Lyndon Thomas - October 2021

Lyndon Thomas Insurance

SELF-HELP BOOKS CAN’T DO IT ALL

peak capacity. We need breaks, or else we’ll stress ourselves out and negatively affect other areas of our lives. Stress tends to keep us from sound sleep, but reading fiction before bed engages the imagination, taking us away from the stresses of everyday life before we drift off. MORE COMFORT WITH UNCERTAINTY Even though many stories (particularly those portrayed in popular movies) have nice happy endings, most people would agree that life sometimes leaves things a little more open-ended. While this fact might stress out some people, researchers have discovered that fiction readers don’t need “cognitive closure” as much as nonfiction readers. GREATER HAPPINESS Even if none of the benefits of fiction interest you, everyone wants to find ways to make themselves happy — and for many, that is reading fiction. According to one survey, 76% of participants said that reading makes them feel good and improves their lives. So, what are you waiting for? Dust off that novel you’ve been meaning to read and crack it open!

Many CEOs and other successful individuals continually espouse the benefits of regular reading. Many times, leaders read self-help books to improve their leadership skills and become more successful. This is all well and good, but even the most successful people in the world could be missing out on the unique benefits that come specifically from reading fiction. But what are those benefits exactly? GREATER EMPATHY When a psychologist analyzed 86 functioning MRI (fMRI) studies, he found that the same parts of the brain that fire up when reading fictional stories also fire up when we’re seeking to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. That’s because when the characters in the book we’re reading are thinking or feeling a certain way, we tend to think or feel that way with them. LESS STRESS AND BETTER SLEEP When we read fiction specifically, we tend to disengage from the world — and that’s a good thing! Our brains can’t always be functioning at their

MEDICARE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD IS UPON US TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE?

2 216-B E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023 As you review the ANOC for your plan, if you decide the changes identified are manageable and you are happy to continue with your current plan, then there’s nothing you need to do for your plan to There is one piece of mail from your current plan for which you should keep alert. This is the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). All changes from this year’s MAPD or PDP going forward to next year are lifted out into the ANOC on a side-by-side table so that they are clearly seen for you to compare. Aspects of the plan not included in the ANOC remain the same for the next year. For anyone who’s been in Medicare for a year or more, it’s pretty easy to know when it’s October 1. That’s when your mailbox begins filling up with fourth-class mail from insurance companies and brokers. Also, October through December 7, most of the TV advertisements are trying to get you to call a toll-free number. This means the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) is once again upon us. The Medicare AEP is the time of year when anyone with a Medicare Advantage Plan and those with a Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Program are able to make a plan change — BUT ONLY IF THEY CHOOSE TO TAKE ACTION.

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