A team of researchers from Brigham Young University conducted a meta analysis of almost 150 studies which looked at survival odds and social networks.

From the results they calculated that having very few friends is actually as damaging to survival as smoking 15 cigarettes per day or being a heavy drinker.

Julianne Holt-Lundstad led the study and has said she believes that the results are related to the fact that caring for others makes us better care for ourselves.

“When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility for other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks.” She said.

The study looked at over 300,000 people from four continents over a period of seven years. It was those who had a strong network of friends that fared best in terms of lifespan and were found to be almost twice as likely to be alive at any given age than those who were lonely.

Participants of the study included those of all ages and background, but the findings remained the same and regardless of initial health status.

If you are suffering from loneliness then try to find out about activities going on in your local area which you can get involved in. Good places to try would be local websites, doctors surgery’s, local shops, library’s and the citizens advice bureau for leaflets and information and if you have a community centre and or a church near by these are also great starting points.

If you feel like you may be suffering from a more serious condition such as depression it is important you visit your GP who will able to give you the appropriate help and support.

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Black out
As far as species go were pretty intelligent, but unfortunately we haven’t yet learned to distinguish man-made from natural light meaning any form of brightness will get our wake cycle going. Herbert Yew, a physician at Stanford University’s Sleep Disorders Clinic has said an hours illumination can disrupt the brains nocturnal production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Though a minute red light from a remote or DVD player won’t keep you from falling asleep, a glow from your laptop or a crack under the door letting the landing light through might. Switch off electrical equipment including T.V’s around half an hour before bedtime and if you need to pop to the loo in the night try not to switch the light on!

Cool room, warm toes
According to research, when we’re getting ourselves ready for bed, our thermoregulation system diverts blood from our core to our extremities, a process which lowers the body’s temperature. Though it is not known exactly why this happens, its thought to have something to do with preserving our energy for when we wake. Therefor sleeping in a cool room will hurry along the process so we can fall asleep faster. Its also advisable to pop on a pair of socks, helping the blood vessels to expand and encourage blood flow which aids body cooling.

No alcohol
Though alcohol may make you feel a little tired and drowsy initially, when it begins to metabolize the brain works hard at cancelling out the sedative effects. This means that once your liver has got around to processing the liquor, your head has overcompensated leaving you wide awake and irritable.

Researchers found that taking part in gardening can help youngsters to feel happy which in turn boosts development whilst encouraging them to become more confident and live healthy lives.

The study found that the teachers who used gardening as part of learning reported an improvement in children’s readiness to learn as well as making pupils more active in problem solving, literacy and numeracy plus a heightened response to the challenges of adult life. In addition to this it also helps young children overcome their fear of insects and teaches them patience as they are required to wait for things to grow.

Teachers also reported that children are more willing to try vegetables they have grown themselves which is an encouraging step towards healthier living.

Read more here.

The study was conducted by scientists at SRI International, an independent , non-profit research institute based in California. In the largest study of its kind to date the experts centred their study on developmental outcomes of children aged four, looking at around 8,000 children who completed a developmental assessment.

The findings showed that those who had a regular bedtime were the better at languages, reading and maths and they also found that those who went to bed even earlier stood a higher chance of picking things up at a faster pace. In contrast to this, pre-school children who had less than the recommended 11 hours sleep had a higher risk of falling behind.

Experts have recommended that parents set an appropriate bedtime for their children so they are receiving a sufficient amount of sleep each night.

Read more here.

A team from the University of London talked to a number of women who gave birth during the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s and found that modern women from the noughtie’s are more likely to take on board a mixture of advice but even so are still likely to follow family tips.

Women who had babies between 2000 and 2010 were found to examine a wide range of information and advice from doctors, midwives, books, magazines and the internet as well as receiving advice from family members. Although when it came to choosing between advice many would choose the latter especially when dealing with a specific symptom.

It was the mother’s of the 1970′s that were the most likely to take family advice and though this can be of great help its also important for mothers to seek medical advice if they do have worries ether during or after pregnancy.

Leader of the study, Professor Paula Nicolson, said: “When it comes to the crunch – if women feel sick for example – they will take their mother’s or their grandmother’s advice.

“They wouldn’t necessarily recognise how important it was to them, but it would override the science.”

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The School of Life is a small shop in central London which offers a variety of programmes and services concerned with how to live wisely and well.

A number of classes on various topics are available, from ‘how to think about death’ right through to ‘how to make love last’ each one incorporating different approaches to help achieve inner peace including focusing on breathing, philosophy, psychology, art and science.

If you are interested in participating in any of the classes then details can be found here.

Alternatively if you would like to discuss any issues you may have with a life coach on a one to one basis you can do so using the homepage of this site to contact a professional in your local area.

View the original article here.

In a recent article iVillage recommended The Weekend Healer: More Than a Dozen 3-day Plans to Relax, Relieve stress and Re-energise by Jane Alexander, which has some excellent tips on how to kick start a new routine. Below are a few of our favourites:

Spend an evening thinking about new beginnings
Alexander suggests that you start by writing down how you spend your life now. What is your daily routine, do you eat the same breakfast in the morning and go to bed at the same time every evening etc? Also think and write about if you do things on certain days, if you always go back to the same place for your holidays. This will help you to establish how much routine there is in your life.

Once you have done this sit down and take a long hard think about how it makes you feel. Do you find your routine comforting or boring?

The next step is to take your list and next to every single entry write the total opposite. If you usually spend most of your weekends in bed till midday then the rest in your PJ’s then this weekend you’ll be up and dressed by 8am sharp. Do you usually eat toast for breakfast? Well from now on its fruit and yogurt. Resolve to change everything you possibly can this weekend and once you have done this you can think about implementing changes for your working week routine.

Wishful thinking
On a large sheet of paper write down a list of 100 things you wish you could do in your life. They don’t have to be practical and could be anything from a humdrum everyday growing your own carrots to a slightly more medium range learning Hebrew to a wild having cosmetic surgery.

Once you have done this, choose at least one to do during the following week. Then underline one of your wildest dreams and formulate a time frame and plan to achieve this and commit to doing it sometime in the next year.

New perspectives
This weekend get out and about and try new things. If you usually get your partner to drive you around then walk or take the bus and vice versa. If usually you opt for a quick sandwich or fast food for lunch then try something different. Treat yourself in a restaurant. If you usually are surrounded by friends when out shopping then try going it alone and try out new shops you wouldn’t usually consider. Keep an open mind and try things you usually wouldn’t.

If your worry is growing into an all consuming monster and the above sounds like a perfect description of you then you need to nip your worry worting in the bud before it gets out of control. Ivillage have some fantastic tips on getting a handle on your worry and below is a selection of some practical and easy tips you can follow to set you on the road to relaxation.

-It may sound like a cliché but your first line of defence comes from living a healthy lifestyle as this will generally combat stress and anxiety and give you much needed motivation as well as physical and emotional strength. Never underestimate the importance of a healthy diet, a good nights sleep, regular exercise, me time and the great outdoors.

-Once you have started implementing more of the above you will be in a better position to bounce of potential worries that come your way. However, certain areas of your life such as money, work, love and friendship may send you to the tipping point of worry. Do some troubleshooting and have a little think about what would you do if something occurred in any of those areas. Develop a mental strategy for potentially worrying issues.

-A lot of the things that we worry about are in fact not a problem. Don’t fret about trivial things such as ‘does my boss hate me and think I’m incompetent’. Ask yourself if it’s a real problem? Then confirm your information.

-Is this really your problem? It is human nature to feel sympathy for your friend who just lost her job or for your partner who just failed an exam , but no one is expecting you to turn into a recruitment consultant and find your friend a new job or resit your boyfriends failed test.

-Be proactive, all the time you are spending sitting and worrying about something could have been used to actually solve the problem. Ask yourself what can I do? Think back to times when you have solved something similar, think of an outcome you would like and get solving.

- Lastly, once you have laid down a plan of action <strong>be sure that you are not still worrying as this is the lease productive thing you could do. Try to get out of the habit of slipping into worrying about something without really thinking.

To view more tips and read the full article please click here.

Appreciate what you have
Feeling a little sorry for yourself? It sounds like it is time to start a gratitude diary. At the beginning or the end of each day, write a list of at least 20 things you have been thankful for throughout the day. Pay attention to the little things, for instance perhaps you’ve never really thought about the peck on the cheek your husband gives you before leaving for work, or the cup of tea a colleague made you at work. Continue this process for two weeks and you will be sure to start appreciating the little things in life.

Focus on here and now
If asking your children about their day then phasing out whilst they are reply to think about tomorrow nights dinner sounds familiar then you are not alone. You need to start focussing on the present and what you are doing at that very moment, instead of letting your thoughts drift to the future or the past. You will never have this moment again so appreciate it and live it.

Me time
Even if you feel like you haven’t got the time or you haven’t done anything to deserve it, take some time for you. Do whatever it takes to make you happy, pop the kettle on, take a bath, read a book, go for a walk because if you are happy, so is your family.

Put the brakes on
Yes its true that if we juggle activities and do several things at once we will get them done quicker. Sounds like a win win situation, apart from the fact we aren’t actually experiencing anything. If your trying to catch glimpses of your favourite TV show whilst baking at the same time, your not really experiencing the positive aspect of ether activity. It’s o.k to slow down a little and savour each moment.

According to Cohen we all have the ability to possess both emotional and technical awareness, though not to the extreme which autism causes where there is no emotional connection at all.

There are certain steps you can take if you feel like you are allowing your self to become too emotionally attached to someone else’s issue.

Firstly make sure you are aware of when you become overwhelmed, this way you can take a step back.

Next you need to be able to realise that even if someone is unhappy, it doesn’t mean you must solve the issue for them.

The last and most important point of all is that you don’t just empathise with the bad things. Remember that good things happen all the time so don’t let them out weigh the bad.

Read the original article here.