Mindful Living

  What is the effect of Alcohol on Aging and Cognitive Decline?   Alcohol has a direct impact on the aging process for many reasons as it impacts certain parts of the body and can cause not only a physical deterioration but also a mental and emotional one, which we know also impacts the condition and aging process of the body. Alcohol consumption leads to dehydration, dry skin, and makes vital organs weaker, all of which causes the aging process to happen faster than one who is not consuming alcohol. Alcohol consumption goes straight to the brain, and can kills brain cells, which is another reason it impacts aging.   There is also a significant amount of data that shows that brain damage is a common and severe consequence of long-term alcohol consumption. There is data that supports this and shows middle aged and older adults who have a history or ongoing use of alcohol consumption leads to a lower density of gray matter in the frontal and parietal brain regions. Because of this, a per

  Impacts of Distractions   Now more than ever, people are highly distracted.  Here are 7 signs that indicate reaching peak distraction:  1) Struggling to follow through or complete a task, deadline, or reach a goal.  2) Drifting to social media in the middle of attempting to work on a task. 3) Starring at the screen and having no idea where to start. 4) Difficulty completing sentences. 5) Short memory isn’t as good as it normally is.  6) Becoming easily agitated, flustered, or overwhelmed. 7) Interrupting others in conversation.   Distractions are so seductive because the brain craves constant stimulation and immediate gratification. This can be a killer to it all as it keeps people from being able to stay focused on one task at a time and unable to complete the work at hand. Not to mention, we live in a world where it is nearly impossible not to become distracted. There is constant noise in the background, social media at our fingertips, new emails that never stop flooding