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Our brain is tricky, and there are subtle ways to get it to be less depressed or anxious. If we are constantly feeling guilty, shameful or even worry a lot, the brain wants to continue that activity due to it providing a source of gratification to it.
Just as negative thinking keeps the brain in an inactive and dull state, positive thinking, or gratitude has the effect of boosting serotonin, that is beneficial for your health and mood.
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If there is a negative emotion, like anger, sadness, or stress, keeping it vague makes it affect everything around you.
If you name or label the emotion and use a symbolic metaphor to describe it, then its negative effect is diluted.
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If you are constantly worried and anxious while making no decision on your problem, you will remain in a state of turmoil internally.
Taking a decision, even if it is not a perfect one, will provide closure to your mind and you will feel less stressed.
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It has been around for hundreds of years, and yet it is a sidelined subject, not fully understood even by the brightest minds.
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Austrian physician Franz Mesmer is the modern father of hypnosis, instrumental in coining the word ‘mesmerism’ which refers to the hypnotic state.
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In the 1900s Emile Coué, worked on affirmations and auto-suggestions, as a form of self-hypnosis therapy. His famous phase was “Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better.”
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In 2005, studies began to point out that meditation can change the structure of your brain by thickening the cortex. The cortex controls your attention and emotions.
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It typically refers to a practice for training your attention. It is an awareness that comes through paying attention in the moment, but non-judgmentally.
It involves sitting down with closed eyes and focussing on feeling your breath go in and out. When your attention starts to wander, you take note and bring your attention back to your breath.
Meditation shows reduced activity in the amygdala, our brain’s threat detector. When the amygdala perceives a threat, it sets off the fight-flight-freeze response.
In a study, after practicing mindfulness for 20 minutes per day over just one week, participants showed reduced amygdala reactivity only while they were engaged in mindfulness, suggesting they need regular practice.