Guard Your Mind, Ignite Your Life Brain Boost
Resist negative self-talk. Repetitive thoughts about ourselves get wired in over time, and “what gets wired in is what we manifest,” McDonald says. A 2021 study in Scientific Reports shows that brain scans of people who recite
The fast-paced modern lifestyle many subscribe to nowadays has lasting effects on our mental health — from broken sleep to chronic multitasking. A graduate student at the University of Arizona has ideas for protecting our brains from stress created by life’s hustle. Emily McDonald, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience who posts health advice as @EmOnTheBrain on TikTok, lists these three things to avoid. Avoid your smartphone when you wake up. The brain is highly suggestible upon awakening, and “the content you consume … will have a greater impact on your mindset,” says McDonald, who is also a mental health coach on top of her doctoral work. Studies show that while waking up, the brain transitions from theta waves, a deeply relaxed, inward-focused state, to alpha waves, which promote alertness. Reaching for a smartphone to look for texts or other content often triggers a dopamine release in the brain, encouraging the user to repeat the activity. If this occurs first thing in the morning, it can disrupt your dopamine levels for the rest of the day, leading to a continuous need to check our phones.
scripts expressing self-respect and self-confidence exhibit stronger connectivity in regions associated with motivation. However, it’s important to note that positive self-talk can also trigger overconfidence, leading to impulsivity and inaccurate responses on cognitive tests. Avoid highly processed foods. “There is plenty of science to show that what we eat affects our brains,” McDonald says. An eight-year study of 10,775 people showed that the cognitive functioning of people who ate highly processed foods, including hot dogs, pizza, pastries, white bread, cakes, and instant noodles, declined 28% faster than that of people who ate more fresh and unprocessed foods. A diet of highly processed foods speeds the aging of the brain, which no one wants.
TINY SPACE, HUGE POTENTIAL Unleash the Power of Laundry Room Accessories
Lint Collector Ever get frustrated with the amount of lint build-up in your washer and dryer? Why not hang a lint bin on the wall or grab an empty tissue box and repurpose it into an ideal lint-collection receptacle? This saves you a trip to the trash can and helps you store a chore until later, allowing you to focus on washing and drying! Dryer Balls Who needs dryer sheets when you have dryer balls? Dryer sheets are limited in function and usability, and some are permeated with chemicals, whereas dryer balls last longer and are more effective. Many varieties exist, like wool, that are all-natural. Just throw a few into your load of laundry and watch as they do wonders! Best of all? You can get dryer balls that look like little animals. Imagine a herd of little dryer ball sheep going to work keeping your clothes soft and static-free. Lost Sock and Found The sock gremlins, those invisible creatures that make off with every fifth sock for their private machinations, have preyed on everyone. That’s why having a lost sock jar in your laundry room is a great idea. You can fill the jar with solo socks as they await reunification with their missing partner — hopefully.
Laundry can be a load of work. Sorting, ironing, folding, and looking for the odd, misplaced sock is enough work for a weekend. And when you’re hampered by a small laundry room, it can be enough to make you want to hang it up
for good. Luckily, there are fantastic accessories to wash away your worries. Here are four ideas to help turn a chore into a cinch.
Door Storage While it might not seem like it, laundry room doors can do more than get in your way. The space behind your door is ideal for hanging brooms, dustbins, and ironing boards. You can also hang posters on the door itself detailing the various symbols found on clothing to help avoid washing your favorite dry-clean-only shirt or put up hooks for extra storage!
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Dennis & Lisa Jones
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