Why this Brit Loves Thanksgiving

As a Brit living in the US, I was a little bemused by Thanksgiving at first. In the UK, we celebrated “Harvest” with a cute assembly at my kids school and a collection of cans of soup and beans for the elderly.  But on the eve of my fifth US Thanksgiving I have come to consider Thanksgiving my favorite “holiday”. When we strip away the commercialization and overeating of Thanksgiving, it is essentially a day for gratitude and gratitude is good for you and a day devoted to gratitude can only be a wonderful thing!

Now I am a neuroscience geek, out and proud and mounting neuroscience research shows that practicing gratitude is good for you! Martin Selligman, founder of Positive Psychology asserts that the acknowledgement and expression of gratitude is good for health, wellbeing and relationships. In Change your Brain, Change your Body Daniel Amen reports that gratitude improves function in key areas of the brain enhancing cognitive ability, coordination and emotional regulation.

Gratitude is a powerful tool to reduce stress and increase wellbeing because it focuses your attention on the good things in your life, past and present. Often we get caught up in our busy lives and fail to stop for a moment and notice the good things and to celebrate them, no matter how small. That is why I have created this gratitude meditation to share with the world, so if you have just 5 minutes to spare, I’d love you to listen, you never know it might just be good for your brain!

Click the link to take a soak in the power of gratitude:

http://www.drleonaurarhodes.com/gratitude-meditation/

So this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things, many people, my life, my health and my happiness. What are you grateful for?

 

A Magic Wand for Moms

In my recent Magic Wand Survey 44% of moms said they wanted less stress in their life, 22% wanted to feel less burdened, 20% wanted less worry. The really good news is that there is a possible “magic wand” to reduce all of these things, but like any good “magic”, you have to believe in it! So if you have any doubt about the effectiveness of meditation I hope to di”spel” it now with some science!

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, as part of religious and contemplative practice. But in the last decade research has proven the claims that meditation improves health and wellbeing to be true.

Our brain is constantly being restructured in response to our experiences in life, this restructuring is called “neuroplasticity”.

Prominent psychiatrist and brain researcher Dan Siegel recommends daily mindfulness meditation “even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day” can reduce stress and over-arousal of the brain. It can also help us develop an insight into how our mind functions and this can help improve all aspects of our life: academic, social and emotional intelligence, relationships, performance and health (Mindsight by Daniel Siegel).

In his most recent book Unleash the Power of the Female Brain, neuroscience guru, Daniel Amen explains that women’s brains are wired differently to men’s. Women have lower serotonin (happy neurochemical), worry more, have trouble switching off, ruminate more often (thoughts going round and round), overfocus on problems, more sleep and pain issues, more anxiety, depression, body image issues, eating disorders, perfectionism. Don’t you just love being a women!

There are some strengths to having a female brain: we tend to live longer (surprising given the list above), we look after our health more, we seek support more readily, we have better judgment, empathy and self control and we are less likely to suffer with substance abuse or go to prison. PHEW!

Amen’s incredible SPECT scan research shows that meditation can change the function of the brain. Changes include: improved function of the Prefrontal cortex (the brain’s CEO: focus, attention, planning, impulse control, insight), temporal lobes (memory, language, emotion regulation, spirituality) and deep brain structures reducing anxiety and worry. His research also showed that meditation improves sleep, reduces cognitive decline, reduces muscle tension, improves skin condition (yes, actually makes you look younger), aids weight loss, reduces muscle tension and perception of pain and reduces cortisol (stress hormone).

So if meditation is this amazing, why is everyone not doing it daily? My recent study showed that only 30% of moms (who completed the study) have ever meditated and 82% of moms were interested in learning to meditate. The reasons moms were not meditating busy-ness, lack of time, poor time management, conflicting demands, feeling self-conscious and they they don’t know how. So moms have spoken and I have listened! Introducing Meditation 4 Moms…

Meditation4Moms is a 14 day free meditation program, designed specifically for busy mothers. Each unique meditation is only 5 minutes long. Meditations include: take a break from stress, enhancing energy, cultivating compassion and the art of happiness and there are bonus exercises to complete with your children. So if you are a mother who wants a more fabulous balanced life, what have you got to lose? Sign up at www.meditation4moms.com and take a journey towards more health, happiness and success! Invite your friends to join you in your meditation travels!