Research has demonstrated that mindfulness is a powerful tool in treating anxiety, but the practice of mindfulness is not well-known. A growing body of research has pointed to several specific components of mindfulness, including mental training, problem-solving, and practicing a gentle mindful attitude. In addition, with recent discoveries in the field of neuroplasticity, mindfulness can be “trained” by re-examining the context of your own thoughts and choices.

Neuroplasticity is the process in which the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, in our brain grow or change over time. As a result, our thoughts and feelings change over time, which is another reason why mindfulness meditation is so effective in treating anxiety. Mindfulness involves looking inward at your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgement, as well as being aware of the sensations in the body. These components of mindfulness train your brain to change with repetition, similar to training muscles to become stronger. By training these brain components, our brain is able to create new neural pathways, thus improving our ability to regulate our emotions.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety disorders (aka Panic disorders or Generalized Anxiety Disorder) are a group of behavioral and mental health conditions characterized by persistent worry, fear, or anxiety. These anxiety disorders can affect children and adults of any age.

Anxiety can affect a person's day-to-day functioning and interfere with their ability to enjoy activities such as playing with their friends, sleeping, or participating in social activities. Children with anxiety disorders may feel unusually anxious and fidget with their hands or lips. In severe cases, it can interfere with sleep and affect their entire daily life.

One of the major problems couples can have is how they communicate. Relationships are complex and working towards the "best you" will ultimately pay off in your relationship.

Here are some tips that might help you improve your communication.

1. Listen to each other

Couples tend to get engaged in expressing themselves and forget to listen to what their partner is saying. This makes communication challenging. Your partner can sense if you are not listening and this can be damaging to the relationship. The first step to improving communication is to understand that you and your partner are different. The best way to know your partner better is to chat it up with them frequently.

Anger is rarely the right response to everyday problems. Although people often report experiencing negative emotions at the best of times, it is normal to experience anger and other negative feelings at times. This is usually when something happens that provokes negative emotions – for example when you lose your job or if your partner cheats on you.

Despite this, researchers still have much to learn about anger. Among other things, there's a lack of understanding about when and why anger is useful, and how it can be encouraged and managed in individuals and in groups.

We now know that anger can be used in a positive way, in the way we've been discussing all along. It's important to know that, despite the common belief that anger is an unpleasant emotion, in many instances it's really important for people to experience it in order to experience strong feelings of protectiveness towards others and towards themselves.

The capacity to face challenges by stepping outside your comfort zone is the essential way by which we develop and grow. We often are frequently hesitant and afraid to take the first step, but why. What is it that prevents us from making the desired changes?

The truth of the matter is, comfort zones are not so much about comfort, they are about dread and fear. By facing your fears head on, you will be able to overcome the challenge you are faced with and with the added benefit of developing some life skills along the way.

Why Should You Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

• When you are in your comfort zone, your mind is content, your basic needs are met, you have zero pressure, and your brain perceives that your body is in status quo.
• We know that as humans we don't particularly care for change. We seem to view our life as having maxed out our energy and the mere thought of having to muster up additional energy to make a change, just seems too far out there for most of us.
• Getting out of your comfort zone every once in a while can create just enough stress to increase your focus, adaptation, creativity, pace, and drive, and it helps you react positively to life stress when unforeseen things occur.

But how should you get out of your comfort zone and what are the benefits of doing so.

Here are a few different ways to assist you with stepping out of your comfort zone and getting closer to your goals and desires.