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Mental Note Vol. 24

Photo by Josh Riemer on Unsplash Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! We just wanted everyone to know how much we appreciate everyone and how thankful we are for all our readers and writers here. We wouldn’t be anywhere without you, so thank you all for bringing informative, vulnerable, and important pieces that destigmatize mental illness and mental health. Without further ado, here are ten of our top stories from last week, all of which were curated: “Just as the capacity to love and inspire is universal so is the capacity to hate and discourage. Irrespective of gender, race, age or religion none of us are exempt from aggressive proclivities. Those who are narcissistically disordered, and accordingly repress deep seated feelings of inferiority with inflated delusions of grandeur and superiority, are more prone to aggression and violence. They infiltrate our interactions in myriad environments from home, work, school and the cyber world. Hence, bullying does not happen in isolation. Although there is a ringleader she looks to her minions to either sanction her cruelty or look the other way.” “Even though the circumstances that brought me here were sad and challenging, I’m grateful for how this program has changed my life for the better. I can’t help but imagine what life would be like if everyone learned to accept their powerlessness over other people, prioritize their serenity, and take life one step at a time. We’ll never know, but I’d bet the world would be much happier.” “The prospect of spending a horrible Christmas, locked in on a psychiatric unit, was one of the low points of my life. For weeks, the day room was festooned with cheesy decorations and a sorry pink aluminum tree. All of our “activity” therapies revolved around the holidays. We baked and decorated cookies. We fashioned quick-drying clay into ornaments that turned out to be too heavy for the tree. Crappy Christmas carols were background torture. It was hard to get pissed off at the staff because they were making the best with what they had.” “Although I hate to admit it, even if my ex had never betrayed me, I still wouldn’t have been happy. I had set him up for an impossible job — to define me and make me whole. If I cannot find peace and contentment within myself, how could anyone else do it for me?” “On a personal note, significant feelings of loss and sadness can still flare up from time to time. That’s only natural; it’s no reason for self-critique. No matter how resilient we purport to be, we are all emotionally vulnerable human beings. Besides, we aren’t talking about some conceptual loss that we can just mechanically compartmentalize away — we are talking about the loss of our fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers.” “The next six weeks will be hard as cases continue to explode and government leadership remains nonexistent. I can’t control any of this. The only thing I can do is take deep breaths, remain vigilant when it comes to limiting exposure to the virus, and let lots of stuff go. I may always be a hypochondriac, but now that I recognize the beast, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to tame it.” “From anecdotal news reports and informal surveys, there is evidence that for some of us, this pandemic-imposed isolation is a boon rather than a trial. One study on mixed emotions showed that those with lower emotional stability (“moody” personalities) are actually better at responding to uncertainty.” “Every day I wish in my heart and soul that I didn’t have ME/CFS. Unfortunately, I do. It’s a result of a virus I had; 10–12 percent of people who experience a serious infection go on to develop ME. I’ve visualized life without CFS for over a year now; I can smell life without it, I can taste it. It’s in the smell of the lavender fields that I can no longer run through. It’s in the taste of the meals from my favorite restaurant that I can no longer walk to. It’s on the tip of my tongue. It’s in the potentialities; all the things I could be doing, as a twenty-four year-old, that I can’t. I cannot cross the chasm between the potential and the reality. And that’s nothing to do with manifestation.” “Whether it’s cabin fever, redundancy, loss, or general Covid anxieties, this year has caused us to be exposed to more uncertainty than ever. Uncertainty creates unease and feelings of stress. Some of us may have taken this year as one to motivate — plan dream trips, and prepare and be inspired for what the future could bring. For the rest, it has caused us to become irrational, emotional, and reserved. “To be more self-compassionate is a task that can be tricky because we always want to push ourselves and do better. Without realising it, this can lead to us being self-critical which can have damaging consequences. It’s important to notice these times when we are harsh because we can easily turn it into self-compassion, which is linked to a better quality of life.” Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! — Ryan, Juliette, Marie, and Meredith

https://medium.com/invisible-illness/mental-note-vol-24-969b6a42443f

['Ryan Fan']

2020-12-26 03:38:10.479000+00:00

['Mental Health', 'Health', 'Psychology', 'Science', 'Neuroscience']

Title Mental Note Vol 24Content Photo Josh Riemer Unsplash Merry Christmas Happy Holidays everyone wanted everyone know much appreciate everyone thankful reader writer wouldn’t anywhere without thank bringing informative vulnerable important piece destigmatize mental illness mental health Without ado ten top story last week curated “Just capacity love inspire universal capacity hate discourage Irrespective gender race age religion none u exempt aggressive proclivity narcissistically disordered accordingly repress deep seated feeling inferiority inflated delusion grandeur superiority prone aggression violence infiltrate interaction myriad environment home work school cyber world Hence bullying happen isolation Although ringleader look minion either sanction cruelty look way” “Even though circumstance brought sad challenging I’m grateful program changed life better can’t help imagine life would like everyone learned accept powerlessness people prioritize serenity take life one step time We’ll never know I’d bet world would much happier” “The prospect spending horrible Christmas locked psychiatric unit one low point life week day room festooned cheesy decoration sorry pink aluminum tree “activity” therapy revolved around holiday baked decorated cooky fashioned quickdrying clay ornament turned heavy tree Crappy Christmas carol background torture hard get pissed staff making best had” “Although hate admit even ex never betrayed still wouldn’t happy set impossible job — define make whole cannot find peace contentment within could anyone else me” “On personal note significant feeling loss sadness still flare time time That’s natural it’s reason selfcritique matter resilient purport emotionally vulnerable human being Besides aren’t talking conceptual loss mechanically compartmentalize away — talking loss father mother sister brothers” “The next six week hard case continue explode government leadership remains nonexistent can’t control thing take deep breath remain vigilant come limiting exposure virus let lot stuff go may always hypochondriac recognize beast I’m hopeful I’ll able tame it” “From anecdotal news report informal survey evidence u pandemicimposed isolation boon rather trial One study mixed emotion showed lower emotional stability “moody” personality actually better responding uncertainty” “Every day wish heart soul didn’t MECFS Unfortunately It’s result virus 10–12 percent people experience serious infection go develop I’ve visualized life without CFS year smell life without taste It’s smell lavender field longer run It’s taste meal favorite restaurant longer walk It’s tip tongue It’s potentiality thing could twentyfour yearold can’t cannot cross chasm potential reality that’s nothing manifestation” “Whether it’s cabin fever redundancy loss general Covid anxiety year caused u exposed uncertainty ever Uncertainty creates unease feeling stress u may taken year one motivate — plan dream trip prepare inspired future could bring rest caused u become irrational emotional reserved “To selfcompassionate task tricky always want push better Without realising lead u selfcritical damaging consequence It’s important notice time harsh easily turn selfcompassion linked better quality life” Merry Christmas Happy Holidays everyone — Ryan Juliette Marie MeredithTags Mental Health Health Psychology Science Neuroscience

Your Brain On Coronavirus

Your Brain On Coronavirus A guide to the curious and troubling impact of the pandemic and isolation Photo by cottonbro from Pexels The coronavirus pandemic frustrates and confounds epidemiologists and immunologists, even after months of study. It frustrates politicians and public health officials dealing with mask non-compliance. It frustrates everyone stuck at home, whether they lost their job or adapting to Zoom. After exposure to the virus, it first enters the lungs, using host machinery to replicate. The virus itself is just a genetic sequence enclosed in a protein and lipid coat. It binds the ACE2 receptors on lung cells, with a spike protein located on its protein-lipid coat. This receptor, attached to the virus, trafficks into the lung cell. Here the virus hijacks the machinery of the cell to replicate, damaging lung tissue and spreading throughout the body. The ACE2 receptor, expressed in many regions of the body, is vulnerable to further entry of these viral particles. The ACE2 receptor regulates blood pressure, nutrient absorption and inflammation. These pathways converge and mediate brain health and disease. The novel coronavirus perplexed us for many different reasons. A large majority of people who get it don’t display any symptoms, while some display symptoms for many months and others require ventilators to breathe. It is unclear whether someone infected with coronavirus retains long-term immunity. Also, troubling findings implicate this disease in the induction of stroke and the worsening of mental health. The realization that there are likely long-term complications of coronavirus infection is worrying, as millions of people may require expensive coverage for this new pre-existing condition. Those of us lucky to avoid being infected become more socially isolated and lonely. Many studies report the worsening of mental health symptoms, especially in frontline workers, nurses and doctors. These professionals are more prone to burning out and require extra care. COVID-19 and Stroke The cells in the brain require a disproportionate amount of energy to function. When deprived of oxygen, even for minutes, the cells begin to die, leading to a variety of debilitating sensory, motor or language deficits depending. When there is blood loss to a specific region of the brain, cells cannot use oxygen to generate energy. If there is a clot in an artery, fresh oxygen cannot travel to any regions primarily supplied by that blood vessel. These events, classified as ischemic strokes, cause lifelong disability in some of those afflicted. Early findings in patients found abnormal clotting in blood vessels. Vessels around the lungs or even arterial blood-flow to the brain is interrupted. Thus, individuals infected with coronavirus who suffered abnormal blood clotting as a result, were at higher risk of stroke. In June of 2020, researchers published a report of neurological symptoms in the New England Journal of Medicine. While they did not report common symptoms of having a stroke, they showed other strange brain-related features. Of thirteen COVID-19 patients who underwent brain imaging, three of them showed signs of an ischemic stroke. A subset of eight of these patients showed other types of inflammation, while eleven presented with a lack of blood flow to the frontal areas of the brain. Though a preliminary observational study, it suggested that the coronavirus impacted blood clotting and flow to the brain. Several studies since identified swathes of patients suffering from ischemic strokes or brain/vascular inflammation. Another study reviewed the current state of evidence, concluding that 41% of patients suffering from neurological symptoms after COVID-19 infection, suffered from strokes. Larger studies however, are needed to decipher how common this is among all those infected with the novel coronavirus. Depending on which region of the brain loses oxygen, stroke may manifest as a broad range of symptoms. If cells die in an area of the brain responsible for motor movement, it later manifests in unilateral or bilateral difficulties with movement. Other common symptoms involve fatigue, challenges with balance or walking, partial paralysis, pain or inattention to one entire side of the body. It prevents individuals from doing the things they do in their daily lives, such as dress themselves or go to the bathroom independently. COVID-19 and Psychiatric Disorders Photo by Jonathan Rados on Unsplash Either through neuroimmune signalling or by directly entering the cells of the brain, COVID-19 also contributes to psychiatric symptoms and disorders. It is unclear what role it may play in their pathology, but it may worsen existing conditions or as a contributing factor in its development. One study compared individuals afflicted with the novel coronavirus to those in quarantine or the general public, finding elevated rates of depression (29.2%) in those with COVID-19. Another small study reported increased post-traumatic stress symptoms in these patients. Individuals already living with psychiatric disorders reported a worsening of symptoms in two different studies. Several other studies reported depressive and anxious symptoms worsened among essential workers. Another study surveyed >2000 individuals in Denmark, finding a reduction in overall psychological well-being measures during the pandemics. This study also reported that women were more negatively affected than men. Additionally, it recognized that many older adults living in adult-care communities during shelter-in-place orders experience loneliness and depression. A study of older adults in San Francisco found that they showed increased rates of loneliness and depression. We must do our best to check-up on our friends and loved ones. We are all affected differently by the pandemic, so it is important to recognize that the rates of anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders may arise. COVID-19 Long-Haulers Thousands of individuals initially infected with COVID-19, the long-haulers, continue to suffer symptoms many months later. On average, these individuals are women around the age of 44 who are otherwise healthy. Their infections were classified as mild severity because they could recover at home. Facing stigma and in need of a community, several groups sprouted up to support each other. Originally disbelieved, they rallied to raise awareness of their predicament within the medical establishment. It should no longer be sufficient to classify individuals infected with COVID-19, who don’t require a hospital stay, as mild. A few different studies report that most individuals affected with COVID-19 suffer from symptoms months later (Italy, UK, Germany). Intriguingly, many long-haulers did not produce high-levels of coronavirus antibodies. Many individuals experience pain, fatigue and many other debilitating symptoms. These symptoms are consistent with disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for many automatic physiological functions like breathing or heart-rate but also influence fatigue. Preliminary physiotherapy involves reconditioning the nervous system of patients so that they may regain some of these functions. In his article, Ed Yong states:

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/how-the-pandemic-affects-our-brain-and-mental-health-ae2ec0a9fc1d

['Simon Spichak']

2020-09-23 22:10:17.126000+00:00

['Mental Health', 'Coronavirus', 'Science', 'Psychology', 'Neuroscience']

Title Brain CoronavirusContent Brain Coronavirus guide curious troubling impact pandemic isolation Photo cottonbro Pexels coronavirus pandemic frustrates confounds epidemiologist immunologist even month study frustrates politician public health official dealing mask noncompliance frustrates everyone stuck home whether lost job adapting Zoom exposure virus first enters lung using host machinery replicate virus genetic sequence enclosed protein lipid coat bind ACE2 receptor lung cell spike protein located proteinlipid coat receptor attached virus trafficks lung cell virus hijack machinery cell replicate damaging lung tissue spreading throughout body ACE2 receptor expressed many region body vulnerable entry viral particle ACE2 receptor regulates blood pressure nutrient absorption inflammation pathway converge mediate brain health disease novel coronavirus perplexed u many different reason large majority people get don’t display symptom display symptom many month others require ventilator breathe unclear whether someone infected coronavirus retains longterm immunity Also troubling finding implicate disease induction stroke worsening mental health realization likely longterm complication coronavirus infection worrying million people may require expensive coverage new preexisting condition u lucky avoid infected become socially isolated lonely Many study report worsening mental health symptom especially frontline worker nurse doctor professional prone burning require extra care COVID19 Stroke cell brain require disproportionate amount energy function deprived oxygen even minute cell begin die leading variety debilitating sensory motor language deficit depending blood loss specific region brain cell cannot use oxygen generate energy clot artery fresh oxygen cannot travel region primarily supplied blood vessel event classified ischemic stroke cause lifelong disability afflicted Early finding patient found abnormal clotting blood vessel Vessels around lung even arterial bloodflow brain interrupted Thus individual infected coronavirus suffered abnormal blood clotting result higher risk stroke June 2020 researcher published report neurological symptom New England Journal Medicine report common symptom stroke showed strange brainrelated feature thirteen COVID19 patient underwent brain imaging three showed sign ischemic stroke subset eight patient showed type inflammation eleven presented lack blood flow frontal area brain Though preliminary observational study suggested coronavirus impacted blood clotting flow brain Several study since identified swathe patient suffering ischemic stroke brainvascular inflammation Another study reviewed current state evidence concluding 41 patient suffering neurological symptom COVID19 infection suffered stroke Larger study however needed decipher common among infected novel coronavirus Depending region brain loses oxygen stroke may manifest broad range symptom cell die area brain responsible motor movement later manifest unilateral bilateral difficulty movement common symptom involve fatigue challenge balance walking partial paralysis pain inattention one entire side body prevents individual thing daily life dress go bathroom independently COVID19 Psychiatric Disorders Photo Jonathan Rados Unsplash Either neuroimmune signalling directly entering cell brain COVID19 also contributes psychiatric symptom disorder unclear role may play pathology may worsen existing condition contributing factor development One study compared individual afflicted novel coronavirus quarantine general public finding elevated rate depression 292 COVID19 Another small study reported increased posttraumatic stress symptom patient Individuals already living psychiatric disorder reported worsening symptom two different study Several study reported depressive anxious symptom worsened among essential worker Another study surveyed 2000 individual Denmark finding reduction overall psychological wellbeing measure pandemic study also reported woman negatively affected men Additionally recognized many older adult living adultcare community shelterinplace order experience loneliness depression study older adult San Francisco found showed increased rate loneliness depression must best checkup friend loved one affected differently pandemic important recognize rate anxiety depression stressrelated disorder may arise COVID19 LongHaulers Thousands individual initially infected COVID19 longhaulers continue suffer symptom many month later average individual woman around age 44 otherwise healthy infection classified mild severity could recover home Facing stigma need community several group sprouted support Originally disbelieved rallied raise awareness predicament within medical establishment longer sufficient classify individual infected COVID19 don’t require hospital stay mild different study report individual affected COVID19 suffer symptom month later Italy UK Germany Intriguingly many longhaulers produce highlevels coronavirus antibody Many individual experience pain fatigue many debilitating symptom symptom consistent disturbance autonomic nervous system responsible many automatic physiological function like breathing heartrate also influence fatigue Preliminary physiotherapy involves reconditioning nervous system patient may regain function article Ed Yong statesTags Mental Health Coronavirus Science Psychology Neuroscience

Mind Your Nose

Mind Your Nose How smell training can change your brain in six weeks — and why it matters. By Ann-Sophie Barwich When it comes to training your brain, your sense of smell is possibly the last thing you’d think could strengthen your neural pathways. Learning a new language or reading more books (and fewer social media posts) — sure. But your nose? That’s because the olfactory system is one of the most plastic systems in your brain. Neuroplasticity describes how the brain flexibly adapts to changes in the environment or when exposed to neural damage. Stimulating the brain strengthens existing neural structures and further adds fuel to the brain’s capacity to remain adaptive, thereby keeping it young. And your smell system is particularly adept at repair and renewal. (Olfactory cells have recently been used in human transplant therapy to treat spinal cord injury, for example.) One reason for the olfactory system’s adaptive responsiveness is that it undergoes adult neurogenesis. Humans grow new olfactory neurons every three to four weeks throughout their entire life, not just during child development. (These sensory neurons sit in the mucous of your nose, where they pick up airborne chemicals and send activity signals straight to the core of the brain.) If it weren’t for this ongoing regeneration of sensory cells in your nose, we would stop detecting smells after our first few colds. Neural plasticity weakens as we grow old — and so does our sense of smell. Olfactory performance decreases around the age of 70 as the regeneration of olfactory neurons slows down. Yet this process of regeneration never stops entirely. Training your nose helps slow down that decline and offers a great way to increase your brain’s plasticity. That said, increasing your sensitivity to odors in the environment does not always sound desirable. Smell usually comes with negative connotations: that whiff of urine in the metro, that overpowering literal skunk, or that trail of body odor from the person walking in front of you. But paying more attention to the smells around you also has benefits, and not just for a greater enjoyment of food aromas and neighbors’ gardens. Recent studies show that olfactory abilities correspond with differences in cortical areas involved in smell processing in the brain. Johannes Frasnelli, an olfactory scientist at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières, explained: “We did some studies where we saw that there is a link between the structure of certain brain regions-like the thickness of the cortex and the thickness of the gray matter layer in certain brain olfactory processing regions-and the ability to perceive.” Frasnelli and his colleagues found that people with better perceptual capacities had a thicker cortex. When they looked at people who had lost their sense of smell, they also saw a reduction of cortical matter in areas involved in odor processing. That raises the question: Could you change the structure of your brain simply by smelling things? In 2019, Frasnelli’s group discovered that undergoing as little as six weeks of intense olfactory training results in significant structural changes in some regions of the brain (namely, the right inferior frontal gyrus, the bilateral fusiform gyrus, and the right entorhinal cortex). Participants were given three tasks with a cognitive component. The first task was a classification task. Participants had to organize two simple odor mixtures by ordering each from lowest to highest concentration. The second was an identification task. Participants were presented with a target odor blended with a citrus scent in a specific ratio (4%). Then they were given the same blend in different ratios and asked to order them according to quality (more citrusy or less?). Lastly, the detection task: Was the learned target odor present in a range of 14 samples of different odor mixtures or not? This entire exercise was undertaken each day for 20 minutes during the six weeks. Responses were monitored and evaluated on speed and accuracy. Such intense olfactory training led to a general improvement in olfactory performance. Plus, the increase of olfactory skill was not restricted to the training exercises but also transferred to other olfactory abilities-abilities that had not been tested as part of the training. These perceptual tests included: the detection threshold of an odor, accuracy in odor discrimination (same or different?), cued odor identification (which of these four descriptors is correct?), and even free odor identification (identifying an odor without cues!). Increasing insight into what the nose knows, and how it communicates with the brain, has broader implications-even philosophical ones. Old (yet still prevalent) cookie-cutter views of the mind coax us to believe that our senses are passive-indifferently picking up signals in the world that are then processed by the brain. Perception, in such views, is a process separate from cognition. Highly plastic systems such as olfaction present us with a much more intriguing and interwoven picture of the mind: Training your nose’s performance (just like other cognitive capacities) fundamentally shapes what you perceive by rewiring the system. Your senses are far from being impartial transmitters; what you are able to perceive in the world ultimately hinges on the depth of your cognitive engagement with it. In other words, your mind does not emerge apathetically as a product of some remarkable, intricate molecular twists performed by the brain. The mind is enhanced by what you can train your brain to do. Just like strength is a result of muscle training, cognitive training of the senses is the bodybuilding of the brain.

https://medium.com/neodotlife/mind-your-nose-f0b097d533bb

[]

2020-10-10 20:17:37.132000+00:00

['Biotechnology', 'Neuroscience', 'Brain', 'Wellness', 'Science']

Title Mind NoseContent Mind Nose smell training change brain six week — matter AnnSophie Barwich come training brain sense smell possibly last thing you’d think could strengthen neural pathway Learning new language reading book fewer social medium post — sure nose That’s olfactory system one plastic system brain Neuroplasticity describes brain flexibly adapts change environment exposed neural damage Stimulating brain strengthens existing neural structure add fuel brain’s capacity remain adaptive thereby keeping young smell system particularly adept repair renewal Olfactory cell recently used human transplant therapy treat spinal cord injury example One reason olfactory system’s adaptive responsiveness undergoes adult neurogenesis Humans grow new olfactory neuron every three four week throughout entire life child development sensory neuron sit mucous nose pick airborne chemical send activity signal straight core brain weren’t ongoing regeneration sensory cell nose would stop detecting smell first cold Neural plasticity weakens grow old — sense smell Olfactory performance decrease around age 70 regeneration olfactory neuron slows Yet process regeneration never stop entirely Training nose help slow decline offer great way increase brain’s plasticity said increasing sensitivity odor environment always sound desirable Smell usually come negative connotation whiff urine metro overpowering literal skunk trail body odor person walking front paying attention smell around also benefit greater enjoyment food aroma neighbors’ garden Recent study show olfactory ability correspond difference cortical area involved smell processing brain Johannes Frasnelli olfactory scientist University Quebec TroisRivières explained “We study saw link structure certain brain regionslike thickness cortex thickness gray matter layer certain brain olfactory processing regionsand ability perceive” Frasnelli colleague found people better perceptual capacity thicker cortex looked people lost sense smell also saw reduction cortical matter area involved odor processing raise question Could change structure brain simply smelling thing 2019 Frasnelli’s group discovered undergoing little six week intense olfactory training result significant structural change region brain namely right inferior frontal gyrus bilateral fusiform gyrus right entorhinal cortex Participants given three task cognitive component first task classification task Participants organize two simple odor mixture ordering lowest highest concentration second identification task Participants presented target odor blended citrus scent specific ratio 4 given blend different ratio asked order according quality citrusy le Lastly detection task learned target odor present range 14 sample different odor mixture entire exercise undertaken day 20 minute six week Responses monitored evaluated speed accuracy intense olfactory training led general improvement olfactory performance Plus increase olfactory skill restricted training exercise also transferred olfactory abilitiesabilities tested part training perceptual test included detection threshold odor accuracy odor discrimination different cued odor identification four descriptor correct even free odor identification identifying odor without cue Increasing insight nose know communicates brain broader implicationseven philosophical one Old yet still prevalent cookiecutter view mind coax u believe sens passiveindifferently picking signal world processed brain Perception view process separate cognition Highly plastic system olfaction present u much intriguing interwoven picture mind Training nose’s performance like cognitive capacity fundamentally shape perceive rewiring system sens far impartial transmitter able perceive world ultimately hinge depth cognitive engagement word mind emerge apathetically product remarkable intricate molecular twist performed brain mind enhanced train brain like strength result muscle training cognitive training sens bodybuilding brainTags Biotechnology Neuroscience Brain Wellness Science

The 4 Purposes of Dreams

Passionate about the synergy between science and technology to provide better care. Check out my newsletter: scienceforreal.substack.com 📰 Follow

https://medium.com/science-for-real/the-4-purposes-of-dreams-fc6719090e75

['Eshan Samaranayake']

2020-12-21 16:05:19.524000+00:00

['Health', 'Neuroscience', 'Mental Health', 'Psychology', 'Science']

Title 4 Purposes DreamsContent Passionate synergy science technology provide better care Check newsletter scienceforrealsubstackcom 📰 FollowTags Health Neuroscience Mental Health Psychology Science

Surviving a Rod Through the Head

You’ve heard of him, haven’t you? Phineas Gage. The railroad worker who survived an explosion that involved an iron rod piercing through his left cheek and out of his brain and skull. Yeah. I know. You’re probably wondering “yeah, alright sweet. What about him?” Well, let’s just say that he was a really popular patient for the field of neuroscience (Cherry, par. 1). And what I found the most interesting about this tragic event was the science of his behavior afterward. For those of you who don’t know much about Phineas Gage, let me fill you in with the help of my research. Phineas Gage, 25 years old, was a railroad worker in Vermont. One day, at work, he was using an iron rod to handle explosive gun powder. As he was using the iron rod to handle the gun powder, an explosion suddenly occurred. The iron rod then went through his left cheek and brain. Fortunately, he survived and was able to talk and walk after the accident (Cherry, par. 2–3). Why did people say that Phineas Gage was a “different person” after his accident? It actually has to do with neuroscience. The iron rod went through his brain, in particular, it went through the frontal lobe of his brain. Does this mean that the frontal lobe of your brain has to do with the kind of person you are? To answer this question, we have to understand what the frontal lobe in our brain is responsible for. Our frontal lobes are responsible for many things. Some of them are higher-order thinking, personality, and decision making. This explains why people who knew Phineas Gage said that he was a totally different person after the accident. Since the iron rod went through his frontal lobe, it means that his personality and thinking, as a whole, completely changed, making him seem like he was a whole different person due to the way he started acting. This accident and the treatment of Phineas Gage actually played a big role in the field of neurology. His case helped scientists better understand the role of the frontal cortex of the brain (Cherry, par. 16–17). Bibliography Cherry, Kendra. “The Famous Case of Phineas Gage’s Astonishing Brain Injury.” Phineas Gage’s Astonishing Brain Injury, Verywell Mind, 3 Oct. 2019, www.verywellmind.com/phineas-gage-2795244#targetText=The%20rod%20penetrated%20Gage's%20left,be%20seen%20by%20a%20doctor.

https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/surviving-a-rod-through-the-head-2e5d74db978

['Rishav Sinha']

2020-02-26 00:01:01.576000+00:00

['Brain', 'Health', 'Development', 'Psychology', 'Science']

Title Surviving Rod HeadContent You’ve heard haven’t Phineas Gage railroad worker survived explosion involved iron rod piercing left cheek brain skull Yeah know You’re probably wondering “yeah alright sweet him” Well let’s say really popular patient field neuroscience Cherry par 1 found interesting tragic event science behavior afterward don’t know much Phineas Gage let fill help research Phineas Gage 25 year old railroad worker Vermont One day work using iron rod handle explosive gun powder using iron rod handle gun powder explosion suddenly occurred iron rod went left cheek brain Fortunately survived able talk walk accident Cherry par 2–3 people say Phineas Gage “different person” accident actually neuroscience iron rod went brain particular went frontal lobe brain mean frontal lobe brain kind person answer question understand frontal lobe brain responsible frontal lobe responsible many thing higherorder thinking personality decision making explains people knew Phineas Gage said totally different person accident Since iron rod went frontal lobe mean personality thinking whole completely changed making seem like whole different person due way started acting accident treatment Phineas Gage actually played big role field neurology case helped scientist better understand role frontal cortex brain Cherry par 16–17 Bibliography Cherry Kendra “The Famous Case Phineas Gage’s Astonishing Brain Injury” Phineas Gage’s Astonishing Brain Injury Verywell Mind 3 Oct 2019 wwwverywellmindcomphineasgage2795244targetTextThe20rod20penetrated20Gages20leftbe20seen20by20a20doctorTags Brain Health Development Psychology Science

Mentally, Young Adults Are Suffering Most From COVID

Mentally, Young Adults Are Suffering Most From COVID “When it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is through.” Photo created by the author on Canva Pro “Young individuals reported higher acute stress and depressive symptoms than older respondents, suggesting that despite being most deadly for older populations at the time of our data collection, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have had widespread impacts across populations.” — Holman et al., Science Advances 2020 It’s no secret that COVID-19 and the pandemic have been detrimental to people’s mental health. However, the group that’s suffered the most from COVID-19 is young adults, who have had the biggest mental toll from COVID. Holman et al. found that 62.9 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported an anxiety or depressive disorder, and a quarter found they were using more than alcohol or drugs to cope with their pandemic stress. The researchers found that a quarter of the age group “seriously considered suicide” between mid-March to mid-April. The conclusion from those findings is that young people are suffering most mentally from COVID. Unfortunately, I don’t find these findings that surprising. I know a lot of people struggle with COVID. I’m struggling with COVID, and I’m in that age range of 18- to 24-year-olds — and I experience that phenomenon as much as anyone in my age range. But Claudia Wallis at Scientific American reports on more than just the mental health of youth mental health during COVID. A report from the CDC in August found that incidences of anxiety symptoms tripled and depression quadrupled in a representative sample. And the most affected are people who had pre-existing mental health issues, people of color, and low-income individuals, so the vulnerable individuals in society are more vulnerable during the pandemic. Interestingly enough, Ettman et al. found that Asian individuals saw an almost fivefold increase in depression, and some psychiatrists who talked to Wallis attributed that to racism and slurs related to the Asian-Americans. As an Asian-American, the pandemic is forcing me to confront anti-Asian racism in a way I’ve never done so before. According to Holman et al., young people may have been more depressed because: “[They] may have had more disruption in life events: graduations, weddings, the senior year of college and of high school. All those transitions were disrupted, as well as school and social connections, which we know are very important for young people.” And the researchers also found that increased exposure to media coverage about the coronavirus led to more distress. Sensationalist reports lead to more anxiety and depression, and clearly the lack of social connection also disproportionately affects young people. Psychologist Logan Jones stresses that much of the reporting these days keeps people hooked on the news cycle, and keeps people addicted to the news. As such, Jones emphasizes the importance of keeping boundaries. “Consuming too much of this kind of news, whether actively or passively, can be very toxic, and what you hear has an impact on your mood,” Jones says. The CDC also states that the mental health of young adults has been impacted socially, emotionally, and mentally. They attribute these mental health concerns to the trauma faced at a developmental age, and all hands are on deck for parents, caregivers, and other adults to support children and young people. Part of that trauma is a result of changes in routines, employment, and educational challenges, a loss of security and safety, and missed significant life events. As a teacher during COVID, almost all of my students say they want to return to the physical school building during COVID. They report being more lonely and isolated, and can’t wait to return to see their friends and teachers again. My school is emphasizing more relationship-building activities and prioritizing mental health during lessons more than adhering to a curriculum as a result. Takeaways Well, the problem is difficult and can seem negative, but what can young people do to tackle mental health concerns during COVID? The CDC states that to fight stress during COVID, young people need to recognize and address fear, stress, and behavioral changes during COVID. Health concerns are certainly a priority for young people as well, and excessive worry and sadness leads to trouble paying attention, trouble concentrating, and trouble focusing on activities. It is also important for young people to stay socially connected. Staying socially connected through video chats, Zoom, and phone calls is also a solution. But honestly, we’re all doing the best we can, and it’s very important to recognize that as we go through our days. Whatever we’re going through is valid and reasonable, and above all, normal. For me, what’s helped my mental health is spending time with my girlfriend and my friends within reason, limiting how much I doomscroll, and get enough sleep. I try to exercise and maintain a fitness challenge, but what works for me certainly won’t work for everyone. Unicef emphasizes that it’s important to feel your feelings instead of trying to resist them, as well. According to Dr. Lisa Damour:

https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/mentally-young-adults-are-suffering-most-from-covid-5f690c81c897

['Ryan Fan']

2020-11-19 15:27:36.001000+00:00

['Society', 'Mental Health', 'Health', 'Nonfiction', 'Coronavirus']

Title Mentally Young Adults Suffering COVIDContent Mentally Young Adults Suffering COVID “When come painful feeling way through” Photo created author Canva Pro “Young individual reported higher acute stress depressive symptom older respondent suggesting despite deadly older population time data collection COVID19 pandemic aftermath widespread impact across populations” — Holman et al Science Advances 2020 It’s secret COVID19 pandemic detrimental people’s mental health However group that’s suffered COVID19 young adult biggest mental toll COVID Holman et al found 629 percent 18 24yearolds reported anxiety depressive disorder quarter found using alcohol drug cope pandemic stress researcher found quarter age group “seriously considered suicide” midMarch midApril conclusion finding young people suffering mentally COVID Unfortunately don’t find finding surprising know lot people struggle COVID I’m struggling COVID I’m age range 18 24yearolds — experience phenomenon much anyone age range Claudia Wallis Scientific American report mental health youth mental health COVID report CDC August found incidence anxiety symptom tripled depression quadrupled representative sample affected people preexisting mental health issue people color lowincome individual vulnerable individual society vulnerable pandemic Interestingly enough Ettman et al found Asian individual saw almost fivefold increase depression psychiatrist talked Wallis attributed racism slur related AsianAmericans AsianAmerican pandemic forcing confront antiAsian racism way I’ve never done According Holman et al young people may depressed “They may disruption life event graduation wedding senior year college high school transition disrupted well school social connection know important young people” researcher also found increased exposure medium coverage coronavirus led distress Sensationalist report lead anxiety depression clearly lack social connection also disproportionately affect young people Psychologist Logan Jones stress much reporting day keep people hooked news cycle keep people addicted news Jones emphasizes importance keeping boundary “Consuming much kind news whether actively passively toxic hear impact mood” Jones say CDC also state mental health young adult impacted socially emotionally mentally attribute mental health concern trauma faced developmental age hand deck parent caregiver adult support child young people Part trauma result change routine employment educational challenge loss security safety missed significant life event teacher COVID almost student say want return physical school building COVID report lonely isolated can’t wait return see friend teacher school emphasizing relationshipbuilding activity prioritizing mental health lesson adhering curriculum result Takeaways Well problem difficult seem negative young people tackle mental health concern COVID CDC state fight stress COVID young people need recognize address fear stress behavioral change COVID Health concern certainly priority young people well excessive worry sadness lead trouble paying attention trouble concentrating trouble focusing activity also important young people stay socially connected Staying socially connected video chat Zoom phone call also solution honestly we’re best it’s important recognize go day Whatever we’re going valid reasonable normal what’s helped mental health spending time girlfriend friend within reason limiting much doomscroll get enough sleep try exercise maintain fitness challenge work certainly won’t work everyone Unicef emphasizes it’s important feel feeling instead trying resist well According Dr Lisa DamourTags Society Mental Health Health Nonfiction Coronavirus

How to Turn Your Popular Blog Series Into a Bestselling Book

How to Turn Your Popular Blog Series Into a Bestselling Book Thoughts from someone who’s done it five times Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash Every serious writer’s dream is to see their name on a bestselling book — one that people eagerly read, review, and tell their friends about. Is that your dream? It can come true. Your words can reach further and do more good than you ever imagined. You’re already here on Medium writing for the masses. Maybe you have a blog, too. I’ll bet you’ve noticed it’s infinitely easier to get traffic here than it is on your own property. Why is that? When it’s your own place, you have to invite people to come. They won’t necessarily see you when they’re surfing the web, looking for content like yours. The keywords might bring your site to the top if you’ve done your homework and bought a few (or a lot of) ads. If you’ve got a hefty budget to spend before you make a dime, that can be a great way to go. But what if you don’t? Hope for those on a limited budget When you first start out, you’ve got a big dream. You know your story is good. You know it can change people’s lives. It doesn’t matter if it’s truth or fiction. The truth is, even fiction has a bit of truth in it. If it didn’t, it would be fantasy. We need things to make sense, even in a made up world or we can’t follow what’s happening, much less believe it enough to read it. I write nonfiction, most of the time, so what I share here will come from that perspective. If you’re a storyteller, there are still principles here you can use to promote your work. So stay with me, okay? The beauty of writing on a platform like Medium is you don’t have to spend a dime to get paid. You do have to spend time — and we all have some of that. Here’s how you’ll spend it: Brainstorming ideas Refining those ideas into drafts Editing your writing for prime time Sharing a bit on social media, your own work and the work of others You can cash in on community when you contribute something valuable to it. The more valuable it is, the more likely others will read it, comment on it, and share it. When you do the same for others, some will want to pay you back. Generosity is the key to growth. Write to learn what people want A book is an ambitious project. Some say it takes a year or more. Others say you can write a book a week. I’m not sure I advocate either of these approaches. I say writing a book should take long enough for it to be effective. Depending on your subject and how much time you have, that could take three months or nine months. If you know a lot up front, the process will be shorter. If you have to do a lot of research, budget that time in. So what makes a book effective? How do you answer that question? Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash First, your book is effective when it satisfies a reader’s need. What do your readers want? If you have a following, you already know, don’t you? They probably want a few things like: Entertainment Information Hope An escape Chances are, they want a mix of these things. As you blog, invite your readers to talk to you. Use that feedback to discover what’s missing in their lives that they want more of. Then you can take on the responsibility to provide it to them. If they feel the need strongly enough, they’ll buy. Second, your book is effective when it fills a gap. Don’t just write another leadership book because people buy a lot of them. The same goes for romance, historical fiction, writing advice, or whatever your speciality is. Give them something they can’t get anywhere else. How do you figure out what’s missing? Read a few other books, preferably the bestsellers. What do they cover? How well do they do it? What might you do even better than this author? Scan the reviews. Is there something people want that the book doesn’t cover? Is there something people complain about that you can make irrelevant in your book? Read the most popular reviews, positive and negative. Make notes. Then use what you learn to make your book shine. Talk to people who’ve read these books if you can. Ask them what they liked about them, and what they didn’t. What do they wish the author had covered that he didn’t? What did the author include that they think should have been left out? Feel free to reward those who help you with a free copy of your awesome book. Third, test your material in blog posts and refine it in the book. Before you write your draft in silence and refine it for your book, why not test it with the people who already read your content? You’ll learn a lot this way: Whether your readers think your idea is as good as you do What questions they have about your content How clearly and persuasively you’re making your points Wouldn’t you rather know this before you spend a year in front of your desk writing your masterpiece? Better to let it walk in public first before it runs on the digital presses. If you’re worried people might not buy your book when they can read it online, here’s a bit of insurance to nudge them forward — include some surprises in the book that they can’t get anywhere else. Also, you don’t have to transfer it word for word if you don’t want to. You’ll probably need to add some transitions so it all flows together. This will become clearer as you work through your blog series. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a book that already took a test drive before you hit publish. There’s no guarantee you’ll be the number one bestseller, but you’ll sure have a better shot than you will with a book you write on speculation. When you already have a following, at least some of them will be eager to buy your book on day one. Photo by Kenny Luo on Unsplash Finally, it’s not all about you There are so many people trying to sell something now it’s ridiculous. And yeah, I know, I’m asking you to be one more of them. You can set yourself apart by focusing on service. Sure, you’ve gotta get paid. We all need to eat. You soften the blow when you provide more value than what it costs to get that value. People are already spending money on books, courses, and the like. They buy when they believe what they’re getting is more valuable than the cash in their pocket. When you test drive your book on your blog, you can establish value as you go. Each post should add to the overall value of the total package. With all that going for you, you’ll have no guilt. Marketing won’t feel so slimy. You know your book is good, and you can stand behind it with honest pride. Make it about them and they’ll make your dream come true. Do that and I’ll see you on the bestseller list!

https://frankmckinley.medium.com/want-to-turn-your-blog-into-a-book-6360e4b1d670

['Frank Mckinley']

2020-01-28 03:36:58.566000+00:00

['Books', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Writing', 'Marketing', 'Productivity']

Title Turn Popular Blog Series Bestselling BookContent Turn Popular Blog Series Bestselling Book Thoughts someone who’s done five time Photo John Schnobrich Unsplash Every serious writer’s dream see name bestselling book — one people eagerly read review tell friend dream come true word reach good ever imagined You’re already Medium writing mass Maybe blog I’ll bet you’ve noticed it’s infinitely easier get traffic property it’s place invite people come won’t necessarily see they’re surfing web looking content like keywords might bring site top you’ve done homework bought lot ad you’ve got hefty budget spend make dime great way go don’t Hope limited budget first start you’ve got big dream know story good know change people’s life doesn’t matter it’s truth fiction truth even fiction bit truth didn’t would fantasy need thing make sense even made world can’t follow what’s happening much le believe enough read write nonfiction time share come perspective you’re storyteller still principle use promote work stay okay beauty writing platform like Medium don’t spend dime get paid spend time — Here’s you’ll spend Brainstorming idea Refining idea draft Editing writing prime time Sharing bit social medium work work others cash community contribute something valuable valuable likely others read comment share others want pay back Generosity key growth Write learn people want book ambitious project say take year Others say write book week I’m sure advocate either approach say writing book take long enough effective Depending subject much time could take three month nine month know lot front process shorter lot research budget time make book effective answer question Photo bruce mar Unsplash First book effective satisfies reader’s need reader want following already know don’t probably want thing like Entertainment Information Hope escape Chances want mix thing blog invite reader talk Use feedback discover what’s missing life want take responsibility provide feel need strongly enough they’ll buy Second book effective fill gap Don’t write another leadership book people buy lot go romance historical fiction writing advice whatever speciality Give something can’t get anywhere else figure what’s missing Read book preferably bestseller cover well might even better author Scan review something people want book doesn’t cover something people complain make irrelevant book Read popular review positive negative Make note use learn make book shine Talk people who’ve read book Ask liked didn’t wish author covered didn’t author include think left Feel free reward help free copy awesome book Third test material blog post refine book write draft silence refine book test people already read content You’ll learn lot way Whether reader think idea good question content clearly persuasively you’re making point Wouldn’t rather know spend year front desk writing masterpiece Better let walk public first run digital press you’re worried people might buy book read online here’s bit insurance nudge forward — include surprise book can’t get anywhere else Also don’t transfer word word don’t want You’ll probably need add transition flow together become clearer work blog series time you’re done you’ll book already took test drive hit publish There’s guarantee you’ll number one bestseller you’ll sure better shot book write speculation already following least eager buy book day one Photo Kenny Luo Unsplash Finally it’s many people trying sell something it’s ridiculous yeah know I’m asking one set apart focusing service Sure you’ve gotta get paid need eat soften blow provide value cost get value People already spending money book course like buy believe they’re getting valuable cash pocket test drive book blog establish value go post add overall value total package going you’ll guilt Marketing won’t feel slimy know book good stand behind honest pride Make they’ll make dream come true I’ll see bestseller listTags Books Entrepreneurship Writing Marketing Productivity

Dr Faisal Dar — Pioneer of Liver Transplantation in Pakistan

Dr Faisal Dar — Pioneer of Liver Transplantation in Pakistan Dr. Fasial Dar is the pioneer of liver transplantation in Pakistan. He works at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad where he conducted the first ever transplant in 2010 of a 9 year old boy. Recently, along with his team he has successfully completed 200 transplant surgeries in Pakistan. Fatima Arif: Give us some of your personal background; your family and education background. Dr. Faisal Dar: I was born in Faisalabad; but due to my father’s death when I was very young; my family decided to move back to our native village, Kotla Bhalot, in Kharian, District Gujrat. There I completed my basic education from a local school, leading to Matric and F.Sc from Kharian Cantt. My MBBS is from Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore. After that I completed my FCPS (surgery): Fellow of College of Physicians & Surgeons from Pakistan. Then I went to Ireland for my FRCS (Surgery) Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. This was followed by Fellowship in Liver Transplantation/Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery from Kings College London School of Medicine, UK. Additionally, I am also a Fellow of European Board in Transplant Surgery (FEBTS — Transplant Surgery). FA: When did you decide to become a doctor, was it a personal choice or like the majority here your parents idea and how did you decide to opt for this specialty? FD: My family wanted me to join Pakistan Army; becoming a doctor was my own choice. Since I qualified the merit list for medical college; so it was easy to convince my family to let me follow my calling. Surgery was my passion since the start and that is why after completing my house job I decided to go for my fellowship in general surgery. After completing my training and exams I went to UK for further specialization in 2003. At that time there was no liver transplant and hepatopancreaticobiliary surgeons in Pakistan and considering the huge need for this facility in our country I decided to opt this specialty. FA: Share your journey of how the liver transplants started and what is the procedure whereby patients are selected? FD: The first liver transplant in humans was done in 1963. Liver transplant went through two decades of evolution and scientific work, and it was only in 1983 when liver transplant was accepted as the standard treatment for liver failure. Since then huge number of liver transplants are carried out across the world. Living donor liver transplant (in which a healthy individual donates a part of his liver to his beloved one) started in early 1990’s; the techniques and procedures got matured by 2000, and now living donor liver transplant is the standard accepted options for patients with liver failure in countries where donations after brain death does not exists. After completing my training at King’s College Hospital, London, I decided to come back to Pakistan and start liver transplant program in my country. I was lucky to get good colleagues and tremendous support from the management to get the basic work done before we could do our first liver transplant on 30th April 2010 at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad. Personally it was a very happy and emotional moment and a great honor for me as a doctor to be the pioneer of liver transplantation in Pakistan. Patients go through an extensive assessment process to determine their candidacy for liver transplant. In short any patient who’s liver has failed either due to a chronic disease (like hepatitis B & C, autoimmune liver diseases etc.) or suffer from acute liver failure (due to hepatitis E, A or other viruses, drugs or toxins) and patients who have developed liver cancer can benefit from liver transplant. Patients who are unfit to go through such a major operation (due to severe heart or lung disease) or patients who have advanced cancer are not considered for liver transplant because they will not benefit in short or long term from liver transplant. FA: How are patients who can’t afford the procedure included in the process and how is there funding secured? FD: Liver transplant is one of the most complex operation in the medical field. In order to conduct a liver transplant there are some minimal standards that need to be followed by the hospital. Without these basic set standards and the highest level of skill set it is not possible to do a liver transplant successfully. Someone has to bear the cost of the operation. At the moment majority of the patients pay out of their own pocket. Some are funded by the insurance companies, some by the Government and some by different NGO’s. Pakistan is a beautiful country. Its natural beauty comprising of landscapes, deserts, rivers, planes and the mighty mountains is matchless. The people of Pakistan are loving and caring, known for their hospitality. FA: What is the future you see for Pakistan’s medical community in terms of the latest treatments and technology? FD: Technology is not a big issue as the world has become a global village and access to technology has been made easier. The most important factor is the human resource. Pakistan needs expat doctors to come back; transfer knowledge, techniques and train the future generations to the latest available treatments in the world. FA: Share one inspiring story that you came across over the period of your career that had a lasting impact on you? FD: The story that had an impact on me and is close to my heart is from our first liver transplant at Shifa International Hospital. The patient, Muhammad Yasin, a 9 year old boy who was in a need of liver transplant. He was the only son after seven daughters, and none of the family members had a matching blood group for them to donate a part of their liver to save his life. It was his 21 years old cousin; Humaira; a university student who volunteered herself to go through an operation to save her cousin’s life. The courage of this young girl, the bond of the family and the faith they had on us was amazing. It has been three years down the line both, Yasin and Humaira are living a normal life. FA: Pakistan faces brain drain, specifically in the medical field. What is your take on it and in your opinion what is the solution to this problem? FD: Personally, I think Pakistani doctors need to go abroad to get exposure to the Western world, that not only enhances their medical knowledge, but it grooms them. Furthermore this exposure adds to their confidence while at the same time teaches them better patient care procedures. However, I also believe that these doctors after improving their skills should come back and serve Pakistan. A lot of responsibility also lies on the Government to improve the public sector hospitals and to redefine service structure for doctors. If our hospitals are upgraded and the doctors are offered decent salaries, I think a lot of doctors will prefer coming back home. FA: What is your message to the international community about Pakistan, where you would like to change at least one stereotype about the country and its people? FD: Pakistan is a beautiful country. Its natural beauty comprising of landscapes, deserts, rivers, planes and the mighty mountains is matchless. The people of Pakistan are loving and caring, known for their hospitality. Our youth is really talented and determine to work for a better future. There are macro level issues, like corruption, bad governance and terrorism that are the obstacles in the materializing of the country’s true potential. I hope to play whatever role I can to help our younger generation break these shekels and realize their dreams.

https://medium.com/storyfest/dr-faisal-dar-pioneer-of-liver-transplantation-in-pakistan-e6f373cb0ea

['Fatima Arif']

2019-02-28 06:01:04.914000+00:00

['People', 'Storyfest', 'Health', 'Pakistan', 'Storytelling']

Title Dr Faisal Dar — Pioneer Liver Transplantation PakistanContent Dr Faisal Dar — Pioneer Liver Transplantation Pakistan Dr Fasial Dar pioneer liver transplantation Pakistan work Shifa International Hospital Islamabad conducted first ever transplant 2010 9 year old boy Recently along team successfully completed 200 transplant surgery Pakistan Fatima Arif Give u personal background family education background Dr Faisal Dar born Faisalabad due father’s death young family decided move back native village Kotla Bhalot Kharian District Gujrat completed basic education local school leading Matric FSc Kharian Cantt MBBS Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore completed FCPS surgery Fellow College Physicians Surgeons Pakistan went Ireland FRCS Surgery Fellow Royal College Surgeons followed Fellowship Liver TransplantationHepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery Kings College London School Medicine UK Additionally also Fellow European Board Transplant Surgery FEBTS — Transplant Surgery FA decide become doctor personal choice like majority parent idea decide opt specialty FD family wanted join Pakistan Army becoming doctor choice Since qualified merit list medical college easy convince family let follow calling Surgery passion since start completing house job decided go fellowship general surgery completing training exam went UK specialization 2003 time liver transplant hepatopancreaticobiliary surgeon Pakistan considering huge need facility country decided opt specialty FA Share journey liver transplant started procedure whereby patient selected FD first liver transplant human done 1963 Liver transplant went two decade evolution scientific work 1983 liver transplant accepted standard treatment liver failure Since huge number liver transplant carried across world Living donor liver transplant healthy individual donates part liver beloved one started early 1990’s technique procedure got matured 2000 living donor liver transplant standard accepted option patient liver failure country donation brain death exists completing training King’s College Hospital London decided come back Pakistan start liver transplant program country lucky get good colleague tremendous support management get basic work done could first liver transplant 30th April 2010 Shifa International Hospital Islamabad Personally happy emotional moment great honor doctor pioneer liver transplantation Pakistan Patients go extensive assessment process determine candidacy liver transplant short patient who’s liver failed either due chronic disease like hepatitis B C autoimmune liver disease etc suffer acute liver failure due hepatitis E virus drug toxin patient developed liver cancer benefit liver transplant Patients unfit go major operation due severe heart lung disease patient advanced cancer considered liver transplant benefit short long term liver transplant FA patient can’t afford procedure included process funding secured FD Liver transplant one complex operation medical field order conduct liver transplant minimal standard need followed hospital Without basic set standard highest level skill set possible liver transplant successfully Someone bear cost operation moment majority patient pay pocket funded insurance company Government different NGO’s Pakistan beautiful country natural beauty comprising landscape desert river plane mighty mountain matchless people Pakistan loving caring known hospitality FA future see Pakistan’s medical community term latest treatment technology FD Technology big issue world become global village access technology made easier important factor human resource Pakistan need expat doctor come back transfer knowledge technique train future generation latest available treatment world FA Share one inspiring story came across period career lasting impact FD story impact close heart first liver transplant Shifa International Hospital patient Muhammad Yasin 9 year old boy need liver transplant son seven daughter none family member matching blood group donate part liver save life 21 year old cousin Humaira university student volunteered go operation save cousin’s life courage young girl bond family faith u amazing three year line Yasin Humaira living normal life FA Pakistan face brain drain specifically medical field take opinion solution problem FD Personally think Pakistani doctor need go abroad get exposure Western world enhances medical knowledge groom Furthermore exposure add confidence time teach better patient care procedure However also believe doctor improving skill come back serve Pakistan lot responsibility also lie Government improve public sector hospital redefine service structure doctor hospital upgraded doctor offered decent salary think lot doctor prefer coming back home FA message international community Pakistan would like change least one stereotype country people FD Pakistan beautiful country natural beauty comprising landscape desert river plane mighty mountain matchless people Pakistan loving caring known hospitality youth really talented determine work better future macro level issue like corruption bad governance terrorism obstacle materializing country’s true potential hope play whatever role help younger generation break shekel realize dreamsTags People Storyfest Health Pakistan Storytelling

Sunlight — The Natural Supplement For Our Mental Health

Sunlight — The Natural Supplement For Our Mental Health The science behind how the sun is related to our mental wellbeing Photo by Rampal Singh on Unsplash Yoga, meditation, binaural beats, aroma therapy. All of these are our attempts at improving our mental health. More than ever, this generation has spoken out about mental health issues and have taken considerable steps in order to try and improve our mental health. Yet, amongst the many techniques that seem to be popular, it’s surprising that being under the sunlight isn’t something that everybody does. After all, it’s completely free and can be done easily (at least when it isn’t winter). Sunlight and Serotonin Experts often associate exposure to sunlight with the release of serotonin. And this has been proven by science. A study conducted to find the relationship between serotonin, sunlight, and the season found that the rate of serotonin production is directly related to the prevailing duration of bright sunlight. At the same time, as the luminosity of the sunlight increased, the rate of serotonin production also rose rapidly. Furthermore, it has been reported in Times that autopsy studies found higher levels of serotonin in individuals that passed away in summer than those who did in winter. This difference in serotonin level was attributed to the differing amounts of sunlight available between the two different seasons. So… exposure to sunlight is associated with the release of serotonin. But what does that have to do with mental health? Serotonin (also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine) is actually a neurotransmitter and is known as the natural ‘feel-good’ chemical. This is due to its role as a natural mood stabilizer and its ability to reduce the symptoms of depression. As such, by increasing the rate of serotonin production, sunlight acts as a natural mood booster, allowing one to feel happier while reducing the negative effects that are often associated with depression. In fact, in 2018, a study conducted by Chinese researchers found that moderate exposure to sunlight correlates to an improvement in memory and motor learning in mice. While humans might function differently from mice, this study suggests that a similar relation could be happening for us. Additionally, results from another study also suggested that exposure to sunlight is associated with the cognitive decline one experiences. In this study, the researchers found that individuals with a decreased exposure of sunlight experienced a higher probability of cognitive decline. This was especially true for individuals with existing depression. Sunlight and Melatonin Apart from serotonin, sunlight plays a key role in the release of another chemical — melatonin. However, instead of being produced when it is sunny, melatonin is produced when it is dark. The lower the light intensity, the more melatonin secreted. While serotonin is a feel-good chemical, melatonin is the natural hormone that promotes sleep in our bodies. As it becomes dark, our body secretes more melatonin in order to prepare us for sleep. This means that melatonin is essential to help us regulate our sleep cycles. However, there is evidence that suggests that shift workers who work through the night (and as such, are less exposed to sunlight) produce less melatonin. Without this sleep producing hormone, one could possibly experience insomnia and low quality sleep from sleep disturbances. As quality sleep is key to maintaining a healthy mind, exposing yourself to sunlight can help encourage your body to create melatonin, allowing you to get a good night’s rest (and an improved mental state). Furthermore, normal melatonin secretion is key to maintaining our bodies’ natural circadian rhythm. As a disruption of the natural circadian rhythm is known to increase the risk of depression, going under the sun to maintain healthy levels of melatonin production could be key in helping you keep depression at bay. Lack of Sunlight Leaves You SAD With sunlight playing key roles in the creation of serotonin and melatonin, a lack of sunlight can actually lead to a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is actually a form of depression that typically affects individuals during the winter seasons (explaining the lethargy and helplessness you might feel when winter comes). While sunlight is not the only factor, it is suggested that SAD primarily affects individuals in winter as one is less likely to be exposed to strong sunlight. And this points to the importance of sunlight exposure. In order to help reduce the possibility of SAD (especially when it isn’t even winter yet), try your best to expose yourself to natural sunlight as much as possible. Who knows, that might just be the key to helping you keep illnesses like SAD at bay. Sunlight and Vitamin D Apart from serotonin and melatonin, sunlight plays a key role in helping our bodies synthesize vitamin D. A fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption (strengthening your bones) while also supporting the immune system. A lack of vitamin D in one’s body actually increases the risk of osteoporosis, jaundice, and cardiovascular diseases. As physical well being is tied closely to one’s mental health, getting a healthy dose of vitamin D helps protect your mental wellness by maintaining your physical health. Besides physical health, vitamin D also has a surprising role in mental health as well. Researchers have found that when one has a vitamin D level of below 20 nanograms per millimeter, the risk of depression is raised by as much as 85 percent when compared to individuals with vitamin D levels of more than 30 nanograms per millimeter). Studies done also suggest that there is a casual relation between taking vitamin D supplements and an improvement in symptoms for those who suffer from depression. As few foods offer vitamin D naturally, going out into the sun might be the best (and easiest) way to help your body get enough vitamin D. But How Much Sunlight is Enough? Of course, we’ve all heard warnings that tell us not to go out into the sun. As sunlight is made up of ultraviolet (UV) rays, experts often warn us about prolonged exposure to strong sunlight. After all, UV rays damage our skin cells, promoting the formation of blemishes and wrinkles while increasing the risk of skin cancer. However, Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist who studies the relationship between vitamin D and cardiovascular health, believes that we are evolved to be in the presence of direct sun exposure, claiming that having some direct sunlight helps benefit our health greatly. In fact, WHO has published guidelines regarding the amount of sunlight exposure we should have. With the beneficial effects of sunlight exposure, WHO suggests getting 5–15 minutes of unblocked (e.g. no sunscreen, no long sleeves) sunlight on our face, arms and hands 2–3 times a week. With more and more of us spending an increased number of time indoors, going out for occasional sunlight exposure can greatly help improve your mental health. Of course, as UV rays can still cause your skin harm, do keep your direct sunlight exposure short and avoid periods with strong UV radiation (e.g. noon). If you are going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time, protect yourself with sunscreen. And for those with skin conditions, it might be good to ask your doctor for advice before heading out to bask in the sun.

https://medium.com/wholistique/sunlight-the-natural-supplement-for-our-mental-health-7f59d5fa4492

['Jerren Gan']

2020-12-16 10:47:37.171000+00:00

['Self Improvement', 'Mental Health', 'Health', 'Wellness', 'Science']

Title Sunlight — Natural Supplement Mental HealthContent Sunlight — Natural Supplement Mental Health science behind sun related mental wellbeing Photo Rampal Singh Unsplash Yoga meditation binaural beat aroma therapy attempt improving mental health ever generation spoken mental health issue taken considerable step order try improve mental health Yet amongst many technique seem popular it’s surprising sunlight isn’t something everybody it’s completely free done easily least isn’t winter Sunlight Serotonin Experts often associate exposure sunlight release serotonin proven science study conducted find relationship serotonin sunlight season found rate serotonin production directly related prevailing duration bright sunlight time luminosity sunlight increased rate serotonin production also rose rapidly Furthermore reported Times autopsy study found higher level serotonin individual passed away summer winter difference serotonin level attributed differing amount sunlight available two different season So… exposure sunlight associated release serotonin mental health Serotonin also known 5hydroxytryptamine actually neurotransmitter known natural ‘feelgood’ chemical due role natural mood stabilizer ability reduce symptom depression increasing rate serotonin production sunlight act natural mood booster allowing one feel happier reducing negative effect often associated depression fact 2018 study conducted Chinese researcher found moderate exposure sunlight correlate improvement memory motor learning mouse human might function differently mouse study suggests similar relation could happening u Additionally result another study also suggested exposure sunlight associated cognitive decline one experience study researcher found individual decreased exposure sunlight experienced higher probability cognitive decline especially true individual existing depression Sunlight Melatonin Apart serotonin sunlight play key role release another chemical — melatonin However instead produced sunny melatonin produced dark lower light intensity melatonin secreted serotonin feelgood chemical melatonin natural hormone promotes sleep body becomes dark body secretes melatonin order prepare u sleep mean melatonin essential help u regulate sleep cycle However evidence suggests shift worker work night le exposed sunlight produce le melatonin Without sleep producing hormone one could possibly experience insomnia low quality sleep sleep disturbance quality sleep key maintaining healthy mind exposing sunlight help encourage body create melatonin allowing get good night’s rest improved mental state Furthermore normal melatonin secretion key maintaining bodies’ natural circadian rhythm disruption natural circadian rhythm known increase risk depression going sun maintain healthy level melatonin production could key helping keep depression bay Lack Sunlight Leaves SAD sunlight playing key role creation serotonin melatonin lack sunlight actually lead condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD SAD actually form depression typically affect individual winter season explaining lethargy helplessness might feel winter come sunlight factor suggested SAD primarily affect individual winter one le likely exposed strong sunlight point importance sunlight exposure order help reduce possibility SAD especially isn’t even winter yet try best expose natural sunlight much possible know might key helping keep illness like SAD bay Sunlight Vitamin Apart serotonin melatonin sunlight play key role helping body synthesize vitamin fatsoluble vitamin vitamin promotes calcium absorption strengthening bone also supporting immune system lack vitamin one’s body actually increase risk osteoporosis jaundice cardiovascular disease physical well tied closely one’s mental health getting healthy dose vitamin help protect mental wellness maintaining physical health Besides physical health vitamin also surprising role mental health well Researchers found one vitamin level 20 nanogram per millimeter risk depression raised much 85 percent compared individual vitamin level 30 nanogram per millimeter Studies done also suggest casual relation taking vitamin supplement improvement symptom suffer depression food offer vitamin naturally going sun might best easiest way help body get enough vitamin Much Sunlight Enough course we’ve heard warning tell u go sun sunlight made ultraviolet UV ray expert often warn u prolonged exposure strong sunlight UV ray damage skin cell promoting formation blemish wrinkle increasing risk skin cancer However Dr James O’Keefe cardiologist study relationship vitamin cardiovascular health belief evolved presence direct sun exposure claiming direct sunlight help benefit health greatly fact published guideline regarding amount sunlight exposure beneficial effect sunlight exposure suggests getting 5–15 minute unblocked eg sunscreen long sleeve sunlight face arm hand 2–3 time week u spending increased number time indoors going occasional sunlight exposure greatly help improve mental health course UV ray still cause skin harm keep direct sunlight exposure short avoid period strong UV radiation eg noon going sun extended period time protect sunscreen skin condition might good ask doctor advice heading bask sunTags Self Improvement Mental Health Health Wellness Science

Occam’s dice

Occam’s dice Distrusting biological metaphors “The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanation of complex facts. We are apt to fall into the error of thinking that the facts are simple because simplicity is the goal of our quest. The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be ‘Seek simplicity and distrust it.’” — Alfred North Whitehead Simplicity is powerful. Economists seek minimal models to describe market fluctuations, and our greatest mathematicians use the guiding light of elegance to discover their next great truths. But is this preference a fundamental reflection of nature’s workings, or an aesthetic one? Occam’s razor — positing that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one — is particularly abused in biology. As Eve Marder has long argued, biological systems are equipped with redundant strategies and contingencies that confound the interpretation of even the most tightly controlled biological experiments. Even the idea of probing a “controlled” biological system merits careful reflection. By controlling for variables, we stray from reality, instead describing an abstract, manipulated system, and often still failing to account for the hundreds of cellular mechanisms we don’t yet know about. (Take, for example, surprising work from Didier Stanier and colleagues, who recently reported that knocking out a gene with CRISPR leads to the expression of homologous genes to compensate for the loss.) In a debate held a decade ago, Richard Dawkins and Lynn Margulis argued about the role of symbiosis in evolutionary theory. An exasperated Dawkins asked: “why on earth would you want to drag in symbiogenesis when it’s so unparsimonious and uneconomical?” Margulis replied: “because it’s there.” Parsimony for parsimony’s sake is not parsimonious in the biosciences. It’s important to recognize that our formalization of biology is fundamentally historical — philosophers like Hans-Jorg Rheinberger, Bachelard, and others have argued that biology has been primarily technology (rather than hypothesis) driven. The ideas of biology are inextricable from the technology that produces them. As Rheinberger put it: “phenomena and instrument, object and experience, concept and method are all engaged in a running process of mutual instruction.” Our resultant understanding of nature is dominated by our choice of experimental system, which includes our instruments, the model organism, even the culture wherein a discovery is made: the knowledge generated is, in some very real ways, as contingent as the processes it describes. We fit discovered phenomena with simple handles — reduced, for practical purposes, to a sort of currency to be exchanged between labs, resorting to pale metaphors when communicating the natural mysteries. It’s clear why we do this. It’s in part a heuristic shortcut, making things easier to wrap our heads around. We want to understand nature — we, being individual humans, not as the vague “human collective.” We therefore seek truths comprehensible to a single intellect; and so, as the parable goes, we’re searching for our keys under a streetlamp. Even so, it seems so inherently obvious, so inarguable that true things should be simpler things. The instinct to discover the rules of nature is older than man: the nervous system is biology’s greatest prediction algorithm, and it dutifully learns patterns whose knowledge might enhance its chance of survival (science being the formal application of this impulse). Thus, human thought is underpinned by an unconscious aesthetic laid down in the nervous system itself. Studies suggest we naturally tend to find satisfaction in simplicity, in learnability (often through repetition)— in that which is easy to process. In music, for example, the most universally enjoyable songs lie somewhere between tedious simplicity (like the worst of pop) and unpredictable entropy (like some modern composers). We’re just acting after our nervous system’s modus operandi when we seek learnable patterns. Maxims that appear to be self-evident — e.g. something along Occam’s logic, “a simpler explanation is better” — may only appear to be so because they’re rewarded within the system that evaluates them. That is, they’re self-reflective: the nervous system, itself effectively a simplifying model of its environment, seeks to uncover patterns that render its existence more manageable. It’s evaluating a reductive internal model against its own implicit function. The mind is a causality inferring machine: the impetus to ascribe linear causal relationships is inbuilt to our nervous system. Armed with this hammer, the whole messy universe looks like an elegant nail. Of course, ultimately, what we want to do with science is to uncover what Dawkins has referred to as “economically expressed rules.” We are interested in the objects of life primarily because they point us to the process of life. We don’t count the color bands of a beetle for the sake of knowing this fact, but because our understanding of rules often emerges from collections of observations — in the beetle’s case, for example, untangling the logic of developmental programs. But is there even a clear boundary between biological object and process? For example, it’s often said that biological entities perform computations (we’ll ignore, for the time being, the fact that no one can agree what is meant by computation): the organism an object, and computation its process. In doing so we suppose a separation between software and hardware, algorithm and data. But organisms are also the result of computations: cells can be thought of as “testing hypotheses” during the development of an embryo, for example. Both evolution and nervous systems are the results of computations becoming embodied in the architecture of their computers. Even in machine learning, as Sunderhauf et al. recently argued, “there is a spectrum — rather than a dichotomy — between programming and data.” Indeed, the success of machine learning, despite its inelegance, underscores the fact that simplicity isn’t necessarily a useful goal. Evolution has never (until, perhaps, soon) operated by reason, but rolls of a die. The resultant systems are rife with feedback loops and interdependencies. Neuroscientists too often conflate observational studies with causal explanations of behaviors, but a description or manipulation of what neurons or networks are active during a behavior is not the explanans of that behavior. ‘Necessary and sufficient’ doesn’t work the way neuroscientists usually use it. Thirty years ago, Randolf DiDomenico and colleagues proposed that we avoid making causal claims in individual papers, and instead build them from multiple studies using various techniques and approaches. Given the sheer complexity of these networks and amount of data we’ve generated, this is increasingly beyond the scope of individual human intellect. All this is to say: think hard about what it is you wish to show with your studies. Be humble in your claims. Pragmatism may be a more holy grail than Truth. Or, as Hemingway (perhaps apocryphally) advised: kill your darlings. Want more? Follow us at The Spike Twitter: @kellybclancy

https://medium.com/the-spike/occams-dice-258aace751c4

['Kelly Clancy']

2018-08-22 14:55:56.262000+00:00

['Machine Learning', 'Science', 'Neuroscience', 'Psychology', 'Artificial Intelligence']

Title Occam’s diceContent Occam’s dice Distrusting biological metaphor “The aim science seek simplest explanation complex fact apt fall error thinking fact simple simplicity goal quest guiding motto life every natural philosopher ‘Seek simplicity distrust it’” — Alfred North Whitehead Simplicity powerful Economists seek minimal model describe market fluctuation greatest mathematician use guiding light elegance discover next great truth preference fundamental reflection nature’s working aesthetic one Occam’s razor — positing simplest explanation usually correct one — particularly abused biology Eve Marder long argued biological system equipped redundant strategy contingency confound interpretation even tightly controlled biological experiment Even idea probing “controlled” biological system merit careful reflection controlling variable stray reality instead describing abstract manipulated system often still failing account hundred cellular mechanism don’t yet know Take example surprising work Didier Stanier colleague recently reported knocking gene CRISPR lead expression homologous gene compensate loss debate held decade ago Richard Dawkins Lynn Margulis argued role symbiosis evolutionary theory exasperated Dawkins asked “why earth would want drag symbiogenesis it’s unparsimonious uneconomical” Margulis replied “because it’s there” Parsimony parsimony’s sake parsimonious bioscience It’s important recognize formalization biology fundamentally historical — philosopher like HansJorg Rheinberger Bachelard others argued biology primarily technology rather hypothesis driven idea biology inextricable technology produce Rheinberger put “phenomena instrument object experience concept method engaged running process mutual instruction” resultant understanding nature dominated choice experimental system includes instrument model organism even culture wherein discovery made knowledge generated real way contingent process describes fit discovered phenomenon simple handle — reduced practical purpose sort currency exchanged lab resorting pale metaphor communicating natural mystery It’s clear It’s part heuristic shortcut making thing easier wrap head around want understand nature — individual human vague “human collective” therefore seek truth comprehensible single intellect parable go we’re searching key streetlamp Even seems inherently obvious inarguable true thing simpler thing instinct discover rule nature older man nervous system biology’s greatest prediction algorithm dutifully learns pattern whose knowledge might enhance chance survival science formal application impulse Thus human thought underpinned unconscious aesthetic laid nervous system Studies suggest naturally tend find satisfaction simplicity learnability often repetition— easy process music example universally enjoyable song lie somewhere tedious simplicity like worst pop unpredictable entropy like modern composer We’re acting nervous system’s modus operandi seek learnable pattern Maxims appear selfevident — eg something along Occam’s logic “a simpler explanation better” — may appear they’re rewarded within system evaluates they’re selfreflective nervous system effectively simplifying model environment seek uncover pattern render existence manageable It’s evaluating reductive internal model implicit function mind causality inferring machine impetus ascribe linear causal relationship inbuilt nervous system Armed hammer whole messy universe look like elegant nail course ultimately want science uncover Dawkins referred “economically expressed rules” interested object life primarily point u process life don’t count color band beetle sake knowing fact understanding rule often emerges collection observation — beetle’s case example untangling logic developmental program even clear boundary biological object process example it’s often said biological entity perform computation we’ll ignore time fact one agree meant computation organism object computation process suppose separation software hardware algorithm data organism also result computation cell thought “testing hypotheses” development embryo example evolution nervous system result computation becoming embodied architecture computer Even machine learning Sunderhauf et al recently argued “there spectrum — rather dichotomy — programming data” Indeed success machine learning despite inelegance underscore fact simplicity isn’t necessarily useful goal Evolution never perhaps soon operated reason roll die resultant system rife feedback loop interdependency Neuroscientists often conflate observational study causal explanation behavior description manipulation neuron network active behavior explanans behavior ‘Necessary sufficient’ doesn’t work way neuroscientist usually use Thirty year ago Randolf DiDomenico colleague proposed avoid making causal claim individual paper instead build multiple study using various technique approach Given sheer complexity network amount data we’ve generated increasingly beyond scope individual human intellect say think hard wish show study humble claim Pragmatism may holy grail Truth Hemingway perhaps apocryphally advised kill darling Want Follow u Spike Twitter kellybclancyTags Machine Learning Science Neuroscience Psychology Artificial Intelligence

To Quickly Build Trust, Tell Your Origin Story

Photo credit: Leo Leung People want to know why you do what you do. If you’re an entrepreneur, your investors, customers, and employees want to know why you founded your company. Apply for a job, and recruiters ask about your career path. If you’re a freelancer, everyone is curious about how you got started. Why do we crave origin stories? Because they reveal character. Superman is a good guy because his planet exploded, his parents sent him to Earth, and the Kents raised him to fight evil. Steve Jobs became a trusted CEO, in part, by bouncing back from failure. My dad thrived as a home builder, but only after terminating a partnership with a prominent colleague whose practices he found unethical. In other words: Your origin story helps people decide whether or not to trust you. How to Craft a Powerful Origin Story: The 5 Essential Elements In strategic messaging and positioning engagements with CEOs, as well as business storytelling workshops for teams, I’ve helped hundreds of people construct origin stories. The best instantly convey not only trustworthiness, but also traits like commitment, persistence, and curiosity. So what makes a great origin story work? At the heart of every great origin story is a single event that forever changes the course of the teller’s life. Typically it arises out of failure or disappointment; sometimes it’s an unexpected discovery. Very frequently, another person illuminates a new way forward. Can you pinpoint the event that set you on your current path? (Yes, we all have one.) The event doesn’t have to be life-changing in the “I won the lottery” sense (though congrats if that happened). It just has to reorient you towards what you’re doing now. Once you’ve identified your event, construct your origin story around it using the following five components, and tell it in this order: 1. Once upon a time… How was your life before the life-changing event? Most importantly, what did you want back then? Share relevant details: How old were you? Where did you live? When did this happen? (No, you don’t literally have to start with “Once upon a time…”) For example, here’s the “Once upon a time…” for my origin story: Back in the dot-com years, I was living in Manhattan, struggling to fund my startup. It was not going well. One VC attached a hand-written note to his standard rejection letter: “Andy, I rate every business plan I receive on a scale of one to 10. Yours is a one.” At the bottom, he wrote, “P.S. Not a compelling story.” 2. “Then one day…” Next, describe your life-changing event. If possible, tell this section as a scene with details that the listener can sense (visualize, hear, smell, etc.). Again, here’s mine: One day, I’m walking up Broadway, when I notice a huge sign in the window of a Barnes and Noble. The sign says, “For anyone who wants to tell a compelling story,” and it’s pointing to a book about screenwriting. I buy the book. 3. “Because of that…” What relevant events were then set in motion? What obstacles did you have to overcome? Basically, describe what happened next: That night, I read the book from cover to cover. It’s written in the language of feature films (three act structure, etc.), but much of it seems to apply to telling the story of a startup. I rewrite my pitch and send it to a new batch of investors. 4. “Until finally…” What was the turning point — the moment when you really committed to the new path? It’s especially effective to reflect here on how you changed and what you learned: After receiving the revised pitch, several investor groups invite my team to their offices, and four months later we have a term sheet from a prominent Silicon Valley venture firm. The numbers, the team — all remained same. The only thing that changed was how we told our story. 5. “So now…” Last but not least, describe what you do now, and connect it to the story. So now I help leadership teams craft strategic messaging and positioning, which is really just their story — the story they use to power fundraising, sales, marketing, recruiting, and product. I also teach storytelling workshops for teams. And I can trace it all back to my failed pitch. Swap Origin Stories with Others to Quickly Build Stronger Relationships Once you’ve drafted your own origin story, tell it a few times to see what works. That’s not to say you should introduce yourself to strangers with “Once upon a time...” But if you’re embarking on a relationship with someone new — a customer, a prospect, an investor— and they ask, try it out. Pay particular attention to where they lean in. Also, ask others to tell you their origin stories. Listen closely, and you’ll quickly learn about their character, values and desires, which can be helpful in all sorts of relationships. As one woman in my recent General Assembly workshop said after swapping origin stories with a classmate: “There’s something about sharing these stories that makes me feel instantly connected.”

https://medium.com/the-mission/want-trust-share-your-origin-story-78db82157cca

['Andy Raskin']

2016-07-06 19:45:00.648000+00:00

['Entrepreneurship', 'Personal Development', 'Startup', 'Marketing', 'Storytelling']

Title Quickly Build Trust Tell Origin StoryContent Photo credit Leo Leung People want know you’re entrepreneur investor customer employee want know founded company Apply job recruiter ask career path you’re freelancer everyone curious got started crave origin story reveal character Superman good guy planet exploded parent sent Earth Kents raised fight evil Steve Jobs became trusted CEO part bouncing back failure dad thrived home builder terminating partnership prominent colleague whose practice found unethical word origin story help people decide whether trust Craft Powerful Origin Story 5 Essential Elements strategic messaging positioning engagement CEOs well business storytelling workshop team I’ve helped hundred people construct origin story best instantly convey trustworthiness also trait like commitment persistence curiosity make great origin story work heart every great origin story single event forever change course teller’s life Typically arises failure disappointment sometimes it’s unexpected discovery frequently another person illuminates new way forward pinpoint event set current path Yes one event doesn’t lifechanging “I lottery” sense though congrats happened reorient towards you’re you’ve identified event construct origin story around using following five component tell order 1 upon time… life lifechanging event importantly want back Share relevant detail old live happen don’t literally start “Once upon time…” example here’s “Once upon time…” origin story Back dotcom year living Manhattan struggling fund startup going well One VC attached handwritten note standard rejection letter “Andy rate every business plan receive scale one 10 one” bottom wrote “PS compelling story” 2 “Then one day…” Next describe lifechanging event possible tell section scene detail listener sense visualize hear smell etc here’s mine One day I’m walking Broadway notice huge sign window Barnes Noble sign say “For anyone want tell compelling story” it’s pointing book screenwriting buy book 3 “Because that…” relevant event set motion obstacle overcome Basically describe happened next night read book cover cover It’s written language feature film three act structure etc much seems apply telling story startup rewrite pitch send new batch investor 4 “Until finally…” turning point — moment really committed new path It’s especially effective reflect changed learned receiving revised pitch several investor group invite team office four month later term sheet prominent Silicon Valley venture firm number team — remained thing changed told story 5 “So now…” Last least describe connect story help leadership team craft strategic messaging positioning really story — story use power fundraising sale marketing recruiting product also teach storytelling workshop team trace back failed pitch Swap Origin Stories Others Quickly Build Stronger Relationships you’ve drafted origin story tell time see work That’s say introduce stranger “Once upon time” you’re embarking relationship someone new — customer prospect investor— ask try Pay particular attention lean Also ask others tell origin story Listen closely you’ll quickly learn character value desire helpful sort relationship one woman recent General Assembly workshop said swapping origin story classmate “There’s something sharing story make feel instantly connected”Tags Entrepreneurship Personal Development Startup Marketing Storytelling

Four Exercises to Strengthen Your Writing

A few months ago, I wrote an article sharing several writing exercises from famous authors. Just as pianists practice scales to strengthen their skills like rhythm and timing, writers can sharpen specific skills through deliberate practice. Since publishing that original article, I’ve been searching for more creative writing exercises, and I discovered four more gems that I’m excited to share with you today. Struggling to write effective dialogue? Or craft vivid descriptions? Or maybe you’re facing writer’s block? These creative writing exercises will help you overcome those obstacles. Let’s dive in. (Please note that links to books on Amazon might be affiliate links which means I’ll earn a small commission if you buy through the link with no extra cost to you. Thank you!) The George R.R. Martin Exercise for Writing Effective Dialogue At the Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland, an interviewer asked fantasy writer George R.R. Martin what qualities are needed to be a good writer. Among several pieces of advice, Martin stressed the importance of having “a good ear for dialogue and the way people actually speak … the individuality to give each character his own method of speaking.” Easier said than done, right? Lucky for us, Martin went on to share a writing exercise that can help you sharpen your dialogue skills: I sometimes teach writing classes. And there are various exercises you can give to students. One of them is to describe a half dozen different characters. Write a speech for each of these different characters without a name tag. Just say, “Here’s a priest, here’s a soldier, here’s a housewife”… Invent whatever you want. Write a speech for each of them in which…they don’t give their name…just make each speech sound different from the other so you can instantly know just from the words this is the priest speaking, this is the prostitute speaking… If they all sound the same, you have a problem. They should sound different. A bonus tip: make sure to read your dialogue out loud. That’s a fantastic way to test whether your conversations sound authentic. The Dani Shapiro Exercise for Banishing Writer’s Block Ever sit down at your computer to begin writing a new short story or a new personal essay, but instead you find yourself having a stare down with the blank screen? You may type a few lines, but after several minutes you delete everything. You just can’t seem to find the right words to continue. New York Times bestselling-author Dani Shapiro has the perfect writing prompt for you. In an interview, she shared two words that instantly help banish writer’s block, My favorite prompt is based on a book that was published a long time ago by a writer named Joe Brainard, and the title is ‘I Remember’…In the book every single sentence begins with the phrase, “I remember.” …When I give that exercise at retreats, I look out from where I’m sitting at a sea of people, and not one of them hesitates. Those are extremely evocative words. I mean, try not to finish a sentence that begins with “I remember.” And so what I suggest to people to do is to just begin — have a special notebook, begin with the words “I remember” and write a sentence. Drop down a line, begin with [“I remember”], not trying to connect memories. If you think about the way memory works, it doesn’t work in a narrative line. It doesn’t connect. We don’t tell ourselves stories in our heads. We have these disparate memories that don’t connect. And when we allow them to be associative and to bounce one off the next, it creates all sorts of interesting material. People almost invariably find memories that they didn’t know that they had, or they make connections that they didn’t know they had. So it’s a good springing off point. You can use this prompt to spark ideas for anything from blog posts to short stories. I share more strategies for fighting writer’s block in my article here, and I share tips for getting ideas for new blog posts in my article here. The Robert McKee Exercise For Writing With Originality Robert McKee’s screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation. His screenwriting students have included over sixty-five Academy Award winners and two hundred Emmy Award winners. I’m currently rereading his wonderful book Story where he deep dives into everything that you need to know to write powerful stories. In one chapter, he discusses the importance of originality in storytelling and how clichés make our writing shallow and boring. He writes, The source of all clichés can be traced to one thing and one thing alone: The writer does not know the world of his story… As they reach into their minds for material, they come up empty. So where do they run? To films and TV, novels and plays with similar settings. From the works of other writers they crib scenes we’ve seen before, paraphrase dialogue we’ve heard before, disguise characters we’ve met before, and pass them off as their own… Knowledge of and insight into the world of your story is fundamental to the achievement of originality and excellence. But how can we come to know the world of our stories better? Here’s one exercise McKee provides: Lean back and ask, “What would it be like to live my character’s life hour by hour, day by day?” In vivid detail sketch how your characters shop, make love, pray — scenes that may or may not find their way into your story, but draw you into your imagined world until it feels like déjà vu. While memory gives us whole chunks of life, imagination takes fragments, slivers of dream, and chips of experience that seem unrelated, then seeks their hidden connections and merges them into a whole. Having found these links and envisioned the scenes, write them down. A working imagination is research. The Brian Kiteley Exercise for Writing Unique, Sensory Descriptions Finally, let’s end with an exercise that will help us write unique, sensory descriptions so our writing comes alive. The ability to describe something vividly is an essential skill for every writer to master, no matter whether you’re a blogger, novelist, or copywriter. Vivid descriptions transform your paragraphs from vague and boring to engrossing and memorable. In his book The 3 A.M. Epiphany, author Brian Kiteley shares a collection of “uncommon writing exercises” that can help you transform your fiction. Here’s one that gives a unique approach for writing evocative descriptions: Synesthesia, according to M.H. Abrams in ‘A Glossary of Literary Terms’, is a description of “one kind of sensation in terms of another; color is attributed to sounds, odor to colors, sound to odors, and so on.” Here is an example of synesthesia from Bruno Schulz’s Street of the Crocodiles: “Adela would plunge the rooms into semidarkness by drawing down the linen blinds. All colors immediately fell an octave lower; the room filled with shadows, as if it had sunk to the bottom of the sea and the light was reflected in mirrors of green water.” Schulz describes a change in color by means of a musical term. Writers consciously and unconsciously employ this peculiar method to convey the irreducible complexity of life onto the page. …Use synesthesia in a short scene — surreptitiously, without drawing too much attention to it — to convey to your reader an important understanding of some ineffable sensory experience. Use sight, sound, touch, taste, and, especially, smell. In my short story “The Island”, I played with synesthesia when I described the aroma of a pastry baking in an oven: “It smelled of sunlight and warm breezes rustling the branches of island trees.” Make sure to check out this article where I share three more techniques that will help you write vivid descriptions. The Takeaway In my original article where I shared five writing exercises, I also shared this quote from Ray Bradbury, I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true — hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. These four exercises are a fantastic way to give your writing skills and imagination a workout. You can use the exercises when you’re feeling stuck and are looking for a writing prompt to trigger your inspiration. Or you can use them when you want to spend time sharpening your skills in order to take your writing to the next level and inspire your readers.

https://medium.com/copywriting-secrets/four-exercises-to-strengthen-your-writing-c183f0c0119e

['Nicole Bianchi']

2020-06-01 15:50:56.250000+00:00

['Productivity', 'Writing', 'Fiction', 'Books', 'Creativity']

Title Four Exercises Strengthen WritingContent month ago wrote article sharing several writing exercise famous author pianist practice scale strengthen skill like rhythm timing writer sharpen specific skill deliberate practice Since publishing original article I’ve searching creative writing exercise discovered four gem I’m excited share today Struggling write effective dialogue craft vivid description maybe you’re facing writer’s block creative writing exercise help overcome obstacle Let’s dive Please note link book Amazon might affiliate link mean I’ll earn small commission buy link extra cost Thank George RR Martin Exercise Writing Effective Dialogue Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival Switzerland interviewer asked fantasy writer George RR Martin quality needed good writer Among several piece advice Martin stressed importance “a good ear dialogue way people actually speak … individuality give character method speaking” Easier said done right Lucky u Martin went share writing exercise help sharpen dialogue skill sometimes teach writing class various exercise give student One describe half dozen different character Write speech different character without name tag say “Here’s priest here’s soldier here’s housewife”… Invent whatever want Write speech which…they don’t give name…just make speech sound different instantly know word priest speaking prostitute speaking… sound problem sound different bonus tip make sure read dialogue loud That’s fantastic way test whether conversation sound authentic Dani Shapiro Exercise Banishing Writer’s Block Ever sit computer begin writing new short story new personal essay instead find stare blank screen may type line several minute delete everything can’t seem find right word continue New York Times bestsellingauthor Dani Shapiro perfect writing prompt interview shared two word instantly help banish writer’s block favorite prompt based book published long time ago writer named Joe Brainard title ‘I Remember’…In book every single sentence begin phrase “I remember” …When give exercise retreat look I’m sitting sea people one hesitates extremely evocative word mean try finish sentence begin “I remember” suggest people begin — special notebook begin word “I remember” write sentence Drop line begin “I remember” trying connect memory think way memory work doesn’t work narrative line doesn’t connect don’t tell story head disparate memory don’t connect allow associative bounce one next creates sort interesting material People almost invariably find memory didn’t know make connection didn’t know it’s good springing point use prompt spark idea anything blog post short story share strategy fighting writer’s block article share tip getting idea new blog post article Robert McKee Exercise Writing Originality Robert McKee’s screenwriting workshop earned international reputation screenwriting student included sixtyfive Academy Award winner two hundred Emmy Award winner I’m currently rereading wonderful book Story deep dive everything need know write powerful story one chapter discus importance originality storytelling clichés make writing shallow boring writes source clichés traced one thing one thing alone writer know world story… reach mind material come empty run film TV novel play similar setting work writer crib scene we’ve seen paraphrase dialogue we’ve heard disguise character we’ve met pas own… Knowledge insight world story fundamental achievement originality excellence come know world story better Here’s one exercise McKee provides Lean back ask “What would like live character’s life hour hour day day” vivid detail sketch character shop make love pray — scene may may find way story draw imagined world feel like déjà vu memory give u whole chunk life imagination take fragment sliver dream chip experience seem unrelated seek hidden connection merges whole found link envisioned scene write working imagination research Brian Kiteley Exercise Writing Unique Sensory Descriptions Finally let’s end exercise help u write unique sensory description writing come alive ability describe something vividly essential skill every writer master matter whether you’re blogger novelist copywriter Vivid description transform paragraph vague boring engrossing memorable book 3 Epiphany author Brian Kiteley share collection “uncommon writing exercises” help transform fiction Here’s one give unique approach writing evocative description Synesthesia according MH Abrams ‘A Glossary Literary Terms’ description “one kind sensation term another color attributed sound odor color sound odor on” example synesthesia Bruno Schulz’s Street Crocodiles “Adela would plunge room semidarkness drawing linen blind color immediately fell octave lower room filled shadow sunk bottom sea light reflected mirror green water” Schulz describes change color mean musical term Writers consciously unconsciously employ peculiar method convey irreducible complexity life onto page …Use synesthesia short scene — surreptitiously without drawing much attention — convey reader important understanding ineffable sensory experience Use sight sound touch taste especially smell short story “The Island” played synesthesia described aroma pastry baking oven “It smelled sunlight warm breeze rustling branch island trees” Make sure check article share three technique help write vivid description Takeaway original article shared five writing exercise also shared quote Ray Bradbury know you’ve heard thousand time it’s true — hard work pay want good practice practice practice four exercise fantastic way give writing skill imagination workout use exercise you’re feeling stuck looking writing prompt trigger inspiration use want spend time sharpening skill order take writing next level inspire readersTags Productivity Writing Fiction Books Creativity

Facing Three Fundamental Coronavirus Fears

1. Since immunity to the novel coronavirus may not last long, doesn’t the virus need to be eradicated in order for the pandemic to end? Humans generally become immune to a pathogen after immunization or recovery from an infection. Depending on the particular disease or vaccine as well as host characteristics such as the age and health of the individual, immunity can last a lifetime or may be short-lived. Moreover, immunity is not an ‘either/or’ process. Our immunity to different pathogens doesn’t just suddenly switch off. Instead, it wanes over time. It is true that a person’s immunity to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, probably only lasts a few months to a few years. It is also true that outbreaks of two other coronaviruses earlier this century, SARS and MERS, were indeed contained, although not technically eradicated. However, the other four known human coronaviruses, HCoV-229E, -NL63, -OC43, and -HKU1, are considered endemic. These viruses, which have been around longer than the other three, are continuously circulating through the population and typically cause no more symptoms than the common cold. Interestingly, there is historical evidence that the four endemic coronaviruses were likely the cause of pandemics, or at least epidemics, in the past. Of course, this would have been long enough ago that people didn’t know what a coronavirus was, but humankind managed to recover anyway. These older coronaviruses now permeate among the population. People often become exposed at a young age, and, as with SARS-CoV-2, the vast majority of children have no symptoms or a minor respiratory infection. Even though immunity to these viruses diminishes over time, because they are endemic and continuously circulate through the population, every few years our immune systems are again exposed and receive a refresher course on how to kill the virus. With possible exception to geographically isolated locations like Iceland and New Zealand, SARS-CoV-2 is on a path to becoming endemic like its older endemic coronavirus siblings. In fact, since March, for most regions containment has no longer been a strategy for managing SARS-CoV-2 as it was during the previous SARS and MERS outbreaks. SARS and MERS have a higher fatality rate than Covid-19, and it is for that very reason they were able to be contained. Since patients infected with SARS and MERS were more often symptomatic, generally developed more severe symptoms, and had a shorter period of time between exposure and the onset of symptoms, cases were recognized sooner, contacts were more easily traced, and further spread was prevented through quarantining. “The coronavirus is spreading too rapidly, and too broadly for the U.S. to bring it under control with testing and contact tracing.” — Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC Deputy Director, 6/29/20 While contact tracing and quarantining strategies remain important during the Covid-19 pandemic, they are aimed at protecting vulnerable groups and reducing the overall transmission of the virus rather than ultimately containing or eradicating the virus. At this point eliminating SARS-CoV-2 worldwide is essentially impossible. Fortunately, however, as was the case with the four endemic coronaviruses, eradication is not a requirement for the pandemic to end.

https://medium.com/microbial-instincts/facing-three-fundamental-fears-about-the-coronavirus-261ba270f402

['Bo Stapler']

2020-08-11 19:37:46.296000+00:00

['Health', 'Science', 'Wellness', 'Coronavirus', 'Covid 19']

Title Facing Three Fundamental Coronavirus FearsContent 1 Since immunity novel coronavirus may last long doesn’t virus need eradicated order pandemic end Humans generally become immune pathogen immunization recovery infection Depending particular disease vaccine well host characteristic age health individual immunity last lifetime may shortlived Moreover immunity ‘eitheror’ process immunity different pathogen doesn’t suddenly switch Instead wane time true person’s immunity novel coronavirus SARSCoV2 probably last month year also true outbreak two coronaviruses earlier century SARS MERS indeed contained although technically eradicated However four known human coronaviruses HCoV229E NL63 OC43 HKU1 considered endemic virus around longer three continuously circulating population typically cause symptom common cold Interestingly historical evidence four endemic coronaviruses likely cause pandemic least epidemic past course would long enough ago people didn’t know coronavirus humankind managed recover anyway older coronaviruses permeate among population People often become exposed young age SARSCoV2 vast majority child symptom minor respiratory infection Even though immunity virus diminishes time endemic continuously circulate population every year immune system exposed receive refresher course kill virus possible exception geographically isolated location like Iceland New Zealand SARSCoV2 path becoming endemic like older endemic coronavirus sibling fact since March region containment longer strategy managing SARSCoV2 previous SARS MERS outbreak SARS MERS higher fatality rate Covid19 reason able contained Since patient infected SARS MERS often symptomatic generally developed severe symptom shorter period time exposure onset symptom case recognized sooner contact easily traced spread prevented quarantining “The coronavirus spreading rapidly broadly US bring control testing contact tracing” — Dr Anne Schuchat CDC Deputy Director 62920 contact tracing quarantining strategy remain important Covid19 pandemic aimed protecting vulnerable group reducing overall transmission virus rather ultimately containing eradicating virus point eliminating SARSCoV2 worldwide essentially impossible Fortunately however case four endemic coronaviruses eradication requirement pandemic endTags Health Science Wellness Coronavirus Covid 19

For Creatives, Silence Isn’t Always Golden

As an architect and the author of a book about the psychology of creative space design, I have long wondered why contemporary creatives cluster so willingly in noisy coffee shops. Granted, there’s scientific research that caffeine fuels the imagination, but doesn’t the surrounding din interfere with their ability to think creatively such that no amount of chemical stimulation can compensate for the distraction? Certainly, many eminent creatives from the past shunned clamor. Consider Marcel Proust. To remark that the French writer was sensitive to auditory interference would be an understatement. The man was positively neurotic about it. He treated the bedroom in his Paris apartment where he wrote like a sensory deprivation chamber — shutters closed, drapes drawn, the walls lined with sound-absorbing cork. It wasn’t enough. He wore earplugs too. Anton Chekhov was similarly beset by hypersensitivity to sound. So was fellow obsessive Frank Kafka, who described his condition in his signature surreal style by saying that “I need solitude for my writing; not ‘like a hermit’ — that wouldn’t be enough — but like a dead man.” Sadly, by the time he got his wish, it was too late to do anything about it. The correlation between high-level inventiveness and difficulty in filtering out sensory inputs is understandable, given that open-mindedness is a hallmark of the creative personality. The problem for off-the-chart geniuses like Proust, Chekhov, and Kafka was that their minds were a bit too open. Everything got through. Hence the extreme measures they took to avoid being immobilized by incoming stimuli. Fig. 1: Optimal noise levels for creative processing compared to other conditions. After Ravi Mehta, Rui (Juliet) Zhu, and Amar Cheema (2012). Illustration by the author. From My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation. Then again, most of us aren’t Marcel Proust. According to research data from 2012, people generally reach peak performance under moderately noisy conditions — 70db (decibels), to be precise. It just so happens that this is roughly equivalent to the chatter in a typical coffee shop or restaurant on a relatively busy day (Fig. 1). As to why this is the case, the scientists who authored the study offer a theory: We theorize that a moderate (vs. low) level of ambient noise is likely to induce processing disfluency or processing difficulty, which activates abstract cognition and consequently enhances creative performance. A high level of noise, however, reduces the extent of information processing, thus impairing creativity. Translation: silence isn’t as golden as it sounds. Absolute noiselessness tends to focus our attention, which is helpful for tasks that entail accuracy, fine detail, and linear reasoning, such as balancing our checkbook or fixing a Swiss watch. It’s less supportive of the broad, big-picture, abstract mind-wandering that leads to fresh perspectives and a creative work product. On the other hand, excessive noise overwhelms our sensory apparatus and hinders our ability to properly process information at all. In between lies the sweet spot — noise not so loud that we can’t hear ourselves think, and not so quiet that we can’t help but hear ourselves think. Living room and fountain details. Bellevue, Washington. Architecture by David Coleman Architecture. Interior design by Elizabeth Stretch for Stretch Design. Photography by Paul Warchol. There’s a caveat to the data, however: the noise has to be white. For the record, the technical definition of white noise is noise containing multiple frequencies with equal intensities. More colloquially, the phrase refers to a constant background noise, especially one that drowns out other sounds, and which takes the form of meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter. Why is it important that the noise be white? Because otherwise you’re prone to tune into and attempt to discern the source and meaning of the sound, which diverts too much of your conscious attention from your task to be a useful tool for diffuse thinking. How to Make Noise When There Isn’t Any How can we creative mortals who don’t care for the smell of coffee, lack the funds to construct an oceanside villa, or live in urban environments where trees are scant benefit from the finding that a particular type and level of noise can promote insights? Here are a few options to consider: Get the app. Yes, Virginia, there really is an app for everything. Use the search term “noise” to bring up dozens of sound generating programs in your smartphone’s app store. You’ll also see a broad selection of metering apps for measuring decibel levels at home. Some of the app companies operate websites that let you download audio files of white noise soundtracks onto your computer or play them directly through a browser. A couple of my favorite sites include Raining.fm, which offers tracks simulating — what else? — downpours, rolling thunder, and heavy thunderstorms, and Coffitivy, which specializes in — what else? — coffee shop buzz. Living room. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Architecture and interior design by Richard Davignon and Doris Martin for Davignon Martin Architecture + Interior Design. Photography by Eymeric Widling. Get or hack a sound generator. Another option is to purchase a desktop appliance designed to emit white noise. They’re smallish devices, typically placed on night tables and in babies’ rooms to help occupants fall asleep. For an architectural solution, think about installing an indoor or outdoor fountain — few things in life are as pleasantly hypnotizing as the mellifluous whoosh of water descending onto water. Price points run the gamut from low-cost store-bought products to sky’s-the-limit custom installations. DIY contrivances also abound; consult the Internet for guidance. Let in or keep out external noise. City dwellers and people who reside along busy highways might have a ready-made noise machine right outside their window: road traffic. Open your windows to varying degrees or use sound muffling, such as drapery, to see if you can calibrate ambient noise to fall within the optimal range. A less cacophonous strategy for harnessing exterior sounds would be to park yourself on a bench or beach that lies within earshot of ocean waves. It’s like having an always-on fountain, only bigger. Listen to music. Like noise, music can have a positive effect on idea formation, while affording the listener far greater pleasure than the usual restaurant ruckus. But music is a huge subject in itself, and so must wait for another article!

https://medium.com/the-creative-mind/for-creatives-silence-isnt-always-golden-16e1697ea489

['Donald M. Rattner']

2019-10-28 20:01:02.360000+00:00

['Writing', 'Psychology', 'Interior Design', 'Design', 'Creativity']

Title Creatives Silence Isn’t Always GoldenContent architect author book psychology creative space design long wondered contemporary creatives cluster willingly noisy coffee shop Granted there’s scientific research caffeine fuel imagination doesn’t surrounding din interfere ability think creatively amount chemical stimulation compensate distraction Certainly many eminent creatives past shunned clamor Consider Marcel Proust remark French writer sensitive auditory interference would understatement man positively neurotic treated bedroom Paris apartment wrote like sensory deprivation chamber — shutter closed drape drawn wall lined soundabsorbing cork wasn’t enough wore earplug Anton Chekhov similarly beset hypersensitivity sound fellow obsessive Frank Kafka described condition signature surreal style saying “I need solitude writing ‘like hermit’ — wouldn’t enough — like dead man” Sadly time got wish late anything correlation highlevel inventiveness difficulty filtering sensory input understandable given openmindedness hallmark creative personality problem offthechart genius like Proust Chekhov Kafka mind bit open Everything got Hence extreme measure took avoid immobilized incoming stimulus Fig 1 Optimal noise level creative processing compared condition Ravi Mehta Rui Juliet Zhu Amar Cheema 2012 Illustration author Creative Space Design Home Stimulate Ideas Spark Innovation u aren’t Marcel Proust According research data 2012 people generally reach peak performance moderately noisy condition — 70db decibel precise happens roughly equivalent chatter typical coffee shop restaurant relatively busy day Fig 1 case scientist authored study offer theory theorize moderate v low level ambient noise likely induce processing disfluency processing difficulty activates abstract cognition consequently enhances creative performance high level noise however reduces extent information processing thus impairing creativity Translation silence isn’t golden sound Absolute noiselessness tends focus attention helpful task entail accuracy fine detail linear reasoning balancing checkbook fixing Swiss watch It’s le supportive broad bigpicture abstract mindwandering lead fresh perspective creative work product hand excessive noise overwhelms sensory apparatus hinders ability properly process information lie sweet spot — noise loud can’t hear think quiet can’t help hear think Living room fountain detail Bellevue Washington Architecture David Coleman Architecture Interior design Elizabeth Stretch Stretch Design Photography Paul Warchol There’s caveat data however noise white record technical definition white noise noise containing multiple frequency equal intensity colloquially phrase refers constant background noise especially one drowns sound take form meaningless distracting commotion hubbub chatter important noise white otherwise you’re prone tune attempt discern source meaning sound diverts much conscious attention task useful tool diffuse thinking Make Noise Isn’t creative mortal don’t care smell coffee lack fund construct oceanside villa live urban environment tree scant benefit finding particular type level noise promote insight option consider Get app Yes Virginia really app everything Use search term “noise” bring dozen sound generating program smartphone’s app store You’ll also see broad selection metering apps measuring decibel level home app company operate website let download audio file white noise soundtrack onto computer play directly browser couple favorite site include Rainingfm offer track simulating — else — downpour rolling thunder heavy thunderstorm Coffitivy specializes — else — coffee shop buzz Living room Calgary Alberta Canada Architecture interior design Richard Davignon Doris Martin Davignon Martin Architecture Interior Design Photography Eymeric Widling Get hack sound generator Another option purchase desktop appliance designed emit white noise They’re smallish device typically placed night table babies’ room help occupant fall asleep architectural solution think installing indoor outdoor fountain — thing life pleasantly hypnotizing mellifluous whoosh water descending onto water Price point run gamut lowcost storebought product sky’sthelimit custom installation DIY contrivance also abound consult Internet guidance Let keep external noise City dweller people reside along busy highway might readymade noise machine right outside window road traffic Open window varying degree use sound muffling drapery see calibrate ambient noise fall within optimal range le cacophonous strategy harnessing exterior sound would park bench beach lie within earshot ocean wave It’s like alwayson fountain bigger Listen music Like noise music positive effect idea formation affording listener far greater pleasure usual restaurant ruckus music huge subject must wait another articleTags Writing Psychology Interior Design Design Creativity

This 10-Minute Routine Will Increase Your Clarity And Creativity

“Your subconscious mind works continuously, while you are awake, and while you sleep.” — Napoleon Hill Your subconscious never rests and is always on duty because it controls your heartbeat, blood circulation, and digestion. It controls all the vital processes and functions of your body and knows the answers to all your problems. What happens on your subconscious level influences what happens on your conscious level. In other words, what goes on internally, even unconsciously, eventually becomes your reality. As Hill further states, “The subconscious mind will translate into its physical equivalent, by the most direct and practical method available.” Consequently, your goal is to direct your subconscious mind to create the outcomes you seek. Additionally, you want to tap into your subconscious mind to unlock connections and solutions to your problems and projects. Here’s a simple routine to get started: Ten minutes before going to sleep: “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” — Thomas Edison It’s common practice for many of the world’s most successful people to intentionally direct the workings of their subconscious mind while they’re sleeping. How? Take a few moments before you go to bed to meditate on and write down the things you’re trying to accomplish. Ask yourself loads of questions related to that thing. In Edison’s words, make some “requests.” Write those questions and thoughts down on paper. The more specific the questions, the more clear will be your answers. While you’re sleeping, your subconscious mind will get to work on those things. Ten minutes after waking up: Research confirms the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is most active and readily creative immediately following sleep. Your subconscious mind has been loosely mind-wandering while you slept, making contextual and temporal connections. Creativity, after all, is making connections between different parts of the brain. In a recent interview with Tim Ferriss, Josh Waitzkin, former chess prodigy and tai chi world champion, explains his morning routine to tap into the subconscious breakthroughs and connections experienced while he was sleeping. Unlike 80 percent of people between the ages of 18–44 who check their smartphones within 15 minutes of waking up, Waitzkin goes to a quiet place, does some meditation and grabs his journal. In his journal, he thought-dumps for several minutes. Thus, rather than focusing on input like most people who check their notifications, Waitzkin’s focus is on output. This is how he taps into his higher realms of clarity, learning, and creativity — what he calls, “crystallized intelligence.” If you’re not an experienced journal writer, the idea of “thought-dumping” may be hard to implement. In my experience, it’s good to loosely direct your thought-dumping toward your goals. Consider the “requests” you made of your subconscious just before going to bed. You asked yourself loads of questions. You thought about and wrote down the things you’re trying to accomplish. Now, first thing in the morning, when your creative brain is most attuned,after its subconscious workout while you slept, start writing down whatever comes to mind about those things. I often get ideas for articles I’m going to write while doing these thought-dumps. I get ideas about how I can be a better husband and father to my three foster children. I get clarity about the goals I believe I should be pursuing. I get insights about people I need to connect with, or how I can improve my current relationships. To be sure, you’ll need to practice this skill. It may take several attempts before you become proficient. But with consistency, you can become fluent and automatic at achieving creative and intuitive bursts. Conclusion: “A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.” — James Allen Mental creation always precedes physical creation. Before a building is physically constructed, there’s a blueprint. Your thoughts are the blueprint of the life you are building one day at a time.When you learn to channel your thinking — both consciously and subconsciously — you create the conditions that make the achievement of your goals inevitable. You are the designer of your destiny. This simple routine will help you crystallize where you want to go, and how you will get there.

https://medium.com/the-mission/this-10-minute-routine-will-increase-your-clarity-and-creativity-7ce61b11c2f9

['Benjamin Hardy']

2020-09-21 20:10:38.871000+00:00

['Productivity', 'Creativity', 'Motivation', 'Startup', 'Life']

Title 10Minute Routine Increase Clarity CreativityContent “Your subconscious mind work continuously awake sleep” — Napoleon Hill subconscious never rest always duty control heartbeat blood circulation digestion control vital process function body know answer problem happens subconscious level influence happens conscious level word go internally even unconsciously eventually becomes reality Hill state “The subconscious mind translate physical equivalent direct practical method available” Consequently goal direct subconscious mind create outcome seek Additionally want tap subconscious mind unlock connection solution problem project Here’s simple routine get started Ten minute going sleep “Never go sleep without request subconscious” — Thomas Edison It’s common practice many world’s successful people intentionally direct working subconscious mind they’re sleeping Take moment go bed meditate write thing you’re trying accomplish Ask load question related thing Edison’s word make “requests” Write question thought paper specific question clear answer you’re sleeping subconscious mind get work thing Ten minute waking Research confirms brain specifically prefrontal cortex active readily creative immediately following sleep subconscious mind loosely mindwandering slept making contextual temporal connection Creativity making connection different part brain recent interview Tim Ferriss Josh Waitzkin former chess prodigy tai chi world champion explains morning routine tap subconscious breakthrough connection experienced sleeping Unlike 80 percent people age 18–44 check smartphones within 15 minute waking Waitzkin go quiet place meditation grab journal journal thoughtdumps several minute Thus rather focusing input like people check notification Waitzkin’s focus output tap higher realm clarity learning creativity — call “crystallized intelligence” you’re experienced journal writer idea “thoughtdumping” may hard implement experience it’s good loosely direct thoughtdumping toward goal Consider “requests” made subconscious going bed asked load question thought wrote thing you’re trying accomplish first thing morning creative brain attunedafter subconscious workout slept start writing whatever come mind thing often get idea article I’m going write thoughtdumps get idea better husband father three foster child get clarity goal believe pursuing get insight people need connect improve current relationship sure you’ll need practice skill may take several attempt become proficient consistency become fluent automatic achieving creative intuitive burst Conclusion “A man cannot directly choose circumstance choose thought indirectly yet surely shape circumstances” — James Allen Mental creation always precedes physical creation building physically constructed there’s blueprint thought blueprint life building one day timeWhen learn channel thinking — consciously subconsciously — create condition make achievement goal inevitable designer destiny simple routine help crystallize want go get thereTags Productivity Creativity Motivation Startup Life

The Ted Talk That Changed My Life

The Simplest Form of Mindfulness Is Also the Most Effective Most of us are cognitively aware that our bad habits are, well, BAD. The challenge is that our prefrontal cortex (front section of the brain) that is responsible for this awareness is the first to go offline when we get stressed. When this brain center logs off, we start to feel ‘numb’, give in to our stress, and fall back onto negative habits. Let’s go back to the 3 pillars that form a habit one more time. You experience a trigger. You respond with a behavior. You receive a reward. Say you’re battling the urge to have that fourth slice of pizza. You’ve already experienced the trigger that’s telling you, “Yes, this is a great idea…you’ll feel so good after”. What if we took a split second here to pause before caving in? What if we were to use curiosity as a tool to disrupt the cycle? Here’s what it looks like: You feel a trigger that spurs temptation. Instead of caving in, you pause for a moment and get curious. Ask yourself…what’s going on? Why am I feeling this way? From here you have two possible routes, both of which are a step in the right direction. The first path is that you still give in to your bad behavior, but with a heightened state of mindfulness. The act of caving in feels much less satisfying. You become consciously aware that the reward is just a guise covering up the reality that you’re in an endless loop of going nowhere. In one of Brewers’s studies, a subject involved with smoking admitted that mindful smoking, “smells like stinky cheese, and tastes like chemicals, YUCK!”. This paper eventually reveals that mindfulness training may confer benefits greater than those associated with current standard treatments for smoking cessation. No money, drugs, or therapy required. The second route is when things get really exciting. This is when you experience the trigger, but you’re now inherently aware that this is a poor choice and you take a halt. This is how you move from knowledge to wisdom. We’re all cognitively aware that bad habits aren’t good for us. Curiosity bridges the gap to allow us to be mindful of this, even when we’re stressed out or ‘in the act’. When you start to implement this curiosity technique into your behaviors, bad habits simply become less enchanting. You start to wise up and realize that you don’t need to give in to every trigger that comes your way. An amazing bonus to this mindset is that curiosity in itself is rewarding. Being mindful amidst your stressed-out state will deliver the prize that you were initially seeking from your ‘drug’ of choice. It may not be as powerful of a hit, but over time, your brain will realize that it’s the one you need. This is a rewarding, sustainable, and life-changing way to think about human behavior. Will it solve all of your problems instantly? Absolutely not. Many addictions are as much physiological as they are psychological. At times, it may be necessary to get professional help. Regardless, this is a powerful tool for initiating an important conversation with yourself. It is one that empowers you to ditch the dissociation and start attacking your bad habits head-on.

https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/the-ted-talk-that-changed-my-life-a79e591783bf

['David Liira']

2020-12-11 23:20:21.853000+00:00

['Lifestyle', 'Health', 'Wellness', 'Science', 'Psychology']

Title Ted Talk Changed LifeContent Simplest Form Mindfulness Also Effective u cognitively aware bad habit well BAD challenge prefrontal cortex front section brain responsible awareness first go offline get stressed brain center log start feel ‘numb’ give stress fall back onto negative habit Let’s go back 3 pillar form habit one time experience trigger respond behavior receive reward Say you’re battling urge fourth slice pizza You’ve already experienced trigger that’s telling “Yes great idea…you’ll feel good after” took split second pause caving use curiosity tool disrupt cycle Here’s look like feel trigger spur temptation Instead caving pause moment get curious Ask yourself…what’s going feeling way two possible route step right direction first path still give bad behavior heightened state mindfulness act caving feel much le satisfying become consciously aware reward guise covering reality you’re endless loop going nowhere one Brewers’s study subject involved smoking admitted mindful smoking “smells like stinky cheese taste like chemical YUCK” paper eventually reveals mindfulness training may confer benefit greater associated current standard treatment smoking cessation money drug therapy required second route thing get really exciting experience trigger you’re inherently aware poor choice take halt move knowledge wisdom We’re cognitively aware bad habit aren’t good u Curiosity bridge gap allow u mindful even we’re stressed ‘in act’ start implement curiosity technique behavior bad habit simply become le enchanting start wise realize don’t need give every trigger come way amazing bonus mindset curiosity rewarding mindful amidst stressedout state deliver prize initially seeking ‘drug’ choice may powerful hit time brain realize it’s one need rewarding sustainable lifechanging way think human behavior solve problem instantly Absolutely Many addiction much physiological psychological time may necessary get professional help Regardless powerful tool initiating important conversation one empowers ditch dissociation start attacking bad habit headonTags Lifestyle Health Wellness Science Psychology

How to Make Your Day Job Support Your Art

Gather around kids and let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, people grew up and got one job that paid all of their bills, let them save some money, and was enough to do big things like buy a house and put their kids through college. Once upon a time, that was just what happened. It’s sometimes called the American Dream, but it was just reality. Weird, I know. For the rest of this post I’m going to talk about a day job, but what I mean is whatever income streams you’ve cobbled together to pay for your life. And even weirder if you’re an artist of any kind who has it in their head that you’re supposed to figure out how to make your art give you that kind of life. The idea that your art has to be the kind of pillar of your financial life that that barely even exists in the corporate world anymore is a dream killer. You aren’t a failure if your art doesn’t let you quit your day job. One more time for the people who really need to hear it. You aren’t a failure if your art doesn’t let you quit your day job. And that day job? It will suck a lot less if you can wrap your head around the idea that it’s serving your art. Seriously. If you can make yourself believe that the idea that showing up for your 9-to-5 is part of your art, it will change everything. It will knock your day job off its pedestal and it will relieve your art of the pressure to pay its own way. And it will crack your brain open so that the idea of building a living around your art, instead of feeling like a failure if your art doesn’t pull in enough money all by itself, can take root. Start by prioritizing your art. If you have a regular job, chances are there are hours in your day that you don’t have control over. That’s okay. We ALL have hours during the day we don’t have control over. Even full-time artists who earn a living with their art. Get a calendar though, an agenda of some kind, and schedule your art like it’s important enough for you to show up for. If you wouldn’t blow off working for someone else, don’t blow off working on your art. Here’s the deal: you don’t have to put eight hours a day into it. But I bet you can find an hour a day, five days a week. Start there. Write it in and protect that time like there’s a boss who will dock your check if you don’t show up. Think outside the 9-to-5 box. Brainstorm how you can make your day job work around your art, instead of the other way around. Are there income streams you can build that will let you work fewer hours? Can you find work that will free up more of your emotional and physical energy for your art? How about focusing on finding a job that pays more per hour so that you can make the same money in fewer hours, and open up time for your art? Is there some aspect of your art that you can turn into an income? Think about teaching, blogging, freelancing. Instead of fitting your art into your day job, shift your thinking so that you’re building a life around your art. Build an audience. A couple of years ago I set up a little corner of a shared booth at a tiny local comic con to spread the word about Ninja Writers. I was surrounded by artists of all stripes. Writers. Comic book creators. A girl who made tote bags out of Doctor Who and Star Wars fabric. A man who sat in his booth all day and drew superheroes. I sat there with my little poster promising to give away a $25 Amazon gift card to one of people who gave me their email address — and I realized that literally no one else around me was collecting email addresses. A few passed out postcards or bookmarks with their website addresses. Those disappeared into bags full of similar ephemera. I talked to as many as I could and tried to encourage them to collect email addresses from the people who were stopping to talk to them. I handed out my business card and told them that I’d be happy to help them learn how to build an email list if they emailed me. It didn’t work. The few people who did take my business card didn’t use it to contact me. I haven’t heard from any of them. Artists need audiences. It doesn’t matter what your art is. Writing, painting, sculpture, theater, making TARDIS tote bags. If you are an artist of any kind, you need an audience. I can tell you from experience that even having some big producer of your art get involved does not guarantee you an audience. Ask anyone whose had a film flop, an art show fail to result in sales, a restaurant go bust. Ask me sometime about how being published by Penguin worked out for me. Artists need audiences, and no one else will build them for us. When you are ready to make the move to making some of your income from your art, you’ll need people who care about what you’re doing. The one thing you can do is start building an email list. Get a free MailChimp account. Or just start writing names and emails in a notebook. Send everyone two emails a month. In one talk about cool shit you’ve come across that you think they might like. In the other talk about what you’re working on. Make a habit of asking everyone if they want to join your list. It’ll feel weird at first, but you’ll get used to it. Your day job is the first investor in your art. True story. If you have a day job that pays your bills, then it’s paying for your supplies, it’s putting a roof over your head, it’s feeding you. Maybe it’s paying for you to take some classes so you can learn to be a better artist. Seriously. Your day job is like having patron. Sure you have to work for it. You have to put in the time to get the pay check. And maybe that sucks. I’ve had jobs that really, really sucked. I know that place. When you have a day job like that, sometimes the only thing that helps is shifting your mindset. Instead of: I can’t be a writer because I have to work 40 hours a week at this shitty job that I hate and it sucks all my creative energy. Try this: I spend 40 hours a week at a shitty job that I hate, but it pays for me to spend 20 hours a week writing. Or even better: I’m grateful for this day job that pays my bills so that I can be a writer. Give your art a break. The best gift you can give yourself as an artist is to stop expecting your art to support itself. Especially if you’re still learning. Maybe your art will earn a living someday. It’s unreasonable to put that burden on it when it’s still a baby venture and you’re still learning how to create it. I know so many writers who put everything inside them into writing a book. They shine it up and send it off to agents — as they should. And when rejection comes — as it always will — they are crushed. Absolutely devastated. So devastated that sometimes they just stop writing. What’s the point if it’s never going to make money? Obviously, if this one book failed then they suck and they just aren’t really writers anyway. Don’t do that to yourself. Please. Embrace your day job. It has one job. Paying your bills. Let your writing (or whatever your art is) off the hook. Just create. Practice. Take in the masters. Learn to be better. Come back and talk to me when you’re ten books in about whether or not you should pack it in.

https://medium.com/the-write-brain/how-to-make-your-day-job-support-your-art-2529d75e8375

['Shaunta Grimes']

2019-09-22 21:16:07.226000+00:00

['Work', 'Productivity', 'Creativity', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Writing']

Title Make Day Job Support ArtContent Gather around kid let tell story upon time people grew got one job paid bill let save money enough big thing like buy house put kid college upon time happened It’s sometimes called American Dream reality Weird know rest post I’m going talk day job mean whatever income stream you’ve cobbled together pay life even weirder you’re artist kind head you’re supposed figure make art give kind life idea art kind pillar financial life barely even exists corporate world anymore dream killer aren’t failure art doesn’t let quit day job One time people really need hear aren’t failure art doesn’t let quit day job day job suck lot le wrap head around idea it’s serving art Seriously make believe idea showing 9to5 part art change everything knock day job pedestal relieve art pressure pay way crack brain open idea building living around art instead feeling like failure art doesn’t pull enough money take root Start prioritizing art regular job chance hour day don’t control That’s okay hour day don’t control Even fulltime artist earn living art Get calendar though agenda kind schedule art like it’s important enough show wouldn’t blow working someone else don’t blow working art Here’s deal don’t put eight hour day bet find hour day five day week Start Write protect time like there’s bos dock check don’t show Think outside 9to5 box Brainstorm make day job work around art instead way around income stream build let work fewer hour find work free emotional physical energy art focusing finding job pay per hour make money fewer hour open time art aspect art turn income Think teaching blogging freelancing Instead fitting art day job shift thinking you’re building life around art Build audience couple year ago set little corner shared booth tiny local comic con spread word Ninja Writers surrounded artist stripe Writers Comic book creator girl made tote bag Doctor Star Wars fabric man sat booth day drew superheroes sat little poster promising give away 25 Amazon gift card one people gave email address — realized literally one else around collecting email address passed postcard bookmark website address disappeared bag full similar ephemera talked many could tried encourage collect email address people stopping talk handed business card told I’d happy help learn build email list emailed didn’t work people take business card didn’t use contact haven’t heard Artists need audience doesn’t matter art Writing painting sculpture theater making TARDIS tote bag artist kind need audience tell experience even big producer art get involved guarantee audience Ask anyone whose film flop art show fail result sale restaurant go bust Ask sometime published Penguin worked Artists need audience one else build u ready make move making income art you’ll need people care you’re one thing start building email list Get free MailChimp account start writing name email notebook Send everyone two email month one talk cool shit you’ve come across think might like talk you’re working Make habit asking everyone want join list It’ll feel weird first you’ll get used day job first investor art True story day job pay bill it’s paying supply it’s putting roof head it’s feeding Maybe it’s paying take class learn better artist Seriously day job like patron Sure work put time get pay check maybe suck I’ve job really really sucked know place day job like sometimes thing help shifting mindset Instead can’t writer work 40 hour week shitty job hate suck creative energy Try spend 40 hour week shitty job hate pay spend 20 hour week writing even better I’m grateful day job pay bill writer Give art break best gift give artist stop expecting art support Especially you’re still learning Maybe art earn living someday It’s unreasonable put burden it’s still baby venture you’re still learning create know many writer put everything inside writing book shine send agent — rejection come — always — crushed Absolutely devastated devastated sometimes stop writing What’s point it’s never going make money Obviously one book failed suck aren’t really writer anyway Don’t Please Embrace day job one job Paying bill Let writing whatever art hook create Practice Take master Learn better Come back talk you’re ten book whether pack inTags Work Productivity Creativity Entrepreneurship Writing

Exploring New York City Restaurants

By Rashida Kamal and Vivien Ngo Enigma’s latest project Food for Thought provides an interactive interface to explore health inspection data for restaurants across New York City. We dug a little deeper into the relationships between these inspection scores and how popular restaurants are with New Yorkers to highlight a few hidden gems, as well as the places to avoid. Click an image to play with the full-sized interactive map! Methodology Each map contains geocoded Yelp data on restaurant ratings and prices and restaurant inspection data from Enigma Public. Data analysis was done using Pandas, and histograms were made with Matplotlib with Adobe Illustrator for touching up. Restaurants shown with a “?” were inspected but did not receive a letter grade; for our analysis we used the violations score from the most recent inspection even if a grade was not issued. The interactives were designed by Enigma’s previous data journalism fellow, Rashida Kamal, and the maps were updated with June data by Vivien Ngo. Lots of thanks to Peter Henderson for his help! Originally published at www.enigma.com on July 19, 2018.

https://medium.com/enigma-engineering/exploring-new-york-city-restaurants-3998e5147fac

[]

2018-07-19 18:57:03.254000+00:00

['New York', 'Data Visualization', 'Public Data', 'Dataviz', 'Engineering']

Title Exploring New York City RestaurantsContent Rashida Kamal Vivien Ngo Enigma’s latest project Food Thought provides interactive interface explore health inspection data restaurant across New York City dug little deeper relationship inspection score popular restaurant New Yorkers highlight hidden gem well place avoid Click image play fullsized interactive map Methodology map contains geocoded Yelp data restaurant rating price restaurant inspection data Enigma Public Data analysis done using Pandas histogram made Matplotlib Adobe Illustrator touching Restaurants shown “” inspected receive letter grade analysis used violation score recent inspection even grade issued interactives designed Enigma’s previous data journalism fellow Rashida Kamal map updated June data Vivien Ngo Lots thanks Peter Henderson help Originally published wwwenigmacom July 19 2018Tags New York Data Visualization Public Data Dataviz Engineering

A Social Worker Offered Mormon Lingo to Me When I Was in Crisis, Told Me to Think Happy Thoughts, and Hung Up on Me — While I Was Still in Crisis

A Social Worker Offered Mormon Lingo to Me When I Was in Crisis, Told Me to Think Happy Thoughts, and Hung Up on Me — While I Was Still in Crisis Rhett Wilkinson Follow May 26, 2019 · 3 min read I called a crisis line. You may say it was tragically less than helpful. In fact, it only made the situation worse. The issue was created by a social worker on the other end of the Utah County Crisis Line. (United Way of Utah County) Immediately after telling her I am considering killing myself, this person talked about “the other side.” I’m not against talk about heaven, but “the other side” comes ripped from language used in culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Which still would not be bad, except that she is not speaking organically. Not from the heart. When I was suicidal. Further, she did nothing more than parrot what the system she is in fed her. And that’s what she had to offer above anything else when I wanted nothing more than to die. Then she went on to talk about thinking positive thoughts. I do know social work well enough that least to know that simply thinking positive thoughts doesn’t help anyone depressed, let alone suicidal. And in fact, that patients should be encouraged to grieve. (Not to say that she said nothing about medications or even exercise, let alone yoga.) (Perhaps this photo expresses Latter-day Saint culture well.) A crisis worker offered Mormon lingo immediately after I told her I was considering killing myself and proceeded to give an idea prevalent in LDS culture about thinking “positive thoughts.” Another example of her just parroting an idea fed to her by culture, instead of doing the work of life-saving. So then I got at these ideas. I said that I had compassion for how she was handling the call since her thoughts are not her own since she is part of a cult. Her response? Hang up. On someone who may kill themselves? And she said she has been a social worker for 15 years. How often, then, did she miss out on helping folks in real pain? How much did she simply drop the ball? Has she fallen short for years? Perhaps this is why the recording to start the call to the Utah County Crisis Line emphasizes that the social workers are volunteering. Perhaps, though, even those not getting paid should be kept from life-saving circumstances if they are going to drop the ball so bad. The Utah County Crisis Line has a tagline of “Let us be your lifeline.” Hopefully at least not this lady any longer. — Even if you no longer affiliate with the Latter-day Saint (ex-Mormon) church but enjoy sociality with family and friends as before, you can still find social settings organized by the Utah Valley PostMormons. There, you can find your people. And of course, if you don’t enjoy those relationships like before, the many UVPM events that happen each week can be even life-saving. Led by wonderful people, UVPM is also for folks who just are struggling with it or are “never Mormons” seeking a break from the predominant culture. Find their events on Facebook and Meetup. — For more articles like this, please support The Seer Stone at the Hero’s Journey Content Patreon page.

https://medium.com/the-seer-stone/a-social-worker-offered-mormon-lingo-to-me-when-in-crisis-told-me-to-just-think-happy-thoughts-e1fa033160e0

['Rhett Wilkinson']

2019-06-19 14:08:11.660000+00:00

['Suicide', 'Mental Health', 'Health', 'Utah', 'Psychology']

Title Social Worker Offered Mormon Lingo Crisis Told Think Happy Thoughts Hung — Still CrisisContent Social Worker Offered Mormon Lingo Crisis Told Think Happy Thoughts Hung — Still Crisis Rhett Wilkinson Follow May 26 2019 · 3 min read called crisis line may say tragically le helpful fact made situation worse issue created social worker end Utah County Crisis Line United Way Utah County Immediately telling considering killing person talked “the side” I’m talk heaven “the side” come ripped language used culture Church Jesus Christ Latterday Saints still would bad except speaking organically heart suicidal nothing parrot system fed that’s offer anything else wanted nothing die went talk thinking positive thought know social work well enough least know simply thinking positive thought doesn’t help anyone depressed let alone suicidal fact patient encouraged grieve say said nothing medication even exercise let alone yoga Perhaps photo express Latterday Saint culture well crisis worker offered Mormon lingo immediately told considering killing proceeded give idea prevalent LDS culture thinking “positive thoughts” Another example parroting idea fed culture instead work lifesaving got idea said compassion handling call since thought since part cult response Hang someone may kill said social worker 15 year often miss helping folk real pain much simply drop ball fallen short year Perhaps recording start call Utah County Crisis Line emphasizes social worker volunteering Perhaps though even getting paid kept lifesaving circumstance going drop ball bad Utah County Crisis Line tagline “Let u lifeline” Hopefully least lady longer — Even longer affiliate Latterday Saint exMormon church enjoy sociality family friend still find social setting organized Utah Valley PostMormons find people course don’t enjoy relationship like many UVPM event happen week even lifesaving Led wonderful people UVPM also folk struggling “never Mormons” seeking break predominant culture Find event Facebook Meetup — article like please support Seer Stone Hero’s Journey Content Patreon pageTags Suicide Mental Health Health Utah Psychology

An Effective Five-Step Process for Writing Captivating Headlines

You’ve spent hours pouring your heart and soul into a blog post. You’re writing about an important topic that you’re sure will help readers, and you want to convey your message as effectively as possible. So you’ve edited each paragraph until your eyes ached from staring at the computer screen. You’ve crafted a compelling introduction that will entice readers to keep reading, and your conclusion is powerful with a memorable final sentence. Unfortunately, however, all of this time and effort will go to waste if no one reads your article. Often, there’s only one way to get people to read: you must craft a headline that is so irresistible it draws people like a magnet to click on your piece. People’s social media feeds are flooded with a constant stream of articles and online content. If you don’t have an attention-grabbing headline, your post won’t reach the potential readers it could help and inspire. But don’t worry! In today’s article, I’m sharing my five-step process that will help you write captivating headlines so your target audience reads your valuable blog posts. Let’s dive in. (Please note that links to books are affiliate links which means I’ll earn a small commission if you buy through the link with no extra cost to you.) 1. Craft a one sentence synopsis When I begin working on a new writing project, the very first thing I do is write up a one-sentence synopsis of what my piece will be about. I do this no matter if I’m about to write a blog post, a personal essay, or even a short story. The one-sentence synopsis gives me a clear understanding of the main point of my piece and the message I’m trying to express to my readers. It acts as a guide so I don’t end up running off on tangents and going down rabbit trails. And often it can be tweaked to become a perfect title for the piece too. For example, for this article my synopsis was: “My five-step process that will help readers craft captivating headlines.” I tweaked that sentence to get my headline: “A Powerful Five-Step Process for Writing Captivating Headlines.” Now, as I said, I don’t only use the one-sentence synopsis for blog posts. I recently wrote a personal essay titled “What a Museum Security Guard Taught Me About Art.” That title came straight from a one-sentence synopsis I’d crafted too. In my article here, I dive deeper into how to craft a one-sentence synopsis and share five different formulas that can help you write yours. Let’s now see how to go about tweaking your synopsis in order to turn it into a powerful headline. 2. Identify Your SEO Keyword My second step when crafting a headline for a blog post is to identify the keyword that I want my blog post to be categorized under in Google searches. In blogging parlance, this is called “search engine optimization” or SEO. If you have a blog and don’t bother at all about SEO, you probably won’t end up reaching readers who might have found you through Google. Even if you’re not worried about SEO, choosing a clear keyword will help people better understand what your piece is about and help you avoid titles that sound like clickbait. For example, compare the difference between titling your piece “This One Habit Changed My Life” (sounds a bit like clickbait) or “How Journaling in the Morning Changed My Life”. “Journaling” would be your keyword for that title. Here’s how to figure out what keyword to use for your piece: Take a look at your one-sentence synopsis. What is your piece about? Is there a word you use multiple times in your piece to refer to your topic? What terms might someone be searching for in Google to find your piece? Search for blog posts similar to yours. What keywords are used in the titles? 3. Tweak Your Headline to Include Specificity, Curiosity, and Power Words Once I’ve crafted my one-sentence synopsis, written my blog post, and then pinpointed my keyword, I write up a quick first draft of a headline to work with. Let’s take, for example, the blog post I wrote about my two different journaling methods. A rough draft of a title might have looked like this: “A Peek At My Two Journaling Methods.” That’s not very compelling, right? It’s time to tweak that headline to make sure it stands out and entices people to click to read the article. There are three ingredients that copywriters use to write effective headlines: specificity, curiosity, and power words. First, specificity makes your headline focused and compelling. In his classic book Scientific Advertising, copywriter Claude C. Hopkins explained why “specificity” is persuasive: “…[A] man who makes a specific claim is either telling the truth or a lie. People do not expect an advertiser to lie … The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific.” Now, you’re probably not selling a product in your blog post, but you most likely are trying to convince your readers of an idea or to take a certain course of action. Specificity will increase your credibility. For example, instead of writing, “I Lost Weight on a Low Carb Diet”, you could write “How I Lost Five Pounds in Two Weeks on a Low Carb Diet.” That word “how” indicates your blog post is going to share a specific process you followed. The numbers make your headline sound truthful. Of course, you’ll lose your credibility if the body of your post doesn’t deliver what the headline promised. If your headline promises to share a specific process, make sure you do so in the body of your post. Here are ways to make your headlines specific: Start your headline with a number (for example, “5 Steps to Quickly Memorize Any Piano Piece”) Start your headline with words like “who, what, why, when, where, or how” (for example, “How to Make A Perfect Pan Seared Steak Every Time”) Use specific words like “This” or “These” (for example, “This Powerful Strategy Will Boost Your Productivity”) Use specific numbers in the body of your headline (for example, one of my most popular posts on Medium is “How to Make Your Writing Captivating with One Simple Technique”) Specificity also piques readers’ curiosity, which is the next ingredient for strengthening your headline. If a headline arouses a person’s curiosity, they’re probably going to keep reading. So make sure you don’t just summarize your piece in the headline. For example, I’m not piquing someone’s curiosity if I write a title like this: “Keeping a Journal Will Make You More Productive”. Compare it to this one: “5 Reasons Why Keeping a Journal Will Make You More Productive”. Finally, take your headline to the next level by using power words. Power words are words that trigger an emotional response. They might be a strong adjective or adverb or a more descriptive verb. For example, instead of writing, “increase your productivity”, you could write, “boost your productivity” or even “supercharge your productivity.” In my headlines, I use words like “compelling” and “captivating.” A food blogger might use words like “refreshing”, “tasty”, or “delicious.” When you evaluate your headline, ask yourself if you could include a vivid adjective or a more emotional verb. 4. Convey a benefit to the reader Lastly, your headline should appeal to the reader’s self-interest. It should promise them something in return for the time they spend reading. David Ogilvy, known as The Father of Advertising, is said to have stated, “The headlines that work best are those that promise the reader a benefit.” A benefit could be anything from entertaining someone to teaching someone to inspiring someone to helping someone solve a problem. What is the benefit you’re offering to a person for reading your blog post? Will you help them solve a problem? Earn money? Save money? Increase their productivity? Expand their knowledge? Become smarter? Happier? Avoid danger? Maybe they will learn a quick and effortless method for accomplishing something? Or discover a secret or a strategy? Depending on the type of blog post you’re writing, you might want the promise in your headline to be very clear or perhaps more subtle. For example, my personal essay’s title “What a Museum Security Guard Taught Me About Art” was focused on me rather than on the reader. However, it did promise that I was going to share the security guard’s wisdom with them. But when I wrote the headline for my blog post about my journaling methods, I wanted the benefit to be very clear. I decided to go with “Two Journaling Methods to Boost Your Productivity and Creativity” rather than “Two Journaling Methods That Boost My Productivity and Creativity.” The latter is not as powerful at hooking the reader. 5. Write Multiple Headlines Even the best copywriters in the world usually don’t write a captivating headline right off the bat. In the book Tested Advertising Methods, expert copywriter John Caples says he writes between twelve to twenty-five headlines before choosing the best one. Sometimes I will change the headline of a post after I’ve published it if I notice that it isn’t getting a lot of clicks. So experiment and tweak your headlines as much as you can. Write out a list of different headlines you can use for your piece. Headline formulas are a fantastic way to remind yourself to include all of the essential copywriting elements covered in steps 3 and 4. You can find these formulas in copywriting books or in countless articles online. Here are several examples: How to Start____When____ (For example, “How to Start a Side Hustle When You’re Broke”) (For example, “How to Start a Side Hustle When You’re Broke”) Why____Makes You____ (“Why Reading Makes You a Better Writer”) (“Why Reading Makes You a Better Writer”) [Number] Mistakes People Make When____ (“10 Mistakes People Make When Saving for Retirement”) (“10 Mistakes People Make When Saving for Retirement”) The Ultimate Guide To____ (“The Ultimate Guide to Going Low Carb”) (“The Ultimate Guide to Going Low Carb”) [Number] Lessons I Learned From____ (“5 Lessons I Learned from Waking up at 5am for 30 Days”) (“5 Lessons I Learned from Waking up at 5am for 30 Days”) [Number] Strategies That Will Help You ____ (“7 Strategies That Will Help You Improve Your Writing Skills”) Once you’ve written the final version of your headline, evaluate it and ask yourself, “Is this headline clear and easy to understand? And does it make me eager to read the article right this minute?” You can also run your headlines through the Coschedule Headline Analyzer to see if there are ways to tweak them to make them more powerful. The Takeaway In his book How to Write a Good Advertisement, copywriter Victor A. Schwab writes, “The headline is like a flag being held up by a flagman alongside a railroad track. He is using it to try to get the immediate attention of the engineer of an approaching train so that he can give him some kind of message…The message on the flag…must be persuasive enough…to compete with all the other distractions of life. It must capture attention. And it must offer a ‘reward for reading’.” If you follow the five-step process in this article, your headline will act just like a bright red flag waving down your readers so you can share your important message with them.

https://medium.com/copywriting-secrets/a-powerful-five-step-process-for-writing-captivating-headlines-50f939d6166a

['Nicole Bianchi']

2020-02-08 17:08:51.054000+00:00

['Marketing', 'Writing', 'Productivity', 'Writing Tips', 'Creativity']

Title Effective FiveStep Process Writing Captivating HeadlinesContent You’ve spent hour pouring heart soul blog post You’re writing important topic you’re sure help reader want convey message effectively possible you’ve edited paragraph eye ached staring computer screen You’ve crafted compelling introduction entice reader keep reading conclusion powerful memorable final sentence Unfortunately however time effort go waste one read article Often there’s one way get people read must craft headline irresistible draw people like magnet click piece People’s social medium feed flooded constant stream article online content don’t attentiongrabbing headline post won’t reach potential reader could help inspire don’t worry today’s article I’m sharing fivestep process help write captivating headline target audience read valuable blog post Let’s dive Please note link book affiliate link mean I’ll earn small commission buy link extra cost 1 Craft one sentence synopsis begin working new writing project first thing write onesentence synopsis piece matter I’m write blog post personal essay even short story onesentence synopsis give clear understanding main point piece message I’m trying express reader act guide don’t end running tangent going rabbit trail often tweaked become perfect title piece example article synopsis “My fivestep process help reader craft captivating headlines” tweaked sentence get headline “A Powerful FiveStep Process Writing Captivating Headlines” said don’t use onesentence synopsis blog post recently wrote personal essay titled “What Museum Security Guard Taught Art” title came straight onesentence synopsis I’d crafted article dive deeper craft onesentence synopsis share five different formula help write Let’s see go tweaking synopsis order turn powerful headline 2 Identify SEO Keyword second step crafting headline blog post identify keyword want blog post categorized Google search blogging parlance called “search engine optimization” SEO blog don’t bother SEO probably won’t end reaching reader might found Google Even you’re worried SEO choosing clear keyword help people better understand piece help avoid title sound like clickbait example compare difference titling piece “This One Habit Changed Life” sound bit like clickbait “How Journaling Morning Changed Life” “Journaling” would keyword title Here’s figure keyword use piece Take look onesentence synopsis piece word use multiple time piece refer topic term might someone searching Google find piece Search blog post similar keywords used title 3 Tweak Headline Include Specificity Curiosity Power Words I’ve crafted onesentence synopsis written blog post pinpointed keyword write quick first draft headline work Let’s take example blog post wrote two different journaling method rough draft title might looked like “A Peek Two Journaling Methods” That’s compelling right It’s time tweak headline make sure stand entices people click read article three ingredient copywriter use write effective headline specificity curiosity power word First specificity make headline focused compelling classic book Scientific Advertising copywriter Claude C Hopkins explained “specificity” persuasive “…A man make specific claim either telling truth lie People expect advertiser lie … weight argument may often multiplied making specific” you’re probably selling product blog post likely trying convince reader idea take certain course action Specificity increase credibility example instead writing “I Lost Weight Low Carb Diet” could write “How Lost Five Pounds Two Weeks Low Carb Diet” word “how” indicates blog post going share specific process followed number make headline sound truthful course you’ll lose credibility body post doesn’t deliver headline promised headline promise share specific process make sure body post way make headline specific Start headline number example “5 Steps Quickly Memorize Piano Piece” Start headline word like “who how” example “How Make Perfect Pan Seared Steak Every Time” Use specific word like “This” “These” example “This Powerful Strategy Boost Productivity” Use specific number body headline example one popular post Medium “How Make Writing Captivating One Simple Technique” Specificity also pique readers’ curiosity next ingredient strengthening headline headline arouses person’s curiosity they’re probably going keep reading make sure don’t summarize piece headline example I’m piquing someone’s curiosity write title like “Keeping Journal Make Productive” Compare one “5 Reasons Keeping Journal Make Productive” Finally take headline next level using power word Power word word trigger emotional response might strong adjective adverb descriptive verb example instead writing “increase productivity” could write “boost productivity” even “supercharge productivity” headline use word like “compelling” “captivating” food blogger might use word like “refreshing” “tasty” “delicious” evaluate headline ask could include vivid adjective emotional verb 4 Convey benefit reader Lastly headline appeal reader’s selfinterest promise something return time spend reading David Ogilvy known Father Advertising said stated “The headline work best promise reader benefit” benefit could anything entertaining someone teaching someone inspiring someone helping someone solve problem benefit you’re offering person reading blog post help solve problem Earn money Save money Increase productivity Expand knowledge Become smarter Happier Avoid danger Maybe learn quick effortless method accomplishing something discover secret strategy Depending type blog post you’re writing might want promise headline clear perhaps subtle example personal essay’s title “What Museum Security Guard Taught Art” focused rather reader However promise going share security guard’s wisdom wrote headline blog post journaling method wanted benefit clear decided go “Two Journaling Methods Boost Productivity Creativity” rather “Two Journaling Methods Boost Productivity Creativity” latter powerful hooking reader 5 Write Multiple Headlines Even best copywriter world usually don’t write captivating headline right bat book Tested Advertising Methods expert copywriter John Caples say writes twelve twentyfive headline choosing best one Sometimes change headline post I’ve published notice isn’t getting lot click experiment tweak headline much Write list different headline use piece Headline formula fantastic way remind include essential copywriting element covered step 3 4 find formula copywriting book countless article online several example StartWhen example “How Start Side Hustle You’re Broke” example “How Start Side Hustle You’re Broke” WhyMakes “Why Reading Makes Better Writer” “Why Reading Makes Better Writer” Number Mistakes People Make “10 Mistakes People Make Saving Retirement” “10 Mistakes People Make Saving Retirement” Ultimate Guide “The Ultimate Guide Going Low Carb” “The Ultimate Guide Going Low Carb” Number Lessons Learned “5 Lessons Learned Waking 5am 30 Days” “5 Lessons Learned Waking 5am 30 Days” Number Strategies Help “7 Strategies Help Improve Writing Skills” you’ve written final version headline evaluate ask “Is headline clear easy understand make eager read article right minute” also run headline Coschedule Headline Analyzer see way tweak make powerful Takeaway book Write Good Advertisement copywriter Victor Schwab writes “The headline like flag held flagman alongside railroad track using try get immediate attention engineer approaching train give kind message…The message flag…must persuasive enough…to compete distraction life must capture attention must offer ‘reward reading’” follow fivestep process article headline act like bright red flag waving reader share important message themTags Marketing Writing Productivity Writing Tips Creativity