4The Science of Happiness Podcast: Feeling Angry? Try This. The “Try this” being meditation. This podcast is an entertaining interview with Dan Harris of ABC News about serious subjects: anxiety, depression, and anger. After having a panic attack on national television, Dan discovered meditation as a way of coping with his long-time struggle with his dark side. Today, he manages to meditate two hours a day. Though given his hectic on-air schedule, how does he do it? In ten-minute sessions here, fifteen-minute sessions there. He meditates in his dressing room, in the car as he is getting driven to the set, before going to sleep, wherever he can find moments of quiet. There is now even a mediation room at ABC News. Dan’s experience and journey with meditation have made him quite an advocate for the practice. He created both an app and wrote a book called 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story. The book is a fun and unique way to learn about meditation through the world of a network broadcast journalist.
5ESPN’s Victoria Arlen Wants You to Take a Step Back and Breathe. ABC News’ Dan Harris is not the only on-air personality who prescribes to the necessity of taking time to recharge. So, does Paralympic gold medalist and sportscaster, Victoria Arlen. Her less stress equation: meditate + gratitude + smelling the roses = better mental health.
6What Happens to Your Body on No Sleep. A surprising article to see in a popular outdoor magazine. It just goes to show how important sleep is, even to those with an adventurous spirit. Sleep is very essential! Imagine if you are hanging on the side of a cliff, and you did not get enough sleep the night before. Whoever said, “Sleep when you are dead” did not rely on their faculties to make decisions nor be spatially aware. Both of which start to fade as you hit your eighteenth hour of being awake. An all-nighter is basically the equivalent of being legally drunk. After twenty-four hours, your brain shifts into panic mode and will force you to sleep ten to twenty-seconds at a time. During that period, you are not processing what is happening around you. So, you let go of your grip on the side of that cliff. That is the effect a lack of sleep can have on your mind. Without having proper rest, your heart, endocrine and immune systems, as well as your performance, all take a hit. I am adamant that I get seven and a half hours of sleep most nights. Though now and again, I think a late-night dancing or doing whatever is fun for you is good for the soul. You run into problems when sleep deprivation is your way of living.
7The Longevity Files: A Strong Grip? Push-ups? What Actually Can Help You Live to a Ripe Old Age. One keyword is exercise; even ten to fifteen minutes a day can measurably increase your longevity. Sleep is another huge component. It is when your brain clears out metabolic waste and does corrective maintenance. Next, eating right. Here the Mediterranean Diet with its focus on fish, veggies, fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, and olive oil scores high. Drink alcohol in moderation. It should be a red wine two-drink maximum, not a minimum. Of course, managing stress. I will give another plug for meditation. (You can find my guided meditations on Insight Timer—I will be posting more in the coming months.) Connect with people. Also, finding purpose in living. Master these, and you should be around for a while.
Jim B.