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We’re living in a time when the bulk of news headlines are threatening in some way. Whether it’s the pandemic, wildfires, climate change, storms, or political corruption, there’s always bad news, and when we expose ourselves to it, it’s natural for our survival instincts to be triggered. Living in “survival mode” inevitably takes us out of the present and profoundly degrades our quality of life.
I’ve been writing this series on longevity to help guide people in the opposite direction – to help stoke the love of life. Of course, as I said at the beginning, it’s possible to desire longevity from a place a fear. That’s why my first recommendation was “live for now and love life.” Quality of life trumps duration.
My second recommendation was to work, stretch, and relax each and every part of ourselves on a regular basis. My third recommendation was to dance on a regular basis and to explore its potential as a tool for healing, self-awareness, and spiritual connection. You can read those articles on our blog. Let’s continue.
#4: Be Discriminating About Your Media Consumption and Take Regular Fasts
As I said above, it’s easy to be influenced by what we’re exposed to and when it comes to news media the impact is almost never positive.
The challenge is that we can become addicted to it. The addiction may be fueled by a number of mechanisms. First, almost all humans have an appetite for conflict. Even though it can be stressful, there’s also energy in the drama of it. It’s exciting and polarizing. It also feeds what Eckhart Tolle has called our “pain body” – the part of our being that feeds on pain and yearns for more when life gets too peaceful.
Second, we may be addicted to news because we believe it’s vital to stay informed – even if it doesn’t change anything about our behavior. Being informed gets us social approval in some circles, and it helps us feel we’re prepared for disaster.
Third, we may be addicted to news because we’re hoping something good will come along. It’s like the stretched, desperate feeling that occurs when we’re on a losing streak at a casino. The mind thinks, “My luck has to turn around sometime! I can’t stop now!” A similar mentality can push us to read more and more news, hoping to come across a point of view that puts us at ease.
News media have always been primarily a source of bad feelings. Now this is compounded by a new problem – not only is the news mostly dire, it also no longer serves as a trustworthy source of facts. There was a time when journalists prided themselves on unbiased investigation and deadpan delivery of the facts untainted by even an ounce of personal opinion. Today, too many people consume highly biased media and believe this qualifies as factual news.
Media fasts are an important part of psychological self-care. I recommend fasting for at least one full day each week and avoiding all media (music is okay) until after breakfast. If your mind protests, give sincere consideration to what you gain from news – and movies, articles, and other media – that’s violent, depressing, or otherwise makes you feel bad or “keyed up” afterwards. If you’re not in a position to process it in a calm, healthy way or take meaningful action to help, then it’s only degrading you.
Try to become aware of the compulsion to consume negative and sensational media. Virtually all of it is stressful. The repercussions of this stress can be insidious – low energy, distraction, difficulty making decisions, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, irritability, poor and impulsive eating choices, and a shorter lifespan.
When you choose to consume news, make sure that it really is an intentional choice – not just something to pass the time while you’re sitting on the toilet or riding the bus. Do your homework – find truly unbiased sources and draw your own conclusions. Be wary of any “reporter” who seems intent on telling you what to think. Hint: almost nothing you find on YouTube qualifies. Take advantage of your library – there are countless free audiobooks and music albums available.
Please share in the comments section about what kind of media fast you’re going to commit to. Then tell us what happened in your time away from it. Did the world end? Did you feel free and happy? We’d love to know.
Be well,
Peter
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When I was learning acupuncture I heard about a phenomenon called “needle shock” (AKA “vasovagal response”) where someone suddenly feels lightheaded, nauseous, or passes out when a needle is stuck in their body. It’s rare and usually harmless but pretty unpleasant for the person experiencing it. So all interns were instructed in ways to alleviate it – have them lie down, take the needle out, press on certain points, etc.
During my internship I was paired with another intern who was rather eccentric but full of good ideas. As we were stepping into a treatment room, I mentioned that the woman we were about to treat had a history of needle shock. He smiled at me and said, “I saw that in her chart.” Then he pointed to the pocket of his lab coat which seemed to contain a small ball. I didn’t have a chance to ask what it was as we greeted the patient.
We made sure the woman was lying down and relaxed before inserting any needles, but as soon as the first one went in her face turned pale and her skin became cold and clammy. As she told us, “I’m going to faint,” and I scrambled to remember what to do, my partner pulled out a small orange and tore open the peel right beneath her nose.
She looked a bit shocked but also awake and clear. Immediately the color came back to her face and she appeared more grounded. “Is that an orange?,” she asked, “I feel better.” We proceeded to insert another dozen-or-so needles and she did fine.
This kindled my interest in aromatherapy, a field that was rather small at the time but has exploded in the decades since. Meanwhile, numerous studies have shown that inhaling citrus oils can have positive effects on mood.1 In one, patients in a dental office who were exposed to orange oil felt less anxious.2 In others, inhalation of bergamot oil (the bitter orange that gives Earl Grey tea its characteristic flavor) has demonstrated benefits against anxiety and depression.3
For what it’s worth, I think it wasn’t just the biological effect of orange oil that produced the dramatic shift in this patient, but also the role of the unexpected, the value of distraction, the intense stimulus of the release of orange oil beneath her nose, and perhaps her own positive associations with the scent. But these factors are part of what makes aromatherapy fascinating. It’s not just a matter of physiological impact, but also the roles of memory, association, and pleasure.
Generally speaking, all the citrus peel oils – orange, bergamot, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and tangerine –have these calming/uplifting effects when inhaled, with slight nuances between them. (I think of tangerine as the most uplifting and lime as the most calming, but you can experiment and see for yourself.) Diffusing a combination of a few – or using citrus peel or essential oil around the house, in homemade cleaners, as a spritz for laundry, or in your drinking water – is often most effective.
Despite my love of essential oils, I don’t feel altogether great about the aromatherapy field today. As a medical system, it’s in its infancy. There’s very little historical use and literature on essential oils and not much of a scientific framework for when and how to use which oils. They’re often overused, taken internally without good evidence of safety, and touted as panaceas. Much of this trend has been promoted by the manufacturers and multi-level-marketers of the oils. Essential oil production can also be rather wasteful. In many cases it takes vast amounts of dry plant matter to produce a minuscule amount of essential oil, which is really something of a luxury.
So I recommend treating these oils as the precious and potent substances they are. But I have less concern with citrus oils because they’re cheap, abundant, and generally very safe. Squeeze (the orange side of) an orange peel at a candle flame and you’ll see it flare – that’s orange oil, and there’s lots of it. The citrus oils are easily cold-pressed or distilled from peels, which are often left over from juice producers anyway. The main constituent of these oils, a compound called d-limonene, is used as a cleaner and degreaser and is also taken internally in capsules for alleviating heartburn, dissolving gallstones, and may have some value in cancer treatment.
Two caveats though: (1) citrus oils on the skin can sometimes cause irritation or make it easier to get a sunburn (this is probably more common with cold pressed citrus oils and less common in steam distilled citrus oils), (2) citrus and many other essential oils may be toxic to cats, so be safe if you have feline companions.
Enjoy the spring weather with the bright scent and uplifting effect of these amazing peels!
Love,
Peter
- Agatonovic-Kustrin, S. Anxiolytic Terpenoids and Aromatherapy for Anxiety and Depression, Springer, 18 Apr. 2020, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-42667-5_11.
- Lehrner J;Marwinski G;Lehr S;Johren P;Deecke L; “Ambient Odors of Orange and Lavender Reduce Anxiety and Improve Mood in a Dental Office.” Physiology & Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16095639/.
- Watanabe E;Kuchta K;Kimura M;Rauwald HW;Kamei T;Imanishi J; “Effects of Bergamot ( Citrus Bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Mood States, Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity, and Salivary Cortisol Levels in 41 Healthy Females.” Forschende Komplementarmedizin (2006), U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25824404/.
[post_title] => Change Your Mood with Citrus Oils
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Over the past several weeks, we’ve been looking at the factors that make for a longer, richer, more alive life.: (1) Loving life and living for the present (2) Working, stretching, and relaxing all parts of yourself (3) Dancing with consciousness (4) Reducing media consumption (5) Paying attention to your breathing (6) Eating less (7) Prioritizing community and service (8) Exchanging love and touch. You can read more about all these topics on our blog (there’s a lot more to them than the list you just read!). Today I’ll add a couple more items to the list.
#9: Optimize Your Sleep.
There are people who live long lives but don’t sleep well or much, but they tend to be outliers. Virtually everyone lives better, if not also longer, with good sleep. One of the leading causes of death has always been accidents and we’re a lot more likely to have them when we’re tired or mentally cloudy. Furthermore, when we’re well rested, we’re more likely to operate from the “evolved human” part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) – thinking rationally and broadly. When we’re tired, we often default to the primitive “animal brain” and make decisions based on survival, pleasure-seeking, and pain-avoidance.
There’s really no substitute for adequate, replenishing sleep. If you want to learn something, you need sleep to imprint what you’re learning in a lasting way. If you want to get stronger, you need sleep to turn all that exercise and protein into muscle tissue. If you want emotional intelligence, patience, and mature communication, you need sleep in order to be non-reactive. If you want optimal performance in anything – music, chess, gymnastics, or foosball – you need sleep to recharge your nervous system. If you want to kick an infection, you need sleep to give your body a chance to do its work without demanding other things from it.
#10: Laugh More.
When I recommend laughter, I mean two things. First, just laugh more – because it’s fun and it’s good for your body and mind. Listen to stand-up comedy, share jokes, exchange tickles, join a laughing club, choose funny media over bitter. Do whatever it takes for you to have more belly laughs in your life.
Second, take a light-hearted attitude toward life. And death. In my opinion, there’s nothing that can’t be laughed at. I don’t mean derisive, mean-spirited laughter. I mean the laughter that comes from the recognition that life is funny, that there is humor in everything – including the seriousness in which so many of us hold everything. And I also mean delighted laughter – the laughter that arises from simply paying attention to how much beauty, magic, and profundity there is.
Which leads us to…
#11: Keep Your Heart Open.
It’s a natural but unfortunate impulse to close our hearts when life is unpleasant – like raising our arms to shield ourselves against an incoming attack. What I mean by “closing our heart” is a subtle contraction around the center of the chest that occurs on multiple levels simultaneously – physical, emotional, and energetic.
We do this as an instinctive act of self-preservation, but it becomes a habit of not feeling. Living with a closed heart is like narrowing the spectrum of reality we allow ourselves to experience. For what it’s worth, though, I don’t believe the heart only has two states – open or closed – it’s a range.
I recommend consciously living through your heart. Feel through your heart. Breathe through your heart. Listen through your heart. Keep it open even when you’re in pain, even when you’re afraid, even when you’re angry. You can do this just by intending it. Put your attention there, soften, and let it open like a flower.
Be well,
Peter
[post_title] => Three Ways to Invite More Life into Your Life
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We’re living in a time when the bulk of news headlines are threatening in some way. Whether it’s the pandemic, wildfires, climate change, storms, or political corruption, there’s always bad news, and when we expose ourselves to it, it’s natural for our survival instincts to be triggered. Living in “survival mode” inevitably takes us out of the present and profoundly degrades our quality of life.
I’ve been writing this series on longevity to help guide people in the opposite direction – to help stoke the love of life. Of course, as I said at the beginning, it’s possible to desire longevity from a place a fear. That’s why my first recommendation was “live for now and love life.” Quality of life trumps duration.
My second recommendation was to work, stretch, and relax each and every part of ourselves on a regular basis. My third recommendation was to dance on a regular basis and to explore its potential as a tool for healing, self-awareness, and spiritual connection. You can read those articles on our blog. Let’s continue.
#4: Be Discriminating About Your Media Consumption and Take Regular Fasts
As I said above, it’s easy to be influenced by what we’re exposed to and when it comes to news media the impact is almost never positive.
The challenge is that we can become addicted to it. The addiction may be fueled by a number of mechanisms. First, almost all humans have an appetite for conflict. Even though it can be stressful, there’s also energy in the drama of it. It’s exciting and polarizing. It also feeds what Eckhart Tolle has called our “pain body” – the part of our being that feeds on pain and yearns for more when life gets too peaceful.
Second, we may be addicted to news because we believe it’s vital to stay informed – even if it doesn’t change anything about our behavior. Being informed gets us social approval in some circles, and it helps us feel we’re prepared for disaster.
Third, we may be addicted to news because we’re hoping something good will come along. It’s like the stretched, desperate feeling that occurs when we’re on a losing streak at a casino. The mind thinks, “My luck has to turn around sometime! I can’t stop now!” A similar mentality can push us to read more and more news, hoping to come across a point of view that puts us at ease.
News media have always been primarily a source of bad feelings. Now this is compounded by a new problem – not only is the news mostly dire, it also no longer serves as a trustworthy source of facts. There was a time when journalists prided themselves on unbiased investigation and deadpan delivery of the facts untainted by even an ounce of personal opinion. Today, too many people consume highly biased media and believe this qualifies as factual news.
Media fasts are an important part of psychological self-care. I recommend fasting for at least one full day each week and avoiding all media (music is okay) until after breakfast. If your mind protests, give sincere consideration to what you gain from news – and movies, articles, and other media – that’s violent, depressing, or otherwise makes you feel bad or “keyed up” afterwards. If you’re not in a position to process it in a calm, healthy way or take meaningful action to help, then it’s only degrading you.
Try to become aware of the compulsion to consume negative and sensational media. Virtually all of it is stressful. The repercussions of this stress can be insidious – low energy, distraction, difficulty making decisions, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, irritability, poor and impulsive eating choices, and a shorter lifespan.
When you choose to consume news, make sure that it really is an intentional choice – not just something to pass the time while you’re sitting on the toilet or riding the bus. Do your homework – find truly unbiased sources and draw your own conclusions. Be wary of any “reporter” who seems intent on telling you what to think. Hint: almost nothing you find on YouTube qualifies. Take advantage of your library – there are countless free audiobooks and music albums available.
Please share in the comments section about what kind of media fast you’re going to commit to. Then tell us what happened in your time away from it. Did the world end? Did you feel free and happy? We’d love to know.
Be well,
Peter
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