For a year now, I have seriously been learning an interesting foreign language called Haitian Creole. It is a French-based language spoken by most Haitians in the Caribbean country of Haiti. While it has had its ups and downs, it has been quite a special experience for me personally. Learning a foreign dialect can be both exciting and challenging for anyone. But did you know it could stave off dementia and Alzheimer’s, even build multi-tasking skills? Let’s discuss a few more be

nefits of learning a new language.

It could improve the functionality of your brain. The British newspaper The Telegraph article, “Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism,” explains that learning a foreign language challenges the brain to recognize meaning and communicate in different language systems. This skill also boosts your ability to develop your problem solving skills. Students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardized tests than their monolingual peers.

I’ve mentioned this earlier, but bilingualism could possibly stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia. Several studies show that for monolingual adults, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4. On the other hand, for adults who speak more than one language, the mean age for those first signs are 75.5. Studying a foreign language causes you to think and remember things more, which helps in reducing your chances of experiencing signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Learning a foreign language could also help in being a better multi-tasker. In the Telegraph article, an interesting study was mentioned that involved participants using a driving simulator while doing separate, distracting tasks at the same time. Research shows that people who spoke more than one language made fewer errors in their driving.

Along with these advantages, comes another interesting one-you improve in your English. Yes, according to the Telegraph article, learning a foreign language draws your focus to the mechanics of language: grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure. When you’re more aware of language, you become an effective communicator, sharper editor and writer. You also become a better listener while trying to master a new language.

Learning a new language takes a lot of time and effort. The journey is challenging, but in the end it’s very rewarding. With time, you just might possibly reap these benefits that come with exploring this exciting journey.

Spending quality time with family and friends is definitely good for the soul, heart and mind. Their interchange of encouragement gives you strength and peace of mind in this crazy hectic world we’re living in. However, as great as it is to spend with the people you love, it’s also beneficial to sometimes spend time with yourself as well. This will help you become a balanced, healthy individual. Most importantly, it could benefit you mentally. Here are four reasons why this is the case.

Having time for yourself gives you space and time to think. Your brain will be more energized and refreshed. By giving you some solitude, you will have better relationships with your family and friends and be in a stable position to help them with their problems.

Having time for yourself allows you to get to know and love yourself better.  In order to have and maintain stable relationships in your life, you must have a good sense of self-love. Solitude allows you to do just that and to bond with yourself. It could also lead to an increase in self-confidence.

Having time for yourself leads to an increase in productivity. You will likely be productive in getting things done in a timely manner. When you remove as many distractions and interruptions as you can from your day, you are better able to concentrate on your work assignments. This will help you become a more productive employee.

Having time for yourself gives you peace of mind. I’ve mentioned earlier that your family and friends could do that, but so could solitude time. Time alone could allow you to de-stress from life’s everyday issues. You will feel so relaxed and calm after spending some time alone.

We all need our family and friends for their love, encouragement and companionship. But we also need some much needed time for ourselves every now and then. This will help us become more balanced, mentally healthy individuals.

As imperfect humans, we all make mistakes. Some of these mistakes are minor and some are very serious. But some mistakes could make you want to say, “Boy, that was plain stupid,” or “What was I thinking?” Some mistakes could cause you to really be hard on yourself. How could I ever recover mentally from this mistake? How could I learn from it and just move on? Here are some helpful pointers I found online in doing so.

One interesting word of advice I found out in learning from your mistakes is to consider reflecting on them. This doesn’t involve constantly dwelling on them. Rather, it means taking the time to briefly analyze them. According to www.forbes.com, under the article entitled, “5 Ways to Turn Your Mistake into a Valuable Life Lesson,” the writer Amy Morin recommends that we list for ourselves three tough questions such as, “What went wrong?,” “What could I do better next time?,” or “What did I learn from this?” By writing down your answers to these questions, you will be able to think more logically about your past experience.

Once you answer these questions, you will have to make a plan about how to do better next time. Be sure to be detailed in your overall plan, but have a willingness to adjust it. By making a plan, this will help you to avoid making the same mistake repeatedly. You will also be holding yourself accountable for your actions.

The last piece of advice that stood out to me from the Forbes article is to try creating a list of reasons why you don’t want to make that mistake again. This list will serve as a reminder to you why you should never revisit that mistake. It will help you stay self-disciplined, especially during the tough times. The article brings up an excellent fact that self-discipline is like a muscle. Each time you use it to make a healthy choice in life, you grow mentally stronger.

Let’s face it-mistakes, no matter how big or small, are a part of life. But you don’t have to dwell on them forever. You could use them as life lessons to help you grow in wisdom and become mentally stronger. For more information on the article, “5 Ways to Turn Your Mistake into a Valuable Life Lesson,” visit www.forbes.com.

Do you have a lot of clutter in your room or home? Is this clutter getting you down? Having too much stuff could have an overwhelming emotional impact on people sometimes. But once you decide how to organize your pile of belongings, don’t you feel so much better? Being more organized gives you a sense of peace of mind. Here are other ways it could benefit you.

While we’re on the subject of having peace of mind, being organized at home could lead to less stress. According to an article on www.bustle.com, entitled, “5 Health

Benefits of being organized” it brings up a study from Shape magazine which founded that people with cluttered homes were more depressed, fatigued and had higher cortisol levels than people with well-organized and restful homes. By organizing your living environment, it will refrain you from pulling out your hair in stress.

Another healthy benefit to being more organized is it could boost your energy. This makes sense because when you’re a stress-free person, you will likely become an energetic person. Besides, according to WebMD, taking the time to get yourself organized around the house can help you work more energetically.

The last benefit is even more vital and that it could improve your sleeping and eating habits. We all need improvement in those two aspects. Having an organized space will lead you to eating and sleeping better. Because you are able to identify where everything is before you cook, you will eat more balanced meals. Since being organized will give you peace of mind, this will cause you to get more quality sleep at night.

Yes, being organized could benefit you in so many healthy ways. It could help in leading a more calm but productive life. So don’t just sit there. Clean up that work desk of yours. Re-organized your book shelf. Doing all of this leads to an organized, healthy life.

With the recent news of pop superstar Mariah Carey battling the psychological condition, bipolar disorder, many people don’t realize how much it is impacting millions of people earth wide. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) website, bipolar disorder is one of the two most prevalent mental health conditions, affecting more than 21 million Americans. But what are some of the symptoms to look for in this condition? Most importantly, what treatment options are available to get the help you need?

This article answers those questions.

Bipolar disorder is a psychological disorder marked by manic and depressive episodes. According to Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, it is divided into four main categories: bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and nonspecified disorders. Some of the

symptoms include sleeplessness, hypomania and periods of depression.

But there is hope in battling this mood disorder. What are some of the treatments for bipolar disorder? Taber’s Medical Dictionary lists lithium carbonate, carbamazepine or oxcarbamazepine, valproic acid, or other anticonvulsant agents. There are also opportunities to get into talk therapy options with a good therapist. By doing this, you are seeking to better understand your condition.

Managing this mood disorder isn’t easy. But you could get through this condition with all the support and help from your therapist, family and friends. Visit the DBSA website at www.dbsalliance.org.

The recent snowstorm that we have experienced caused me to look at a past article I’ve written about seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This condition is defined as a mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time every year. Because it typically happens in the dreary winter season, I feel it is best to share with people suffering with this disorder some helpful ways in managing it.

SAD happens to some people in the winter because of limited sunlight and the days are normally shorter during this time of the year. Which is why a lot of medical professionals utilize light therapy as a good remedy for this. According to the Mayo Clinic website, these light therapy boxes offer an effective form of treatment because they mimic natural sunlight. While looking for one, some things to consider are the light intensity, safety, cost and style of the box.

Another way of managing this condition is using the proper medications. Some common forms doctors typically prescribe patients are antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). The Mayo Clinic website lists Sertraline and Bupropion as two examples of a SSRI and antidepressant medications.

But here’s another way to manage the symptoms of this condition. How about engaging yourself into physical exercise? According to the Mayo Clinic website, exercising for about 20-30 minutes for five days a week can help maintain physical function while recovering. It could also, more importantly, improve heart health. By exercising more, this helps you stay energized and keeps your mood up.

Surviving this winter won’t be easy. Digging your car out of snow and dealing with the cold temperatures could be a drag for some people. But dealing with a mood disorder could make things even worse. But if you’re dealing with SAD or know someone who’s dealing with it, don’t worry, put a smile on your face and be happy. For more information on managing SAD, visit www.mayoclinic.org.