Have you ever wondered why the most popular holiday destinations are on the beach, near the ocean? Do you ever get this sense of complete calm when you are near a mass of water?  Even think about it, some of the most romantic places to take stroll are by the seaside or along the beach.

There is a scientific explanation as to why people like to be around water; it is because it has a calming effect on our brains.  We lead busy lifestyles, and sometimes the brain overloads.  But, if you take a minute and look at large masses of water and listen to the soothing sounds, your mind will enter a relaxed, almost hypnotic stage, instantly giving you a sense of calm.

The blue color of the ocean or sea also has a role to play.  Many people associate the color blue with openness, calmness, wisdom, and depth.  This could explain why it is a favorite color for many people.

Why does water have such a positive effect?

Being around water allows us to go back to our ‘blue mind,’ a place where you can escape the over stimulation that comes with modern life. You give your mind the chance to restore and rejuvenate itself. The use of nature in promoting a sense of calmness is not an entirely new concept. For a long time, the focus has been on the benefits of nature, but now there is more interest in water and its effects on humans.

One of the theories that try to answer the question above has to do with the acoustics of water. Auditory neuroscientists say that a pleasurable sound has a predictive pattern.  The patterns are volumes that are soft, low pitches and harmonic frequencies which occur at predictable intervals.  Much like what you would observe if you were to take a look at the rhythm of the ocean.

More disruptive sounds like traffic result in the body releasing cortisol, a stress hormone, which leads to tension, increased heart rate, and anxiety. Exposure to the sounds of the ocean will immediately lead to lower stress levels and a more calm state for the individual.

Studies have shown that the pleasure that an individual achieves by being near water is better than the satisfaction they would get if they had gone for a shopping trip. Even when looking at pictures taken during a vacation, the individual will get a better feeling when going through pictures taken at the beach, than those taken during a spending spree. 

Water and Meditation 

Hearing and seeing water in motion will induce a meditative state. There is a direct link between the sound of waves and brain patterns. The benefit is lower depression, less anxiety, mental clarity, and better sleep patterns.

Ask anyone who lives by the ocean if they have a problem sleeping, and we can bet that the answer will be a resounding no! You will even find alarm clocks that have the sound of waves; the white noise they generate is a great way to put yourself to sleep.  Do the same in the toddler’s room, and your days of singing lullabies will be long gone.

Even if you do not have access to the ocean or seaside, how about getting an aquarium or small water fountain for your house.  The auditory and visual cues will give you the same level of peace as you would get if you were by the seaside.

 Water and Inspiration

It is not an uncommon sight to find an artist sitting on the beach. Poets, painters, writers to name a few, say that being around water gives them a feeling of peace and wellness.  Water has a calming effect on the mind and will allow you to focus better while getting rid of anything that can lead to stress or anxiety. You’ll find that you are more creative because your mind is open enough to get inspiration from everywhere else. How about a kayak excursion to relieve the stress of the week? Choose a good quality kayak and see the positive effects of paddling and being around water.

Water and Exercise

Imagine trying to jog along a sidewalk or within an enclosed gym environment. Now imagine jogging at the beach, which one has a more calming effect?  The blue space will help you enjoy the exercise better, thereby significantly adding to your sense of well-being.

If you prefer not to jog, you can take a dip in the ocean, not only is it extremely pleasurable, but it is a great form of physical exercise.

Hydrate well after exercising, even if you are near a large mass of water. It will help you reduce joint and muscle tension and keep your skin smooth.

Water and Awe

If you stand near a large body of water, you will get a feeling of Awe. You suddenly realize how ‘small’ you are in comparison to the universe. The Awe will temper your ego, expand your sense of wonderment, make you more generous, and generally allow you to be more content with your lot in life.

Water and Negative Ions

The air around water has minerals that can help us reduce stress. The Negative ions help with oxygen flow to the brain, thereby giving us more energy and increasing levels of alertness.  Saltwater is especially helpful because it elevates the levels of serotonin, melatonin, and tryptamine, which help with keeping away depression.

Final Thoughts

Humans naturally gravitate towards water anytime they feel a need to relax or are thinking up of a holiday destination.  Think about the number of times you have come home from work, and all you want to do is soak in a hot bathtub, or go for a swim.  Water has a calming effect, and there is science to back it up.  The sounds will induce a feeling of calmness; the negative ions will lead to the release of hormones that lower stress, among others.

The best thing about it is that even if you do not have access to the ocean or sea, just staring at the fish happily swimming away in the aquarium will have the same effect.

It’s a funny old period. At one stage of our lives, we think that it will never happen to us. Then, we’re counting down to the day. As you have probably gathered, today’s post is all about retirement. It’s an age that a lot of people simply can’t wait to get to but don’t for a minute think that it’s going to be a walk in the park.

On the contrary, a lot of retirees are shocked at the change in lifestyle as soon as they leave the world of work. Everything turns on its head, and it even causes bouts of depression amongst some. To help you ease into this period, we have put together today’s guide. Let’s now take a look at just what you can do to make the retirement process a little easier, and make yourself happier as well.

Expect turbulent emotions

First and foremost, this is a turbulent period of your life. If you have retired at the standard age, you will have probably been working for decades. In other words, work is pretty much all you know.

Suddenly, you have been thrust out of something which has almost become a comfort zone. You will be asking yourself what you will do through the days but fear not, over time this rollercoaster of emotions will slow down, and retirement will eventually feel “normal”.

Get your finances into shape

As you try and comprehend your new situation, the last thing you need is for your finances to be all over the place. Now is the time to establish your financial position and calculate your true income and expenses.

This might mean factoring in new costs, like how much it costs to pay for your funeral, future care or anything else you haven’t had to have considered in the past. Once you have established this, your mind can at least function a little more calmly. You can compare funeral plan quotes for free at Reassured.

Start with a structure

One of the biggest reasons why so many people struggle to adapt to retirement is because of the lack of structure. Let’s not forget that for the last few years, your job has forced you into a regular routine. Now that you are retired, you are left to your own devices.

Bearing this in mind, one of the easiest ways to cope with this phase is to create a new structure. It might be setting an alarm clock each and every day, having specific times to visit the shops or the gym, and so on. By subscribing to this model, you’ll find things a lot easier to adapt to.

You’re not too old to make friends (or keep existing ones)

Another potential pitfall of retirement is that you can start to lose friends. This is where you have to make an extra effort to either make them or keep them. You can no longer rely on colleagues that you have been used to seeing every day – you need additional stimulation.

This is another method that can fill up your days, and add that elusive structure that we have just been referring to.

Who would say that a fortune cookie could make you hundreds of millions of dollars wealthier? Well, this is exactly what happened to Charles W. Jackson Jr. a retired retailer from North Carolina on June 4.

Jackson won $344.6 million Powerball jackpot using a series of numbers from a fortune cookie his granddaughter got at a Vietnamese restaurant.

At a news conference at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters, Jackson said that he didn’t expect to win the lottery, let alone a jackpot worth $344.6 million. “You play to win, but you don’t ever expect to win,” he told the reporters.

It’s interesting to mention that initially, Jackson thought he had only won $50,000. But, when he headed to Raleigh to collect his prize, he checked his numbers against the Powerball drawing and he realized that he’d actually won the jackpot, “Dang, I got them all,” he said.

Jackson will face a high tax bill on his massive prize, which will leave him with approximately $158 million.

He said that he plans to donate some of his money to Shriners Hospitals for Children, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Wounded Warrior Project. He also plans to give his brother $1 million as they have a deal.

This lucky retiree said he hopes that the prize doesn’t change him. He also added: “I’m still going to wear my jeans — maybe newer ones.”

We all get headaches from time to time. Sometimes they are due to stress, dehydration, or high blood pressure. And sometimes they are due to a change in the weather or staring at the television and computer monitors for a long time. But, no matter what the reason is, seldom do we think that it is anything serious. And seldom would we think that our headache is due to a real spider living in our ear.

But, one woman from India had this exact problem. Lekshmi, a woman living in Karnataka, India, was dealing with a severe headache and she decided to go to a hospital. Upon reaching the hospital, the doctors carefully examined her and they were in disbelief when they discovered that her splitting headache was due to a spider living in her ear canal.

Lekshmi’s story is definitely freakish enough to make you want to shake out both your clothes and hair to see if any potential eight-legged creature squats on your body.

Now, before you decide to do that, it is worth mentioning that the cause of Lekshmi’s problem does make sense.

Namely, Lekshmi loved taking naps on her veranda, and one afternoon she’d fallen asleep and when she woke up, she had a severe headache. She also felt sharp pains and a tingling sensation in her ear. Well, you guessed it – while Lekshmi was busy napping, the spider crawled by and decided that her ear would be a comfy place to lodge in.

Lekshmi said: “I was terrified as I could feel the movement of a creature in my ear. The acute earache followed by sharp pains suffocated me. I couldn’t think of anything and was petrified when the doctor confirmed the presence of a spider in my ear.”

Dr. Santosh Shivaswamy, Lekshmi’s doctor, said that it isn’t unusual to see people coming to him complaining of something stuck in their ear. However, it was uncommon to see a real spider living in someone’s ear.

Luckily, it all turned out well in the end. The doctors successfully forced the little arachnid out and Lekshmi got rid of her uninvited lodger.

A confident person, will, without a doubt go far in life. Why? Because they believe wholeheartedly in themselves. They’re sure of who they are and proud of it. They believe that no matter what the circumstances possess the ability to accomplish success.

Confidence is wrapped up in every aspect of life. It is the fuel that motivates a person to succeed. It’s the resilience that helps them overcome fear and anxieties. Someone with high confidence is almost certain to be a successful professional, spouse, and friend.

Unfortunately, many people suffer from low self-confidence. Due to certain experiences and circumstances, they develop a deep sense of fear and doubt about who they are and what they can accomplish. This kind of thinking seeps into every area of their lives.

Self-Confidence Drainers

There are many things in life that can bring a person to this point emotionally. Recognizing what these things are and eliminating them from your life, therefore, can help you to rebuild your self-confidence. Take a look below at some of the things that drain your self-confidence:

Lack of Foundation

Not everyone grows up in an ideal household where there’s strong family history, culture, values, and beliefs. Many people grow up not knowing much about who they truly are, where they come from, and how that makes them unique. Years of not knowing your roots can unknowingly eat away at your self-confidence.

Thanks to modern science and technology, finding out who you are, where you come from, and building a foundation for yourself is a lot easier. They have DNA test results that can pinpoint exactly where your bloodline started. Knowing this information can lead you on a quest of self-discovery which opens your eyes to your uniqueness and builds your self-confidence.

Social Media

The concept of comparing yourself to others, “coveting your neighbor’s wife”, and trying to “keep up with the Joneses” has been around for centuries. Yet, platforms like social media have taken this concept to an entirely different level. Now, everyone has instant access to the lives of others. Getting attention and competing for likes has become an addiction that slowly drains your self-confidence.

Social media is great for networking professionally and keeping in touch with friends and family, but it can also be dangerous for your self-confidence. It’s good to take a break from these platforms on occasion so you can live in the present and focus on your own life. When you stop caring so much about what’s going on in the lives of others and what people have to say about you, you can work towards feeling confident in yourself.

Limited Self-Care

Many people who suffer from low self-confidence fail to take care of themselves. They’re either too busy caring for the needs of others or they’ve brought themselves to believe that it’s not worth it. When you neglect your physical and emotional needs, it deteriorates your health, alters your appearance, and thus, lowers your self-esteem.

When you take care of yourself you feel more confident. Taking care of yourself doesn’t just mean eating right and exercising either. It means doing things that bring you joy, pursuing your dreams, reducing stress, taking breaks, and finding purpose. As you do these things for yourself you rely less on the actions and opinions of others and boost your self-confidence.

Self-Doubt

At the end of the day, the biggest self-confidence drainer is self-doubt. The mind is more powerful than you might imagine. When you don’t believe that you’re good enough, can accomplish things, or deserve happiness, ultimately you hold yourself back from the positives in life. You become heavily dependent upon others to lift you up and become dissatisfied and depressed about life.

As hard as it can be at times to get out of your head, it is vital to your overall well-being. You’ve got to turn that negative thinking into positive. Start keeping a gratitude journal, repeat positive affirmations throughout the day, and set small goals and celebrate once you’ve accomplished them.

Self-confidence has more of an impact in your life than you may realize. Without a high confidence level, everything in life becomes ten times more complicated. No matter what you’ve been through thus far, it’s never too late to start rebuilding your self-confidence and reclaiming your life. Simply start with the advice above and take it one day at a time.