It's Thankful Season! It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays! Friends and family gather around, visiting, eating scrumptious food, and napping. Ok, well maybe it's just weird uncle Phil that takes a nap. Either way, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about gratitude. After all, should we only be grateful around the holiday's? The Benefits of Gratitude, As Told By SCIENCE! There are quite a few scientifically proven benefits to regular gratitude. I'll list just a few here for your benefit. 1. Gratitude opens the way for more relationships. According to a 2014 study, expressing gratitude by saying "thank you" made acquaintances more likely to seek a longer term friendship. So thanking people for things actually makes you more likable, and makes them want to know you better. 2. Gratitude can improve your physical health. In numerous studies it has been shown that grateful people generally feel physically better than ungrateful people. The feel less aches and pains, and gratitude can even increase your longevity. Grateful people also tend to work out more and take better care of their bodies. 3. Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces negative emotions like anger, regret, and sadness. It can also trigger positive emotions like thankfulness(duh), happiness, and pleasure. The combination of reducing negative emotions and triggering positive ones has an immediate positive effect on your psyche. It also can reduce depression. 4. Gratitude reduces aggression and increases empathy. According to a 2012 study, people who were grateful were less likely to retaliate, even when someone was being aggressive toward them. Grateful people were also proven to care more about others and didn't seek revenge. 5. Gratitude improves sleep. When you are grateful, your mind is more at rest and can sleep better. Simply being grateful before bed can improve the quality of your sleep immediately. 6. Gratitude improves self-esteem. In a 2014 study, it was found that gratitude improved athletes self-esteem and improved their optimal performance. Gratitude also reduces social comparison, which means you aren't comparing yourself to others near as much. 7. Gratitude increases mental strength. Studies have shown that gratitude can reduce the effects of PTSD, and help toward the permanent healing of those affected. It has also been shown that gratitude increases resilience, a trait many people lack. A Daily Thanksgiving Exercise The benefits of gratitude are overwhelmingly clear. So what can you do to practice gratitude daily? Here is a very simple exercise that I personally do daily. I hope you'll try it too! 1. Set aside a time in the morning right after you wake up, and in the evening right before you go to sleep.
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Fun Photography So I have a seriously nice camera. I've had this thing for years after taking a very rudimentary middle school photography course. But I'd never really gotten into it. So, when I kept seeing friends of mine posting awesome pictures, I figured I should try my hand at it, and really get into it. And I have! You wouldn't believe how much fun it is to take a nice, high quality camera and take it on a walk. What makes photography so fun though? Why So Fun? Photography can open your eyes to so much cool stuff. When you go out looking for neat picture opportunities, suddenly you see a lot more. You see how the colors contrast, how the trees frame the river, the reflection of a nearby puddle. It just makes your world a lot more three-dimensional. For example, I went to a local place called Wheeler Historic Farm to take some photographs. While I wandered the farm, I noticed how well the tree's were reflecting in the stream. So I went over, and using the reflection, took the really awesome shot you can see above. Later on, I saw a bush with some very bright berries through some dead looking trees. And I was able to get this really cool shot of the berry bush through the dead wood. Photography Is So Fun! Now I could go on and on about how cool photography is, but I won't. Maybe later on I'll talk a bit more about it. Anyway, for now just check out some of my favorite pictures I've taken since getting back into photography. Cheers! Chapter 7 - Lasers A long hallway lay sprawling in front of us. As we stepped forward, I could hear a faint humming. I shot my hand out in front of Asha, stopping her from moving further into the hall.
"Wait a second," I said. "There's something guarding the halls." "Like what?" Asha asked. "Do you have any powder makeup with you?" I asked. "Stop dodging my question," Asha said. "Answer mine first," I said. "Yeah, I do," Asha said, pulling out a small compact and handing it to me. "Brilliant," I said as I opened the compact. I blew the powder out and into the air in front of us. Suddenly lasers came into sight, glowing red off of the power. "Lasers, that's what stands between us and our prize." "Now what?" Asha asked. "Now we move very carefully across the room," I said. "Ladies first." "Why do I have to go first?" Asha demanded. "Because I'm feeling nice," I said. "Now lead the way m'lady." Asha grunted and started weaving in and out of the lasers with remarkable agility. As she reached the other side, I started after. I was strenuous work, and it required me to be very aware of where every laser was. As I reached the far side I breathed a sigh of relief. "See, no sweat," I said as I leaned back against the wall. Before I even realized what happened, the room lit up in red as the speaker system shouted. "Intruder alert, intruder alert. Unauthorized personnel are in the building!" The speakers blared. A large cage dropped from above, trapping the two of us inside. I desperately rattled the bars, but they held. "Well shoot." The Two Kinds Of Brother There are two kinds of brother,
Those bound by blood And those bound by other Born from the same lifeblood The one is bound at birth The other is bound with mirth One's bond is forged in childhood The other from the fire of heartwood But both come from a kind of knighthood Found as we grow into adulthood One you meet when they are brought home The other you may meet when you roam But both are written in an ancient tome That comes from long-dead Rome Brothers far, brothers near Please do lend an ear And have no fear For you are both my peer Brother by choice Brother by blood Hear my voice Come to me like a flood For both are valid Hear my ballad You are both my brother Unparalleled to any other Brother by fire Brother by birth Join me as we all grow higher And travel all throughout this earth There are two kinds of brother, Those bound by blood And those bound by other Born from the same lifeblood The one is bound at birth The other is bound with mirth But both deserve their spot at my hearth |
Welcome to The Writers Block!AuthorKen Mears is a new 17 year old author, here to share his wisdom, advice, and experiences with you, the reader! Archives
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