How to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

To cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we have to take time from our busy day and remember to give thanks for all the blessings that keep coming our way on a daily basis. Gratitude keeps us focused on what we have rather than all the things we don't have, which keeps us in a victim mentality. 

 

We may not realize that gratitude is a choice and that it doesn't come easily to many of us. Most of us were taught as children to say "thank you" when someone gave us a present or did something nice for us. But after a while, “thank you” can become quite glib unless we learn ways to cultivate the attitude of gratitude. Practicing gratitude is also a skill which is never too late to develop. 

 

Here are some things to keep in mind to develop an attitude of gratitude: 

 

Express Gratitude 

 

When you are grateful for the things that you have and express gratitude, it takes it to another level and opens the door to feeling optimistic. Optimism is a skill that can be cultivated and one of the ways to develop it is to think, feel, and express gratitude both for the small and the big things that take place in your life. 

 

The Law of Attraction and Gratitude

 

An important way to apply the Law of Attraction is to raise your vibration by acknowledging and giving thanks for what you have or experience.

When you are in a state of gratitude, you are resonating and sending out a frequency of acceptance and harmony, and as a result, you resonate at a much higher vibrational frequency. This frequency is what attracts to you the events, conditions, and circumstances that you desire. 

 

A Grateful Heart

 

A grateful heart begins by reflecting and contemplating on all the wonderful things around you. It has to do with a state of being and has to be cultivated by self-reflection. It comes by considering how life has supported you. Things as simple as listening to the birds sing or enjoying the taste of a homegrown tomato can be cause for celebration when you focus on having a grateful heart.

 

Gratitude Quotes

 

A simple way to remember to express gratitude is by reflecting on gratitude quotes. As we contemplate on the truth of these powerful sayings by people from all walks of life, they help us make a subtle shift in the way we perceive life and enable us to concentrate on the positive things, rather than the negative.

 

Science Proves Gratitude Makes Us Happy

For most, gratitude is a pure outright thank you. For others a half-hearted thank you text or card may seal the deal. But in psychology, it's is not just an offhand action. Gratitude is a positive emotion that goes a long way in contributing to happiness. The recognition entails more than feeling thankful for an act of kindness or condition because it consists of a deeper appreciation for someone or something. It affirms the graciousness of the giver. When we focus more on the many blessings in our lives, we are more contented, cheerful and generous. The feeling goes both ways. 

 

The giver derives immense joy from the act, and the receiver appreciates the kindness. 

 

In a fast-paced world like ours, it is not unusual for daily blessings to go unnoticed. We often overlook the little acts of kindness we experience every day. Small acts of kindness shown daily culminate into a happier life. Whether receiving or giving gratitude, scientific studies prove that the result is immense happiness.

 

Better Health

 

Gratitude increases optimism, and optimism has been proven to boost the immune system. According to a study by Harvard Medical school, those who are optimistic live happier, healthier, longer lives. 

 

New Relationships 

 

Saying thank you may constitute good manners, but showing appreciation may help you create new friendships, as well as live a happier life. A 2014 study discovered that thanking an acquaintance for a kindness more often than not makes them seek a deeper relationship with you. It doesn’t matter how small the kindness. Simply acknowledging little deeds leads to new relationship opportunities, and of course, more happiness. 

 

Less Depression

 

Counting your blessings goes a long way in loving yourself without undue comparison. According to a study, a one-time act of thoughtful appreciation produced a 10% increase in happiness and 35% reduction in depression. 

 

Business Health

 

As an entrepreneur or a team player, gratefulness is non-negotiable. Everyone loves to be appreciated. So, think of the world of good it would do your business if you showed more gratitude in your life. Send a thank you email or card. Say thanks when someone goes out of their way to make your life and business easier. Showing gratitude to workers, clients and investors makes you all happier and will give your business the needed boost because everyone you deal with will feel appreciated. 

 

Cultivating and sustaining an attitude of gratitude goes a long way in helping you achieve happiness since there is virtually no downside to this simple act. Though it may seem tasking at first, it becomes easy with persistence.

 

5 Things Extremely Fulfilled People Do That You Don’t

Everyone wants to live a happy, fulfilled life, right? It’s a no brainer! Look around you and notice the happy people who seem to roll with the punches. No matter what life throws at them, they find contentment and meaning wherever they are. 

 

So how do they do it? What do extremely fulfilled people do that you’re not doing? Here are some suggestions. 

 

1. They know themselves

 

People who are content and fulfilled have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses. They don’t berate themselves for not being perfect, but they focus on what they do well and work on the things they could improve. 

 

A good team needs people with different strengths and talents. If you’re an extrovert who loves people and organizing, you’ll excel at arranging functions, events, and conference. If you’re more analyst or a researcher, your strength is probably preparing reports or explaining data. 

 

2. They stay connected

 

Humans have a natural inclination to connect. Millions of years ago, survival depended on being committed to the group. People who are content and fulfilled in their lives tend to maintain healthy social networks. They stay connected to friends and family. They prioritize spending time with the people they love and have lots of support to rely on when things get tough.

 

3. They believe in themselves

 

People who grouse about their lives or are dissatisfied tend to have low self-esteem. They don’t expect things to go well for them and they stay in their unhappiness. Fulfilled people, on the other hand, have solid self-esteem and quiet inner confidence that life is pretty good. Confident people tend to have more friends and are more successful generally. Confidence sets up a positive circle that breeds more success, more happiness, and more confidence. 

 

4. They are grateful

 

A big difference people between who are content and people who are a Negative Nancy is that the happy people are grateful. Not just for their success but for everything in their lives. No matter what else is going on, fulfilled people can always find something to be grateful for. 

 

Gratitude is an excellent habit to cultivate. The more you focus on the good things in your life, the more good things there will be. Gratitude is energizing and positive and generates its own momentum. 

 

5. They have a purpose

 

People who are happy and fulfilled don’t just wait around for good things to happen to them. They have a purpose in life that is aligned with their values, and they just go for it. Extremely fulfilled people focus on doing what they feel they were made to do, what brings them satisfaction at the end of the day, and what makes a positive contribution to the world. 

 

Make Your Brain Work Faster Than Ever

It is evenly important to exercise the brain like other body parts. If your brain is not energized then it is apparent that you start losing focus. Nevertheless, when you learn the facts you will be provoked to involve yourself in activities that train your brain. These activities are simply one of the finest ways to invigorate a weary brain, build focus and rouse it simultaneously. Constant worry can influence the brain in a multiplicity of unhelpful ways and is a massive problem for scores of people. You can keep your mind sharp by keeping it lively. It is said by neurological experts that the brain keeps changing and learning irrespective of age. Truthfully, as we turn older our subconscious skills tend to diminish, lowering our concentration power.

 

As you grow, have you noticed that it is difficult to recollect certain details in a book as you finish reading it? It happens when you find it hard to pay notice to things going on around you as your brain is having obscurity staying focused on a task. People who often indulge in multi tasking experience a hard time keeping focused on one task when the need crops up. Such people have automated their mind to do a variety of jobs, concurrently. By indulging in a range of exercises your brain will begin to see an up-gradation in your dispensation speed. You will start comprehending things faster and in the first shot and it will seem like someone has flicked a switch within you. 

 

Meditation is a very good way of exercising the brain, if you do not want to lose your cognitive abilities and instead make them sharper, you have to determine the ways to keep your mind healthy. A good source of finding out more of these exercises is the internet. This includes exercises to boost IQ and creativity, pacing up brain processing and memory enhancement.

 

How to Speed Read

Looking to save yourself time and get more done in the small amounts of time you do have in the day? 

 

Then how about trying to speed read? 

 

Speed read is the process of scanning through text while at the same time still taking in all the information. This is something some people are very good at and other people struggle with, so let’s look at some methods you can use to learn it.

 

Use a Tool

 

One easy way to learn to speed read is to try using a tool such as ‘spreader’. Spreader is a program that lets you paste a large amount of text into a website and then quickly runs through all the words, showing you one word at a time for a set duration. You can choose that duration and then by looking at the word count, the program can tell you precisely how long it will take to read that content. You can this way read a very big novel in a couple of hours!

 

Use ‘Jumps’

 

Normally we read by letting our eyes scan left to right across the page. You can speed this up though by letting your eyes ‘jump’ from one block of text to the next and by taking mental snapshots as you go.

 

When you do this, you may notice you are no longer sounding the words out to yourself but instead just trying to take the meaning in. This is a good thing – as you remove the need to mentally verbalize you can start reading with ‘unsymbolized thought’ which is much faster.

 

Time Yourself

 

Timing yourself at any task is an easy way to get quicker. Likewise, if you’re giving yourself 30 minutes to read in the evening, why not challenge yourself to see how many pages you can get through and then try to better that next time? The old saying goes: ‘that which is measured, improves’.

 

Eventually, try going just a little faster than you can comfortably understand.

 

Have a Goal

 

Often, we don’t need to read a lot of the text in an article or even a book. If you’re trying to get a specific piece of information from the text then set out with the goal of retrieving that and then look only for relevant content in the page. This is a good way to make sure that you aren’t wasting time by reading long introductions etc.

 

3 Scientifically Proven Ways to Beat Procrastination and Increase Productivity

One of the biggest obstacles we face when trying to reach our goals is our lack of motivation to even get started. Whether we're putting off scheduling an appointment or just avoiding the tedious project with a looming deadline, procrastination is a significant problem. This may be because we put things off until "someday." Because "someday" doesn't appear on the calendar, our good intentions never turn into action unless we create deadlines. The following strategies can help to increase motivation and decrease the tendency to procrastinate. 

 

Break Goals Into Manageable Chunks

 

When you only focus on the big picture, it can be easy to put things off until later. Wishing you could quit your day job to launch a startup, or hoping you could lose 50 pounds fall into the "someday" category. However, if you break down your goals into smaller, more manageable objectives, then you can move them into the present category and start working on the steps to complete the more modest goals.

 

Start Easy

 

Starting on a task or significant project is hard, but if you can get over that initial hump you'll gain some momentum, and your brain will more likely annoy you to keep working on the task. This is due to what is known as the Zeigarnik effect, a psychological phenomenon that says unfinished tasks are more likely to get stuck in your memory. This phenomenon is also why your to-do list continues to pop into your head until you write it down. 

 

Be Mindful

 

Fear of failure and perfectionism are at the root of some procrastination. To beat this particular type of procrastination, science suggests you start by listening to your inner monologue and flag the thinking that is less than favorable. If you catch yourself saying things like, "This will be a catastrophe," or "I need this project to be perfect, " start taming your anxiety with a deceptively simple sounding intervention. An easy way you can do this is by doubting your doubts. This can be accomplished by shaking your head while you are thinking those thoughts. While it may sound simple, recent studies say that it can help with the chronically uncertain.

 

Procrastination is the number one killer of productivity. To increase your productivity and get more done, try these simple ways to beat procrastination, and see how it can change your life. 

Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema (Excessive Facial Blushing) - What Is It?

Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema can be characterized as uncontrollable, unprovoked and severe facial blushing. This blushing occurs mainly when one comes into contact with other people, especially when one talks with others. One may notice some kind of redness on sufferer’s face when he interacts in the society. This redness shows his anxiety as well as embarrassment. The sufferers of this problem often avoid being social and building relationships. 

 

Symptoms of Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema

 

•           Extreme blushing that too without any evident reason.

•           Heat sensation on the face.

•           Humiliation and shame.

•           Minimum eye contact.

•           Minimum social activities such as meeting people, friends and relatives.

•           Sweating on feet, palms and under arms.

 

Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema is quite severe and requires time for treatment. Sometimes a person may blush even in a simple group conversation without any reason which is not a good sign. This makes that person feel very uncomfortable in social as well as professional interactions that leads to social phobia. Sufferer of Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema hesitates to get social as he thinks that someone may notice his anxiety and embarrassment. As the time passes, the sufferer starts losing his confidence thus he may suffer failure in both personal and professional life. Thus, immediate treatment is always advised to treat Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema. 

 

Treatment

 

Nowadays as science has reached the level of excellence, there are hundreds of treatments that are available for Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema. The most popular and successful treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) that helps sufferer to pull off the extra anxiety and embarrassment. In some cases when extra treatment is required ETS (Endoscopic Transthoractic Sympathicotomy) is very helpful. This treatment is advised only if the sufferer is going through extreme case and the treatments that were previously opted proved to be ineffective. 

 

Social Anxiety and Facial Blushing - Are The Two Related?

Social anxiety and facial blushing are deeply correlated to each other. It is not necessary that people who blush are prone to social anxiety and people who are prone to social anxiety always blush. According to some studies and professionals’ social anxiety may be one cause behind facial blushing. The symptoms are feeling embarrassed and anxious in the society, losing confidence while talking to friends, inferiority complex, being unsuccessful, excessive sweating, avoiding eye contact in a group and feeling of humiliation. All these factors reduce one’s self esteem and it ultimately lowers his morale.

 

Facial blushing and social anxiety are related in a number of ways. It is the fear of blushing that stops one from getting involved with people due to the feeling of embarrassment. As the time passes, one starts blushing even more and this makes the person even more nervous and he gradually loses confidence in himself. Social anxiety and facial blushing causes feeling of discomfort, worthlessness and insecurity in the minds of people suffering from it. Sometimes these disorders may also lead to frustration and then to depression thus the only way to get rid of it is proper treatment.

 

To get rid of the problem of facial blushing and social anxiety one needs to undergo certain treatments. Sufferers must try to think positive and they should never under-estimate themselves. They must interact with as much people as possible to gain confidence and ultimately, they will find that their excessive facial blushing has stopped. Some medical treatments include social anxiety disorder treatment, Antiperspirants, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), medication, Botox injections and related surgeries. The type of treatment as prescribed by the doctor depends upon the severity of the problem.

 

One must have clear understanding of both the terms social anxiety and facial blushing to go for a right treatment. 

 

Why Do Some People Blush Too Much?

Blushing means displaying of redness over one’s face and this redness is a result of some strong emotions like embarrassment, anxiety or love. Excessive blushing may be termed as a medical condition that is called as Idiopathic craniofacial Erythema. 

 

There are some people who blush too much and this can be medically explained. Medically too much blushing is caused due to following reasons:

 

Embarrassment - Some people feel really embarrassed interacting socially due to many reasons such as lack of confidence, lack of forgiveness and lack of integrity. 

 

Social anxiety - Some people get over excited while communicating with their friends, family or relatives. This may also cause too much blushing as blood circulates very fast in the vessels when anyone feels excited. 

 

Frustration - This is caused due to tension and stress leading to high blood pressure thus causes blushing. 

 

Happiness - Sometimes uncontrolled laughter may cause people to blush because while laughing people loses their self-control. This consumes more energy and physical movements resulting in blush. 

 

Spicy food - Some people are habitual of eating spicy food and their face shows this through blushing. They blush more than those people eat less spicy food. 

 

Too much blushing sometimes may be an indication of physical and psychological disorders. Nowadays blushing is common among people due to some or the other reasons especially certain social situations. 

 

As there are many causes behind one’s blushing face, some people blush more whereas some blush less. There are many treatments available to treat excessive blushing disorders such as surgeries, drug treatment, psychological treatment to minimize social anxiety and cognitive behavioral therapy. One must make sure that, a well-qualified and experienced doctor must be considered otherwise minor problem may grow to a major one with serious complications. Determine the exact cause behind it to treat it well. 

For All Blushing - Why Is It Important To See A Doctor?

Seeing a doctor for any kind of health problem is very important because they are professionals in their field. There are medical reasons for every problem and treatments accordingly that a simple person cannot understand. Seeing a doctor means taking preventive measures before the problem grows to a serious one. If one thinks that blushing is limiting his daily activities then immediately consult a doctor before it becomes a serious issue. Facial blushing means occurrence of redness over the face due to several reasons. Such reasons may include social anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation, nervousness and happiness. 

 

Sometimes people do not care about facial blushing at initial stages and do not see the doctor. This may lead to excessive blushing in the later stages thus causing irritation, excessive sweating and awkward feeling. Certainly no one will like to experience such kind of situation in their life. If one really thinks so, see a doctor as soon as possible. As the time passes minor blushing problems may grow and take the shape of serious problems. Thereafter some major surgeries may be required to treat it causing certain side effects to the skin. Those side effects may range from skin paralysis, anger, depression, referred pain, paresthesia, hair loss, emotional changes, chronic pain, slow healing, no vascular control, affects mental functionality and chronic fatigue. 

 

Of course, nobody would want his life to get affected with this problem of blushing. So, why to undermine the facial blush? Stop blushing by adopting different suitable treatments such as regular exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, surgeries, NLP and many other treatments. One must make sure that he consults a well-qualified doctor for such kind of treatments that too after analyzing the real causes. Do not be afraid of a doctor because seeing a doctor is not a bad thing if one wants to get rid of the problems that affect his life. 

What Are The Treatments Available For Extreme Blushing?

Blushing occurs due to certain reasons like involuntary redness that appears on the face. Sometimes normal blushing takes the shape of extreme blushing and it needs to be treated because it is a disorder. Main symptoms of blushing include embarrassment, social anxiety, humiliation, shame, under confidence and stress. Blood starts flowing very fast in the vessels in such kind of situations causing extra redness to one’s face. Some other symptoms also include extra sweating on hands and palms which is not good for health both physically and psychologically.

 

Extreme blushing is also known as Idiopathic Cranio Facial Erythema. There are many treatments available for extreme cases of blushing that are very effective. The treatments are divided into three different categories. First is psychological treatment, second is drug therapy and third one is surgery that is done to treat extreme blushing. 

 

Psychological treatment includes CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), breathing techniques and confronting fears. This treatment helps in removing fear from sufferer’s mind under proper guidance of professionals. Many exercises are also involved in this therapy and it is also called natural treatment having no side effects.

 

In the second one that is drug therapy anxiety medication, beta blockers and clonidine are involved. These medications help the sufferers to calm down and manage themselves. Medication is recommended by doctors when they see an extreme case of blushing. The third one is surgical treatment including ETS (Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathicotomy). Blushing is operated with the help of instruments to remove the involuntary nerves controlling the flow of blood-to-blood vessels.

 

Sufferer must see the concerned practitioner on time so as to avoid complications. Try to treat this problem in the initial stages as it wont demand for any surgeries at that point of time, one will only require to apply some therapies. 

How Far is Endoscopic Transthoracic Sympathicotomy (ETS) Beneficial?

Endoscopic Transthoracic Sympathicotomy (ETS) is the treatment recommended for extreme facial blushing. Blushing is the extra redness over the face that may occur due to stress, embarrassment, fear and shame. Many types of treatments are available to cure it such as psychological treatments, drug therapies and surgical treatments. ETS is a surgical treatment that is recommended to the people suffering from extreme cases of blushing. 

 

ETS is performed with the help of telescope that is passed through the chest from cut close to armpit. This method of treatment is divided into two parts; one is to affect sweat glands directly and second is the modification of sweat glands. ETS is helpful to attain complete and long-lasting results when no other treatment produces effective results. This treatment is basically used to treat some severe cases. Main indications when this treatment becomes the necessity are Hyperhidrosis and excessive blushing. A complete diagnosis and deep study is performed before using ETS to ensure that there is no room for side effects. Those parts are being disabled through ETS that are providing signals to brain.

 

The results of ETS are not possible to predict but it proves to be very beneficial to cure extreme cases of blushing. The family history of the sufferer is also studied to know the suitability and effectiveness of treatment. This treatment must be performed by highly qualified, experienced and professional surgeon for greater accuracy. Some times by not giving proper attention before and after the ETS one may suffer from many side effects. No surgery in this world is totally risk free so one must take proper care of himself so that he can lead a happy life after the treatment. According to some studies the post-operative immediate results on some patient proved to be excellent. Just remember to consult only professionals and do not compromise with health.