Habits to help prevent Dementia: manage and reduce stress

4. Manage and Reduce Stress

Chronic stress is a major cause of inflammation in the brain and body. Relentless emotional, physical, and psychological stress promotes unchecked inflammation and contributes to cognitive dysfunction. High levels of prolonged chronic stress are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment.

Stress management techniques—like mindfulness and meditation—are crucial for decreasing inflammation and supporting brain health and healthy aging. In fact, mindfulness and meditation offer many benefits for physical and mental health.

A regular meditation practice can help you to improve your ability to focus, positively shift your mood, and improve overall health. The brain-protective benefits of meditation might be related to neuroplastic changes in the structure and function of brain regions involved in the regulation of attention, emotion, and self-awareness, which occur in regular meditators.

By Jennifer Weinberg written on November 26, 2019, and published online at https://chopra.com

Editor’s Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only; it does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chopra Center's Mind-Body Medical Group, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health programs.

Anti-Vaccers

 I met an anti-vaccer for the first time and listened to why he was against getting a vaccine. None of his arguments made any sense but had enough plausibility to make some sense. He was a strong believer in his position and could not be swayed by any other view.

Some of the things he believed had a ring of truth.

1. He believed that the government could not be trusted to tell the truth, and I agree with him on that. It is always in the best interests of those in power to hide facts that would hurt their chances of staying in power.

2. He believed that the reason for the push to vaccinate is driven by the profit motive of the pharmaceutical industry and that the politicians were being bribed by this industry to push for mandatory vaccinations. While it is true that the main driver of any corporation must be making a profit there is no proof that the politicians are in the pocket of this or any other industry.

3. He said that vaccinations were not tested properly and that everyone knows that you should wait for at least seven years before you mass vaccinate people because there is not enough information on long-term or even short-term side effects from being vaccinated. This may be true, in an ideal system, but all of the vaccines were tested by the agencies whose job it is to protect us from bad vaccines.

4. He believed that the vaccines were given to the older generation because the government wants to get rid of the Boomers, because of the big cost of the boomers to the government because of pensions and health care costs. This is not true, as many Boomers are working well into retirement and are paying taxes and have accumulated wealth to see them through their retirement years.

5. He said that he knew many people personally that had adverse reactions to the vaccine. He told me of people he knew that had suffered from strokes after taking the vaccine, and of a person who died, after taking the vaccine and of a person who had become blind after taking the vaccine. I said I had not read or saw any reports of these kinds of reactions, and his response was that the press was not reporting the stories. He asked me what should I believe, the government and the press, which I do not trust, or the evidence of my own eyes and experience.  

We talked a while more and I found out some more information about the examples he gave me about the adverse response. The person who had the stroke after the vaccine had the stroke a month later, the person who died, was very sick prior to getting the vaccine, and the person who was blinded by the vaccine was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend who he had never met. 

I was amazed by the strength of his convictions and when we parted he said, "I want to be vaccinated, but I am extremely scared of the side effects and I do not want to get something I  cannot be sure will harm me." The problem he has and that we have in convincing him is that he will twist the facts to suit his own version of the truth. My question is, do I continue to present him and those who believe like he does, with the truth or do I quit hitting my head against the wall and leave them alone?

I'm in that weird "grey area" of the age groups, 40-49

This is a rant from a young man that is a brother of a friend of my daughter. I thought it was an interesting perspective of what is going on in his country and his quest to get vaccinated.

I'm in that weird "grey area" of the age groups, 40-49, aka the self-described, "backbone of society". "Atlas", pre-shrug, perhaps. I'm not alone. 

We carry most of the debt, pay most of the tax, have the most parasitic-age children, prop up the most private schools, get divorced, re-married or re-offend more, and we have the most affairs. We catfish like sharks, yet trust any financier from Nigeria like s/he was red-carpet talent from Captain Phillips. We subscribe to all the streaming services and torrent the rest. 

You consume or create the most pr0n, and you unsolicit the most dick pics. You will rage quit more, and rejoin under some other alias more than you will admit. 

Hold up. This is 'our' post.

We drink all the drinks at your party and snort all the cubicles into undiagnosed black holes. We download the wokest of mindfulness apps, listen to all the songs Pandora has to sing and only pay a few shekels for Spotify.

We struggle to accept vegans, venerate Las Vegas, and miss the point of yoga, FroYo, and regional tourism cyclists. We boggle at the confusing planet of small furry white dogs and activewear the park has become, while we chug down our 4th pre-lunch almond latte and sugar-free Redbulls, measuring our BPM on our expensive not-so-smart watches, and talk about how we are finally "doing the work" on ourselves. 

Raincheck on therapy, we mid to late 40 somethings, not all in sweaters and neatly trimmed beards, doodling away in the cafes with our tablet stylii, full-tilt into the throes of ballpoint denial, "wet ink" envy.

It remains impossible to figure out which level Dante might suggest, but nevertheless, we are stuck. F**k this. I was great at Tetris and Angry Birds, but I swear the graphics were so much better on my Atari 2600. Back when dudes were actually still killing themselves after returning from Vietnam. When games were games, and not some drone pilot FPS warfighter recruiting benchmark for Blackwater. (Too far?) 

Back to "us".

Working through our daily mantra of (mostly) rose-coloured woulda shoulda coulda's... Our whimsical to-do lists become accusatory jailers, our physical selves battles the defiant psyche of our c**tish teenage egos.

Imitating the grotesque reflection from the magic mirror at the carnival, we manage to work the hardest, yet still hoard the most calories. We lose the most parents, and yet somehow keep all our kids. As past & present taxpayers, and incubators of future taxpayers, our own career dreams start to taunt us.

Unlike that rearview mirror in song, the image just seems to get clearer. 

Instagram and Tik Tok mock us, the only metric for our vision of "self-actualization", an existential black eye showing us just how much we have 'invested' into Afterpay and Amazon. We overspend on the most houses and drive the most cars.

So, when there is talk of the "health" of the economy, my mind turns to my own mortality, and my idealized "Vampire L'Estat" capability to maintain a selfless commitment to "Big Capitalism"... propping up Kogan, AGL, BHP, Telstra, Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft, Twitch and OnlyFans... 

It is OUR masked faces that POP up, ready to spend, ready to support. We can buy anything, pay for everything. And we can get it now. 

So, then...

Why the F**K can't I book in for a COVID vaccine?

There's not enough Pfizer. Moderna doesn't yet exist. And only ages 50+ or -40 can nominate for Astra Zenica.

That's right. No vaccine for me, you, us. The big, hollow, spenders. 

Ffs. Cmon SloMo ScoMo... You and your grubby mates are supposed to be ALL about the 'economy'.

And yet...

For those over 60

My thanks to John for this article

This is for you. I really like what is said here and am going to try my best to follow it. Thank you to the person who wrote this.

Between 60 and death. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital.

Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don't feel bad spending your money on yourself. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter, and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well, and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you're feeling well. Stay informed.

Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.

Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down and don't let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: "A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection."

Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised at what old friends you'll meet.

Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideas as you, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday's wisdom still applies today.

Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time.

Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you feel older and harder to be around.

Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live by yourself

Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a kitchen garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf.

Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a park. Get out there.

Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are.

Pains and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of life.

If you've been offended by someone – forgive them. If you've offended someone-apologize. Don't drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said: "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive, forget, and move on with your life.

Laugh. Laugh away your worries Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life.

Don't worry... be happy.