ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response.’ It describes the sensation some people experience in response to certain auditory and visual stimuli (triggers) such as:
• whispering or speaking softly,
• tapping, scratching, or crinkling sounds,
• personal attention such as applying make-up or brushing hair,
• slow hand movements such as turning the pages of a book or stroking fabric.
Read MoreCheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. Oprah Winfrey
Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one. Brad Paisley
The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. J.P. Morgan
For millennia, sauna bathing has been practiced across the globe for its diverse benefits, ranging from hygiene and health to social and spiritual purposes.
Finland stands out as a nation with a deeply ingrained sauna culture, integrated into the lives of its people for generations. With 3.3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million, between 60 to 90 percent of Finns indulge in sauna sessions at least once a week.
Read MoreThe therapeutic use of cold water can be traced back to ancient Greece. In his work entitled ‘On airs, waters and places’, Hippocrates makes the statement that “The water can cure everything”. Today, cold water therapy continues to evolve, with ongoing research exploring its potential applications in sports performance, injury rehabilitation, and mental well-being.
Read MoreLosing someone we love is one of life’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s a partner, parent, child, other relative or close friend, few things are as painful as losing someone we love. It’s a devastating event, turning our world upside down and changing our life forever. And yet it happens to thousands of people every day. So, how do they cope with the grief?
Read MoreSelf-esteem is how we perceive and value ourselves. Considered an important component of emotional health, self-esteem encompasses both self-confidence and self-worth.
People with healthy self-esteem believe they’re valued, competent, worthy, loved, and accepted.
Those with low self-esteem believe themselves to be incompetent, rejected, unworthy, unloved, and lacking in value to others.
Read MoreAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 5.9 percent of school-age children worldwide, which, to varying degrees, continues into adulthood for around 50 percent of them. It’s characterized by patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that make it difficult for sufferers to pay attention and conform to the standards of behaviour expected of them.
Read MoreGlossophobia, or speech anxiety, is the fear of public speaking that’s rooted in our anxiety about being judged, embarrassed, or rejected. That feeling of dread that causes our hearts to race, our skin to perspire, our mouths to go dry, and our hands to tremble when we’re required to take centre stage and speak to a large group of people.
Read MoreDuring the pandemic, many of us took the opportunity to turn off our alarm clocks and wake naturally, allowing us to experience longer stretches of dream-rich sleep. This has led to a renewed interest in dreaming.
Read MoreEveryone feels stress from time to time. It usually happens when we feel threatened or are in a situation that we don't think we can manage or control. Daily life challenges such as those involving work, money, and relationships are often the cause, and our reaction to these potentially stressful events is as individual as we are. We all deal with stress differently. Our ability to cope can depend on our genetics, early life events, personality, and social and economic circumstances.
Read MoreHave you ever stopped to ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing? It all hinges on motivation. Although it’s often treated as a singular construct, our motivation to act is prompted by a range of different factors, producing a variety of experiences and consequences. Sometimes we’re motivated by our own personal values and beliefs, known as intrinsic motivation, and sometimes we’re motivated by outside influences such as financial gain, prestige, or fear of punishment, known as external motivation.
Read MoreHow often do you use a smiley face emoji to express your happiness? I must admit that I do it quite often… at least ten times a day, because it’s such an easy way to express my feelings and show gratitude. But these feelings of happiness are often fleeting; for example, when exchanging gossip with a friend, laughing at the latest cute cat meme, or eating my way through a packet of crisps.
Read MoreEven if you’ve never been tested yourself, you’re probably familiar with the concept of IQ (intelligence quotient) as a measure of our ability to use logic and reasoning to solve problems. But there’s also another type of intelligence test; one which measures our ability to recognise, label, and manage our emotions, and it’s called emotional intelligence (EI).
Read MoreMisophonia may be described as a ‘hatred’ of certain sounds. It’s a sound sensitivity disorder in which specific sounds trigger emotional and physiological responses such as irritation, anger, rage, and disgust, which most people would perceive as irrational.
Read MoreThere’s still a lot to be learned about maladaptive daydreaming (MD). It’s a term that was virtually unknown until 2002, when Israeli Professor of Clinical Psychology Eli Somer first introduced the concept to describe a time-consuming absorption in fantasy that interferes with normal functioning.
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