Month: December 2025

Change your brain to bring joy

There’s not a lot we can do overnight to change our life situation. We can’t lose thirty pounds. Or change our finances in a day. But we can change our thinking. That we can definitely start overnight. But why would we want to do that? Change your brain to bring joy.

We’re all thinking about goals to set, where we want to be in three months, a year, or five years. First, though, let’s start a little smaller and bring ourselves a little joy. With that little joy can come more optimism, more happiness, more resilience, and a real chance to set goals that will matter to us.

Take some action

The first thing to do is to take some action. Remind yourself that you have power over your actions. You also have the power to adjust how you react to outside forces. You can see what might be considered a problem, instead as an opportunity. Change how you view things and learn. And when faced with that opportunity, know that even though you might be uncomfortable with it at first, remember that discomfort means growth.

Take a small step first

Don’t scare yourself so much that you’re paralyzed, though. Take the small step first. Learn and understand the challenge. Find out about the opportunities you’re presented with. Take a walk and don’t immediately respond. Let the idea swim around in your brain. Decide what that first step might be. 

Then you’ll be a little more comfortable with taking the step. And then you’ll find out more, get a little uncomfortable, think about things, and become more comfortable. Learning and growing are all part of achieving the big things that you want. You’ll change your brain to bring joy, one small step at a time. You’re growing your resilience, opening yourself up to new things. And you’ll be able to weather the storms you know are coming.

Big step for an introvert

For me, I’m on a journey to find more young readers for the children’s books I wrote. I’ll be contacting schools and public libraries, perhaps to do in-person story time events. You think that’s not scary? For me, a dedicated introvert, it’s terrifying. But I’m changing my brain one small step at a time. And by changing my brain, I’m seeing that I’m capable of stepping outside my comfort zone. And that brings me joy.

If you’re quest involves becoming more fit, you know that the most important thing is to get your nutrition right. Play around with flavors. Try some new veggies. It’s easy to find recipes on the internet for vegetables you’re not familiar with. Stroll down the produce aisle and find something exciting. Your small experiment may find a lasting spot in your recipe repertoire. That new recipe can change your brain and bring joy when you weren’t expecting it.

2 weeks left – stay calm

Are you feeling just the slightest bit panicked about all the stuff you have left to do before the end of the year? Here are some strategies to stay calm and at least get some stuff done before it’s time to ring in the New Year. There are about 2 weeks left – stay calm.

Stay in control

Easier said than done, right? Be more free with the “No’s.” If you’re typically a person who says Yes to everything, stop it. Right now. Unless it’s something you really want. Saying no to adding more things on your plate will help your peace of mind, help your resilience, and keep you healthier. You won’t be worried about extra stuff you have to get done. You’ll be able to stay more focused on the things that really matter.

Prioritize

Make sure the stuff that’s most important gets done. Once you’ve cleared those, then you can worry about the smaller stuff. But be sure you’re able to prioritize your tasks with a clear mind and really understand the value of finishing the tasks you set the highest priority to.

Spend time with the people you care about most

Too often the holidays are lonely for people our age. Don’t let that happen. Reach out to your community and make sure you’re sharing your time with people who are important to you.

Manage your habits

Now is not the time to neglect the healthy habits you’ve worked so hard to gain. Eat a healthy snack before you go to a party where you know there will be lots of yummy stuff that you’ll pay for later. (That’s not to say you have to forego that yummy stuff – be discerning.) If you don’t have time for your usual workout, take a walk with a friend. You’re still moving and catching up. And don’t neglect your sleep.

Focus on gratitude

Every day, focus on gratitude. Recognize things and people you’re grateful for. Your happiness and optimism grow, and so does your ability to look to the future.

Focus on these 5 strategies to stay calm, and you’ll head into next year with a bright outlook.

Do we need to age gracefully?

Should our goal be to age gracefully or be as loud and forceful as possible? I read an interview with Sofia Vergara who comes at the discussion by setting aside the traditional Latina point of view. Latinas have held high standards for traditional beauty, that women should do whatever they can to achieve those standards for themselves. 

The actress is into her 50’s now, and acknowledges the double standards that women face. Women are expected to look beautiful and not appear to age, but are criticized for having cosmetic procedures done. Vergara says, “Beauty has evolved so much over time, and it’s no longer about fitting a mold or a standard; it’s about feeling confident, empowered, and authentic — whatever that means to you,” she says. “When we remove this stigma, we get the freedom of our own choices and celebrate the idea that beauty isn’t one size fits all, it’s personal.”

I’ve said before that fitness is an individual thing. What one person considers fit may not be another’s idea of fitness. The same for beauty. If a woman is feeling good about herself, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about them. 

That’s easier said than done. Words hurt. And we live in the golden age of bullies. Bullying is rampant in social media. Everyone is the target.

But it’s important that we grow a thicker skin about things that we feel are important. If we’re confident in ourselves, and feeling empowered in our choices, we can face those bullies head on and tell them to mind their own business. Or say to ourselves that people are going to say whatever they’re going to say. There’s nothing we can do about that, but be true to our own ideas and values. 

We’re being strong in our commitment to ourselves. And that can reveal itself in the choices we make in our diet, our exercise program, in our mindset. We’re strong in our beliefs and that carries through to our everyday lives. Our optimism grows, and so does our resilience.

And that makes us beautiful. That’s how we age gracefully. By holding true to what we believe.

Unleash your creativity and boost your cognition

It’s the time of year when we see people’s creativity all around us. They decorate their homes with lights, colorful figures and greenery. Who wants to get all techie and ruin the mood? I say, embrace your creative side these last weeks of the year and get more done than ever. Unleash your creativity and boost your cognition. We already know that exercising helps boost your memory power. But we can also solve more problems as we get more artsy. And I’m not the only one saying this. 

Your brain becomes more flexible

Fostering your creativity trains your brain to be more adaptable and flexible in dealing with all sorts of problems. Not just how to get that pot completely balanced and smooth, for example, but how to solve that problem with a work project or a relationship or a career issue. As I work on a knitting project, for example, my stitches start out uneven and the yarn tension is unbalanced. But as I work through my knitting issues, other problems are also being worked on in the back of my brain.

Being creative takes you out of the linear thinking mode and the confines of regular logic. Options stop being only black and white. Your mind can look at problems from many different angles and see potential solutions that you otherwise might miss. 

All parts of the brain are involved

We used to think that creativity came from just one part of the brain. But scientists have debunked that theory. Multiple parts of the brain are involved, along with neurotransmitters and other cognitive processes. The temporal lobe which is used for processing memories and emotions, the parietal lobe which is mostly for sensory processing, and even the prefrontal cortex, used mostly for high-level cognitive tasks, gets involved when you’re doing some creative thinking.

Cognition involves many mental processes we use to learn and understand things. Processes like attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving. Creative thinking uses all of these processes as well.

So, get smart and get creative. Go take up a new hobby. Or dust off that scarf you started knitting last year.

By the way, getting creative can also boost your healthy aging. Creative hobbies can reduce stress and help us be more optimistic. Finishing a creative project will also boost our confidence and our resilience.