Archivi delle categorie:Well-being

Writing Is Good for Your Health

There are great therapeutic benefits to writing backed by science – that’s why I run this blog 🙂

Keeping a journal can be extremely helpful. It is a low-cost, easily accessible, and versatile form of therapy. It can be done individually or guided by a mental coach. It can be practiced within a group and even added as a supplement to another form of cure.

These benefits are certainly not trivial. The potential positive outcomes of a creative writing process reach much further and deeper than simply writing in a journal.

A case out of all: Participants in a study who wrote about their most traumatic experiences for 15 minutes, four days in a row, experienced better health outcomes up to four months later (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005). This research shows a significant healing effect in individuals who have experienced a traumatic or extremely stressful event.

Regular creative writing can help the writer:

• Find meaning in their experiences, view things from a new perspective, and see the silver linings in their most stressful or negative experiences (Murray, 2002).

• Experience important insights about themselves and their environment that may be difficult to determine without focused writing (Tartakovsky, 2015)

Writing therapy has proven effective for many different conditions or mental diseases, as found by Lepore & Smyth, 2002; Pennebaker, 1997, 2004; Farooqui, 2016, including:

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Grief and loss
• Chronic illness issues
• Substance abuse
• Eating disorders
• Interpersonal relationship issues
• Communication skill issues
• Low self-esteem.

Writing regularly, following an established pattern has shown:

• Increased feelings of well-being
• Reduced physician visits
• Reduced absenteeism from work
• Enhanced immune system functions.

Why don’t you try today the writing therapy? Email me to know more!

Why Walking Meditation Helps Regenerate the Brain

Walking meditation is an act of personal liberation because it offers you the simple pleasure of freeing yourself from daily obligations. You can see the benefits already after the first week you started to walk, and it is becoming a habit of your life. 

According to some research, people living in large cities, which usually are big urban areas highly polluted, suffer from extreme stress also because they tend to spend very little time in nature.

If you add to your routine walking meditation practice, you will get a really powerful anti-stress remedy. Practicing it brings enormous physical and psychological benefits. Ten minutes a day are enough, and you can practice walking meditation at any time of day.

A meditative walk in nature will allow you to free yourself from everyday stress.

Walking by itself is good for your health. It allows to reduction the risk of cardiovascular diseases and back pain, for example. Why not combine this practice with meditation?

Here are 6 tips on how to do it.
  1. Keep your back straight.
  2. Synchronize the breath on your steps, by keeping a quiet walking pace.
  3. Become aware of your body. Focus on your feet, on your legs, on the movement, on the contact with the soil. Try to eliminate tensions and concentrate only on the steps.
  4. Focus on the feelings this practice gives you. Are they pleasant? Is your body relaxing? And your mind, is it calming down?
  5. Then move your attention to your emotions. What do you feel? Do not judge the emotions you feel, let them go, observe them as if they were in front of you.
  6. Finish your practice by standing, contemplating the feeling of fullness, and thanking your body and mind for the beautiful meditative walk.

Do not try to stop thinking, because thinking is the activity of the brain and it is impossible to stop! On the other hand, try to take advantage of the moment of relaxation you are experiencing, to become aware of your body and your emotions without this affecting your mood and without judging.

By regularly practicing the meditative walk, you will feel more and more balanced and at peace with yourself.

Here are some results:

1. When you walk, your brain stops worrying. Walking is an activity within everyone’s reach and allows you to receive an extra dose of oxygen and clean air from nature. This is when we begin to stimulate our frontal lobe, the one that is related to creativity and mood. If we add to this the natural release of endorphins, magic happens. The brain feels more euphoric and optimistic.

2. Thanks to a better mood, you will be more creative. When you are not under pressure, you drop negativism and the hormone cortisol produced by stress disappears. You will feel more relaxed, more enthusiastic, and more confident.

3. You are used to moving in small spaces. Your home, your work, public transport, supermarkets, and other places you regularly go, are limited spaces in which tensions may ignite. Therefore, just starting to meditate and walk in a natural, open space is a wonderful act of liberation and relaxation.

4. According to research, you must seek, above all, contact with nature. The idea is to fill your lungs with pure oxygen, and your eyes discover new horizons, and stimulating landscapes thanks to which the brain is enriched.

Be aware that walking is much more effective than a painkiller or any vitamin! And a meditative walk is an experience you cannot miss!

Would you give it a try?

Get Your Energy Back by Following These 5 Tips

Summer brings back light and it is the perfect time to recharge your batteries and repair your body, your spirit and your soul. Find your energy to get a good start again.

Summer is a good season for renewal. Every sunny day is a new departure. Each morning represents a new chance to reach your goals and follow your dreams.  

To get the best out of this summer spirit, here are 5 tips to regain your well-being.

1. Take care of yourself and adopt a healthy sleep pattern. Sleep is essential for physical and mental well-being, specialists recommend sleeping between 7 and 9 hours per night. Feeling rested after a good night’s sleep allows you to better manage your energy during the day.

Tips: Plan your day the night before. In the evening, do restful activities. Create an environment favorable to rest by eliminating strong light and screens (TV, computer but also mobile phone) in your room. Practice yoga or meditation exercises.

2. Energy is on the plate. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With it, you establish the blood sugar level, avoid the cravings during the morning and give your body the energy it needs to function. Beware of some foods that could be counterproductive. Too sweet food gives you an immediate energy boost but, when over, it will leave you more tired than before.

Tips: Avoid sugars and caffeine in excess and favor food that makes you feel full, such as bananas or apples. Drink large quantities of green tea (which also helps weight loss and prevents cell aging). Buy fresh fruit and vegetables and try to eat less refined food (whole grains would be great). Make the menu of your week and fill up the fridge to avoid coming home hungry and having nothing to eat. By doing so, you will eat what you have and will not order food to be delivered at home. Establish a regular daily meal pattern. If you cannot cook, have you ever thought about learning it?

3. Meditation is useful for your well-being. We live at high speed. Sometimes this rhythm of life prevents us from fully living the things we do and focusing on them. Many activities can help us take better advantage of the present moment and meditation is at the top of the list. Before going to work, focusing on the rhythm of breathing (inhale and exhale) can help you face the day more calmly. Meditation has beneficial effects on the brain and general well-being.

Tips: Meditate every day at the same time: wake up your senses by disconnecting yourself for a few minutes. You do not have time? Try meditating in the shower or while you are on the bus or on the metro! It is enough to breathe with awareness. Relax while remaining alert. Follow your cat’s example, if you have one. But don’t meditate while driving!

4. Move to reduce your fatigue. Even if this statement may seem contradictory, sport is the best way to lighten your spirit up, remove your anxiety and regain your energy. Physical activity can stimulate the mitochondria, which are the generators of the body’s energy. So what are you waiting for? Put your sneakers on!

Tips: Walk at least 10,000 steps a day (I know, they are a lot). Try the sun salutation, a sequence of yoga positions that helps you release endorphins in the blood and then helps you be in a good mood and energized. Practice yoga, Pilates, take a bike ride or a walk with your colleagues. Walk with awareness, focusing on each one of your steps and trying to feel the contact with the ground from the top of your heels to the tip of your toes.

5. More emotional balance for more energy. We often overlook the importance of emotional balance in everyday life. The harmony of the emotions can help us feel better and improve our relationships with others. Pay attention to your emotions and learn to manage them. Do not prevent yourself from expressing them, in the appropriate ways and occasions, of course, otherwise you risk that they would become too intense and then you will no longer take control over them. Take full advantage of positive emotions and try to accept your feelings in moments of sadness or distress. Emotions have their reason for being: they are the ones who determine our actions.

Tips: Try looking at things from a broader perspective: everything in life is useful, even if it does not seem like that. Try not reacting immediately, breathe deeply and remind yourself that it will go away. If you really have to take a position, count up to ten before speaking. Set goals regularly to get the best out of yourself by living again your feelings or thoughts.

What do you think about those simple tips?

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Small Natural Tricks To Keep You Fit and Healthy

Summer has arrived and we want to look fit and healthy, maybe losing a few kilos. There are many products that you can buy and that will help you lose weight, but there are also simple homemade tricks that you can use.

Citrus fruits are great for fitness and other body functions

Lemons, oranges, grapefruits, contain substances that help control weight because they favor the purification of the kidneys.

For example, bitter orange helps to:

1.      maintain a normal weight;

2.      fight against overweight;

3.      manage weight;

4.       metabolize fats;

5.       promote fat burning.

In addition, bitter orange essential oil promotes normal sleep because it helps you relax you from the tensions accumulated during the day, while grapefruit oil helps to keep the intestines healthy. Lemon on the other hand optimizes fat and cholesterol metabolism, and supports liver health.

Remember that all citrus fruits contribute to the optimal maintenance of the immune system.

There are also other natural products that can help you maintain a healthy weight, such as licorice, sage, anise, ginger, flaxseed. These all can keep your hunger under control.

Obviously, to maintain a healthy weight it  is not enough to eat citrus fruits or other recommended herbs, you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes not only eating and sleeping well, but also doing physical activity. The diet alone can’t do miracles, while combined with a sport or even a daily walk at a fast pace will allow you to regain shape more quickly.

A small warning. If you are overweight and want to lose weight, consult a doctor or nutritionist. These tips are aimed at people who want to lose a couple of pounds and feel fit for the summer.

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Why A Little Fat Is Beautiful

On Sundays, I usually go to Pilates. Last week, a lady I haven’t seen for a while approached me and started to talk, explaining to me why she has not come for the last month. Her story begins by saying that she is not fat enough. It doesn’t seem to me, she is not fat, that’s true, but never before have I heard of someone complaining of being too thin, usually it’s the other way, people complain because they are too fat.

Then she starts telling me her problem. Because of her thinness, the bones pierce the skin and come out. Her coccyx has just healed and she suffered tremendous pain. I am speechless, then the Pilates class kicks off and she stops talking.

I begin to reflect on my two extra pounds, on the fact that I wanted to have a session of cryolipolysis, and on the fact that I do not like my body a little “round”. Then I think about the lady, her problem, and I tell myself that I think I will keep my two extra pounds. I started to do some research on the benefits of having a little extra fat, so to find a justification for keeping my two extra pounds (I have to find a good reason not to lose these two pounds, right?)

First of all, you need to know your BMI, Body Mass Index, and mine is okay, my weight is normal.

Once I have established that I am not overweight, I go on with the search to look for possible damages that an excessive thinness may cause.

First of all, the adipose tissue plays important functions, including the production of hormonal substances, such as leptin (the satiety hormone), which has a role, among other things, in the regulation of energy balance and fertility. The reduction of adipose tissue below 20% in women can lead to menstrual irregularities, for example.

Let’s see now other risks associated to an excessive thinness:

  1. Early menopause. It has been found that being overweight may trigger an early menopause.
  2. Osteoporosis. Even the bones can be compromised. Above all, elderly people can experience the fragility of the bones. A certain percentage of fat mass, or even better muscle mass, can act as a protection to the bones.
  3. An insufficient dietary intake causes the body to trigger a “saving” situation with various consequences on the hormones such as the reduction of the growth hormone, or the increase in blood sugar because insulin is reduced.
  4. Muscle strength. Reduction of muscle strength, weakness, anemia.
  5. Infections. Underweight is also associated with an increase in infections due to the lowering of immune defenses.

Watch out! I’m not telling you that you have to fatten excessively to become obese, because then you would have other problems, like cardiovascular diseases. What I am saying is that you do not have to lose weight excessively.

Calculate your BMI and try to keep it over time by eating healthy and regularly, not forgetting that doing the right amount of exercise is just as important.

These are the best things you can do for yourself.

Why By Walking You Will Lose More Weight Than By Running

Regular physical activity is essential for a person’s well-being. It helps with relaxation, it fights stress, chases away fatigue and it is even effective with light depression. Many people opt for cardio training to burn fat and lose weight. However, these exercises do not aim to gain muscle mass but only to increase endurance. Walking is the real cure-all activity.

You may know that cardiovascular exercises can influence the functioning of the thyroid. This gland produces a hormone called T4 which, in combination with iodine, turns into the hormone T3. The latter stimulates the body’s metabolism.

Unfortunately, during the production of cortisol while you are running, the thyroid gland does not produce the hormone T4. Therefore, it disrupts the process of metabolism, weakens the body and reduces the ability to burn fat. Because of this, excessive cardiovascular exercise can reduce your muscle mass and metabolism and, as a consequence, lead to weight gain instead of weight loss.

When running, the body burns calories and muscle mass. Therefore, you don’t not get rid of fat but you produce cortisol, which gives a feeling of hunger because the body feels the need to recover the calories burned. Overweight people should avoid running as it could damage their knees and joints.

Walking doesn’t have the same effect as running when it comes to burning calories. Actually, you burn much less calories. However, this activity is much more beneficial because it produces cortisol in small amounts. Therefore, the feeling of hunger won’t take over as much as if you were running.

The physical activity of walking is well known for its benefits because you can get a lot of muscles to work (thighs, calves, buttocks, back, abdominal belt) and by that you may refine your silhouette. It draws on fat and muscle reserves gently. To have satisfactory results, you should walk at least 30 minutes a day. It is preferable to walk in places without traffic and not too polluted, such as beaches, parks or the forests.

This exercise is also recommended for people who suffer from heart disease because it tones the heart muscle. It is also recommended for diabetics and people suffering from osteoporosis. Moreover, by walking 30 minutes, you will burn about 125 calories. I know, it’s not a lot but day after day you will see good results.

As of today, will you start walking more?

Why Unplugging Your Mind Is Important to Find Yourself

When e-mails, text messages, conference calls, Webex, Whatspp, FB, Instagram, Tweeter, Google and anything else from your partner to your boss invade your lives, it becomes necessary for your survival to stop for a while and be silent. That’s why unplugging your mind is crucial.

Our always connected minds take us away from the best of ourselves and our creative potential.

Referring constantly to what one or the other has said, we forget to connect to our essential being, which is unique and precious.

We have become individuals driven by technological change that moved away from ourselves, from our awareness of being human, from the first component of Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI is recognized today as a condition of success in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world, as it is the one we live in today.

Refocusing, looking inside, listening to silence and our inner voice. In the depths of ourselves we find an enormous amount of resources and our most authentic creativity: it is our treasure, a unique, rich and colorful, magical place where everything is open and possible.

In this space, we can find synchronicity, messages and insights that will enable us to make the right decisions for our lives. Real relationships can arise, authentic relationships between sincere people who are now masked by the ego that continues to rule us.

What to do then?

Give yourself moments of silence! Be for a while without your mobile phone. Go out for a walk without it, walk with no direction in nature and feel, look, listen, use all your senses to the maximum.

Be present in this unique moment and let yourself be pervaded by the harmony that surrounds you.

Practice your favorite hobby, and if you do not have it, think about finding one. Quietly cooking at home, knitting, painting, drawing, gardening and all the other activities that you may be passionate about.

Stop for a moment and stop moving from one activity to another, from one piece of information to another. Your brain can not take it anymore, it also needs a rest. Give yourself time to deepen the reasons for your choices and discover the reason for your being, your purpose.

People feel lost. Most probably they are really lost: they have disconnected from themselves to live in connection with the social networks.

Therefore, unplugging your mind is very important for your wellbeing. Learn to find some space for yourself and your deeper needs. And live your life fully. You deserve it!

Walking on the Beach

I came back from a fantastic trip to Cuba where I had a chance to walk a lot on beaches.

We all know that spending time outdoors is good physically and mentally, but the benefits of spending time at the beach have just been revealed by science. 

That incredible feeling of peace and calm you get on the beach is now called “blue space“. This is what scientists have dubbed the effect that the combination of soothing perfumes and water sounds has on the brain. The blue space is enough to make you feel comfortable in a hypnotic way. Overall, this blue space strikes you in four different ways:

1. It reduces stress. Water is nature’s remedy for life’s stressors. It’s full of natural positive ions that are known to have the ability to make you feel comfortable. So whether you’re swimming or just dipping your toes into the water, you’re sure to feel a sense of relaxation. It’s an instant mood booster that we could all use from time to time!

2. The beach stimulates your creativity. Do you feel like you’re in a creative routine? Well, scientists now believe that walking on the beach helps the creative process. Being in the blue space allows you to clear up your mind and tackle problems or projects more creatively. Just like meditation, being on the beach triggers a sense of calm that allows you to tune everything else together and reflect on what you need to focus on.

3. Going to the beach can help reduce states of depression. Just like the effects you have on stress and creativity, walking on the beach also offers some relief from states of depression. The hypnotic sound of the waves combined with the sight and perfumes of the beach can put you in a meditative mode. You can clear up your mind and reflect on life in a safe space away from the chaos of your daily life.

4. Overall, spending time at the beach will change your perspective on life. And that perspective will change for the better! Nature in general has always been a factor for a healthy and happy life, but being on the beach in particular is so good for the soul.

So grab your sunscreen because it’s time to go to the beach! It’s winter on my side of the world but you can dress properly and enjoy the positive effects of walking on the beach.

Did you like this article? For more on wellbeing, please have a look here.

Do You Often Forget Things?

Do you often forget things, from the most trivial trifle to the most important thing you have in mind?

Don’t worry, as one study has found out that:

“The point of memory is not being able to remember who won the Stanley Cup in 1972 but to make you an intelligent person who can make decisions”

While shopping, you may forget one of the most important items you were supposed to buy, or in the middle of a conversation with friends, it’s impossible for you to remember the title or the name of the author of a book you were recommending.

In short, it feels like starting Alzheimer’s because you notice that you have difficulties remembering (almost) everything.

But don’t worry, because a study by two researchers at the University of Toronto (Canada) reveals how important it is to forget.

Paul Frankland and Blake Richards, researchers at the University of Toronto conducted a study that found out that people who are more likely to forget are also the smartest!

“It is of utmost importance that the brain is able to select the information it acquires and eliminates irrelevant details, thus focusing on a more general view to ensure that decisions are made in the most correct way.”

These are the words of Blake Richards denying the belief that those who can remember more things are also the smartest, and confirming almost the opposite. The elimination of unimportant information allows us to increase our analytical abilities, focusing our attention on the fundamental things and avoiding unnecessary work of our brain.

The researchers developed this study after several years of research on memory loss and brain activity, including both humans and animals.

The conclusion is that:

“If you forget occasional details,” Richards says, “it may mean your memory is healthy and doing exactly what it should be doing”.

Are you someone who often forgets things?

You can find more on brain here.

I Accept Myself As I Am

After finishing my training to become a coach (already a long ago, in 2017), I began to recite a mantra that sounds like this: 

I love and accept myself as I am.

Every time I argue with my husband, especially when he doesn’t like some of my behaviour, I go with my mantra: I love and accept myself as I am.

What does it mean to love and accept ourselves as we are?

First, it means having a healthy relationship with ourselves, namely clogging the genuine belief that we are enough and not continuing to try to be “validated” by others.

Self-acceptance is not just about your body. Sometimes when we look in the mirror (especially us women) we do not like ourselves, we see ourselves fat, a little older, with dark circles under our eyes and who knows what other defects. Our body is the most visible part of ourselves, and commercials make us see people in great shape, always perfect and beautiful.

But also our personality is important of course, and it is crucial to accept ourselves as we are.

Why is accepting oneself so important?

Research has shown that non-acceptance of oneself or poor self-acceptance can be the cause of depression and anxiety. In addition, a negative image of ourselves can even cause eating disorders that could also turn into obesity.

Although accepting ourselves as we are would make us feel better, it is not easy, because we always seek others’ approval. This is also the result of social conditioning, which pushes us to always seek validation from the group, from the community we belong and feel part of.

Moreover, today, with the massive use of social media, we tend more and more to compare ourselves to others, we want to get as many likes as possible, to feel part of something that goes beyond our identity, and prevents us from achieving a well-being based on who we really are and what we seek in life, our purpose, why we are on this planet, in one word, your Ikigai, as the Japanese would say.

We think that judgment, the approval of others contributes to our well-being, when in reality it is not like that.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Who are these “others” whom you trust so much that you let them judge you?
  2. Do you really know them well?
  3. Why do you trust their judgment?

Remember: accept yourself for what you are, with all your strengths and weaknesses.

Make my mantra yours: I love and accept myself as I am.