There are many benefits to owning a pet, but here are just ten of the health-related ones: Stress relief – Petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone). Improved mental health – Owning a pet can help reduce anxiety and loneliness and increase happiness and self-worth. Lower cholesterol levels – Studies…
Five science-backed health benefits of owning a dog There are countless reasons why owning a dog is excellent. They provide companionship and love and often make us laugh. But did you know that dogs can also improve our health? Here are five science-backed health benefits of owning a dog. Dogs can improve our mental health. Studies have shown that dog…
Petting a Dog Might Be More Beneficial Than You Thought We all know that petting our dogs or pets feels good, but how does it affect us? Research has found that our prefrontal cortex, the area of our brain that has a higher level of decision-making, is stimulated and helps us become more attentive and emotionally engaged when petting our…
Can Meditation Heal Permanent Back Damage? Sit in a quiet, peaceful place where you will not be disturbed for ten minutes. Sit cross-legged, interlock the fingers on both your hands and let them rest on your legs, keeping a straight posture. Focus on breathing as slowly and deeply as possible while taking breaths and exhaling. Your mind will be flooded…
Speak Multiple Languages and Treat Addiction with Occupational Therapy I’m turning forty-six this coming September, and I am fluent in four languages now. I am eager to move to another country and learn a new language again. If you have ever had the experience of learning a new language, you probably noticed how in the beginning, you translate in…
How can you learn to be more mentally and emotionally fit? Our thoughts and emotions are part of us, just as fingers belong to our hands. Thoughts and emotions are phenomena we live with, and that’s that. However, keeping your mind “healthy” takes time and effort. I ask you this: What if we all knew what to do when life…
A Cycle of Abusive Relationships I haven’t called the person I last dated, and I just found out she is pregnant. I was abandoned as a newborn. As far as I know, my mother had a problem with alcohol and drug abuse, was very young, and could not care for me. Ever since I was a child, I have…
Tips for Beating Burnout Stress is a reality of life, whereas excessive and non-stop stress may take us to the incapacitating emotional condition we know as burnout. Three signs distinguish burnout: fatigue; depersonalization, absence from work; and lack of efficacy, or sentiments of incompetence. Too much work and deadline anxieties are expected in a job. Everyone could at…
Fear of Change and Leaving Your Comfort Zone to Move to a New Country I was born in the US and grew up in Mexico City, where I lived until thirty-three. I had given thought to the possibility of living in another country; however, I discarded this and was “certain” that I would stay in Mexico for the rest…
Why Is Everyone Obsessed with Being Thin? I’m a skinny person. I don’t mean to be, and I certainly don’t try to be; I am. It’s a certitude of my life, and it’s something that everyone around me senses the need to comment on. We are a skinny-obsessed civilization, and it is notorious. Individuals make comments about how much weight…