Merlino & Gonzalez - February 2023

Your Intellectual Wellness Matters!

CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO EXPAND YOUR MIND

How to Foster and Develop Intellectual Wellness

These days, as taking care of our health becomes more important than ever, we hear a lot about our physical wellness and how to improve it using nutritious foods and exercise.

Intellectual wellness differs from other types of well-being. You need to work hard and challenge yourself to stay intellectually healthy. If you’re looking to improve or nurture your intellectual wellness, here are three ways to do it. 1. Learn a new skill. One of the main components of intellectual wellness is working to acquire more knowledge. This doesn’t need to be physics or engineering but can be something as simple as cooking a new healthy recipe, learning to draw, or attempting a DIY home repair project. The important part is that mastering something new provides an information-based approach to the world around you. 2. Remove subjectivity. We view every situation with a pre-formed opinion or bias. The truth is our brains are wired this way to streamline thinking, but to be intellectually healthy, we must work hard to push past it.

But what about our intellectual wellness?

What is intellectual wellness? The University of New Hampshire defines intellectual wellness as “being open to new ideas, thinking critically, and finding ways to be creative.” Essentially, this means thinking about the world around you with an open mind and putting energy into what you’re thinking, not just allowing your brain to run idly. Signs of healthy intellectual wellness include: • Ability to see an issue from all sides • Purposeful exposure to ideas, beliefs, and people who differ from yourself

Remove subjectivity by learning a different way to perform a task or challenge yourself to understand (or simply read) the ideas of others. Be objective, even when you disagree with them. 3. Improve your critical thinking. Next time you’re engrossed in conversation, try being thoroughly engaged and think about what is being said. Ask questions to yourself and others, and hash out what you agree with and things you don’t. Work to keep your brain active in everything you do by finding a connection to everything around you.

• Awareness of your core values • Capacity to learn new things

BE MINE!

6 Pieces of Valentine’s Day Trivia

Mass-produced valentines weren’t a thing until the 1840s. Known as the Mother of the American Valentine, Esther A. Howland commercialized Valentine’s Day cards that were decorated in ribbons and lace (as some are today) in the 1840s. Sweethearts candies were born in the 1860s. Oliver Chase, a Boston pharmacist, created a machine that produced medicinal lozenges (a common way to take medicine back then). With the success of his machine, he decided to use it to make candy as well, and thus Sweethearts were created in the 1860s. Valentine’s Day is an expensive holiday. According to the National Retail Foundation, in 2019, Americans spent more than $20 billion on the holiday to buy gifts that included flowers, chocolates, cards, and jewelry. It’s a popular day of engagement! According to a survey by American Express, millions of couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day. It was also voted as the best day of the year to pop the magical question.

The Hallmark cards have hit the shelves, boyfriends and husbands have all scrambled to plan, and the local restaurants are all swimming in reservations — Valentine’s Day has arrived! On this day, many are left wondering how far back exchanging valentines goes, why we exchange valentines, and where those little heart-shaped candies come from. Look no further, we have answers for you. The first valentine dates back to the 15th century. According to History.com, the oldest record of a valentine was in 1415 when a French medieval duke named Charles wrote a poem to his wife while in prison. One of the lines read, “I am already sick of love … My very gentle Valentine.” Saint Valentine is not the same person. It’s unclear which Saint Valentine the holiday is named after. One was a Roman priest who was sentenced to death after being caught illegally marrying couples during a marriage ban and the other was a man who got caught helping Christians escape into Rome — he later wrote a letter from prison, signing it, “From your Valentine.”

2 realestateplanninglaw.com

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