Solitude

It seems that everything comes in a list format nowadays. “Wash, Rinse, and Repeat” or “Open box, Remove Contents, Try and Assemble”. Maybe it is because when we see things in a list format our brain interprets them as a set of instructions - rules that must be followed. The proliferation of articles about happiness as of late has been astonishing. Everybody is coming up with the magic formula for finding happiness. I don't know about you, but I need to keep things simple and in perspective at all times. Wouldn't it be great if there were a simple set of instructions for living a happy and fulfilled life? How about an instruction manual for life? Something along the lines of “Enjoy childhood, Explore young adulthood, Engage in a rewarding career, and Enjoy life.” Unfortunately, things are not that easy. That doesn’t mean there aren’t techniques and tips you can use in your everyday life that can help you find happiness and fulfillment as you go through the journey of ...

Life is a drag. What’s the point of anything? I’ll never be happy. Do any of these gloomy thoughts sound familiar? It’s likely they do. The occasional case of the blues is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. If you allow them to, negative thoughts can fester and lead to serious depression. That’s why it’s important to take action early to bust yourself out of a slump. While these suggestions won’t eliminate your problems, they can help you break a negative thought pattern and stop feeling depressed. If you think you might have a serious mental health problem, don’t hesitate to see a medical professional. 1. Understand the emotional cycle – Life is an emotional roller coaster. Some days you feel like nothing can stop you. Other days you feel utterly hopeless. Most of the time you’re somewhere in between. Understanding the pattern of positive and negative emotions will help you put your feelings in perspective. Next time you feel ...

Whether you get dementia, scientists now believe, is mostly a matter of lifestyle. That includes what you eat every single day.   When it comes to aging, life can be cruel. There's plenty to...well...let's come right out and say it: think about. What will happen to my looks? What will happen to my body? Will I still be able to pursue my interests? What will happen to my mind? That last question is now the second leading health concern (after cancer) among adults in at least four Western countries—France, Germany, and Spain, as well as the United States—according to a recent survey by the Harvard University School of Public Health and the Alzheimer Europe consortium. Fear of developing dementia would likely stir even more concern if Americans didn't mistakenly believe a cure for Alzheimer's disease exists (more than 45 percent of U.S. respondents think there is an effective treatment). Despite the lack of a cure, great progress has been made in the past th...

"Life is what we make of it.” We have all been told that a countless times. But do any of us take the time to understand this statement? Life can be beautiful, exactly the way we want it. There can be a world where there is peace and prosperity, where you are surrounded by the people you love and respect. All it requires is a change in perception and the realisation that we can create a world as we want it. We see what we choose to see and believe what we decide to believe. If we choose to focus on the goodness around, we won’t encounter the bad. Every experience that we currently perceive as negative and painful will then be perceived as a part of learning and growth. If we choose to trust, then betrayal will remain only if there is a lesson to be learnt from it. Yet, our shortcoming is that most of us are not in the habit of trusting in the goodness and in our power to create. We are taught that people don’t do things without a personal reason and that there must be...

Here are a few health myths that need to be broken.   All nuts and oily seeds have cholesterol No plant food contains cholesterol because cholesterol is manufactured only by animals. So all nuts and oil seeds are cholesterol-free. Low-fat margarine is healthy because it has no cholesterol Several brands of margarine carry transfats that are much worse for the body. Transfats can raise cholesterol levels in the body and spoil liver functions. So it is better to eat natural butter – in small quantities. All oils contain cholesterol Any oil made from plants is always naturally cholesterol-free. If we eat cholesterol, it will raise our blood cholesterol Any rise in the body’s cholesterol level depends on how the liver is able to process it.   Milk is a complete food Mother’s milk is a complete food for a baby till it is six months old. After that, the child needs additional foods, though mother’s milk can be continued as long as the mother is comfortable. Milk from...

I think of death twice daily: Soon after my wake-up time in the morning and after taking stock of the day’s work, before going to bed at night.  This reminds me of the reality of life and how to make every day worthwhile and meaningful . This also makes one ponder over the intensity and pain of the fear and feeling of death. In turn, one tends to be humble and reasonable in one’s way of life, besides making one look for ways as to how to overcome it or minimise its fear. One can say there are many ways to defeat the fear of death. Since death is as sure as sunset, what is the use of getting scared of it? Since you are aware that death will come and you are not aware of the permanence of life through pure consciousness, you are always scared of death. Liberation from the scare of death involves several steps. Or, in a simpler way, one can say there are several ways. We can go through the three more practical and obvious ones. First, there is no escape from death and hence one can ...

 Cerebral palsy, or CP for short, is the most common developmental disability in the United States. There are more than 500,000 people with CP in the United States today. Every year, almost 5,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with the condition. Maybe someone in one of your classes has cerebral palsy — or maybe you have it and you've been dealing with it your whole life. At a time when young people are so conscious of appearance and body image, it can be tough to be in a wheelchair or to have people tease you about the way you walk. But having cerebral palsy doesn't mean a girl or guy can't do what other people do. About Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy usually is a congenital disorder, which means that it's a problem that develops before or at birth. It can also result from brain damage that occurs in the first few months or years after birth. Cerebral palsy is a disorder of the brain that affects a person's ability to coordinate body movements....

Things were going swimmingly well until your last outburst. He has suddenly gone into a shell and snapped all communication with you.   You fear having meandered into a forbidden territory, and that things might never be the same again. But still can't point at what exactly went wrong?   One scathing remark is all it takes to shut him down, so even while you are in the middle of a serious fight, remember your vocabulary is key. Jesting about his mom, reminding him of an ex, are just some of the terrible things you can ever say to him. And in so doing create lasting scars in your relationship. We list six awful phrases that turn him red in the face, and need to be done away with ...   pronto.   'Look how smart my brother is, you can never be like him'   Comparisons drive men away! So, simply stop making them, even if they are genuine. Particularly comparisons with your brother, father or worst of all another guy friend can trigger resentment in him. Feel...