Never before I has so much research been available to support the need to reduce stress and focus on quality of life.  Life is busy and full of challenges, but taking the time to focus on quality of life can help you become the best-version-of-yourself. Life can make us feel tired, irritable, and overwhelmed. Stopping to understand your quality of life goals, taking the time to enjoy life, and understanding the power of relaxation can help the body to function at its best. It is time to start living in a mindful way.

The human body is a very complex machine that needs care in order to perform at its best.  As humans we will not always make the “best” decision for ourselves in every moment, but we can strive to create healthy habits that help us develop into the best-version-of-ourselves.

Our bodies are made up of a network of neural pathways that help drive what we do and who we are as an individual.  Neural pathways can become surrounded by a myelin sheath which helps increase the speed messages move through the body.  Neural pathways can also atrophy (waste away) if they are not used.  The body undergoes a natural process of pruning unused neurons and connections in order to make those that are being used more efficient.  At birth we start out with around 100 billion neurons and as we grow our bodies develop connections between these neurons and prune away unused or underused connections.  Although, the majority of connections are formed early on in our lives, it is possible to continue building connections throughout our lives.

It is through the engagement of these connections that we create habits, develop skills, and learn to manage ourselves as individuals.

It is important to start the conversation about which neural connections people wish to engage, why they want to engage them, and how will it help improve one’s life.  Understanding oneself and working to engage neural pathways to meet your goals will lead to having a better quality of life.