Benefits

Camping is one of the most popular pastimes for people everywhere. It’s an excellent group activity that offers a lot of benefits for everyone. There are plenty of reasons why camping, exploring the trails and hiking are beneficial. These reasons amplify when you share the experience with your friends.

Below are 15 great benefits that you’ll get from camping and hiking with your friends.

1. You get to spend time together.

Spending time with friends is always a welcome experience. These days, it’s easy to get so busy that time with friends becomes scarce. A great camping trip is a perfect way to make up for all that missed quality time with those closest to you.

Camping is also great because you can fit it into your schedule for as little or as long as you’d like. You could make it a day trip, or you could camp out for a few days.

2. You’ll get a lot of exercise.

What better way to get fit than getting fit with your friends? You’ll get plenty of exercise on a hike. You’ll get a full-body workout.

A camping trip, especially if you plan to camp for a few days, is one of the best physical challenges you can do. It can be very motivational to share that fitness journey with some of your best friends. Plus, getting fit together helps to ensure that you’ll have a long life with your friends.

3. You’ll build stronger bones and muscles.

As previously stated, hiking is excellent exercise. However, your bone health will benefit tremendously. All the trekking and climbing over different terrain pushes your muscles and bones to the max. Plus, soaking up all that vitamin D from the sun helps also.

This push will help break down bone and muscle in a way that, when you rest, they heal and become stronger. Since you’re sharing the experience with friends, you probably won’t even think of it as a workout. You’ll have a lot of fun without thinking about “exercise”.

4. You can bond without everyday distractions.

Spending time with your friends during everyday life can be full of distractions. You have work, phones, social media, family, kids, and so much more. When you go camping, you get to put all of that to the side and enjoy being with your friends.

Being able to put the bonding experience first over everything else can make your friendships so much more durable. You’ll be able to pay attention to each other more than ever.

5. It is a great reason to go shopping together (have to get the cutest hiking gear).

If you and your friends like shopping, going camping is a perfect excuse to spend some money. After all, you’ll need clothing and gear. You’ll want to get the best deals, so this gives you a reason to go to more than one store.

Even if shopping isn’t your thing, it can still be fun to pick out your camping gear with your friends. You can all coordinate together as a unit to make sure that you have everything you need. It’s mostly a reason for you to hang out with your friends.

6. It’s a healthy way to do friendly competitions.

Friendly competition is fun and motivational when it’s done right. Hiking and camping are great ways for you and your friends to challenge each other. You can see who would be the best “survivor”.

It could be fun to see who the better hunter or, the better angler is. Maybe you can make a bet to see who pitches a tent faster or who can start a campfire more quickly. There are plenty of ways to turn a camping trip into a string of friendly competitions.

Staying motivated during these little competitions won’t be hard. You can think about having those bragging rights when you go back home.

7. Camping is a great way to open dialogue.

The hustle and bustle of daily life can sometimes hamper dialogue between people. Even if you’re BFFs for life, it can be challenging to find the right time to talk about certain things when you or your friends are always busy.

Camping is a way to slow life down. When you do this, you can finally get around to talking about those critical topics you’ve been putting off. You may even discover new shared interests with friends by opening the dialogue between you all.

8. You can create unique memories together.

If you go hiking with your friends, you can be sure it will be an experience you won’t soon forget. The chances are that there will be some unique and funny moments that you’ll be recalling years into the future. Creating fun and exciting memories is a great way to get closer to your friends.

9. It can put you in a good mood.

Scientists and medical experts everywhere agree that exercise releases endorphins. These endorphins make you feel good. They put you in a better mood and, in general, they make you happy.

This is further enforced by being with your friends. Hiking will release lots of endorphins, and you’ll likely have a lot of fun with your friends. That means it’s nothing but good times and good moods all around.

10. You’ll learn about nature together.

If you’re going to learn about something, what better way to do it than with your closest friends on a camping trip? Even if you’re a seasoned camper, you and your friends will probably learn something new every time you go camping.

Since you’ll be having fun, it won’t feel like school. You’ll casually learn things about the great outdoors. Who knows…you might even be able to use that newly acquired knowledge someday.

11. It reduces stress.

Going back to the point of getting a lot of exercise, hiking with your friends can reduce stress. This is because of those same endorphins that you get from all the exercise. Not only will they put you in a better mood, but they’ll help to lower stress levels.

Another way it can lower stress levels is because you’re getting away from all of your stressors. You’re having fun with friends and becoming one with nature. You’ll probably even find time to be alone and enter into a meditative state. This will dramatically reduce stress.

12. You’ll get to travel together.

In your everyday life, you probably end up meeting your friends quite often. If you go on a camping trip with your friends, it’s a perfect opportunity to travel together rather than just meeting them at the destination.

Road trips with friends can be so much fun. Sightseeing, singing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs, and eating at random roadside diners are just a few of the fun experiences you can have when you travel together. Even if you fly instead of drive, you can still have fun travel experiences together.

13. It promotes teamwork.

Camping is a group activity. You’ll find yourself working with your friends, probably more than you have in a long time. You’ll either learn or be reminded of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

It can be fun to find out how well you all work together to solve problems. In fact, you might find that you don’t work well together! That’s okay – you can still be friends.

14. You can work out any problems that you may be having with your friends.

If you and your friend(s) have been having problems, a hiking or camping trip is a great way to work out those problems. For all the reasons stated previously, camping is an excellent opportunity to solve issues. You’re away from distractions, and you can open up and talk to each other.

All the activities that you’ll do put you in a good mood. That’s a plus when it comes to working out problems. If you and your friends are in a good mood, you’re more likely to talk it out than argue it out.

15. It’s fun.

You should go camping with your friends simply because it’s fun. You don’t need any other reason to go. Friends do fun stuff together, so camping is no exception to this.

Even if camping isn’t really your thing, it’s still nice to show your friends some support by doing thing that they think is fun. You’ll probably surprise yourself by enjoying the trip a lot more than you had planned to.

Final Thoughts on Heading to the Woods and Hiking with Friends

Any active outdoor activity like camping is always going to come with a lot of benefits, especially for your health. Camping with friends is an even better idea – you’re having fun around people who are your best friends for life.
These are the type of moments that you learn to cherish. Those moments that you share become stories that you get to tell your grandchildren in the future. Don’t delay any longer. Go out there and make it happen!

You may know of the importance of caring for yourself physically. You are likely aware of the need to eat well, exercise often, and live a healthy lifestyle. But did you know that these habits are not the only way you should care for yourself?

A commonly overlooked aspect of looking after yourself is about your mental health. Sure, you might be careful about things that can trigger depression, but how compassionate are you to yourself? Did you know that acts of kindness directed internally can be even more beneficial for your overall health? Here’s how experts reveal nine powerful health benefits of being kind to yourself.

1.    Stronger Immune System

When you’re under stress, the body experiences the fight vs. flight instinct, causing the body to focus all its efforts on survival instead of ensuring individual organ and function strength and power. Everything gets slowed down, and you can suffer as a result.

According to research spanning three decades, immunity is considerably impacted by stress, meaning a lack of positive thinking can lead to a higher risk of contracting all sorts of diseases.

According to the University of Texas professor and author Kristin Neff, Ph.D., this means that self-compassion can successfully increase or improve the function of your immune system. There’s a chance you’ll experience:

• Fewer colds and illnesses
• Fewer symptoms of illnesses
• Lower stress reactivity
• A better balance of hormones and microorganisms
• Healthier appearance and body

In fact, self-compassion “meditation” is a real way to help promote healing. Simple meditation allows for mindfulness practices that can teach you to be kind to yourself and exert more control over your thoughts and emotions.

2.    Stress Reduction

When you’re too hard on yourself, you’re constantly criticizing yourself and, potentially, everything around you. This kind of criticism leads to stress and – as you’ve probably guessed – a fight or flight response, says Stanford University Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education science director and author Emma Seppala, Ph.D.

When you critique yourself, you cause your body to release the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is fine in small amounts and when needed, but when released chronically, it can lead to health issues such as:

• Acne
• Easy bruising
• Weight gain
• Thinned skin
• Reduced rate of healing
• Irritability
• Concentration loss
• Headaches
• Weak muscles
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue

According to studies, it’s possible to use positive techniques of self-compassion to break the cycle of negativity, stress, and cortisol production. This is because thinking good thoughts can lead to surges of the feel-good hormone dopamine, says Adelphi University psychology professor and award-winning author Deborah Serani, PsyD.

3.    Changing How You Think

When you’re kind to yourself, you begin a new cycle and process of thinking. With long-term practice, you can completely change the way your brain usually functions, allowing for a more efficient structure and a more positive overall thought pattern, says Neff.

This is because being kind to yourself can thicken the cortical, which is the brain portion responsible for communication across the brain. Actions such as meditation can further rewire the brain to be more beneficial to you and your everyday life.

On top of that, self-compassion is crucial to social connection. Essentially, Seppala states that being kind to yourself is a great way to connect with others, and her research shows us that this can help you find common humanity. Instead of losing itself in wrongs and flaws, the brain learns to observe, relate, and empathize.

4.    Healthier Heart

You’re probably already very familiar with how stress affects fight vs. flight responses, given the fact that we’ve talked about this multiple times! Naturally, that extends to more than just the cortisol production that we’ve mentioned again and again. After all, that kind of stress response isn’t limited to only one function.

When your body is in this fight or flight mode, you:

• Experience spikes in blood pressure
• Have an accelerated heart rate and pulse
• Cardiovascular strain

Just like with cortisol, this isn’t a bad thing when it only happens when your heart needs the boost – like in a real emergency situation where the rush to your heart helps you survive. On a chronic basis, though, it indicates that your body is attempting to solve its problems by attacking itself, says Neff.

Learn to relax and be kind to yourself instead of allowing stress to take over your body. Your heart will, in the long run, thank you.

5.    Exercise Motivation

People often falsely believe that they need to exercise to feel good about their bodies, their appearance, and their overall selves. Ironically, for most people, it works the opposite way. The act of pushing yourself to work out and succeeding in completing that task can give you a massive boost to your self-esteem.

So instead of hating your body and demanding exercise to ease those negative feelings, love your body instead. Sure, it is easier said than done. However you can take baby steps by being kind to yourself. When you care about your body and your mind, you’ll be much more motivated to do things that are good for them, says Neff. Here are some tips to make this happen:

·         Do Mirror Exercises

Every day, look in the mirror and repeat positive affirmations to yourself. Positive self-talk has been proven to work wonders for you and your self-perception. Instead of pointing out your worst features, tell your reflection, “I love you.” Appreciate the parts of you that you do love!

·         Understand What A Real Body Is

Social media is full of people using angles, editing apps, and careful photo selection only ever to show their best side. The media is full of celebrities with expensive personal trainers and professional chefs at their disposal. Your body is real, and it’s realistic. It is beautiful and doesn’t need to measure up to these unreal, unachievable standards. Remember that!

·         Be Grateful

Thank your body for the wonders it does. Appreciate it for keeping you healthy. Acknowledge it for your talents. Thank it for its strength. Thank it for being beautiful, Expressing gratitude towards your body is a huge step forward in being kinder to yourself and reaping the exercise benefits that follow.

6.    Reduced Vice Dependency

A lot of times, a lack of self-love can cause someone to depend on external factors to help them feel happy or better. This type of co-dependency is quite unhealthy and can be very toxic, especially if you find yourself relying on other human beings to feel satisfied. Vices can include:

• Smoking or vaping
• Taking drugs
• Drinking alcohol
• Eating in excess
• Self-harming tendencies
• Obsession and hyper fixation with fantasy
• Co-dependency with loved ones

When you’re kind to yourself, you learn to be self-dependent. You learn that you’re a great person to rely on. As such, you’re less likely to turn to unhealthy vices. Studies indicate that even severe addictions can be helped through kindness.

7.    Mental Resilience

One of the very, very best benefits of self-compassion is that you become mentally stronger. It’s much harder for the world to bring you down when you are your support system.

Does this mean you’d never seek out help from external parties? Of course not! Everyone needs help sometimes. But, according to Seppala, when you practice self-compassion, you:

• Don’t burden yourself with excessive criticism.
• Can keep a more definite peace of mind
• Manage to retain emotional energy
• Are more mindful of how you speak to or think of yourself

These factors combined contribute to your mental fortitude when you’re more self-compassionate, so it’s a fundamental trait to try to maintain!

8.    Pain Management

Chronic pain and other similar conditions and issues can be debilitating. Worse still, they’re known for having less than stellar effects on positive thinking. In fact, considerable, untreated, or difficult-to-manage pain levels can contribute to and be affected in turn by symptoms of anxiety and depression.

According to Serani, acts such as meditation and mindfulness, which work to improve your self-compassion, prove to help relax the body enough to reduce chronic pain of all kinds. In fact, because self-compassion is so deeply interwoven with chronic pain – as found by plenty of studies – it’s not an exaggeration to say that they do go hand-in-hand.

When your self-compassion is low, your pain is worse, and when your pain is worse, your self-compassion gets even smaller. You need to break the cycle! Aside from focusing on being kind to yourself, you can also manage chronic pain and your kindness by:

·         Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy are both typical go-tos for those dealing with chronic pain, according to Ted Jones, Ph.D., CPE. This kind of thinking shifts your thoughts from self-loathing or self-pitying to considering future options, which puts the power back in your hands.

·         Pacing Yourself

When you’re not kind to yourself, feelings of guilt may cause you to push yourself extra hard. You may work yourself down to the bone, even when your body needs a break. Jones encourages the act of learning your body and pain’s limits and respecting them with the knowledge that you deserve to rest, too.

·         Chill Out

Holding tension in your body due to stress is often a clear sign that you’re not kind to yourself. Worse still, holding that tension causes stiffness that can further worsen chronic pain.

9.    Diabetes Management

Diabetes is a severe condition, and it’s not something any proper mindset can cure, of course. This fact is not to say, though, that positive thinking can’t aid in overall management. In fact, according to Neff, a lot of the additional problems of diabetes can come from stress and distress. Learning to manage those emotions can lead to more stable glucose levels.

Considering the concept of cortisol and how cortisol presence boosts blood sugar, this isn’t a surprise at all. As such, though it sounds a little outlandish to say, being kind to yourself can indirectly help with the management of diabetes!

Final Thoughts On Some Powerful Health Benefits Of Being Kind To Yourself

Self-compassion is a crucial skill, not just for your mental state, but for your physical one as well. The overall effects of kindness on your whole being go to show just how crucial it is to care about yourself on a deeper level. Never be ashamed of loving the person you are!

In the rich history of herbs and roots, sage remains the queen of the garden. When you think of sage, you probably think of the quintessential seasoning for Thanksgiving turkey and dressing. For centuries, various species of sage have been used for culinary, medicinal, and spiritual reasons.

What is Sage?

Culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, is the recognizable species that you’ll find in your spice rack. It is a perennial woody herb native to the Mediterranean region. Because sage has a historical reputation as a powerful medicinal herb, it was given the Latin name salvia, which means healing.

Origins of Burning Sage

White sage, Salvia apiana, is a species that is native to the western part of the United States. For many Native American cultures, white sage is considered a sacred herb used for cleansing and spiritual ceremonies. For generations, some indigenous Americans dried white sage, tied it into small bundles, and burned it a service called smudging.

Burning sage or other herbs has become a popular tradition in New Age and other spiritual practices. Many cultures around the world have observed some form of this cleansing ceremony. If you watch any television shows about physics or paranormal investigations, you’ll often see spiritual practitioners burning sage to clear the area of harmful or malevolent energies.

How to Burn Sage in Your Home

It isn’t challenging to perform a sage purification ceremony in or around your house. You can do the service alone or with your family. The critical thing to remember is to do it with respect and with positive intentions.

Supplies Needed for Smudging

• A bundle of white sage: Salvia apiana is available in New Age retail shops, which carry products like crystals and singing bowls.

Be sure that your purchase is from ethical and sustainable sources, such as native growers and gatherers. In the west, the white sage harvest is often depleted because of improper cutting techniques and over-picking. It’s important to know your source before buying.

It’s better if you grow white sage in your garden. This plant is exceptionally adaptable in most areas and doesn’t require a lot of care. You can plant it in an outdoor herb garden or grow it in attractive pots indoors.

• An original container for the ashes, such as an abalone shell, wooden bowl, or clay pottery. The ceremony becomes more personal if your vessel is something that you or a loved one handmade.

• A long feather for fanning the smoke: Only use feathers that are legally and ethically obtained. If you object to using feathers on moral grounds, you can use a decorative fan or your hand too.

• Wooden matches

How to Smudge:

• Strike the match and light one end of the sage bundle until it is barely smoldering. You don’t want it to catch fire, so blow out any flame quickly.

• As the leaves burn, it will produce a cloud of thick smoke. Now, use the feather to fan it around yourself and every corner of the space you’re cleansing. Visualize the smoke wiping your area clean of all negative energy.

• Let the sage ashes slowly collect in the shell or other vessel. After the smudge ceremony, release the ashes outside to the wind as symbolism for the negativity blowing away.

Possible Benefits of Practicing Sage Burning

Sage burning ceremonies can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. Not only can you reap spiritual benefits, but you can also gain practical advantages. For safety reasons, never get smoldering sage around flammable materials, and you must make sure the ashes are completely cold before discarding.

Are you ready to see how this mystical practice can help you? It may be something that you can incorporate into your spiritual rituals and journey. Here are ten benefits of burning sage for you to consider.

1. Purify Your Air

Underlying most ancient spiritual practices is usually a physical and scientific principal. Burning sage can purify the air around you, just as native practitioners have claimed. White sage is a natural insect repellent, antibacterial, and antifungal.

When you smudge, smoke from the burning herb creates negative ions that attack allergens in the air like pollen, animal dander, mold, and dust. Do you have asthma or other allergies? A sage cleansing ceremony may clean the air you breathe to minimize your symptoms.

2. Provide Aromatherapy to Calm Your Stress

Have the stresses of life built up in your space to where it’s unbearable? The mesmerizing fragrance of burning sage may be the stress reliever you need. Scientific reports about using sage as aromatherapy suggest that the scent reacts with parts of the brain to produce a calm and feeling of well-being.

3. Boost Your Mood

Everybody has a bad day occasionally that puts a damper on their mood. Did you know that a sage burning ceremony may help lift depression, ease anxiety, and give your mood a much-needed boost? As with stress, the smoke’s gentle fragrance works with your brain to put you in a peaceful, happy atmosphere.

4. Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep

It makes sense that if your bedroom is charged with negative energy, it will disrupt your sleep. Many people find relief from occasional insomnia by using sage in their room before bedtime. After the sage embers have died into cool ash, the smoke lingers in a soothing perfume that can help you relax, fall asleep, and awaken refreshed.

5. Pump Up Your Energy Levels

When your living or working space is teeming with positive energy, your body reacts with the same vibrancy and positive power. As the positively charged smoke from a sage burning clears the area of negative charges, you may notice that you feel recharged, inspired, and able to do more things than you usually do.

6. Can Boost Your Brain Power

Are you studying for a test or working on a project and need some more enthusiasm from your brain? Try performing a simple sage burning ceremony in the space where you are working or studying. Some scientific research on burning sage suggests positive correlations between the herb and a boost in cognition and creativity.

7. May Dispel Residual Negativity of the Past

Have you ever walked into a room that you’ve never visited before and felt a heaviness you couldn’t explain? Some spiritual practitioners believe that apartments, houses, and even land can harbor negative energy from past traumatic events. Maybe you’ve experienced trauma or other negative experiences, and it still lingers in your shadow.

Burning sage in this spiritually heavy room may dispel residual negativity and replace it with a positive glow. Along with the smudge, the ceremony must come to the positive intentions and affirmations that your cleansing ceremony will work to your good. It may be a tool to cleanse your heart and spirit from past hurts and open your eyes to the beauty of the present.

8. Can Cleanse Objects

We know from high school science classes and Einstein’s theory that matter has energy. Everything in the universe is vibrating at different levels and can produce positive or negative charges. So, it stands to reason that objects in your home or office are energized and can carry negative residual energy from the past.

Before you bring anything into your home, especially things that may have been used in a spiritual ceremony, consider cleansing them first with a smudging ritual. Use your feather to gently waft the smoke around the object and visualize any harmful or detrimental energy vanishing.

9. Might be a Tool for Spiritual Practices

For many indigenous cultures of America, sage has had cultural and spiritual significance. It has often been used to enhance spiritual awareness, open the mind’s sixth sense, or to encourage psychic dreams. A sage burning ceremony usually coincides with services for healing and dedication.

Along with the spiritual experience comes some scientific evidence. Many cultivars of sage, including white sage, contains a chemical called thujone that has trace psychoactive properties. While it certainly isn’t like a psychedelic herb, sage can bring mild feelings of well-being and improved intuition.

10. Enjoy a Natural Air Freshener

Your house is filled with things that can make it smell less than appealing. From the kitchen to the kids’ rooms to the bathrooms, you may have an arsenal of scented candles, potpourri, and sprays to kill the odors. However, most of these synthetic air fresheners only mask the smells and can have chemicals that are hazardous to your family and pets.

Instead, why not freshen the air in your home naturally with a sage burning ceremony. White sage and other varieties have a distinct verdant and woodsy smell that most people find pleasant and relaxing. Burn sage throughout each room that harbors odors, especially the kitchen and bathroom.

Final Thoughts on Taking Advantage of the Healthy Benefits of Burning Sage

There is no magic involved in smudging. While it’s important to use visualization and clear intentions, many attributes of this ancient ceremony have some basis in science. No matter how you plan to practice, do so with respect for the service and those who created it.

Many of us have heard that there are benefits of positivity. But do we all know what the benefits are? And more importantly, do we believe in the power of positive thinking and understand how truly life-changing it can be? How we think impacts all aspects of our physical and mental health, our relationships, even our overall success in life.

How we think about life has a direct impact on our reality, for better or worse. And a multitude of scientific research has proven that there are countless benefits of thinking positively. A study published in Emotion analyzed the current research surrounding positive affect and mental and physical health outcomes. The authors determined that “prioritizing positivity predicted a host of well-being outcomes.”

They found encouraging results, including “less depressive symptomology, higher-quality relationships, improved physical health, and better work performance.”

Plus, it concluded that people who prioritize positive emotions have more considerable mental resources.

The broaden-and-build theory explains how people who lack positive emotions become stuck in many facets of life. Furthermore, their feelings of not being able to move forward in life can cause a lot of mental health issues. Conversely, people who have an abundance of positive emotions truly “take off” in life. Positive people “become generative, creative, resilient, ripe with possibility, and beautifully complex.” Each of these things helps positive people reach optimal well-being.

MYTHS PERPETUATED BY THOSE WHO REJECT POSITIVITY

Unfortunately, there are misunderstandings about positive thinking that can lead some people to believe that it is not practical. Thinking positively isn’t a useless nicety. And it doesn’t mean being fake or pretending to be okay when you are not.  That thought process is a dangerous trap.

However, what thinking positively does mean is trying your best to remain positive about current and future situations. It is a deliberate, conscious way of thinking that has a direct impact on reality. You can find 30 life-changing benefits of positivity, below.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. –William James

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

1) Increases Happiness and Life Satisfaction

Much scientific research has suggested that having a positive attitude and outlook on life is a predictor of happiness. Individuals who see the positive aspects of life are more likely to be happy and have higher life satisfaction. It is often the case that positive people have more friends, which can be an important factor in happiness as well.

The authors of a recent study examined whether positive emotions, alone, mediate the relationship between positive affect and happiness. Their results revealed that happiness was fully mediated by a person’s ability to be positive. Specifically, showing that “positive beliefs about the future, the self, and the life account for personality-happiness relationships.”

2) Positivity Increases Resilience

An abundance of research has shown that individuals who think positively have better coping skills, which leads to increased resilience. Psychological resilience can be defined as “the ability to bounce back from negative events by using positive emotions to cope.” So it makes sense that having an increased ability to think positively would, in turn, increase your resilience.

This study demonstrated that having more positive emotions plays a critical and direct role in enhancing coping ability and resilience. Researchers revealed that higher resilience makes an impact on a person’s physical health. They state, “those with higher trait resilience evidenced faster cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal.”

3) Reduces Risk of Depression

Thinking positively about your current and future outcomes has been shown to increase happiness and decrease the risk of depression. Individuals who suffer from chronic health conditions have an especially high risk of developing depression. Much research helps counselors and therapists to better understand how they can minimize the risk of depression. More importantly, that is essential for those who treat chronically ill individuals.

One study examined “positive affect and optimism as mediators of the relationship between improved depression” among multiple sclerosis patients. Results demonstrated that the relationship between improved depression and benefit-finding was significantly related to increased positive affect and optimism. This effect has been observed in individuals who do not suffer from a chronic illness, as well. This study revealed that high levels of positive affect reduced the risk of depression in healthy participants by nearly 50%.

4) Decreases Anxiety

Anxiety is a common and persistent mental health condition that impacts nearly 300 million people, reports the World Health Organization. Suffering from anxiety can have many negative impacts on a person’s life, causing them to feel hindered in countless ways. There are a wide variety of treatment options for individuals who suffer from anxiety.

One treatment option involves receiving training in how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. This study examined alternative approaches to reducing anxiety and worry in participants diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Outcome measures showed that individuals who received training to improve positive thinking had significant decreases in anxiety and worry.

5) Positivity Increases Mental Clarity, Focus, and Concentration

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions explains how increasing positive emotions lead to many beneficial outcomes in an individual’s life. Among the many benefits, there is evidence that positive emotions “broaden the scopes of attention, cognition, and action.” Barbara L. Fredrickson, the creator, and developer of the broaden-and-build theory explains how and why this phenomenon occurs.

“Positive emotions promote discovery of novel and creative actions, ideas and social bonds,” describes Fredrickson. She goes on to state that this “in turn, builds that individual’s personal resources.” All of which results in improved mental clarity, focus, and concentration.

6) Increases Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been proven to result in improved overall well-being and mental health in several scientific studies. Defining the mediating factor between improved gratitude and improved well-being and mental health is also important. The authors of one research review analyzed eight studies examining the role of positive emotion and positive reframing on gratitude. Study results revealed that “positive emotion mediated the relationship between gratitude and (fewer) depressive symptoms.”

Each study’s results indicated that experiencing more positive emotions led to experiencing more gratitude and, consequently, less depressive symptoms. These study results “demonstrate that gratitude is related to fewer depressive symptoms.” Researchers go on to state that positive emotion and positive reframing serve as the mechanisms that account for this relationship.

7) Increases Self-Esteem

When you think positively about yourself and your ability to accomplish things, you naturally increase your self-esteem. A variety of scientific studies have evaluated the relationship between thinking positively and having higher self-esteem. This study demonstrated that the more a child thinks negatively about their own abilities, the lower their self-esteem becomes. The opposite is true, as well. The more positively you think about your abilities, the higher your self-esteem will be.

8) Decreases Risk of Mental Health Problems

Practicing positive thinking and optimism prove protective against developing mental health problems in countless scientific studies. The authors of a review of recent research analyzed studies that evaluated the impact positive thinking has on mental health. They reported findings of numerous studies. Each study revealed that optimism and positive emotions improve overall well-being and mental health.

One of the reviewed studies assessed how the attitudes of individuals who had coronary bypass surgery impacted their mental health. Results demonstrated that individuals who were more optimistic and positive had lower levels of hostility and depression while preparing to undergo surgery. And in the week following the operation, the optimistic and positive people felt greater relief and happiness than pessimists did.

9) Decreases Levels of Stress

When you think positively, you have far fewer things to become stressed about. Consequently, you won’t have to worry about experiencing the multitude of negative outcomes caused by stress. Among the negative effects of stress are high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, headaches, ulcers, and more. Increases in positive emotions, which lead to decreased stress levels, have even been shown to help heal physical wounds more quickly.

This is likely due to the stress-buffering model of positive affect and health. The authors of this scientific study published by Health Psychology assessed the impact that positive affect had on wound healing. Remarkably, the skin wounds of individuals who had higher levels of positive affect (i.e., more positive emotions) healed faster. This amazing result makes it clear that thinking positively can literally heal your body. Indeed, it may save your life one day.

10) Positivity Improves Coping Skills and Stress Management

One aspect of the ability of positive thinking to decrease stress involves positive people’s ability to better cope with stress. A multitude of scientific research has proven that a person’s “affect plays an important functional role in coping with stress.”

Positive people are able to see the bigger picture when a stressor comes their way. And are therefore able to respond in ways that allow them to overcome the harmful consequences of stress more quickly. A positive person has the ability to maintain a healthy perspective on the situation at hand. And does not let the stressor that they are facing send them into a panic or downward spiral.

However, negative people are more likely to focus on problems instead of solutions and have a narrower perspective, in general. This results in a negative person having a poorer ability to cope with and manage stress.

11) Increases the Meaning a Person Sees in Life

Seeing meaning in life is a key factor in living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. Previous research surrounding this topic has shown that seeing meaning in life is associated with better overall psychological well-being. The authors of this research report evaluated the findings of six separate scientific studies that aimed to better understand this concept.

Each study “examined the role of positive affect (PA) in the experience of meaning in life (MIL).” The outcome measures of the studies consistently showed that positive affect was a strong predictor of meaning in life.

Additionally, priming and manipulating positive moods in participants both resulted in higher reports of meaning in life. And “the most consistent predictor of the experience of meaning in a day was the PA experienced that day.” Researchers concluded that experiencing positive moods and emotions can predispose individuals to see more meaning in life.

12) Improves Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation is an incredibly important aspect of having a healthy and successful life. A person’s emotional regulation ability directly impacts their coping, problem solving, relationship quality, as well as mental and physical health. When you’re able to focus on the positive aspects of all things, you’re better able to respond to any situation, especially when faced with stress.

If you think negatively and see everything like a catastrophe, your emotions are more likely to spiral out of control. One study showed that individuals who had more positive than negative social interactions had better emotion regulation. With their improved emotion regulation likely mediated by the fact that they experience more positive than negative emotions.

13) Increases Mental Flexibility

Having mental flexibility is important in a person’s life for a variety of reasons. Mental flexibility affects an individual’s learning rate, memory formation, error correction, and allocation of attention resources. With advancements in neuroimaging technology, brain research scientists are now able to physically see differences between different human brains.

This technology also allows researchers to determine what is causing those differences. The authors of a recent study published in Scientific Reports evaluated what, exactly, leads to a more flexible brain. Their results revealed that more incidences of positive mood states predicted a more flexible brain, or in other words, more mental flexibility.

14) Improves Overall Mental Health

As we can see, thinking positively offers a wide range of mental health outcomes. As such, positive thinking and emotions can improve a person’s mental health, overall. But how much positive emotion is needed in a person’s life to achieve these mental health-benefiting effects? Thankfully, two researchers had this very question and discovered the answer.

Their recent study predicted that a higher ratio of positive to negative emotions would “characterize individuals in flourishing mental health.” The data that researchers collected proved that the researcher’s prediction was true and revealed a precise ratio. Individuals who had a mean ratio of positive to negative emotions that were above 2.9 had flourishing mental health. And individuals who were below the 2.9 ratios of positive to negative emotions did not have flourishing mental health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

15) Improves Sleep

Insomnia is a common and persistent health concern that can negatively impact many aspects of your life. Suffering from insomnia is very serious and can lead to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression.

Research shows that utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to increase positive thinking benefits sleep quality for individuals with insomnia. CBT improves mental health outcomes by challenging and changing unwanted, negative thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. Replacing unproductive and frequently harmful ways of thinking with positive thinking. In fact, the authors of this study assessed the outcomes of 15 scientific trials to determine the effectiveness of CBT for insomnia.

The results of the study revealed that CBT is effective in improving sleep in adults who have insomnia. If you struggle with insomnia thinking positively throughout the day can have a beneficial impact on your quality of sleep. In addition to thinking positively, you can try breathing exercises to relieve insomnia and help you fall asleep.

16) Positivity Decreases Blood Pressure

Having high blood pressure affects nearly one billion people worldwide, and increases the risk of numerous negative health outcomes. High blood pressure can even lead to an early and unexpected death. Consequently, a multitude of scientific studies resulted in order to better understand how people can effectively lower their blood pressure.

One of these studies tested the hypothesis that “high positive emotion would be associated with lower blood pressure in older adults.” Researchers revealed that increasing positive emotions had a significant impact on lowering diastolic and systolic blood pressure in older adults.

17) Improves Immune System Functioning

Several scientific studies have revealed that optimistic expectancies and thinking positively are related to having higher numbers of immune cells. Having improved immunity can save us from a lot of strife and missing out on life due to being sick. Increased immunity can also help to keep us from developing much more serious illnesses than the common cold. This study published by Psychological Science showed that having optimistic expectations was strongly related to having increased cell-mediated immunity (CMI).

18) Increases Lifespan

Decades of research have proven that positive emotions have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental health. It, therefore, makes perfect sense that you can increase your lifespan by simply increasing your positive emotions. This longitudinal study evaluated the impact that positive emotions had on the lifespan of Catholic nuns. Researchers revealed that positive emotions linked strongly to a longer lifespan. The nuns who expressed positive emotions regularly during journal writing activities lived an average of 10 years longer.

19) Reduces Pain and Increases Pain Tolerance

Living with chronic pain is one of the worst things for a person to endure. Being in constant physical pain can have a negative impact on nearly every aspect of your life. There are certainly some types of pain you should never ignore. But there are also other types of pain that can be helped by positive thinking. Previous laboratory research has shown that producing positive emotional states increases pain tolerance and reduces pain.

To add to that body of research, scientists evaluated the impact of positive activities online has on pain reduction. Their results revealed that participating in online positive activities reduced bodily pain in adults with mild to moderate pain.

20) Reduces Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease

Many people understand that having higher stress levels increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. When a person is under stress, stress hormones release into body. Over time, this causes damage to their cardiovascular system. Conversely, research has shown that dispositional optimism and positive outcome expectancies correlate to a lower risk of cardiovascular complications.

The authors of a consequential longitudinal study evaluated whether optimism and positive expectancies were independently related to reduced cardiovascular mortality. The data that they gathered over 15 years proved that optimism and positive expectations reduced the risk of cardiovascular death.

21) Improves the Outcome of Serious Physical Health Conditions

We now know that positivity can help to prevent you from becoming ill. And that being positive can also decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Additionally, positive attitudes have been shown to improve outcomes in individuals who are already suffering from a serious medical condition. Therefore, researches also studied the impact of interventions that increase positive emotions in individuals diagnosed with breast cancer and HIV.

Individuals who think more positively and optimistically frequently have better health outcomes. On the other hand, having negative attitudes surrounding survival seem to increase the chance of death from a serious medical condition. The authors of one study that demonstrated this assessed whether attitudes toward illness are associated with survival after a stroke.

Results revealed that a person’s attitude regarding their illness was associated with the survival rate in stroke victims. Patients who thought negatively and felt there was nothing they could do to help themselves had a lower survival rate.

22) Positivity Improves Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels

Having healthy cholesterol levels improves your health immensely and can help to protect you from developing cardiovascular disease. Most of us know that having a healthy diet and participating in regular exercise are important aspects of controlling our cholesterol levels.

However, having an optimistic and positive attitude also connects with having a healthy lipid profile (i.e., healthy cholesterol levels). The authors of one study assessed the impact that optimism and positive affect had on an individual’s cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Their results revealed that having higher optimism and positivity was correlated with healthier cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

23) Decreases Risk of Heavy Substance Use

Heavy use of any addictive substance can lead to long-term health physical health problems and can even result in death. Not to mention the negative impact that heavy substance use is known to have on mental health and relationships. Young people are at a particularly high risk of experiencing negative outcomes due to heavy substance use.

Fortunately, research shows us that having a positive attitude and outlook on life decreases adolescents’ risk of heavy substance use. One longitudinal study assessed the impact of optimistic and positive thinking on 5,634 adolescent’s emotional states, substance use, and behavior. Their data showed that high levels of optimism and positive emotions had protective effects against heavy substance use.

24) Decreases Risk of Frailty During the Aging Process

The term frailty describes a person’s impaired strength, endurance, and balance. Frailty increases an individual’s risk of experiencing physical trauma and other stressors, including disability, morbidity, and mortality. Preventing or delaying the onset of frailty is an important aspect of improving a person’s physical health and increasing lifespan. This study published in Psychology and Aging assessed the long-term association between positive affect and the onset of frailty. Results revealed that high positive affect (i.e., positive emotions) significantly lowered the risk of frailty.

25) Improves Athletic Performance

We now understand the many ways in which positive thinking and attitudes can improve our physical health and abilities. It, therefore, makes sense that optimistic and positive thinking can also improve athletic performance. Several scientific studies have demonstrated this effect, including this study about the impact of positivity on an athlete’s performance.

Results demonstrated a significant relationship between an athlete’s levels of optimism, positive emotions, and athletic performance. Specifically, soccer players who had more optimistic and positive attitudes showed better athletic performance than pessimistic soccer players.

Another study assessed the ability of a positive psychological development program to improve the swimming abilities of national-level swimmers. The program aimed to increase the professional swimmer’s ability to think positively, including optimistic disposition and positive affect development. Results revealed a significant improvement in the swimming strokes of those who participated in the program that included positive thinking.

HOW POSITIVITY BENEFITS RELATIONSHIPS AND OVERALL SUCCESS

26) Improves Leadership Skills

Positive thinkers have an improved ability to make the right decisions in high-pressure situations, as compared to pessimists. This is because positive thinking allows a person to focus on solutions instead of the problem and potential obstacles. And as explained above, positive thinkers tend to have more mental clarity, concentration, and focus. Therefore, positive people make much better leaders. Furthermore, positive leaders are perceived as more trustworthy and competent.

27) Increases Chance of Career Advancement and Financial Success

As explained above, positive thinkers have improved leadership skills and the ability to remain positive, even in stressful situations. Consequently, companies are much more likely to hire a positive person for a leadership role. This increases their chances of career advancement and financial success. Dr. Martin Seligman conducted more than 30 years of research that demonstrated this outcome with over 1 million study participants.

The analysis of Seligman revealed that a person’s optimistic expectations and positive attitude led to superior achievement in sales. Salespeople who are confident and positive have been proven to sell more and have higher incomes than negative salespeople. Seligman concluded that this is because a positive person has the persistence that they need to overcome adversity.

28) Increases Productivity and Work Performance

There have been many changes in the economy and workplace over the past few decades. A lot of these changes are not for the best and have impacted both employees and companies in negative ways. One aspect of positive psychology is understanding how you can use positivity for better employment outcomes at work.

The authors of this article evaluated how utilizing positive psychology could improve the workplace, including employee productivity and job performance. Results revealed that when motivation is externally controlled, increased positive emotions are likely to be associated with increased motivation. The data demonstrated that enhancing experiences of positive emotions result in increases in productivity and better performance outcomes.

29) Increases Success Rates in Relationships

A multitude of scientific research has shown that positive people are more successful in marriage and friendship, among other things. The authors of this review of research analyzed numerous studies that assessed whether or not positive affect increased relationship success. The results revealed, “that happiness is associated with and precedes numerous successful outcomes, as well as behaviors paralleling success.”

Additionally, the evidence showed that positive affect, a critical factor in well-being, directly impacts a person’s increased happiness and relationship success. This is because positive emotions and attitudes increase satisfaction. And happy people have more fulfilling and satisfying marriages. generally. Researchers state that these findings “generalize to other romantic relationships” and also to friendships.

30) Increases Ability to Forgive

Forgiveness is an essential aspect of any successful relationship. Furthermore, forgiveness has a direct impact on mental health. Previous research links a person’s ability to forgive and improved mental health. Additionally, a connection between positivity and forgiveness resulted from the study.

The authors of a study published by The Journal of Social Psychology state that affective states mediate the relationship between forgiveness and mental health. Specifically, having more positive emotions allows someone to be able to more easily forgive which leads to improved mental health. Researchers state that “forgiveness involves replacing the negative emotions associated with unforgiveness with positive, love-based emotions.” They go on to explain “that it is through this transformation of emotional states that forgiveness affects physiological functioning.”

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

Positivity works wonders.

Decades of scientific research have made it strikingly clear that positive emotions and attitudes lead to a plethora of benefits. Thinking positively proves to benefit our mental and physical health, as well as our relationships and careers. With so many studies demonstrating how powerful positive thinking is, who wouldn’t want to cultivate and practice using positive thinking today?

Like any skill in life, learning how to think positively consistently will take time and practice. But as this article has demonstrated, it is worth doing for countless reasons. Of course, nobody expects you to be positive every single second of every single day. No one can do that. Even the happiest and most positive people have moments in which they feel and express hopelessness and negativity. That is a part of the human condition. But the more that you can incorporate positivity into your daily routines, the more beneficial outcomes you will see.

Furthermore, it seems impossible not to be convinced that positive thinking has an impact on our reality.  But if you still aren’t sure, here’s an experiment that demonstrates how the power of positivity alters our physical world.

Here at the Power of Positivity, we want to do everything we can to help everyone to live happy, healthy, and prosperous lives. And as the research featured in this article proves, having a positive outlook can help you to accomplish this.

5 Benefits of Global Branding and How to Create Your International Brand

If you’ve been thinking about going global, now is the time to do it.

You have a case of e-commerce sales expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021 and social media becoming the modern rendition of a town square on a global scale. This makes the traditional barriers to entering new markers barely five inches above the ground.

As an ambitious business owner, you can start by winning your local market. Then, it’s only natural to start looking outwards into the rest of the world. The way to do so is by creating a global branding strategy that’s ready for market fluctuations on the global level, nevermind the language barriers. Yet, it’s more than worth it.

Keep on reading to learn all about the top five benefits of global branding and how to start going global.

What Is Global Branding?

Alright, we know it’s rather exciting, so we understand why you’d like us to jump right into it. However, let’s explore what global branding entails before catapulting into the unknown.

In the simplest of terms, global branding is a method of designing standardizes global advertising and marketing strategies. These strategies are used to develop —and market— a product or service to be recognized on the global level. 

By using the same marketing strategy to promote the brand everywhere it’s on offer, the business can confirm that the brand’s values are consistent across all markets.

Now that we have the definition pat-down, let’s talk about the top five benefits of global branding.

1. Increases the Effectiveness of Products or Services

When you’re competing globally, you’ll be forced to do —at least— double the effort you put in product development or services on the local level.

You’ll grow and learn from your mistakes, as well as become more effective at rolling out better products and services. This happens due to the wider exposure of your business to a worldwide audience.

You’ll be getting feedback in a variety of languages and across different cultures. Make sure you have a language service provider because you’ll need it. 

2. Creates a Strong Competitive Advantage

Leveraging a global market can open a variety of business doors, from investment opportunities to a stronger reputation at home.

When you’re competing with local businesses, you’ll be able to use the knowledge you have from marketing to a global audience to your local environment.

For instance, say you’re noticing an emerging business trend on a global scale. You can use you’re already existing infrastructure and connection to catch the wave right before it reaches its highest point. 

3. Boosts Customer Awareness

In this day and age, reaching out to a company across the world would take the average person less than five minutes and a couple of clicks, and vice versa. 

Therefore, having a global branding strategy you can easily open communication lines between your company and your customers wherever they are. You can inform them about any recent brand updates, and they can share that with their friends and family. This can immensely grow your customer base with barely any effort on your part.

4. Grants Greater Access to Talent

We’ve been talking all about the customer side of the equation. How about your own employees? 

One of the great benefits of going global is the ability to tap into global employee markets, especially the ones rich with unique skills and mindsets. Naturally, this gives you a substantial edge over other competing companies in your industry that haven’t gone global. 

5. Diversifies Your Company’s Markets

Nothing helps with managing risk better than diversifying your markets. What better way to do so than expanding globally? 

With a limited local market, you may experience anything from a traditional downswing of your industry’s business cycle or a natural disaster that wipes the demand for your services. However, once you diversify your markets by adding multiple global ones to your portfolio, that will stabilize your revenue sources. 

How to Expand Your Brand Globally

It’s awfully clear that you’ll need more than a couple of social media accounts to create a solid global branding strategy. There are a couple of main steps you’ll need to take in order to avoid misunderstandings across borders from occurring. 

Here’s what you need to do.

Choose the Right Market

It might seem intuitive at first to aim for the biggest markets out there. By biggest, we mean markets with the highest number of potential customers. 

However, that may lead to stretching your budget too thin trying to cover every customer segment available in big markets. In addition, you might start running into relevancy problems. 

The way to go would be focusing on an expansion market that isn’t necessarily the biggest, but the one most relevant to your brand and the services that you have to offer. Make sure to aim for markets where you’ll be able to address your customer’s pain points via your products and services. 

Research Until You Drop

If you look at the leading global brands today, you’ll find that they sink enormous amounts of money into market research.

It’s not that they have money to burn, it’s all about doing their homework. When McDonald’s did their homework on Indian markets, it resulted in a breakthrough into vegetarian options for McDonald’s on a global scale. In addition, it converted —literally— millions of people to try McDonald’s in a majority-vegetarian country.

Through the use of focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires, you can learn a huge deal about what makes your audience tick. Furthermore, it gives you great insight into how your brand translates across cultures and other environments. 

You don’t want to find out that your new line of perfume uses a flower that symbolizes mourning in a specific culture after it’s been launched. 

Ready to Go Global?

It can be nervewracking to contemplate brand expansion on a global scale. Yet, with a solid global branding strategy in place, the potential returns are more than worth the minuscule risks.

Now that you know all about the top five benefits to global branding as well as the foundational steps to take before creating your strategy, you’re in a great place to start taking some action.

Furthermore, in the spirit of research, make sure you’re up to date with the latest happenings in the industry. Learn all about the importance of text messaging for small businesses, in addition to the best practices to protect your business from hackers. All of this and more is available on our blog. 

7 Clear Business Benefits of Cloud Computing

Did you know that cloud computing is both affordable and attainable for any business regardless of the size? That’s why, even if you’re a small business owner, you should consider making the move to the cloud in the near future.

The cloud isn’t going anywhere, and sooner or later, you’re going to be forced to make a change anyway. With that being said, the benefits of moving to the cloud are more than enough reason to invest in cloud computing in the immediate future.

So what is the strategic importance of cloud computing in business organizations? And what can the cloud do for you, your business, and your employees? We’ve got the answers to those questions, and more, inside this article!

Now then, let’s get started!

1. Save Tons of Money on Computing

If you currently have all of your computers and servers in-house, you’re spending a lot of money to do so. From buying the servers themselves and paying for the office space you need to store them, to keeping the room at the right temperature, managing your own servers isn’t cheap.

Well, by outsourcing your servers and using the cloud, you’ll be saving a ton of money on computing. And not only is it cheaper to use the cloud, but you’ll also free up some space in your office that you can use however you see fit! 

2. Only Pay for What You Need

If you’re a small business owner, you might not think that you need or can afford the cloud. After all, it’s only larger corporations that use the cloud, right?

Wrong.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of using the cloud is that the service is completely scalable. That means you can only pay for what you need out the gate, no matter how small, and then expand as your business grows.

There’s no paying for anything you don’t need in an attempt to future-proof your business. You can adjust your cloud service plan as you see fit.

3. Don’t Worry About Finding the Right Cloud Service

Over the past few years, cloud computing has become more accessible, making it much easier for businesses to make the move. So if you’re worried about finding the right cloud computing solution for you, in your price range, don’t be.

If anything, you’re going to be a bit overwhelmed at all of the various options, plans, and companies that exist at the moment.

A pro tip? Stick with a company in your area. And if you’re located in Charlotte, the folks at www.charlotteitsolutions.com can more than handle all of your cloud computing needs!

4. Speed Up Your Work Flow

If you’ve ever worked on the cloud before, you know just how fast it truly is. And if your computers are more efficient and you can access everything you need quicker, you can speed up your overall workflow and get things done faster.

And if you do a lot of multitasking at work, cloud computing is an absolute must. Because even if you have a powerful PC, you won’t be able to get things done as quickly as you would on a cheaper PC using the cloud.

5. Increase Your Cyber Security

As a business owner, you’re most likely always worried about being the victim of a cyberattack. And while it’s not fun to think about, making sure you do everything you can to prevent that type of attack is something you need to do.

Well, with cloud computing, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing your business is as safe as possible from an attack. And that’s not all, either. Cloud computer has mastered the art of disaster recovery.

So if something happens, and you lose important data, you can get it back quickly thanks to routine backups that are stored on the cloud.

6. Enjoy Flexible Working Environments

Did you know that allowing your employees the freedom to work from anywhere in the world can have positive effects on their mental health? Of course, with the cloud, you and your entire team will be able to access anything and everything – as long as you have an internet connection!

That means you can encourage your employees to take half days and spend more time with their families. In return, this will make them much happier and more productive members of your team.

Also, you yourself can take a day or two each week and work from home. And if you ever need to check on something one night, you won’t have to drive all the way back to the office to do so.

7. Future-Proof Your Company

Last but not least, you can’t talk about cloud computing without mentioning that it’s going to be around for a very long time. Each day, more businesses are moving over to the cloud.

And that’s a trend that is only going to continue to rise, meaning you’re wasting time if you haven’t made the switch yourself already.

If you own a smartphone, odds are you’re already using the cloud in your personal life. So why not give your business the same treatment? 

The Strategic Importance of Cloud Computing in Business Organizations

Well, there you have it! That is an in-depth breakdown of the strategic importance of cloud computing in business organizations!

As you can see, investing in the cloud for your business is something you need to be seriously considering. This is especially true if you are in the process of growing or plan on expanding in the near future.

Remember, cloud computing is both affordable and scalable, making it easy for even the smallest of businesses to jump in. So if you’re worried that your business isn’t big enough for cloud computing yet, don’t be, now is the perfect time to start!

Looking for more ways to grow your business? Check out our blog!

The Power of Music: 7 Benefits of Listening to Songs and Instrumentals

Stress triggers are everywhere. Most Americans struggle to find a quiet place to ease their nerves during the hustle and bustle of each day.

The power of music is that it can drown out the unwanted anxiety. Many music therapy techniques can be applied to your daily routine to help you find balance.

Here are 7 benefits of listening to songs and instrumentals throughout your day.

7. Can Help Alzheimer’s Patients

Age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s are improved when patients try music therapy. Music works wonders in calming the mind and triggering old memories.

Reports of patients suddenly recalling lost information are common after music therapy. Caregivers of music therapy patients with Alzheimer’s are encouraged to create personalized playlists.

These playlists should include songs that are meaningful to the patient to help get an emotional response.

6. Reduces Depression in Elderly

Unfortunately, depression in the elderly is common. When suffering a disease, elderly people can fall into a depression that makes it harder for them to recover. 

Music is powerful because it brings with it memories of a life well lived. The elderly are more likely to recall all memories with fondness while experiencing depression because it takes their mind off disease. 

These memories brought about by songs and instrumentals help reduce depression in seniors. After a lifetime of music, they’re more likely to have a soundtrack to their past that makes them feel alive again. 

5. Reduces Schizophrenia Symptoms

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects less than one percent of the population. It causes chronic symptoms like hallucinations, disordered thinking, and behavior that won’t allow normal daily functioning. 

Music therapy has been proven to reduce schizophrenia symptoms. Doctors use music as a way to communicate concepts and feelings with patients.

Studies show that patients show improved social interactions after sessions with music. The power of music is that it allows them to experience concepts they couldn’t grasp through words alone. 

4. Therapeutic During Childbirth

Contractions during childbirth can be eased with the help of songs and instrumentals. Pregnant women should aim to create playlists with songs that have a history of easing their stress.

The right music helps to quieten your mind and regulate your breathing. This creating a healthier delivery for both mothers and babies.

Soft, quieter music is the best option in the delivery room as long as its loud enough to drown out sounds from elsewhere in the building. Soundproof headphones are also an option when looking for ways to drown out the noise and focus only on breathing through contractions. 

3. Loosens Tense Muscles

When your favorite song plays, your guard goes down. This is because music helps to loosen tense muscles.

It’s one of the best forms of stress relief because it replaces whatever you’re thinking with the lyrics to a song. Choose music with a positive message to stimulate you when you’re feeling stressed.

Lyrics that put you in a sour mood can have a reverse effect at the end of a hard day. The same goes for songs that bring on bad memories.

Have your favorite playlist at the ready when you leave work each day to get you ready for a good night’s rest. Allow your playlist to slow in tempo as the playlist progresses to begin slowing down your breathing to match the rhythm of the song. 

2. Improves Motor Function

Patients with Parkinson’s Disease use music to improve motor skills. Studies show patients moving faster and happier with music therapy.

Neurologists associate this increased motivation to move with muscle memory. People with Parkinson’s have to try hard to move during physical therapy just to get from one side of the room to the next.

The music played during therapy sessions took their mind off the details of walking and instead allowed them to focus on fun. Their muscles already had the memory of the mechanics of walking so it wasn’t hard to fall back into a familiar rhythm.

This trend is similar to an aging person’s ability to heal better when they’re happy than when they’re depressed. Good feelings encourage the body to do better.

1. Encourages Dancing

The number one benefit of listening to music is that it encourages dancing. Dancing is one of the best forms of stress relief, building bonds with other people and staying active. 

You might not be able to run a 10-minute mile, but most people can move on the dance floor for hours if given the right songs. Music takes you beyond your normal physical limitations giving you a dopamine rush like no other.

Popular fitness trends now include things like Zumba and Buti Yoga that teach you fun dance routines.

Dancing to music brings together friends, families, and strangers. While you’re out at a bar enjoying happy hour specials, the music you hear in the background can inspire you to make a love connection with the person next to you or start a conga line. 

The Power of Music

Most people think of music just as entertainment. It’s an exciting way to destress with the people around you with whether you know them or not.

But the power of music is that it doesn’t claim to be one thing. It’s healing, it’s fun and it transcends language. 

Use music for as many purposes as you want. It can improve your life on more levels than most other treatments money can buy. 

For more information and lifestyle tips, visit our blog for updates. 

9 Surprising Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids

As a sport, martial arts is something that attracts many kids. The very nature of martial arts requires that in order to be any good at it, students work at it for long periods of time. Thus, parents who want their kids to be excellent martial artists will put their kids in the sport often far earlier than is typical for other sports.

This is for good reason — there are many excellent benefits of martial arts for kids. Martial arts offers development for kids in a way that no other sport can quite parallel. In this article, we’ve listed nine such benefits, with explanations of how kids achieve each of those benefits.

1. Excellent Coordination

One of the best benefits of martial arts for kids is the coordination that is sure to result. As a child, one is still learning how to use one’s body and coordinate it. Any kind of martial arts imparts excellent coordination skills.

This is because the punches, kicks, and defenses that are required in martial arts are very varied, but all rely greatly on timing and precision. A punch has to be thrown precisely, and the same goes for a kick and any type of defense.

Thus, the kid learns how to control his or her body, and also gains excellent hand-eye coordination.

2. Mental Strength

One of the key attributes that one requires to be good at martial arts is mental strength. After all, when one is in a sparring match, think of what that entails. At the end of the day, someone is trying to impart physical hurt on you!

To be able to understand that, absorb that, and still perform at a high level physically under that mental pressure will no doubt develop intense mental strength in your child. This mental strength will crossover into many other things later on in the child’s life, be it with regard to tough schoolwork or major life decisions.

3. Teachability

Martial arts for kids is an excellent choice because like any other sport, it requires the child to be extremely teachable. No martial arts coach will allow any nonsense or tantrums from your kid. In order to at better at it, your child must approach the sport with a teachable spirit. 

If your child is not willing to be coached, chances are the martial arts coach won’t allow him or her to pursue the sport for very long!

Once your child learns this teachability, you’ll find that parenting him or her home becomes much easier as well!

4. Physical Progression

Martial arts is easily one of the most demanding sports out there. Just try punching or kicking a bag for several three-minute rounds. It isn’t easy! In addition to being excellent cardiovascular training, it will also physically progress and train your child in other ways.

The net result is that your child’s muscles will grow faster, they will have greater core strength, and they’ll be able to perform far better at any other sports that they may decide to play down the road.

5. Teamwork

You might be scratching your head at this one. Teamwork? Isn’t martial arts an individual sport?

Yes it is — however, martial arts is still able to teach kids great teamwork. This is because in order to get better at martial arts, one has to spar with other students frequently. Thus, the students have to be able to communicate with each other after these sparring matches in order to learn what they could do better and how they can improve.

Consequently, your child will learn one of the most fundamental skills of teamwork: how to give and take constructive feedback. In addition, many martial arts competitions are team-based, and your child is sure to form extremely close friendships that will stay with him or her for years.

6. Compassion

Martial arts teaches compassion. Whether one is in a true competition or in a simple sparring match, one will learn to never take his or her opponent past their limit. It suffices to beat their opponent; they never need to mercilessly crush them.

With the right coach, your child will learn to be compassionate on those who may not be as good as them and will learn to be careful to use their own strength in a way that doesn’t physically damage another child in the long-term.

7. Fighting Skills

At the end of their martial arts training, your child will be a better fighter! The skills that they have will come in handy if there ever should arise a situation where your child has to stand their ground against a bully or needs to employ self-defense tactics while getting robbed at night.

These skills are extremely valuable and will no doubt be given to your children if they train for martial arts.

8. Confidence

Being good at martial arts, due to the very physical nature of the sport, will inspire your child with much confidence growing up. Being good at any sport gives your child something to take pride in, and the very nature of martial arts will allow your child to hold his or her head high among their peers.

9. Athletic Competition

Competition is good for a child so that they can learn how to compete graciously and exhibit sportsmanlike behavior. If your child ends up having a natural ability for martial arts, he or she may be able to participate in some competitions.

Not only will this teach them work ethic as they train for these competitions, but it will teach them how to be a good winner, if they are fortunate enough to win, but also how to be gracious in a loss if they ever miss the mark at a competition.

The Best Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids

At the end of the day, it is clear that the benefits of martial arts for kids simply cannot be ignored. If you’re on the fence about putting your child in martial arts training, think about these benefits that your child is sure to gain!

For more lifestyle advice, be sure to check out the rest of the articles on the website!

5 Important Benefits of Investing in Mobile Command Centers

Government agencies use mobile command units for emergencies such as fires, natural disasters, and bomb threats. However, many businesses should consider taking advantage of these centers to provide more services to their customers.

You may have considered investing in mobile command center (MCC), but thought twice about it due to the cost. Believe it or not, these vehicles can help you expand your customer reach to even provide services to governmental agencies.

Still unsure about investing in an MCC? Here are the top benefits you should consider when buying mobile command vehicles.

1. Mobile Operations Centers Help You Keep Your Team Safe

These vehicles are designed to endure severe weather. When you choose to invest in an MCC, you’ll keep your team safe during any event. This benefit makes these vehicles ideal for companies that provide security services.

2. Improve Your Response to High-Risk Events

MCC units help you protect the public better by allowing you to set up surveillance outside your vehicle. Also, you’ll be able to have your team on-site to respond immediately to any incident. If you’re able to set up several vehicles in strategic points in the area, it will be easier for your team to keep the area under control.

3. MCCs Are Cheaper Than Renting

Believe it or not, MCC vehicles are cheaper than renting. Remember you’ll need to commit to a long term lease when you choose to rent.

MCCs come at a pretty penny, but the vehicle will become part of your business assets allowing you to retain your investment. Instead, you add an expense to your business when you choose to rent.

4. Tailor Your MCC to Your Business Needs

Many government agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the Federal Bureau of Investigation use MCCs for their special operations. You may think all these centers are designed the same way.

However, every business or agency can tailor the MCC vehicle to their business needs. Mobile Command Centers allow you to set up several workstations with the equipment your team needs.

5. Maintain and Protect Your Equipment

MCCs allow you to maintain and protect your equipment from the environment and any other type of damage. These vehicles allow responders to maintain the specialized equipment they need to investigate. An example is how police command centers keep the forensics equipment to investigate crime scenes.

Should You Invest in a Mobile Command Vehicle?

You may think a mobile command vehicle is too expensive. However, the benefits of making this investment outweigh the cost. Often, companies use these vehicles to offer security services, but they’re useful for events such as tax and public assistance fairs, among others.

Asking your customers what other services they wish your company offered is a good starting point to figure out if an MCC is right for your business. MCCs allow businesses to protect the public and their team better while offering a wide range of services. An example is how an accounting firm or hospital may consider buying an MCC to offer community services throughout their area.

While learning the benefits of these vehicles is important, you should consider consulting an expert to learn how you can use it in your business. It’s important to learn how it can fit into your business model before making this investment.

Did you find this article interesting? Check out the rest of our site for more insightful articles.

Get Back in Line: 8 Essential Benefits of Chiropractic Care

More than 20.4 percent of adults have some amount of chronic pain. That means millions of people across the country are going through life with aches and pains that won’t go away.

If you’re one of them, don’t panic. There’s always something you can do to try to improve your situation. And chiropractic adjustments are a great place to start. But if you’ve never had an adjustment, how can you know what to expect?

Here are some of the most common benefits of chiropractic care that you can experience for yourself.

1. May Help Relieve Pain

When your muscles are tight, they can pull your spine out of alignment. When this happens, it creates discomfort along your back, legs, arms, and neck. And in some cases, it can even cause headaches that make work difficult at best.

When you see a chiropractor, they’ll help realign the parts of your body that those tight muscles pulled out of place. When they do, it can help relieve tension on your muscles and reduce the pain you feel each day.

Some discomfort after the adjustment is normal. But after a few hours, you should start to feel better soon.

2. Improves Your Range of Motion

Tight muscles mean you can’t move as freely as you should. This reduces your flexibility or your range of motion.

If you work an active job, decreased range of motion will hurt your productivity. Worse, it can lead to other health problems down the line.

Regular adjustments help improve your range of motion and keep you flexible for longer. Over time, this can reduce your risk of injury and help you stay healthier.

3. Relieves Tension

When you’re in pain constantly, it’s natural to feel tense. Unfortunately, that tension can lead to worse pain and keep you from functioning at your best.

Going to the chiropractor may help relieve some of the tension you’re carrying around. After the adjustment, you’ll be able to function more efficiently and won’t have to deal with the tight muscles interrupting your daily routine.

4. May Reduce Inflammation

Believe it or not, inflammation is the primary cause of discomfort. When your muscles swell or get inflamed, they put pressure on the surrounding tissues and nerves. The end result is feelings of discomfort and pain.

By reducing the inflammation in your muscles through chiropractic alignment, you can reduce those pain responses. Keep in mind that it’s normal to feel a little tenderness after an adjustment.

This is because the blood flow is back to normal in those areas and until they get used to it again, your muscles might get a bit inflamed. After a day or so, the inflammation should calm down and you will likely feel better than you did before.

5. Improves Your Sleep Quality

Have you ever gone to bed only to toss and turn because you couldn’t get comfortable? You’re not alone. But chiropractic care may help you improve the quality of your sleep.

After an adjustment, your muscles will be able to relax and you’ll be able to unwind at the end of the day.

When you’re relaxed, you’re able to fall asleep more easily. Quality sleep can help you feel more alert and speed up your body’s natural healing response to keep you out of pain longer.

6. Chiropractors Design Each Adjustment with You In Mind

No two adjustments are the same. And before you receive any treatment, your chiropractor will assess your symptoms, your pain levels, and look for tightness in your muscles.

The assessment won’t hurt, but it can take time. And if you have existing x-rays or are undergoing additional medical treatments, you’ll want to mention these to your chiropractor.

The more information they have, the better prepared they’ll be to treat you. Since every treatment is unique and designed for your unique needs and the symptoms you’re feeling at the time, expect the consultation to last longer than other appointments.

Unless your chiropractor understands what’s causing your discomfort, they won’t be able to treat you properly.

7. No Medications Needed

Your chiropractic adjustment involves realigning muscle tissue, ligaments, and bone to help you get the results you’re looking for. There are no medications or drugs required.

This means you can use chiropractic care in conjunction with other treatment options without forcing you to worry about possible interactions or complications. Even better, your chiropractor can work with your doctor to plan a comprehensive treatment protocol to help your body heal faster.

After the alignment, you won’t have to worry about time-consuming follow-up appointments. You’ll be able to resume activity as normal.

Keep in mind that your chiropractor may want to schedule an additional preventative appointment to keep you out of pain. Once your body adjusts to the new chiropractic care regimen, you’ll likely be able to go longer between appointments.

8. Treats Multiple Areas at Once

Though most people head to the chiropractor for back pain, the adjustments can do far more.

The chiropractor can work on multiple areas of your body in a single session. This allows them to find the root cause of your discomfort rather than treat the symptoms. Once they find it, they can make the necessary adjustments to help your body get back to its natural alignment.

By treating multiple areas at once, they can help you find relief faster than some other treatment options. Get more info here about the types of adjustments your chiropractor can do.

See the Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Yourself

These are just some of the benefits of chiropractic care you can expect to see when you start your treatment. Since every adjustment is unique, you may find yourself seeing new or different benefits the more you go.

Looking for more helpful tips on how to improve your personal wellness? Check out our latest posts.