mental health
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Inseparable opposites
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2 min read
We’re always in the middle of fictional thinking — vacillating between what we’d like to do versus what we’re scared to do. Utopia and dystopia keep us on our toes before we filter for the truth. We’re also paradoxical role-players — toggling between obedience and standing out depending on our internal weather. Authenticity often remains…
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Strength through struggle
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2 min read
Everything we know we learn from our handicaps. They are far better teachers than strengths. As the author Bernard Malamud quipped, “if you haven’t struggled, you haven’t yet lived.” Mental illness, speech impediments — these brain sprains muddle thoughts and make life hard to read. But the cognitive tips and tricks we use to cope…
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Becoming pain tolerant
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1 min read
Surrender to the pain and see the growth. Capitulation converts supposed weakness into emotional endurance over time, providing an antidote to the stress caused by the resistance. Ruing the past, fighting the future — worrying is as aimless as punching the air. The courage of moving on is a form of alchemy, a fancy way…
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The anxiety monster
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1 min read
Thinking is dangerous. But so is anything done in excess. In rumination, we trip over ourselves. To get the mind out of the way — escape the head — we learn to curb the unshakable dizziness of freedom. Exaggerate or accept all the thoughts. The result is a mass relaxation of efforts that dents the…
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How to turn a handicap into an advantage
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2 min read
“A lot of what is beautiful and powerful in the world arises out of adversity. We benefit from those kind of things, but we wouldn’t wish them on each other.” Malcolm Gladwell Some people have no choice but to try harder than others because they’re handicapped. So the shorter basketball player develops quickness and anticipation…
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Tips for boosting your memory and brain power
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2 min read
If you’re looking to boost your memory and brain power, this video contains some excellent tips and reminders. In summary: Exercise. Physical exercise helps form new brain cells and solidifies existing neurons. It also increases the hippocampus brain area which is responsible for memory and learning. Never stop learning. Learning something new builds new brain cells. In…
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The dopamine surge
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1 min read
Dopamine is a superpower. Our brain hunts it down with the expectation of feeding it with some type of satisfaction, be it coffee or social media. But our anticipation often exceeds reality. The coffee aroma smells better than the grounded beans actually taste. We only go on vacation with the promise of taking photos and…
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The effect of expectation
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1 min read
The placebo creates a ceremony of expectation. It builds off novelty and reinvigorates confidence in the possibility of recovery. We all fall victim to the soft mental implantation of a placebo, the oldest medicine in the world. One simple belief kickstarts a chemical revolution. But in reality, the answer just needed to be poked from dormancy.…
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“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That’s the short and sweet dietary advice offered by journalist Michael Pollan. But after writing Cooked, now he’s back with a new challenge: psychedelics. Pollan’s autobiography on his first-hand experience with LSD and mushrooms are sure to interest people once more. He tells the Financial Times: “There is…