6 Ways to Avoid Overthinking
Overthinking is often caused by trying to solve problems or get over life’s traumas say researchers at Temple University. Sometimes, however, the best answer to a problem has not become available or clear. Constantly thinking about it does no good.
- A better idea is to settle on a time when you will consider it again and decide not to think about it until then.
- Putting your true feelings about a situation down on paper helps to determine what your feelings really are, which can be very helpful.
- Avoid discussing the problem over and over with friends who will sympathize with you. Talk to people who can suggest solutions.
- Meditate or pray frequently when you are besieged by overthinking.
- Work on trying to understand and forgive someone who wronged you.
- Consider whether your expectations in this situation were unrealistic and whether they still are.
Doctors at Purdue University say “worrywarts” don’t let things roll off their backs. They cope poorly and may be anxious or depressed.
How to control aging by starting now
If you think you can wait until later to prevent premature aging, you will miss some of the most important times of your life to do it.
Most people’s muscle mass declines with age, and the rate of loss accelerates after age 45.
The amount of muscle you retain, or build, is determine partly by how much muscles are used. Use them frequently and you maintain their strength. Push them to the limits of their capacity by exercise, and you increase strength no matter how old you are.
Doctors at Tufts University say most middle-aged people’s weight problem is excess body fat coupled with too little muscle.
As you age, you can lose whole sets of muscles and nerves that work together to make your body go. Between ages 30 and 70, it is estimated that people experience a 20 percent decrease in the strength of the thigh. Landmark studies at Tufts, however, show that muscles do get bigger from strength training such as weight lifting. You can regain muscle mass and strength no matter what shape you’re in when you begin.
How much oxygen your body can process in a given time is an important biomarker called your aerobic capacity. By age 65, it is typically 30 percent to 40 percent less than in young adults. People at any age can reverse the trend with aerobic exercise, the kind that makes you huff and puff. And when you build muscle with strength training, you also increase aerobic capacity.
Other methods to slow aging include controlling sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, and hydration. The older you are, the more fluids you should drink.
Versatile chicken: a bonanza of good taste & good health
Check your cookbooks, and you’ll find more recipes for chicken than for almost any other food. Its versatility is one reason the world has depended on it for about 3500 years.
Before 1400 B.C., the Chinese raised chickens for meat and eggs. While many historians thought chickens were first brought to the Americas by explorers and pilgrims, a recent discovery shows that chickens lived in Chile from the 1300s. They were brought there by the Polynesians.
In our time, chicken is a highly recommended addition to our diets. It’s low in fat, particularly without the skin. And its fat is lower in cholesterol than other meat fats.
Chicken is a good source of the B vitamins and vitamin D, plus various important minerals. And it contains all nine essential amino acids. Its phosphorous and selenium contents are involved in the release of energy.
Try this easy and fast recipe recommended by Better Homes and Gardens.
Chicken Marsala
Rinse and pat dry about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts, skinned. Place each breast between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a flat mallet until 1/8 inch thick. Remove wrap.
Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon crushed marjoram, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and press chicken pieces into the mixture.
In a skillet, cook 1 cup mushrooms and 2 tablespoons sliced green onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter until tender. Remove from skillet. Cook chicken in the same skillet for 4 minutes. Turn to brown evenly. Return the mushrooms and onions.
Carefully add 1/4 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup of marsala or dry sherry. Cook uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes until the mushroom mixture thickens slightly. Stir occasionally.
Transfer chicken to a serving platter and spoon mushroom mixture over it. Sprinkle with snipped parsley if desired. Serves 4.
