any obstacles that life will throw at you.
You’ve read 25 Ways to Win Over Your Depression Thoughts for Good, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
To describe the thinking behind his films, Stan Brakhage often quoted a saying attributed to the ninth-century Irish theologian John Scotus Erigena: “All things that are, are light.” This is not a sensibility that would seem to lend itself to making home movies, and there is a disquieting tension in many of the films Brakhage made about his family during his first marriage.
Sig Nordal 