Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) can be an important treatment component for people with <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/what-is-major-depressive-disorder/">severe depression</a>, <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/">posttraumatic stress disorder</a>, and other psychological conditions. This recently developed treatment method seeks to help people who have experienced <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mental-health-and-conditions/trauma/">trauma</a>. Therapists who use this approach believe that it helps clients by desensitizing them to their traumatic memories and making it easier to cope with the memories.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Description, Benefits, Effectiveness

Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) shows promise as a brief intervention for people with trauma-related conditions. ART draws on EMDR, CBT, experiential therapies, Gestalt therapy, and exposure therapy.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

health

Health

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Description, Benefits, Effectiveness - The Human Condition

Pain and pleasure are on a balance. Whenever we experience something that feels great (high dopamine level), the body will regulate itself leading to a slightly lower baseline of dopamine (i.e. less drive, joy, motivation, etc). Repeating this process without giving our body time to get back to "normal" baseline levels of dopamine can emotionally drain us and we feel depressed.

Relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain

Abstinence(e.g. a social media fast or quitting smoking or whatever you feel like you are consuming in too large quantities) resets the brain's reward pathway allowing you to enjoy the simple things in life (a beautiful day, a meaningful conversation, play time with your pet, ...).

Recovery begins with Abstinence

Activities that are exhausting, challenging, or painful like cold showers, confronting one's fears, or working out can increase your dopamine level after you did those activities. However, too much pain is not good either and pain can be addicting as well.

Pain can reset our balance to the side of pleasure

Being honest no matter the consequences improves relationships, awareness and allows us to be more authentic, spontaneous and feel more free in the moment.

The positive impact of radical honesty

Destructive shame means pushing someone away in response to uncovering their addictive behavior. This results in that person feeling isolated and more likely to lie about that behavior in the future leading to more isolation. This isolation will then lead to more overconsumption, thus, creating a destructive cycle. Prosocial shame means accepting someone's flaws without shunning them. It is based on the idea that everyone makes mistakes and people need to be forgiven. However, this does not mean encouraging addictive behavior

Prosocial Shame vs. Destructive Shame

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant… riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick As heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting… The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain…and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

books

Books

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, as heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.   In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Dr. Anna Lembke is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Dr. Anna Lembke has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Dr. Anna Lembke's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Dr. Anna Lembke

Dopamine Nation

Aging can be categorized into two types and due to two types of factors, intrinsic and extrinsic.
<ul>
<li>Intrinsic aging is a genetically predetermined process that occurs naturally.</li>
<li>Extrinsic aging is a result of outside factors chosen by you, such as where you live, your stress levels, and your lifestyle habits (like smoking).</li>
</ul>

Types of aging

<ul>
<li>Programmed aging theories say that our cells have a predetermined lifespan that’s encoded into our bodies. These include:</li>
<li>Gene theory - suggests that specific genes turn “on” and “off” over time, causing aging.</li>
<li>Endocrine theory - here, aging is caused by changes in hormones.</li>
<li>Immunological theory - this is the idea that the immune response is designed to decline(autoimmunity), leading to disease and aging.</li>
</ul>

Programmed theories of aging

<ul>
<li>Wear and tear theory - cells break down and become damaged over time.</li>
<li>Genome instability theory -aging happens because the body loses its ability to repair DNA damage.</li>
<li>Cross-linkage theory - aging is due to the buildup of cross-linked proteins, which damages cells and slows biological functions.</li>
<li>Rate-of-living theory - an organism’s rate of metabolism determines its lifespan.</li>
<li>Free radical theory - aging is due to the buildup of oxidative stress, caused by free radicals.</li>
<li>Mitochondrial theory - mitochondrial damage releases free radicals and causes aging.</li>
</ul>

Error theories of aging

<ul>
<li>Telomere theory - Telomeres protect the ends of your chromosomes as they multiply. Over time, telomeres shorten, which is associated with disease and aging.</li>
<li>Programmed senescence theory - Cellular senescence occurs when cells stop dividing and growing, but don’t die.</li>
<li>Stem cell theory - Stem cells can turn into other cells, which helps repair tissue and organs. But the function of stem cells declines over time, potentially contributing to aging.</li>
<li>Longevity gene theory - This is the idea that certain genes extend lifespan.</li>
</ul>

Genetic theories of aging

It says that an organism begins aging after they have reached their peak of reproduction and have passed down adaptive traits.
<ul>
<li>Mutation accumulation - This theory presumes that random mutations accumulate later in life.</li>
<li>Antagonistic pleiotropy - According to this theory, genes that promote fertility early in life have negative effects later on.</li>
<li>Disposable soma theory - The theory claims that when more metabolic resources are directed toward reproduction, the less is put toward DNA repair. The result is cell damage and aging.</li>
</ul>

Evolutionary theory of aging

<ul>
<li>Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) - AGEs develop when fats or protein are exposed to sugar. High levels may lead to oxidative stress, which speeds up aging.</li>
<li>Heat shock response - Heat shock proteins protect cells from stress, but their response decreases as we age.</li>
<li>Damage accumulation - Normal chemical reactions damage DNA, proteins, and metabolites over time.</li>
</ul>

The biochemical theory of aging

In most parts of the world, women live longer than men . This is due to several biological, social, and environmental factors.
<ul>
<li>Estrogen is the female sex hormone, and has been found to have anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects, which may protect women from certain diseases.</li>
<li>In contrast, the male sex hormone, testosterone may suppress the immune system.</li>
</ul>

Women live longer than men

<ul>
<li>Eat a nutritious diet - Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Limit processed foods .</li>
<li>Stay active - Aim for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.</li>
<li>Avoid tobacco - Tobacco speeds up aging.</li>
<li>Drink alcohol in moderation - Alcohol increases your risk of chronic disease.</li>
<li>Attend regular checkups</li>
<li>Know your family history - To have appropriate screening or get early treatment for potential chronic diseases.</li>
<li>Engage your brain - by doing brain exercises.</li>
<li>Wear sunscreen - Sunscreen protects your skin from UV radiation, which can cause premature aging.</li>
</ul>

How to slow down aging

What is the best way to live longer? Here are a few factors within your control

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Science & Nature

longevity

Longevity

food

Food

How To Live A Long Life

There are about 300+ theories of aging, some which have been broken down here. Along with them, certain lifestyle changes which could slow down the physiological effects of aging. is also given.

Some aging theories suggest cells have a predetermined lifespan, while others claim it’s caused by damage, genetics, evolution, or biochemical reactions.

Why Do We Age, and Can Anything Be Done to Stop or Slow it?

Stress inoculation training (SIT) is a therapeutic intervention commonly used for treating clients with stress-related and/or <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mental-health-and-conditions/trauma/">trauma</a>-related conditions such as <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/">posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)</a> and <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/anxiety-and-related-conditions/">anxiety</a>. Therapists often use SIT to teach clients how to identify negative thinking patterns and triggers and develop coping skills to manage their symptoms and reduce their stress and <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/mental-health/anxiety/">anxiety</a>.

Stress Inoculation Training: What It Is, How It Works, and Benefits

Stress inoculation training (SIT) is a therapeutic intervention commonly used for treating clients with stress-related and/or trauma-related conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. Therapists often use SIT to teach clients how to identify negative thinking patterns and triggers and develop coping skills to manage their symptoms and reduce their stress and anxiety.

Stress inoculation training (SIT) is a therapeutic intervention that helps clients learn how to manage stress before they experience it to protect themselves from anxiety and fear when exposed to triggers.

Stress Inoculation Training: What It Is, How It Works, and Benefits - The Human Condition

When you’re struggling to speak to yourself kindly, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thelatestkate/?hl=en">The Latest Kate </a>has a cute animal to do it for you. The adorable characters in her original artwork cover themes like body positivity, self-love and self-care, and battling depression and anxiety. Kate also includes quick tips for dealing with mental health issues, like counting in 10-second increments to deal with anxiety.

1. The Latest Kate 

Bianca’s struggles with depression, anxiety and alcoholism led her on a path to help others with their mental health journeys. She focuses on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/youarecomplete/?hl=en">spiritual side of mental health </a>in order to “teach people how to connect with and harness their intuition to become the fullest most badass version of themselves.”

2. Bianca L. Rodriguez

As a registered Health Psychologist in the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/healthpsychologyclinic/?hl=en">Joanna Konstantopoulou </a>specializes in the intersection of physical and mental health. She posts mental health tips, nutrition advice, and encouraging quotes. Her biggest piece of mental health advice? Prioritize self-care.

3. Joanna Konstantopoulou

Years ago, Heidi experienced an 18-month episode of suicidal depression, debilitating anxiety, and explosive PTSD, which inspired her to begin studying trauma and neuropsychology. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heidiwilliams89/?hl=en">Her Instagram feed </a>is filled with photos of gorgeous yoga poses across the Salt Lake City landscape, and her captions share advice on dealing with mental health struggles. She says that working with her nervous system is what sparked her radical journey with healing, and she wants to teach her followers how they can utilize the same approach.

4. Heidi Williams

Sara-Jayne grew up in a Catholic household where talking about mental illness was taboo. “I knew the way that I thought and felt things was different, but it wasn't until my early twenties that I realized just how impactful it was on my whole life,” she tells Verywell. When she decided to seek professional help as an adult, she was diagnosed with <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-clinical-depression-1067309">major depressive disorder </a>, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-5-criteria-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder-1393147">generalized anxiety disorder </a>, and later, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/requirements-for-ptsd-diagnosis-2797637">post-traumatic stress disorder </a>.

5. Sara-Jayne Poletti

Sometimes, laughter is the best form of self-care. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsthecwolf/?hl=en">Christina </a>started her Instagram back in 2013 as a comedy account. When she shared the humor she found in her mental health struggles, her followers told her how much it helped them, and she knew she had to continue to share those experiences.

6. Christina Wolfgram

As Amy struggled with depression and anxiety, she found that following accounts where people shared their mental health stories made her feel less alone. A little over a year ago, she finally decided to start <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/">her own account </a>to share her mental health struggles. Her feed is filled with flowers, books, coffee, and encouraging quotes, paired with honest accounts of her journey with mental health issues.

7. Anxiety Sugar

Akanksha originally started her account as a platform to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thatsappywriter/?hl=en">share her poetry </a>, but she began to steer her content toward sharing her experience with anxiety, which she was diagnosed with at age 16.“Having people around you, who understand and love you, can be groundbreaking," she tells Verywell. "We cannot undermine the power of sheer love. That's what this account is, for me and the followers, a space to love, talk without apprehensions, and discuss our daily struggles.”

8. That Sappy Writer

Beth learned from personal experience how much therapy can help with anxiety, which inspired her to pursue a career in psychology. Now a Licensed Professional Counselor, she specializes in treating disorders like anxiety, OCD, and body-focused repetitive behaviors.

9. Beth Brawley

With a quick glance at Jera's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/">Instagram feed</a>, she might seem like a typical influencer with a glamorous life. But a closer look reveals the reality behind her beautiful photos: she opens up about learning to be okay with weight gain, mild freakouts about hairy toes, and struggling with social anxiety. For Jera, one of the beautiful things about Instagram is that it allows us to connect with others and feel less alone, which is especially important for invisible struggles like mental illness.

10. Jera Foster-Fell

These Instagrammers are sharing their mental health journeys and removing the stigma around mental illness, one post at a time.

10 Instagram Accounts That Destigmatize Mental Health

The four pillars are relaxation, food, movement, and sleep.Many of us recognise the importance of food and movement, but sleep and relaxation are very much undervalued. A lot of people’s diet and movement aren’t too bad, and rather than trying to become perfect in those areas, or get a 5% improvement, they’re much better off if they focus on the other pillars.

Maintaining a healthy body: the four pillars

Doctors should stop focusing on symptoms and start looking at the body as a whole. Doctors should also take into account how all parts of the bodywork together to maintain health. This is called progressive medicine.

A progressive approach to managing your lifestyle

Most people underestimate the importance of relaxing and fail to do so regularly. In fact, relaxing is essential for your health because not doing so can cause serious damage. When we’re stressed, our body produces cortisol. This is the body’s way of dealing with stress. But in today’s world, where stress is always present, we produce too much cortisol.

Relaxation

This is just a moment in the day when you press the pause button. Try starting with just two minutes of meditation a day. That daily practice will start to have a massive impact on your overall health.<ul><li>You can be mindfully listening to your favorite music on your phone through headphones, for example – as long as you’re not scrolling social media at the same time. </li><li>You can also try 3-4-5 breathing – you breathe in for three, hold for four, and breathe out for five. When our out-breath is longer than our in-breath, we activate the relaxation part of our nervous system.</li></ul>

A daily practice of stillness

There is no one-size-fits-all diet that will work for everyone. Instead, try to focus on general changes you can make, which include eating five portions of different vegetables every day and drinking eight glasses of water.

You don’t actually need to change what you eat, just when you eat. In our modern culture, we’re eating all the time. When we’re eating late in the evening, we’re generally just a bit bored. We’ve got what I call an itchy mouth. It’s just something to do.When you restrict your eating window a huge amount of benefits kick in to the body. You can get better control of your blood sugar and your weight, and your immune system functions better. Your mitochondria, which are the energy factories of your body, also work more efficiently.

The 12-hour window

One thing all doctors can agree on with every diet is that we consume far too much sugar. You may think you’re good at avoiding sugar. Unfortunately, its normalized nature in our lives makes this hard to do. Our breakfast cereals, granola bars, sports drinks, and just about everything you love to eat is riddled with the stuff. To fight back, we each need to de-normalize sugar. This starts with knowing what’s in the foods you already eat. Check labels before you buy. Be careful to learn and watch out for the many different words that companies use to disguise sugar.

Less sugar

A problem that many of us have is that we either exercise excessively or not enough. So most of us stress out over not having enough time to do our workouts, or we give up because we just can’t fit it in. A better way is to focus on movement each day rather than exercise. The easiest option is to incorporate more walking. Additionally, trying some simple strength-training exercises can help. These don’t have to be strenuous or time-consuming. They can be as easy as doing a few lunges, push-ups, or squats on your break at work.

Move

Most people who are having trouble with sleep are doing something in their everyday lives that’s affecting their ability to sleep.Make sure you have a period without tech  – ideally 90 minutes but as long as you can manage if not – before bed.

Sleep

Improving the quality of our rest is as simple as evaluating it against three standards:<ul><li>Do you feel refreshed when you wake up?</li><li>Do you wake up at around the same time each day without an alarm?</li><li>Can you fall asleep within 30 minutes of laying in the bed?</li></ul>

The quality of rest

“We’re all familiar with the idea that lifestyle can be the cause of disease. What’s not common knowledge is that a change in lifestyle can also be the treatment and prevent us from getting sick in the first place.”

In The Power of Balance, Dr Rangan Chatterjee presents us with an incredibly simple framework for taking control of our health. He divides health into four pillars- diet, rest, sleep and movement. By making small, easily achievable changes in each of these key areas you can find and maintain good health - and avoid illness. You don't need to excel at any one pillar; what matters is the balance across all the things you do, from- - Having an electronic 'sabbath' once a week - Aiming for 12 hours every day without food - Exposing yourself to sunlight first thing each morning Based on cutting edge research and his own experience as a GP, and featuring fascinating case studies from real patients, The Power of Balanceis an inspiring, easy-to-follow and practical guide to good health.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

"One of the most influential doctors in the UK (...) I could talk to Rangan all day (...) he's amazing" - Chris Evans. In The Four Pillar Plan, Dr Rangan Chatterjee presents us with an incredibly simple framework for taking control of our health. He divides health into four pillars- diet, rest, sleep and movement. By making small, easily achievable changes in each of these key areas you can find and maintain good health - and avoid illness. You don't need to excel at any one pillar; what matters is the balance across all the things you do, from- Having an electronic 'sabbath' once a week Aiming for 12 hours every day without food Exposing yourself to sunlight first thing each morning Based on cutting - edge research and his own experience as a GP, and featuring fascinating case studies from real patients, The Four Pillar Plan is an inspiring, easy-to-follow and practical guide to good health.

Rangan Chatterjee

The Four Pillar Plan

Is anything you eat. Be it healthy or unhealthy. I believe nutrition is the best and the easiest way to feel good. It's the basic that that you have control over once you grow up. So most doctors and health experts advise you to change your diet before putting you on any meds in case of diseases or simply to get you back to fitness.

Nutrition

Because that is the main source of substrate for all the energy you need for surviving. The carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibres etc come from the food you eat which constitutes nutrition.Thus simply put, WHAT YOU EAT, BUILDS AND FUELS YOU!

Why Is Nutrition Important

Let me get that straight before I begin. NOT EASY.Our dietary habits begin in childhood and are influenced by family patterns, region we live, ethnicity etc. It's said that what you eat as a child is what forms the basis of your lifetime eating habits to a certain extent. That is why we are encouraged to eat healthy as children.But the changing times have made it more of a challenge. Fad diets, crash diets , thinning supplements, the need to fit into a figure prototype is why most people try to change their diet. Some succeed, some don't.

Changing Your Dietary Habits

<ul><li>Start small : Don't make big changes overnight. Neither will you like it, nor your body. Go slow. Your body needs time to adjust to the new changes after years of eating the same way.</li><li>Consult a dietician, nutritionist or even your primary healthcare physician. DO NOT FOLLOW RANDOM BLOGS AND CELEBS BLINDLY. PLEASE.</li><li>Try to build your new healthy diet around your traditional one. It is easier and more effective.</li><li>ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Your body is the best judge when it comes to assessing what food suits you and what not. </li><li>Be mindful of your allergies and health conditions before you start.</li></ul>

Tips To Modify Your Diet

<ul><li>Do not eat foods that you cannot digest or aversive to just because it is more healthier. Look for another alternative.</li><li>Make sure to have enough protein and fibers in your diet. </li><li>AVOID FAST FOOD. Once a while it's okay. Don't make it a habit.</li><li>Shop for your food on your own. Visit the grocery store or the supermarket. That's the best way to take control of your health. Learn cooking. Invest in your health.</li><li>Most important. BE CONSISTENT. Don't just start eating healthy for a week or month to fit into an outfit. Do it to be healthy. Change your priorities.</li><li>Stay active. Choose a fitness routine.</li></ul>

More Tips!!

Happy GUT, happy YOU. Your diet is the best way to keep you healthy and happy. Follow tips to get started on your health journey

Nutrition and healthy living

It is easy to get caught up in setting goals that are unsustainable and unrealistic, then when we fail, we feel worse about ourselves.  However, with the right advice on how to do fitness goal setting, we can have real, positive change.

Setting attainable fitness goals

A big mistake when setting a fitness goal is to do too much at one time. You may want to go to the gym every day, cut out added sugar and get eight hours of sleep a night. With so many new goals, people get anxious, and if they fail at one, they feel like they failed in every goal. It is easier to pick one goal. Like doing a pull-up or completing your first 5K, then use your efforts to achieve that before deciding on a next goal.

Focus on one goal at a time

You can feel inspired and envy the images of the super fit. But basing your own goals on what you see others achieving is not productive. Top athletes can do things such as running a marathon or doing 100 push-ups. While it is great for them, it is not the goal that everyone should be measured by. Instead, your goal should be something realistic and achievable for you.

Make it your own

A measurable and clear goal allows you to track it. Wanting to be stronger is too vague. Saying you want to do 20 push-ups in one minute makes it specific. If the goal is also time-bound, you can develop a more structured plan for achieving the goals. A great way to help you is using the SMART method - your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

Make it measurable, specific and time-bound

Your goals should seem easy and within reach. You should feel very confident that you can achieve your goal. The more success you have in your fitness journey, the more confident you will become, encouraging you to keep at it.

Set the bar low at first

Be realistic with the time frame you develop for reaching your goal. Pick a goal you can achieve over the course of several months or a year. A long-term goal will help you see it as a lifestyle change instead of a quick fix, and you'll more likely continue.

Choose the long game

Some goals are driven by underlying fears and insecurities. Therefore, it's important to address the issues instead of assuming that achieving your goal will soothe them. If thinking about your goal brings anxiety, consider talking with a mental health professional.

Understand what's driving your goal

Permit yourself to change your goal as you progress. Perhaps your goal that seemed reasonable at first is really too difficult to maintain or may be too easy. If your definition of success is rigid, you may find it difficult to maintain. However, there's nothing wrong with changing your goal as you become more comfortable with your abilities.

Be flexible in your definition of success

Within your main goal, schedule smaller goals that are achievable in a shorter period. For example, if you want to run a nine-minute mile, make a smaller goal of running a half-mile in five minutes. Succeeding at the little victories will increase your motivation to complete the bigger goal. It's good to set mini-goals that can be achieved every two to three weeks. It can help to see if your macro goal is realistic.

Develop micro goals on the way to your larger goal

If you feel overwhelmed about the process or can't determine a realistic goal, it can be helpful to consult an expert, such as a certified personal trainer, to guide you. They may ask you about various factors influencing your lifestyles, such as prior history with fitness, nutrition, work and social history. Once they understand your life, they can create a program around what works for you.

Consider a professional's input

If you have crushed several fitness goals in the past and just take it to the next level, you may likely set a more complex goal. But if you're new to fitness, you may want to focus on simple behaviour modifications, such as going to the gym a set number of days a week. It's useful to consider what has stopped you from exercising in the past. For example, having a hard time getting up in the morning might mean evening workout classes will be more achievable.

Be honest about your prior and current habits

Support can make a huge difference in attaining a goal. When you think about your goal, include who in your life could encourage and motivate you. Then ask them to help you.

Find a support system

Whether it's a New Year's resolution or anytime, setting a realistic fitness goal takes some thought. Here's how to set fitness goals the right way.

exerciseandfitness

Exercise & Fitness

11 Tips to Set Realistic Fitness Goals You’ll Actually Achieve, According to Top Trainers

In an ideal situation, we would eat a healthy dinner, followed by something small and sweet. Then in a few hours, we would sleep all night. But the reality is different. We stay up later, eat a small dinner or are hungry without reason, and crave a bedtime snack. If you know that going without a bedtime snack will make your stomach rumble, consider the following healthy snacks.

Snacking at bedtime is common

A rumbling stomach at night is an indication that you need more calories and nutrients. So, aim to eat foods that give you better nutrition. Walnuts are a good option as it is full of calcium, magnesium, vitamin B, protein and heart-healthy fats like omega-3s. It can also prevent Type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.

Walnuts

Bananas contain potassium, which is a natural muscle relaxant and can help you fall asleep. They also contain tryptophan, which can aid in a restful night's sleep. Bananas contain natural sugar that have less effects on your blood sugar than refined sugars.

Banana

Nuts contain blood-stabilizing proteins and healthy fats. The dark chocolate is just a good amount of sweet. Dark chocolate does contain some caffeine and may affect you. But if you know your sleep won't be affected, a handful of dark chocolate-covered nuts may be a good option.

Chocolate-covered nuts

Having something carb-based, protein-based, and fat-based before bed helps to stabilise the blood sugar and keeps your body from waking during the night. Greek yoghurt with almonds and berries has a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. The carbs are in the berries and yoghurt, the protein is in the yoghurt, and the fat is in the almonds.

Greek yoghurt with almonds and berries

Peanut butter has protein and fat, and rice cakes have carbs. That trio combination is great for keeping blood sugar balanced throughout the night.

Rice cake with peanut butter

Consuming sufficient amounts of calories can help to prevent getting hungry before bed. Don't wait until dinner to eat two-thirds of your food. Instead, aim to eat 30 grams of protein at your main meals and three to five servings of cruciferous or high-fibre vegetables at lunch and dinner. If we don't consider our nutritional inventory for the day, we may experience hunger at bedtime if the body feels undernourished.

How to avoid bedtime hunger

Snacking before sleep isn't often recommended, but sometimes it's necessary. Here's what to grab.

Hungry Before Bed? Here's Exactly What You Should Eat, According To Nutritionists.

Interested in becoming more efficient and effective in learning and recalling information? Whether you're in elementary school, graduate school or everyday life, using these mnemonic (pronounced ni-mahn-ik) strategies—think of them as very effective <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/tips-to-improve-your-memory-and-recall-98553">memory tips</a>—can make it easier to remember facts, and they can be applied to almost any subject.

Improve Your Memory Using Mnemonics

Multiple research studies have demonstrated that using the keyword mnemonic method improves learning and recall, especially in the area of foreign languages.Here's how this works. First, you choose a keyword that somehow cues you to think of the foreign word. Then, you imagine that keyword connected with the meaning of the word you're trying to learn.For example, if you're trying to learn the Spanish word for cat, which is gato, first think of a gate and then imagine the cat sitting on top of the gate.

Keyword Mnemonics

Chunking information is a mnemonic strategy that works by organizing information into more easily learned groups, phrases, words or numbers. For example, memorizing the following number: 47895328463 will likely take a fair amount of effort. However, if it is chunked like this: 4789 532 8463, it becomes easier to remember.Interestingly, chunking is one of several mnemonic strategies that has been studied in people with mild Alzheimer's disease. Results from these studies concluded that chunking can be helpful in improving verbal working memory in the early stages of dementia.2

Chunking as a Mnemonic Strategy

One way to successfully encode the information into your brain is to use <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/using-music-in-alzheimers-disease-97624">music</a>. A well-known example is the "A-B-C" song, but there's no end to what you can learn when it's set to music. You can learn the countries of Africa, science cycles, memory verses, math equations and more.Music is also an effective tool for people with <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/mild-cognitive-impairment-and-alzheimers-disease-98561">mild cognitive impairment</a> and <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/alzheimers-4581763">Alzheimer's disease</a>. Not only can the words of songs be remembered from their childhood even when other language ability is almost gone, but they can also learn new information more effectively if it's taught through music.

Musical Mnemonics

Acronyms and acrostics are typically the most familiar type of mnemonic strategies.Acronyms use a simple formula of a letter to represent each word or phrase that needs to be remembered.An acrostic uses the same concept as the acronym except that instead of forming a new "word," it generates a sentence that helps you remember the information.An often-used acrostic in math class is: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. This acrostic mnemonic represents the order of operations in algebra and stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction

Letter and Word Mnemonic Strategies

"Hey diddle diddle. The cat and the fiddle..." Can you finish the rest of this nursery rhyme?The ability to memorize and remember nursery rhymes is often due in part to repetition and in part to rhyming. Rhyming words can be used as a mnemonic to help us learn and recall information.Sometimes, you can rearrange words or substitute a different word with the same meaning to make them rhyme.

Rhymes as Mnemonic Strategies

One mnemonic strategy that helps encode new information is to connect it with something else that you already are familiar with or know. This gives it meaning and makes it easier to remember. Making connections is a type of elaborative rehearsal and can be applied to almost any subject or type of information.For example, imagine that you are just introduced to someone named Jeffery. Perhaps you notice that Jeffery is very energetic, and connect Jeffrey with jumping. The next time you see him. you'll think, "There's 'Jumping Jeffery' and you can say hello by name."

Making Connections as a Mnemonic Method

The method of loci (pronounced low-sigh) is arguably the earliest identified mnemonic in history. In the method of loci, the learner visualizes a room or a familiar path through a building and mentally associates facts or information with specific locations or objects along the way. In order to recall what he's learned, he re-visualizes moving through that room or along that path and each stop along the way triggers another piece of information. This method is also called the journey method, creating a "memory palace" or the mental walk strategy.

Memory Palace: The Method of Loci Mnemonic Strategy

The peg method is an especially useful mnemonic for remembering sequenced information. If first requires that you memorize the following list in help you order the facts:<ol><li>one = bun</li><li>two = shoe</li><li>three= tree</li><li>four = door</li><li>five = hive</li><li>six = sticks</li><li>seven = heaven</li><li>eight = gate</li><li>nine = vine</li><li>ten = hen</li></ol>After you have memorized this list, look over the new information that you are trying to learn. Then, connect the first word to "bun," the second word to "shoe," the third word to "tree," etc. The goal is to make a memorable connection with each new piece of information you need to memorize.

Peg Method Mnemonics

The mnemonic linking method consists of developing a story or image that connects together pieces of information you need to remember. Each item leads you to recall the next item.For example, imagine that you need to remember to bring the following things with you to school in the morning: homework papers, glasses, gym shoes, wallet, lunch money, and keys.Using the linking system, you can think of the following short story to help you: Jack's homework papers put on their glasses and gym shoes and ran over to his wallet where his hungry keys were eating his lunch money.

The Mnemonic Linking System (Stories or Images)

Using mnemonic memory strategies can give you that boost in your memory that we all need, and it can improve your efficiency in learning as well. Keep in mind that you may need to practice a few of these strategies before they come easily, but once you have them down, they should clearly benefit your learning and recall of information.

The Bottom Line

Mnemonics help us more easily learn and remember information. Here are 9 research-backed types that improve effectiveness and efficiency.

9 Types of Mnemonics to Improve Your Memory

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