“If I could take one symptom away from all of [my long-COVID patients], I think that would be depression,” said critical care specialist Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of critical care and the COVID-19 department at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Beyond the physical tribulations and social instability that this condition can bring,…

Many people look to diet trends or new exercise regimens – often with questionable benefit – to get a healthier start on the new year. But there is one strategy that’s been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation. In late 2022, a high-profile study made a splash when it claimed…

Mindfulness is a centuries-old practice that’s become trendy in recent years—and a new study now says it can help your heart health. Training in mindfulness can help people better manage their high blood pressure by helping them stick to healthy lifestyle changes, a new clinical trial reports. An eight-week customized mindfulness program helped people lower…

If you practice yoga, meditation, or another mindfulness practice, you may be helping your body to manage its blood sugar level. If you don’t, it might be worth starting. New research has found that mindfulness activities may help people with Type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels. The effects of these activities may be…

Not long ago, a Realtor dropped off the flier announcing plans for the annual neighborhood garage sale. “Join us to make this the biggest sale ever!” the flyer read. Since making our move to Colorado, we have never participated in this annual ritual. This year would be no exception. I’ve learned the hard way that…

Australian research has discovered that dog owners tend to have different personality traits from cat owners and that the former tended to cope better with loneliness during COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers at James Cook University surveyed 534 lone dwellers in Australia who were dog owners, cat owners, and those without pets during the second lockdown period,…

One of the biggest sources of difficulties for every single human being is the desire for people to be a certain way. We can’t seem to help it: we want the world to be the way we want it. Unfortunately, reality always has different plans, and people behave in less-than-ideal ways. The problem isn’t other…

Meditation and other mindfulness practices may improve your attention, but they won’t lead to structural changes in your brain in the short-term, according to a new study. Previous studies have shown that learning new skills, aerobic exercise and balance training could trigger changes in the brain, and some research has suggested that mindfulness regimens could…

So often we live our lives drifting, getting by, trying to find comfort and pleasure, doing what we need to do, doing things out of habit, getting lost in the busywork, going through the motions, getting caught up in our thoughts, getting lost in distractions, trying to stick to something but then reverting to habitual…

The other day I was having such a chill, easy day despite doing all of my usual work and chores and workout activities — the phrase, “Life on Easy Mode” came to me. The rest of the week, I kept the question in my mind, “What would it be like to have life on easy…