Article: Go out dancing, joining a book club or a hiking club, or try out for a community chorus. Singing, dancing, and finding new ways to stay active all contribute towards keeping a youthful outlook on life. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself. Trying new things with joyfulness raises your levels of dopamine and energy levels. Listening to music raises your dopamine, as does dancing. Local community colleges are full of courses that you can take to learn new skills, or brush up on subjects you have not have thought about in a while. For a small cost, you can join other lifelong learners and keep your mind active. If you're able to, consider joining an educational travel tour. These tours are offered by a variety of different organizations, and are a wonderful way to travel and learn at once. Taking classes is a wonderful way to meet new friends, another way to keep your mind active. Being mindful means to live in the present moment. Bringing your attention to the present moment has been shown to be connected to lower levels of stress, maintaining cognitive flexibility, and overall good health. Try to include mindfulness practices, such as meditation, in your daily routine. Even as little as 10-15 minutes of meditation per day has been connected to improvements in mental and physical health. Bring mindfulness practices to your daily activities. Eating intentionally, in a relaxed and thoughtful way, is tied to better digestion and health. Walking meditation is simply bringing mindfulness practices to the ordinary activity of walking. It is not the aerobic exercise that brings the benefits of a brisk walk, but a meditative activity that centers the mind and calms the nervous system. You can do this anywhere, but for best results find a place to walk where you will not encounter people to talk to or obstacles that may distract you from your meditation. To practice walking meditation, start by being aware of your physical body as you stand. Feel the way your feet connect to the ground, and the way the air feels against your skin. Walk forward at a gentle pace. Continue to notice the way your body feels as you move. Breathe through your nostrils, maintaining awareness of the feeling of your breath flowing through your nostrils and into your lungs. Come to a stop, and notice how it feels to cease movement. Repeat this exercise until your attention wanders. Over time you'll develop the ability to practice this meditation for longer periods of time. People who have a connection with something larger than themselves are more likely to be resilient. You might try spending time mentoring young people, or participating in a spiritual group. Simply connecting with people who are important to you will also help you feel like a part of something larger than yourself. When you focus only on yourself and your needs, you're more likely to have trouble with the aging process. Participating in a larger group will help bring a sense of meaning and purpose to your life. You're more likely to feel important to other people when you're active in their lives. If you feel young, you're more likely to want to eat foods that will keep you healthy in the future. To stay young, you have to believe that you have a future! A diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and plenty of fiber will help you feel better. Avoid heavy drinking, overeating sugar, trans and saturated fats. Increase the amount of good fats, whole grains, and Omega 3s for optimal health.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Challenge yourself to try new things. Take an educational class. Learn to be mindful. Try walking meditation. Focus on something larger than yourself. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Article: Oftentimes this will be the manager immediately above you. In any case, you should start with them, or with a more senior colleague or co-worker. They will have the experience to help you and give you the feedback you need. You should follow the norms in your office for emails. Humility goes a long way in asking for feedback, but don't be so humble that your boss or manager thinks you know nothing about your job. Rather, frame the questions in ways that show your progress on a project or task. This will let the boss know you aren't just sitting on your hands waiting for feedback. Also keep in mind the following tips. You can say, "I was working on the presentation for tomorrow when I ran into a snag with the formatI'm not sure if I'm following the company's standard. I've attached the presentation. Do you have any suggestions for the format? Thank you for your help with this." Don't forget to thank them in the email. This can help you avoid overly broad feedback that is unlikely to help you at your job. Avoid yes or no questions, unless necessary. Instead focus on specific parts of a project that need work. Try not to bombard your boss or co-worker with all the possible questions you could have about your job all at once. You can say, for example, "I wasn't sure how to proceed with the Eastman file. The client hasn't responded to my emails, and since it is a high-priority assignment, I thought it best to email you to see what I should do." If you are looking for more general feedback in the form of a review or report, request that specifically. Being polite, concise, and as specific as you can will help. For instance you could ask for a report on your efficiency or creativity. If you are asking for feedback from those who report to you, you may need to conduct an anonymous survey. If the feedback suggested you need a lot of improvement or that your work is not up to par, make sure to include a brief statement of how you'll fix it. Give yourself time to process the emotions before immediately responding. Make sure you reply within 1-2 days at most.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Address the person best qualified to comment on your work. Be polite and humble in the email. Be specific in your feedback request. Send a thank-you email once they've responded.