Here are 8 Easy Tricks to Improve Your Memory

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Exercise is not only important for your body, it is also extremely important for your mind. Who we are as people is shaped by our ideologies, our habits, our fears and our hopes—all of these things are dependent on your memory.

Hitting the gym is great for your physique, but strengthening your ability to retain information will need a different kind of exercise.

Our nervous system is the messenger network that facilitates communication throughout the body, to and from your brain. Your brain is like the master computer that stores all your memories and relays how to act based on your body’s interactions.

On a basic level, neurons, or communication chemicals, are responsible for our experiences and memories in life, and they set us up for future experiences.

Short-term memories may only last seconds to hours, long-term memories last from hours to months, and lasting long-term memories may stay with you for months through your lifetime.

Memory can be divided into three types—short term, long-term, and lasting long-term. Short-term memories may only last seconds to hours, long-term memories last from hours to months, and lasting long-term memories may stay with you for months through your lifetime.

As far as functionality, there are other types of memory, including declarative and non-declarative, and immediate and working memory.

Your brain goes through three basic phases when it comes to memory—encoding, consolidating, and retrieving.

Encoding is when you are taking in new information, or you perceive it, and relate it to your past experiences.

Consolidation is when your brain stores this new information so that it can be used later.

When the time is right, your mind will access or retrieve the stored information for use.

Crucial elements to creating a lasting memory include the following:

• A good challenge
• Upward mobility
• A rewarding experience
• A new lesson

Dementia, or a decline in mental ability, is very common among the aging population. Alzheimer’s disease, a more severe form of dementia, affects as many as 5 million people living in the United States, and unfortunately the exact cause of it is unknown.

What we do know is that staying mentally active can have amazing protective benefits for your mental health. To make sure your memory is running at tip-top performance, make sure that you exercise your brain.

Here are 8 techniques you can use to strengthen your memories and make them last:

Organization

When trying to remember something, look for patterns. How something is organized, or clustered together, can help greatly when it comes to trying to remember details. “Chunking” is the term used to refer to a type of cognitive compression by which we are able to pair information into chunks that are more memorable than random tidbits of information.

Tip: if you want to remember someone’s birthday and it’s towards the end of December—try remembering that it’s close to Christmas (and maybe think about doubling up on the gift situation).

Categorizing

Categorizing information into objective (logical and well-recognized categories) or subjective (any way that might help you, even if the information seems unrelated) groups is useful to retaining information that you have just learned.

For example, if you want to remember someone’s birthday and it is towards the end of December—try remembering that it’s close to Christmas (and maybe think about doubling up on the gift situation).

Visualization

Mental imagery is a technique that can help you reinforce your memory toward specific actions or cognitive activities. Think about to act of doing something ahead of time, and put yourself in a visual thought process of what it will actually be like—this can help you succeed at complex activities with many steps and with future decision making.

This is because images are pretty set in stone, while a slew of information may be more abstract. Visualization in a way forces your attention toward a specific point, leaving no room for ambiguity. When it comes down to images versus facts and ease of remembrance, images typically take home the gold.

If you’re trying to remember something like which foods are Paleo and to stay on track with your Paleo goals, try this: picture yourself at the grocery store or farmer’s market and imagine you are selecting nothing but non-processed foods and foods as close to that of our ancestors as possible; maybe even think about your family or friends being there to support your purchases.

Visualize yourself enjoying this, and visualize it often. Over time, you will no longer need to remind yourself of this healthy habit; it can become part of your daily practice with a little bit of discipline.

Repetition

Everyone has fallen victim to forgetfulness, and this often happens when you have only done something once before, or you were only told something one time. Once is usually not enough for something to stick to your memory.

So lather, rinse, repeat. The more you practice something, the more neural networks will strengthen to increase signals transmitted to and from your brain. But repeating something over and over in a short interval is not the best technique for memory.

What works better is squeezing some time in between your repetitions. This is also known as spaced retrieval, because you are forcing yourself to retrieve a piece of information over an interval of time.

When you meet a new person and you find it difficult to remember their name, try to repeat their name in your head every 10 minutes or so, or force yourself to address them by name when you are talking to them.

Rest and Getting Enough Sleep

One day is rarely enough time for memories to make a lasting impression on your brain. While you rest, your body is replenishing itself for the next day by balancing out your hormones to support healthy growth and development.

Sleep is also a key factor in optimizing memory consolidation, but not a two-hour nap type of sleep, but a real full-night’s rest type of sleep. During slow-wave sleep, or deep sleep, is when your memories will consolidate the best.

Eating Breakfast

Don’t let breakfast escape your routine. It doesn’t matter how busy or lazy you are, or how much you think skipping breakfast is going to help you lose weight. After a good night’s sleep, to help lock in memories, breakfast is going to help get important nutrients into your body to further tie your memories down (it also helps to kick-start your metabolism for the day).

Eating breakfast was shown to have a significant benefit on not only memory, but also school achievement and cognitive function and performance. Omega-3 fatty acids like those found in flaxseeds and fish are most beneficial to your memory.

Eliminating Excess Stress

Chronic stress is always going to be the little devil on your shoulder for many reasons, including retaining information. Excess stress is going to literally get in the way of how your brain functions to store and retrieve memories.

Stress sends out messenger chemicals known as glucocorticoid hormones, which will bind to receptors and prevent normal memory consolidation and retrieval. Spatial learning and memory, the type of memory that helps you remember locations and relate objects, are diminished with excess stress, as well.

Staying Mentally Active Throughout Life

Your mental strength is one of those things that abides by a “use it or lose it” philosophy. In a study of 700 dementia-free patients where general cognitive decline was analyzed, people who were observed to participate in more cognitively-stimulating activities showed a slower rate of decline in their episodic and working memory. Your mental strength is one of those things that abides by a “use it or lose it” philosophy.

Activities  that are cognitively stimulating include things like reading, writing, doing puzzles and playing certain computer games.

Other studies have shown that mental decline was about 48% faster in those who didn’t actively stimulate their mind throughout life, as compared to those who engaged in mental activity more frequently.

Writing Down What You Need to Remember

Writing down what you need to remember will help you not only because it’s on paper, but because you will force yourself to use more of your body. Not only will you have the memory in your mind, but you will also see it with your eyes.

Looking at the note multiple times a day can help make the memory last even longer. In addition, you can repeat whatever it is that you need to remember aloud, to add your sense of hearing.

Taking notes in a class was shown to be more effective for long-term memory when it was done with a pen and paper versus with a laptop. Keep this in mind when trying to hold onto information.

Watch this video – 11 Quick Exercises to Improve Your Memory by 90%

Written by Liz Lang

Author Bio:

Liz Lang is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Southern California Institute for Research and Education in the field of Gastroenterology. Liz graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Public Health Sciences. She has an insatiable thirst to learn how the human body works in order to keep people healthy. When Liz isn’t in the clinic, she enjoys exploring nature, yoga, and trying new things (especially food!).

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

How Earthing Can Really Slow Aging and Calm Inflammation

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Earthing – Can Walking Barefoot Really Slow Aging and Calm Inflammation?

When was the last time you went barefoot outside for your health? Earthing might be just what your body needs to prevent illness and even ease pain.

There’s some interesting research that suggests going barefoot can realign your body to the earth’s negative charge. While the science behind this idea is still budding, it may be worth a try to kick off your shoes once in awhile.

Here’s what it means to “go earthing”, and how research claims it can impact your health and wellbeing.

What is Earthing?

“Earthing” is the practice of reconnecting the soles of your feet with the earth by regularly walking barefoot outside. This could mean anything from gardening barefoot in your backyard, taking a walk on the beach, or even setting out for a hike on a trail through the forest.

Also known as “grounding”, earthing is said to have several health benefits that come from reconnecting with the earth’s energy.

---

The Benefits of Earthing

Our body is essentially one big electrical system: from our neurotransmitter signals to our heartbeat, we run on a regular electric current to keep us going.

Just like our bodies, the earth has its own current in the form of electrons. When we make direct contact with the earth’s surface, these electrons are able to flow through our skin and interact with our bodies in a positive way. Our skin is a great conductor of electricity and is extremely sensitive to outside electrical current even in small amounts.

It is suggested that this limitless supply of beneficial energy is an under-appreciated resource for preventing disease and maintaining your health.

Benefits of earthing include:

• Fights aging
• Cools inflammation
• Improves sleep
• Boosts energy
• Reduces pain and stress

The theory is that we receive these benefits by re-aligning our own electrical system with that of the earth’s.

Studies on other electrical systems similar to the one in our bodies, like cables that transmit television signals, show that when they’re “grounded” into the earth, signal interference disappears. This led to the idea that grounding ourselves to the earth regularly could have a similar stabilizing effect on our own electrical system and organs.

---

Can Earthing Really Slow Aging?

How can walking around barefoot help keep you looking young? Just like certain foods we eat contain antioxidants that help fight free radicals, the earth’s negative electrons do the same.

Free radicals are generated in our bodies in response to toxins in our environment, including pollution and processed foods. If left unchecked by antioxidants, these free radicals can damage your DNA and cause signs of aging, including wrinkles and the development of disease.

The earth’s negatively charged electrons act as antioxidants in your body, neutralizing these positively charged free radicals before they can cause damage. This could help slow aging by preserving your DNA.

---

Can Earthing Reduce Inflammation?

Have you noticed that when your body is injured, it becomes inflamed? Think of when you cut your finger or experience an ankle sprain: the area around the injury swells up. This is because your body sends protective compounds to the site of your injury. However, these compounds also act as free radicals that can damage healthy tissue in the surrounding areas.

Similar to the way earthing fights aging, the electrons you receive from walking around barefoot can neutralize these free radicals. By reducing tissue and DNA damage, earthing can also signal to the body to stop releasing inflammatory compounds, which can reduce overall inflammation.

It’s important to remember that inflammation doesn’t occur only in response to a visible physical injury. It can also occur internally in response to a disease like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or some other types of stress inside your body.

---

What about Stress, Insomnia, and Pain?

If your stress levels are high, you’re having trouble sleeping, or you’re in pain, it may be worth a try to take up an earthing routine.

In a study exploring the effect of earthing on human physiology, grounding had a positive electrical effect on the left hemisphere of participants’ brains that activated their parasympathetic nervous system. This could help reduce stress and encourage relaxation.

If you can’t get outside regularly, grounding mats may be a way to reap the benefits of earthing while indoors. These are mats with a cord that you can plug into an outlet to connect to the earth’s electrical field. Lay the mat on your bed, underneath your desk, or anywhere in your home for an easy way to de-stress.

Research suggests that earthing with a grounding mat can reduce the production of cortisol. High cortisol levels are associated with stress and high blood pressure, so bringing cortisol back to normal could have a stress-reducing effect.

If you have trouble sleeping, these lower cortisol levels might help with that insomnia. One study found that people who sleep with earthing mats experience more sound sleep and wake up less than those that don’t.

Pain can also cause stress and insomnia, and earthing might help with reducing chronic pain. One study found that participants that slept using earthing pads experienced reduced symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, sleep apnea and hypertension. This may be due to the ability of earthing to reduce inflammation and stress, both of which exacerbate pain.

---

How to Go Earthing

The cheapest and easiest way to go earthing is to walk barefoot outside in your yard. The more you can be in direct contact with the earth, the better!

If you don’t have a yard or anywhere you can regularly get your feet in the grass or on the beach sand, you can try investing in “earthing mats” that are connected to the earth’s electrical field. Set one under your desk while you’re working, in your bathroom, your kitchen; anywhere your feet spend a lot of time.

Watch this video – Earthing: What is it & How to do it

The Bottom Line

While the validity of earthing is controversial, it may be worth a try. The theory is that by reconnecting with the earth’s surface, we can flood our systems with negative electrons to help realign our bodies to fight pain and disease.

While more research needs to be done on the benefits of walking barefoot, you can’t doubt that walking through a green field or sandy beach naturally feels good.

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

Simple Deep Breathing Exercise to Help Beat Chronic Stress

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Deep Breathing- The Most Powerful Health Hack

We live in a fast-paced world where constant access to technology and connectivity has dramatically accelerated productivity and progress.

However, the busier our lives get, the greater the demands on the body’s stress hormones in order to cope with the never-ending barrage of emails, late night BlackBerry messages and early morning alarms.

Ironically, one of the most primal actions of the human body may be the answer to increasing your resilience, balancing stress hormone production and overcoming the frenetic pace of today’s workplace. We all do it, every single day: breathe.

Breathing is essential for life, giving us the vital oxygen our heart, lungs and cells need. But there is also a powerful relationship between your breath and thoughts. Your breath has a tremendous influence on your thoughts and physiology, just like your thoughts have a tremendous influence on your breath.

Studies show that deep breathing can help reduce anxiety and depression, lower high blood pressure levels, increase energy, relax muscular tension and relieve stress and feelings of being overwhelmed by tasks and work demands.

Throughout our existence, the physiology of breathing has remained the same, yet something has changed. Busy, stressful days and negative thoughts all impact the stress response system, increasing stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) that raise your blood pressure, blood sugars, heart rate and breath rate.

Increased stress also reduces your breath quality, leading to short and shallow breaths that trigger your “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system, your survival switch that warns your body of incoming danger. Too many days stuck in this “go-go-go” sympathetic overdrive mode will drain your body, impair concentration and lead to poor memory and productivity.

In contrast, when you sleep, you inhale deeply as your diaphragm, the biggest muscle in your body, contracts and relaxes. This type of deep breathing activates your parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system and vagus nerve in your brain, the signal that tells your body to relax and remain calm. This parasympathetic state is what “builds up” the proverbial candle you too often burn at both ends during stressful and busy days.

Some stressors are unavoidable, and a simple reality of your working environment. For example, a recent study found that middle managers have far greater cortisol output than CEOs and presidents of corporations.

The researchers concluded that not knowing when the stressor will come (i.e. when more work will hit your plate) is a potent stressor that puts you into “fight or flight” overdrive. Similarly, workers who do not have defined roles or expectations in their jobs also have dramatically elevated stress hormone levels.

Research also shows that people who react strongly to daily hassles – having to wait in line, being stuck in traffic, having to stay late at work – have significantly higher cortisol stress levels. Your breathing may be the ultimate health hack for getting yourself back on track.

While you can’t necessarily change your job, how busy you are, or demands at home, you can improve your resilience or capacity to cope with stress.

Let’s take a look at a simple breathing program that you don’t have to be a yogi to do! Try it for just 10 minutes and pay attention to the physiological effects you feel.

---

Deep Breathing Simple Exercise

Deep diaphragmatic breathing is a simple exercise and powerful health hack to reboot your breathing. Find a quiet space and spend a few minutes exercising your diaphragm with the following steps:

1. Start by lying on the floor with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor.

2. Place a book or similar-weight object on your belly, then rest your arms on the floor next to you, palms facing up.

3. Close your eyes and inhale through your nose. As you inhale, push the book (i.e. your belly) up toward the ceiling. Inhale for two seconds.

4. Hold your breath for one second.

5. Then, exhale through your mouth with pursed lips (i.e., like you’re blowing out birthday candles) for three seconds, and feel your belly fall down toward your spine.

6. Continue this process for 5 minutes, then stop.

Goal: Build up to 8-10 minutes over the course of several weeks or a month.

You may notice while trying this exercise that breathing might feel more challenging than usual, and it may be difficult for your belly to rise up during inhalations. This will let you know you’re likely a chest or “pump-handle” breather.

Chest breathing encourages short, shallow breaths in your upper chest and doesn’t allow for the full volume of oxygen to reach your lungs. However, keep practicing and you’ll soon become comfortable with the proper method of breathing.

(Read: The Best 10-Minute Meditation)

Once you feel comfortable doing this lying on the floor, there are a series of progressions you should do to help ingrain this deep, diaphragmatic breathing pattern:

Practice your breathing while sitting. Place your hand on your belly instead of a book and perform the same exercise as above, simply seated in a chair.

Work your way up to a standing position. Stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, close your eyes, and place one hand on your belly. After a few breaths, remove your hand and continue with the deep belly breathing.

Get moving! Start with a 10-minute walk. Inhale every 2-3 steps and exhale for the same number of steps. Try to recreate the rhythm you felt when practicing on the floor and in the chair.

Your breath is the connection between your mind and your body, and between your brain and your stress system. Take control of your breath to calm stress hormones, improve your focus and increase your resiliency. You don’t need any fancy

equipment or expensive supplements. You can practice in your car, on the subway, or even in the office. You just need to sit still and breathe.

(Read: 9 Ways to Beat Chronic Stress)

You’ll take about one billion breaths in your lifetime, and whether they help calm your body and mind or accelerate stress and aging is up to you. Make a simple change and discover how breathing can upgrade your health, wellness and performance.

Happy breathing!

Watch this video – Relieve Stress & Anxiety with Simple Breathing Techniques

Written by Dr. Marc Bubbs

Author Bio:

Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, Strength Coach, Author, Speaker, and Blogger practicing in Toronto, Canada. He believes that diet, exercise, and lifestyle factors have the most profound impact on your overall health and performance. Marc is the author of The Paleo Project – A 21st Guide to Looking Leaner, Getting Stronger, & Living Longer and currently serves as the Sports Nutrition Lead for Canadian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

How Chronic Stress Can Lead to Signs of Alzheimers?

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Science Links Stress Hormone Cortisol to Early Signs of Alzheimers

We all deal with stress on a regular basis, but when it gets to be too much, science says it can lead to dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re feeling chronically stressed out, you’re not alone. Tension stemming from work life, relationships, money, and more has become the norm, but this mental state is directly affecting our health by weakening our immune system, causing digestive health issues, and even pointing towards cognitive decline.

So, are we all doomed? Not necessarily. Here’s how to tell when your stress levels are above normal healthy areas, and how to prevent yourself from falling prey to chronic stress.

Chronic Stress vs. Acute Stress

There are two different kinds of stress, and they affect the body differently. Acute stress is the type of stress that many of us experience regularly from things like work demands and everyday obligations.  

Acute stress can be helpful in small doses, as it triggers the body to release certain hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, which can be helpful when dealing with the stressful situation.

When your stress response is responding appropriately, the increase in cortisol levels that are released during periods of stress go back down once that specific threat has left.

Chronic stress is when your body gets stuck in a fight-or-flight response. When this happens, the stress hormone cortisol is released, causing your heart rate and breathing to speed up and your digestive system to slow down.

While this system works really well when you are dealing with an actual physical threat, such as being chased by a wild animal, this does not serve us well when dealing with everyday stress.

When the stress response is chronically activated, you risk major health issues like obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Before we dive into how chronic stress impacts cognitive function, let’s take a closer look at cortisol and the role cortisol plays in our body’s stress response.

---

What Is Cortisol?

Often known as the “stress hormone”, cortisol plays a very important role when it comes to our body’s stress response. When you are under stress, your body releases cortisol, which increases glucose levels in the blood and puts other functions on “hold” that may not be completely necessary to fight the stressor at hand. This is where that fight-or-flight response comes in, and things like the immune and digestive systems slow down.

One of the issues with chronic cortisol exposure and stress is that after long periods of excessive cortisol exposure, you may be at a higher risk of developing many different health conditions. These include:

• Digestive issues
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Cognitive impairment

---

The Mental Health Consequences of Chronic Stress

While we know that chronic stress can lead to physical health issues, it can also affect our mental health.

Studies show that by-products of stress hormones act as sedatives in the body. When you are under chronic amounts of stress over an extended period of time, it’s common to experience symptoms like low energy and even depression.

In a recent study, participants engaged in cognitive testing that looked at memory, abstract reasoning, and visual perception. The results found those with higher cortisol levels had difficulty with memory and visual perception tasks – and even linked higher cortisol levels to lower brain volume.

Today, chronic stress is a driving cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and can even make symptoms of this disease worse. Another study looking at the connection between stress and Alzheimer’s found that participants with cognitive impairment also have high cortisol levels.

This connection is likely due to the fact that chronic stress triggers inflammatory mediators in the brain, primarily in the hippocampus. This specific type of inflammation is strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

A study conducted by The University of Gothenburg in Sweden also makes a connection between stress and Alzheimer’s disease. They found that “information stress”, or the demand for handling a rapid flow of daily information, can cause mild cognitive impairment, a precursor of Alzheimer’s disease.

One shocking observation found that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in this study were relatively young, with an average age of 64 (early onset of Alzheimer’s is considered under age 65). This indicates the dangers of dealing with chronic levels of stress and pressure on a regular basis.

---

5 Tips on Preventing Chronic Stress

Now that we understand how chronic stress can lead to cognitive impairment, it’s important to take preventative steps to gain control of your stress levels. Here are the best ways you can get your stress under control, preventing early cognitive decline and other health issues.

1. Eat a Nutrient-Rich Diet

Believe it or not, what you eat can impact how well your body responds to stress. Consuming a nutrient-dense diet that includes complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and clean protein can help stabilize blood sugar levels, which is an important part of balancing hormone levels and supporting a positive mood.

Here are some of the best foods to enjoy to help stabilize blood sugar levels to support your body’s stress response and hormone balance:

• Berries
• Nuts and seeds
• Avocados
• Green leafy vegetables
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts

Make sure you’re also eating enough calories each day. With so many fad diets out there, many people simply aren’t consuming enough calories to sustain overall health. This is bad news, because not getting enough calories in your diet is actually linked to an increase in cortisol levels.

The total number of calories you need depends on your age, activity level, gender, height, and weight.

As a general guideline, adult women typically need 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, while the average man needs 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. While the exact number is going to be different for each person, you don’t want to go below the low end of these daily calorie requirements.

2. Breathe Deeply

Something as simple as the way you breathe can significantly reduce levels of chronic stress. When you breathe deeply, your body will literally respond by telling your brain to relax, which can help lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, and slow rapid breathing.

Try to practice deep breathing every single day, and especially during periods of increased stress. You can start to practice deep breathing as often as you can in about one-minute sessions, and more if you are feeling especially tense.

Mindfulness is another great way to reduce stress. You can practice mindfulness daily by setting aside five minutes and finding a quiet place to sit and just notice your body. Take a few minutes to be mindful of your breath, and take notice of when your thoughts start to wander. Acknowledge your wandering thoughts without judgment and just bring your attention back to your breathing. Sit for five to ten minutes and just be present, coming back to your breath each time you start to become distracted. Practice this daily.

This can become an essential tool in combating stress during other moments of your day. You will literally train your brain to be mindful of how your body is feeling during periods of stress, and then bring your awareness to your breath to help calm both your mind and body.

3. Improve Your Sleep Habits

Sleep is essential for overall health, and it certainly plays a role in how stressed out you feel. One study found that 47 percent of Americans lie awake at night because of stress! It’s a double-edged sword, because not getting enough sleep can also make you even more stressed out.

Try to get at least seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, and set a calming bedtime routine to wind down your day each evening. An hour or more of calming music, reading, a warm bath, or any other kind of relaxing activity you enjoy can greatly improve your overall quality of sleep.

4. Learn to Say “No” More Often

If you tend to say “yes” to everything that comes your way, then you may be dealing with chronic stress due to overcommitment. It’s so easy to overcommit, but it definitely doesn’t do our health or our stress levels any good.

Make it a point to start saying no to the obligations that no longer serve you. Start by saying that you will think about it before immediately responding with a yes, then give yourself time to truly consider if you have time for another commitment.

Just taking the time to pause can be life changing, as it can really help free up more time for you to practice self-care (a biggie, see below) and reduce your overall stress levels.

5. Practice Self-Care

Self-care is one of the most important steps you can take to reducing the stress load you carry. Make it a priority to take some time for yourself each week, and if you can manage self-care daily, do it!

Even making time for little things, like a five-minute meditation or a brisk walk, can significantly help to reduce your stress levels. Then, schedule in time for something a little bigger each week, like going out to lunch with a friend. These may seem like small changes, but trust us, they make a big difference to your wellbeing.

Taking care of yourself is an essential part of reducing stress and lowering cortisol levels.

Watch this video – The Effects of Chronic Stress on the Brain | Brain Talks | Being Patient Alzheimer’s

The Bottom Line

Chronic stress can significantly impair our overall quality of life and can throw our hormone balance out of whack. The chronic exposure to elevated cortisol levels has been found to hold some pretty detrimental effects on the body and cognitive function, so it is our job to take matters into our own hands and turn things around to prevent this from happening.

Evaluate what changes you can make in your diet, get into bed earlier, learn that saying no can be the biggest gift to yourself, and take care of yourself each and every day! With just a handful of steps, you can help reign in your chronic stress and safeguard both your physical and mental health for the long run.

Written by Rebecca Jacobs

Author Bio:

Rebecca Jacobs N.C is a Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, specializing in digestive and women’s health. She takes a holistic approach to wellness, doesn’t believe in “dieting,” and believes that healthy eating must be delicious. Rebecca is also a recipe developer and creates healthy alternatives to traditionally unhealthy foods.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook