Ajit Patel UK

Don’t you wish you were the kind of person who stopped to smell the roses? You might think; who has the time?! However, not only is slowing down good for your emotional wellbeing, it’s also an important tool in mental health. Research has shown that mindfulness, or the practice of consciously and non-judgmentally observing the present moment, is linked to better wellness, with naturally mindful people reporting being more emotionally stable during the day and more relaxed at night. For a University of Utah study, 38 people aged 20-45 completed a questionnaire that measured how  naturally mindful  they were, including their ability to notice their surroundings and act consciously. According to Paula Williams, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Utah and co-author of the study, ‘People who are more mindful are able to stay somewhat separate from shifts in their body and their emotional state. They’re more observant, as opposed to reactive.’ ...

They say that youth is wasted on the young, and it’s not hard to see why. Yes, you’ve got the world ahead of you and endless opportunities with none of the responsibilities, but it’s only as you age that you realise what you had. Young people don’t know what the future holds. They can’t predict that they’ll get a job, fall in love or find some sort of purpose, even though most people do. Still, your emotional health isn’t in torment forever; the restlessness of youth gives way to contentedness in older age. According to a recent study by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), United Healthcare, and USA Today, baby boomers and seniors remain optimistic that the best years of their lives are ahead of them. This is just one study amongst many that show a profound link between ageing and your emotional wellbeing. Richard Birkel, who leads NCOA’s Centre for Healthy Ageing, explains that the generation interviewed for the study had seen parts of the Great Depession and World War II, which...

We all want to feel good – about ourselves and the world around us – and to be able to get the most from our lives. However, there’s also evidence that a healthy mental wellbeing also aids in your physical health and can help you achieve your goals, be they in your work, relationships or personal life. According to wellness expert Sarah Stewart-Brown, professor of public health at the University of Warwick, when we talk about wellbeing, we mean more than just happiness or mental health. ‘It’s useful to start with the idea that overall wellbeing involves both the mind and the body,’ she says. ‘And we know that physical and mental wellbeing are closely related. Of course, feeling happy is a part of mental wellbeing. But it is far from the whole. There is a deeper kind of wellbeing, which is about living in a way that is good for you and good for others around you.’ She explains, ‘Feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence and engagement with the world are all a part of  men...

At what age did you feel the happiest? Or perhaps  you feel your happiest years are yet to come? Many  people believe that childhood is the happiest time of  life and things steadily decline as we get older and  grumpier, but this is only partially true. According to  psychologists, happiness is high during youth, hits  a low point in your mid-40s and then starts to rise  steadily as you grow older. And the results aren’t  isolated to one country or culture – the same pattern  occurs in over 70 countries across the globe. Experts  have struggled to explain why this U-shaped happiness  pattern occurs, but similar results have been identified  in over 500 apes, whose carers were asked to assess  the apes’ happiness on a scale of one to 10.  The results showed that, like humans,  younger and older apes were both  happier than middle-aged  apes. This suggests the  reasons are physiological  rathe...

A recent study from activity holiday company  Neilson  has revealed that the average UK adult hasn’t tried a new active hobby in five and a half years, despite 80% feeling positive effects on their wellbeing when they do.  UK children, on the other hand, try a new activity every six months and whilst the time gaps between adults and children greatly differ, it transpires that all age groups feel similar emotions whenever they do get around to learning a new activity. The adults surveyed in the research said they felt excited (38%), proud (24%) and more confident (18%); massively comparable to the top three emotions children said they felt why they learnt a new sport (62% felt excited, 44% happy and 22% more confident).  But it’s not only new activities that improve our wellbeing. Picking up an activity we used to enjoy, or developing skills within an existing active hobby, can have equally beneficial effects. Adults said they felt excited (27%), proud (23%) and...

What does being ‘well’ mean to you? For most of us it is a feeling of being free of illness, of feeling as though we have nothing that ails us either mentally or physically. As an integral part of our identity our hair plays a definitely role in our feeling of wellness. It defines who we are and even plays a part in protecting our scalp and shielding us from the sun. When hair loss occurs it can have an immediate effect on our sense of wellbeing. If you have been affected this all too common condition, read on for the best ways to really regain your sense of wellness and feel like ‘you’ again. Learning to Accept Hair Loss This is a loaded subject, because there may be people who never actually accept their  hair loss . Perhaps accepting hair loss means learning to live with it, or finding ways to cope with it. Whatever your take on it, it’s important to first consider the condition that is causing your hair loss. This may well have an effect on your perspective on it. A...

Using illicit drugs or abusing legal drugs leads to a number of serious effects on the body. When these substances are used for longer periods of time, the effects increase in number as well as severity. Many of the most popular drugs cause physical and mental deterioration that many users may not even be aware of.  Organ Damage Alcohol: It is well known that  alcohol overconsumption leads to liver damage  that may result in cirrhosis. If this occurs the user will likely need a liver transplant to recover. Additional effects include pancreatitis, nerve damage and death. Crystal Meth: After long-term use crystal meth can lead to a number of physical side effects including brain damage, stroke, body sores, feelings of bugs crawling under the skin or even coma. Cocaine: Long-term use of cocaine may lead to kidney damage and ulcers. Snorting it can lead to loss of smell, nosebleeds, hoarseness and erosion of the septum. Mood Changes Ecstasy: Long term use of the...

As the global economy continues to suffer, more and more of us are worrying about our financial wellness. Whether you’ve lost your job or suffered a major business loss, it can take a real toll on your mental health – so how do you cope? According to Amar Pandit, founder of My Financial Advisor, ‘Losing a job or suffering a major business loss can be very traumatic for people who haven’t experienced it earlier. There is a feeling of lost hope and often people start losing confidence in themselves. One can, however, certainly bounce back from such events just as many successful people have. These are temporary setbacks that can be overcome.’ So what does Pandit recommend? 1. Damage Control:  ‘The first step is to overcome the emotional imbalance and stress that you might be experiencing now,’ says Pandit. ‘This is easier said than done and most people go through several phases of panic, fear, guilt and anger. Once you have accepted the reality as a challenge, the second step is ...

In an official recent survey, doctors found 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls between 12 and 15 are classed as either overweight or obese. Nearly three quarters of children are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity outside of school. It seems fewer and fewer young people are interested in playing sport or getting involved in other physical activities – and there’s a battery of excuses for avoiding it. It’s true the thought of exercise doesn’t make everyone jump for joy, but no one was born with a ‘rubbish-at-sport’ gene so, however hopeless you think you are, there’s an activity out there to suit you. The excuses     "It’s not cool." Try telling David Beckham, Andy Murray and Ellen MacArthur. All right, we can’t all reach the very top, but we can all get a lot out of being fitter. People who tell you it’s not cool are usually the ones who couldn’t run to catch a bus if their lives depended on it.     "None of my friend...

Quoted by  BBC News : "When we get home, we think nothing of spending the evening sitting or even lying down in front of the TV. If that sounds like your routine, then it's important to remember any exercise at all is better than none. Many people's views on sport and exercise were formed during school PE lessons – endless laps of a muddy field, or standing around shivering in T-shirt and shorts, hoping the ball didn't come near you. Most of us have seen film of people running a marathon who look ready to keel over. Not surprising then that many people regard exercise as something miserable that has to be very, very hard to do you any good. It doesn't. In fact, there's a well-established theory backed by increasing amounts of evidence, that mild to moderate physical activity is, for most people, the best way to better health. However, unless you do something you enjoy – or can at least put up with – you won't stick at it. Similarly, if you start off...

Quoted by  BBC News : "A few relatively short bursts of intense exercise, amounting to only a few minutes a week, can deliver many of the health and fitness benefits of hours of conventional exercise, according to new research, says Dr Michael Mosley. But how much benefit you get from either may well depend on your genes. When I first read studies which suggested that I could make significant and measurable changes to my fitness by doing just three minutes of exercise a week, I was incredulous. But this apparently outrageous claim is supported by many years of research done in a number of different countries including the UK, so I decided to give it a go. My guide into the world of High Intensity Training (HIT), was Jamie Timmons, professor of ageing biology at Birmingham University. Jamie assured me that by doing just three minutes of HIT a week for four weeks, I could expect to see significant changes in a number of important health indices. The first, and the one I ...

Driving a motorcycle is often described as a very freeing experience, and this can be attractive to motorists of all ages, gender and lifestyles. After all, being on a motorcycle will allow you to feel the wind hitting your body in a way that is not comparable to simply rolling your window down in a passenger vehicle. However, motorcyclists are much more likely to be involved in deadly traffic accidents, so they need to place a major emphasis on safety.   Additionally, it is important for everyone who drives a bike to be aware that they have the legal right to contact a motorcycle accident attorney if another driver causes them to suffer from injuries or vehicle damage. The following are some motorcycle safety tips that can help prevent such accidents. 1. Always Wear a Helmet   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, helmet usage saves approximately 1,800 lives per year. Unfortunately, many people fail to wear a helmet, and this is linked to an...