Signs of stress in your children and teens

Signs of stress in your children and teens

Young people, like adults, experience stress. It can come from a variety of sources including doing well in school, making and sustaining friendships, or managing perceived expectations from their parents, teachers or coaches. Some stress can be positive in that it provides the energy to tackle a big test, presentation or sports event. Too much stress, however, can create unnecessary hardship and challenge. Adults can sometimes be unaware when their children or teens are experiencing overwhelming feelings of stress.

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Screen time - what we should know and what we can do

Screen time - what we should know and what we can do

From TV to smartphones to social media, our lives are dominated by 24/7 media exposure. Despite this, many children and teens have few rules around their media use. Media & digital devices are an integral part of our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately & appropriately, can be great.

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What is cognitive reserve?

What is cognitive reserve?

An important concept that is crucial to the understanding of cognitive health is known as cognitive reserve. You can think of cognitive reserve as your brain's ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a job done.

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Are you a midlife dating app addict?

Are you a midlife dating app addict?

Recently, I was talking to my friend Jo about her life as a 40-something singleton. Her marriage broke up two years ago – since then, she cheerfully admitted, she has become an online dating obsessive: “I’m now signed up to so many apps, I can barely remember which ones I’m on.” 


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This is how your experiences shape your brain

This is how your experiences shape your brain

Genes provide the basic blueprint, but experiences influence how or whether genes are expressed. Together, they shape the quality of brain architecture and establish either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all of the learning, health, and behavior that follow.

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Do you become easily distressed or upset? Watch your words. Too much I-talk could be the problem..

Do you become easily distressed or upset? Watch your words. Too much I-talk could be the problem..

... frequent I-talk can be used as an accurate linguistic marker for proneness to distress and negative emotions including depressive symptoms, anxiety, distress, worry, tension, and anger..

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Alcohol consumption linked to breast cancer

Alcohol consumption linked to breast cancer

An infographic from Cassiobury Court weighs up recent studies that say drinking moderate amounts of alcohol could increase the risk of getting breast cancer. Almost unbelievably, just over one in ten women will suffer from breast cancer in their lifetimes. Recent studies say these risks are increased in proportion to the number of alcohol units a woman consumes on a regular basis. The infographic is well researched, and we have added links to resources we used when designing the infographic. Towards the end of the infographic, we outline steps women can take to help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.

 

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Snacks - do it smarter

Snacks - do it smarter

It's a great idea to choose snacks wisely. But many foods that seem to be of great nutritional value just aren't. For example, bran muffins and cereal bars can be packed with unhealthy fats and added sugar. Even "fat-free" foods often contain lots of added salt and sugar. So what can you do?

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Be aware - blue light causes your sleep to suffer - here is what you can do

Be aware - blue light causes your sleep to suffer - here is what you can do

Now, in much of the world, evenings are illuminated, and we take our easy access to all those lumens pretty much for granted. But we may be paying a price for basking in all that light. At night, light throws the body's biological clock—the circadian rhythm—out of whack. Sleep suffers. How?

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Mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness exercises

We are so distracted by our constant access to technology, information and sources of instant entertainment and communication that many people rarely have any time to be truly aware of themselves or the world around them. 

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