How to keep your mind sharp

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

It is extremely important for everyone to maintain a clear and sharp mind. I think it can be easy to do, but it takes a little extra work on our parts daily. Research suggests that challenging our brain with both new and challenging activities can build new brain cells and enhance connections between them. This can protect us from cognitive deterioration and memory loss later in life. Other benefits are reduction of stress, promoting abilities to recall information faster, and help to feel more engaged with life in general.

The following suggestions are just a few ways to accomplish keeping our brains sharp and clear.

Discover a new favorite Podcast

Since 2004, Podcasts have become increasingly more popular. There are hundreds of thousands that of mentally stimulating and thought-provoking podcasts available. Anything you are intrigued by there is a podcast for you. Amazing podcasts about music, world news, cultures, storytelling, investigation, conversational, monologue, and anything else that peaks your interests.

Become social

Open new horizons for your social comfort zone. Open an account with Meetup.com. This allows you to do something you enjoy with others with similar minds. What are somethings you enjoy? Arts and crafts? Reading? Cooking? Designing? There are meetups for literally anything you can think of. This is a fantastic way to meet people in your area and have an opportunity to engage in challenging and stimulating conversations with those outside your typical social circle. These conversations can be an in-person event or virtually, whichever you are most comfortable with. With COVID still lurking around, I would prefer virtual, but once we are past COVID, it would be a great way to have a few new friends.

Maintain a journal or blog

When we keep a journal or a blog, it works the logical, mental, and creative parts of the brain. These also allow us to work through our emotions without fears of negative judgements.

Go out on an adventure

This does not mean we must travel the world, even though that would be amazing! What this could mean is going to a new side of town you have not seen before or taking a drive to see new site of a nearby city. If we make a new habit to explore new and exciting things and places, this will be adventurous. It will also stimulate our brain and satisfy our curiosity.

Get out your reading list

If you already have a favorite author, you can look up their latest books. You can also look at the New York Times Bestsellers list and pick you top three favorites. Challenge yourself to read them in a specific amount of time. You may want to consider joining a book club, as this will give you a chance to discuss a book with others that read the same book. You can be provided insights you did not see before.

Discover a new hobby

What are a few things you wish you knew how to do? Maybe you wanted to learn how to play the piano, know how to write in calligraphy, be able to meditate or needlepoint. Why wait and why not start today? Hobbies have been proven to help avoid depression and increase brain power. Studies show people of any age that have a hobby maintain healthy communication passages to the brain and promote clear thinking and a sharper memory.

Learn a new language

Learning a new language has been made much easier with programs like https://www.rosettastone.com/ and https://www.duolingo.com/. These provide you with a tutor and can be done virtually. When we learn a new language, we are offered a challenge and a way to learn about new cultures. You can sign up for Verbaling so you can practice you new skill with a tutor or native speaker.

Remember to relax

It is important to take full advantage of calm moments. Set aside time for yourself during the day to do nothing but relax. Do whatever it takes and know everyone finds relaxation in different ways. Your brain will thank you for quiet and peaceful moments.

I hope the information in this post was helpful for you and provides you with the ways needed to keep your mind sharp! If you know any other ways to do this, I do encourage you to share because they may be helpful for others. The good news about today is that we survived Monday and we have the strength to get through the rest of this week!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope your week is going well and you are continuing to stay safe. The days can be overwhelming, but please always try to pace yourself and take breaks as you need them. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Curiosity Is Exciting

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

~Ways Curiosity Can Enhance Our Well-Being~

How many times have you heard the saying “Curiosity killed the Cat?” Of course, the levels of uncertainty can be high, but we should hold onto the thoughts of scrutinizing. This is something that could hold many benefits and gratifications. Our curiosity may include an opportunity to reveal great new information, but also taking a journey into the obscure territory. The unknown can create a momentarily feeling of apprehension and discomfort, but the risks may be outweighed by the benefits. Giving in to your curiosity could help you gain a chance to expand your horizons and the fulfillment that comes along with personal growth. Challenging yourself to search for new experiences and different outlooks provides deeper insights about yourself and the world.

What exactly does “curiosity” mean? Curiosity means having a strong desire to know or learn something new. Entering the area of curious exploration shows the desire to learn and you are choosing to accept the challenge, instead of accepting the current situation as the end all be all.

What makes a highly curious person different from someone who is not very curious? Those who are extremely curious tend to:

1. Search and track down new and unknown experiences.

2. Question the views of others, oneself, ad the world with an unavoidable unbendable knowledge and/or awareness.

3. Behave more receptive to circumstances offering growth, competence, and stimulation.

A curious min can offer numerous benefits and promotes a sense of well-being. Curiosity positively relates to gaining satisfaction in life and the true meaning of life. Activities that require carrying out curious behavior can increase the amount of satisfaction you gain from life. Curiosity can ignite creativity, which may invigorate deeper exploration and combined other ideas with the creative-thinking process.

We have all been told that negativity and positivity can be contagious, but curiosity can also be contagious. Many will end up being curious regarding the answers to questions asked, especially when there is evidence that others are interested as well.

Curiosity can be profoundly important in developing social connections, empathy, and understanding. The vastly contrast views, experiences, and values of others offer unfamiliar areas to investigate, which may lead to immense benefits.

Nourishing an understanding and recognizing other cultures, customs, values, and ideas is a type of “social curiosity”. Empathetic curiosity is being curious about the thoughts and feelings of others, as well as the reasoning behind these thoughts and feelings. This curiosity regarding others’ experiences and being intrigued by others without any judgments.

Of course, empathetic curiosity requires us to ignore any need for being familiar and admit our opinions, and beliefs are not the only ones that matter. When we have an opportunity to become enlightened by the experiences of someone else and can respect the difference in views and ways of doing things are not any less important than anyone else’s. Everyone’s views are meaningful and deserve to be respected.

The feelings of enjoyment and pleasure are typically related to doing things that are known and comfortable. However, curiosity forces us to search for things that are new and/or unknown. This does not need to be a huge change but can be something as simple as trying new food, book, or even taking the time to talk with a colleague you have not spoken to before. This new food, book, or the new colleague you spoke with may provoke even more curiosity and delight in your life.

I am going to share a few ways to help trigger your curiosity.

1. Walk away from the TV and read instead. This is something that sets extraordinarily successful people apart from others. 85% of those that are successful read 2 or more self-improvement books per month.

2. Utilize social media platforms and podcasts for greater benefits. Fill what you are listening to with inspirational and life-giving materials. Things that provide you with life and reminds you that your possibilities are endless.

3. Engage with people that have different viewpoints than your own. Be open-minded with the views others have and remain honest, and respectful with your own thoughts/views. Collaborative thinking is an astonishing way to gain deeper insight and learn new ideas.

4. Take some time to make a list of activities that offer opportunities for you to learn and grow. Search for these and then reflect on the benefits each offer and what you will gain from these new experiences.

5. Examine your perspective in specific situations, and then ask yourself why you think or react in a certain way to some situations.

6. Always ask questions and pay close attention to the answers. Avoid passing judgment and try being curious about others’ experiences and their unique viewpoints.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and it offered you some exciting new experiences. I would love to read your thoughts on this and if you have any other advice for ways to break into curiosity. Our curious thoughts can help us to encounter exhilarating adventures!

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a great week and you are continuing to stay safe. Unfortunately, even though many have received the COVID vaccine, many others are still waiting, and the virus continues to spread! I do believe we are continuously dealing with difficult times, but we need to find ways to remain optimistic. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

A Little Extra Optimism

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Positively Alyssa

Smiles & Happiness Make A Huge Difference

While we are all still learning ways to deal with and accept what our “new normal” is, it can continue causing so many fears and stress. No one knows when or even if COVID-19 will come to an end allowing us to live comfortably and not wear a mask anytime we leave our homes. Of course, masks are suffocating and not comfortable, especially when the temperature is pushing 100 degrees outside, but a little discomfort can possibly save our lives.

In the meantime, as we are waiting for things to settle down, it is important to try remembering the positive aspects of life. So, let’s make a list of things we enjoy and some of our favorite things. It has been so long, some of us may have forgotten what it means to enjoy and favorite means. Enjoy means either to take delight or pleasure in or possess and benefit from. Favorite means preferred before all others of the same kind.

Now that we have had a little reminder, what are five things you enjoy? This can be anything you can think of, the sky is the limit! To get this started I will share my list of five things I enjoy the most.

1. Listening to music because this helps me relax and even helps my massive stress issues.

2. Of course, I enjoy writing. This is something that has always helped me to process and let go of my emotions, both positive and negative.

3. My husband probably will not appreciate me sharing this, but he will be okay. I enjoy watching General Hospital at night with my husband while we eat our dinner.

4. Even though my two sweet cats can get rather obnoxious at times, I do enjoy time with them fighting over my lap. Our older cat has an overwhelming need to sleep almost on my head every night; we actually end up sharing the pillow.

5. I enjoy quiet and drama-free evenings and weekends at home with my husband and our cats. Many people would say this is boring, but there have never been any troubles or issues caused by times like this.

We were already reminded about what favorite means, so now comes the questions! What are some of your favorite books, authors, movies, music, TV shows, places to travel, colors, meals, etc.? I guess this can be a little tricky because some favorites can go hand and hand, but we can have a little fun with it or at least I hope we can. I am going to share my five favorite types of music/musicians and my five favorite books/authors. I am hoping y’all will share some of yours as well because I think it will be fun and interesting.

Truthfully, I love most music. I am not a huge fan of country music though because it always makes me sad and that isn’t what I want when relaxing listening to music. So five of my favorite bands are the following:

1. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus because they will always hold a special place in my heart considering my husband proposed on stage with them before they sang “Your Guardian Angel”.

2. Radical Something because no matter how awful my mood is, their songs can make me smile and be calm. Their music has beach vibes, probably because they are in California!

3. Simple Plan because they have a calming, chill, and relaxing vibes. This band is from the country my husband and I have talked about moving to, Canada. Depending on the outcome of the upcoming election the move may happen sooner rather than later.

4. Taking things a little old school, but yet still current is Fall Out Boy. This is a rock band that started off playing in their garage back in Chicago Illinois before making it to the big time. My husband and I have enjoyed this band for many years now!

5. The Pretty Wreckless is an amazing rock band that took me a while to warm up to, but that was because my husband pushed them on me too much. I am a very stubborn person and when something is pushed on me too much, I will fight to hate whatever it is. This band is from NYC and has several songs that can make anyone smile because the singer is singing what most of us are thinking and feeling.

To save y’all a little time from reading too much, the only other favorites I am going to share is who my three favorite authors are and some of my favorite books by the author. My top three favorite authors are James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, and Kelly Rimmer.

James Patterson has written many fantastic books and continues doing so to this day. I find him and his books very addictive and almost impossible to put down once you begin. Patterson’s series “The Women’s Murder Club” is one of the BEST series I have ever read. There have been 20 books released so far, with the 21^st set to be released in 2021and I have read 19 of them. I had to slow down reading these books because it was torture when I finished a book and had to wait for the next one.

Another book I read by Patterson that was outside The Women’s Murder Club series was “Filthy Rich”. The incredible details he wrote in this book had me despising Jeffrey Epstein long before he was even arrested because it is a horrible and jaw-dropping story. Honestly, after reading the book I thought Patterson was supporting that disgusting and appalling perverted man causing me to not want to read another book from James Patterson. Thankfully, I later saw an interview James Patterson did and it was crystal clear he did not and never would support anyone like Epstein.

While James Patterson is an astonishing and enthralling author, Nicholas Sparks is a captivating author on a whole different level and style. Since Nicholas Sparks began his writing career in the mid- ‘90’s with his first book, “The Notebook” that was not only a best-seller but even turned into a hit movie later. He continued his incredible journey writing many other fabulous and beautiful love stories that could bring tears to anyone’s eyes. A few more of his books that were brilliant consist of Two by Two, Every Breath, The Best of Me, The Last Song, and The Choice, but there are many others that would be very worth reading!

Kelly Rimmer is a truly spectacular author from the beautiful country, Australia. I have read all seven of her books that were released in the United States and cannot wait for her to release another. Kelly has an engaging and engrossing way to keep her readers completely mesmerized. She adds an emotional twist to the stories she writes. Kelly has a natural ability to make you feel every emotion each character is feeling.

The seven books that I have read of Kelly’s were so amazing they would be worth reading a second time. The books I have read were: Unexpected, Before I Let You Go, Suspending Reality, A Mother’s Confession, Me Without You, When I Lost You, and The Secret Daughter.

First, I want to thank you for visiting my site today! I hope your weekend has started off well and you are staying safe. Weekends are our time to rest and recuperate from a long week. I hope you are enjoying this post and you will share some of your favorite things and things you enjoy because I think it will be fun to see how much a like of different we are all. I admire differences because it allows for us to learn, grow, and build relationships!

I am looking forward to reading more of your posts this weekend and learning more about you if you are able to make a comment! Whatever the rest of your weekend holds, please do everything you can to stay safe! I hope y’all never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and many positive vibes!