Do You Suffer from the Latest Epidemic?
All of us have struggled with busyness, and some of us have realized that being busy and being successful are not the same. We seem to living in a society that suffers from our unhealthy obsession with creating busyness in our lives and it’s becoming and epidemic!
A new study from the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School suggests the secret to living longer may lie in the level and type of our brain activity.
Let’s face it, we lead very busy lives and learning to do less or nothing at all is easier said than done. In today’s world, we are habitually programmed to function in a multitasking environment to accomplish more. Added to that is our consumption of a large array of electronic devices, and without planned downtime or breaks we are overstimulating the brain.
The study was conclusive that an overworked brain may hasten the aging-related decline in memory and thinking skills. By contrast, the study linked long life to our ability to cultivate a quieter brain.
Time for a Media Diet!
Excessive brain activity is common in the digital era. People of all ages are rushing from one task to another, constantly looking for stimulation, maybe it’s a TV show or the notifications on their smartphones.
The study found that there is a distinction between normal excessive brain activity especially more so as we age and that is linked to shorter life spans. The good news is that decline associated with your brain being overactive is also preventable.
Take a moment to realize how much of the negativity in the media is affecting your life. Think about it, even if the issues are important to you, is it worth your energy and sanity to place yourself in a negativity bubble?
The Essence of Doing Nothing
Living Lightly means spending as much of your time as you possibly can feeling healthy, meaningful, and happy. The rest is just noise. Every choice you make adds or subtracts hours from this true life of yours. While we cannot control every outcome, there’s always something you can control. Find ways to convert noise into time well spent.
With our heavy schedules and workloads, meetings, appointments, and other tasks it’s challenging to do nothing. But we can learn to appreciate and even create more moments of stillness in our life.
Take time to go out in nature, get plenty of sunshine, read a book, draw or journal, and even better sit quietly and watch your thoughts while doing some deep breathing.
Try committing to doing one thing in your daily routine that helps you relax and as you do so become present in your body and not your mind. Safeguard your mental stillness by taking action steps will enhance your chance of living a long and healthy life.
The Unhealthy Obsession with Staying Busy
Begin by designing a new reality for you and one that will serve you well and help you to age gracefully. Make choices that maximizes your share of happy hours on this planet and take action knowing there are things that you can control.
Using your brain for things like learning a new language or to play a new musical instrument or doing anything new for that matter is a positive thing for your memory. You really want the neurons to remain active while you are doing something, not just randomly firing off in so many directions.
By slowing down your overworked brain, and becoming conscious of your moments of hyperactivity you can shift your habitual patterns in ways that are calming.
- Set a time when we shut down your smartphones.
- Power down our laptops and step back from all forms of technology at least one day over the weekend.
- Try not to binge watch your favorite TV show till the wee hours in the morning.
- Go on a media diet and disconnect; create a plan to prioritize more time for yourself.
Keep Calm and Live Longer Healthier Lives
In the Harvard study, the researchers found that limiting neural activity is a good thing in healthy aging. It may sound counter intuitive to slow down mental stimulation, but it’s the best way to keep a healthy brain.
So, the message is, strive for balance: Keep it active, but take time to relax and quiet your mind more often.
…. love and light, Christina
