Taking a siesta has been shown to improve the brains ability to learn. Photograph: Adie Bush/Getty Images/Cultura RF

Think of wellness and you may well think of Gwyneth Paltrows brand, Goop: modern, exclusive, quite possibly rubbish. But a lot of what would fall under that banner dates back centuries and has its roots in Europe, not California.

There is a unique wellness culture in Europe, says Beth McGroarty, the director of research at the Global Wellness Institute, a US nonprofit group. It dates as far back as Roman spas and the ancient Greek focus on preventing sickness, not merely treating it. Europe has its own ancient medical thinking and wellness traditions and we dont seem to pay any attention to them.

The continent is also home to some of the happiest, healthiest countries in the world, although the UK doesnt trouble the top 10. So, what can we learn from European wellness practices and traditions?

The siesta, a short afternoon nap, is believed to have evolved in Spain to allow farmers time to rest during the hottest hours of the day. The tradition persists in the country, with work hours extending later to accommodate the break.

A large study in 2007 found that heart diseases were less prevalent among people who regularly took a 30-minute nap, while research in 2010 discovered that an afternoon snooze could improve the brains ability to learn.

Even just slowing down for a short period of time allows you to disconnect from the world and subsequently boost energy, focus and creativity, says Paul Joseph, the founder of the travel company Health and Fitness Travel.

Iceland consistently ranks highly in metrics such as life expectancy and blood pressure, placing third in Bloombergs 2019 healthiest country index, behind Spain and Italy.

The Nordic diet shares some similarities with the life-extending Mediterranean diet, although it is lower in fruit and vegetables, advocating moderate consumption of fat and protein along with canola oil (a type of rapeseed oil), wild berries and root vegetables.

A diet high in fresh fish, and therefore omega-3 fatty acids, is considered key to a healthy diet in Iceland. Haddock, herring and cod including the cheeks and tongues, the most prized parts are all dietary staples. Fermented shark is a national dish.

It is also common for Icelanders to take a daily supplement of cod-liver oil during the winter months, when it is difficult to get enough vitamin D from sunlight alone. The benefits of fish oil and omega-3 are contested, but their proponents say they relieve joint stiffness associated with arthritis and improve the condition of teeth, nails, hair and skin.

Although the use of mud as a beauty treatment was documented in ancient Egypt, with clay from the banks of the Nile being applied to the face and skin to improve appearance and texture, it was popularised in Italy during Roman times fango is Italian for mud.

From there, fangotherapy spread with the Roman empire; mud treatments and wraps remain a common spa treatment across Europe and further afield.

While different types of mud (mixed with mineral or thermal water) are said to have different properties, fangotherapy is most effective as a gentle cleansing treatment and has relaxing, anti-stress effects. These should not be sniffed at: chronic stress affects the immune system and causes high blood pressure, fatigue, poor mental health and even heart disease.

Is there anything the Mediterranean diet cant do? It draws together common food types and healthy habits from several southern European countries, including Greece, Spain, southern France, Portugal and Italy. As such, there is no single definition, but it is typically high in fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, olive oil and unsaturated fats, with moderate dairy intake.

Its benefits have been found to be remarkably wide-ranging: it has been associated with longer life expectancy, a healthier gut, better heart health, protection from disease, lower risk of depression, diabetes prevention and alleviation and even improved athletic performance.

Sauna culture exists across Europe, but it is deeply ingrained in Finland, where there is one facility for about every two people, the Finnish Sauna Society says. The traditional experience is to push yourself to your limit in a communal sauna with a very high temperature, then to immerse yourself in cold water or snow and repeat.

The cold experience is crucial, says McGroarty, with the contrast between hot and cold thought to bring health benefits. She says: It seems to have a strong impact on cardiovascular health.

This is Europe is a new stream of Guardian journalism that investigates the big challenges that transcend national boundaries, and seeks out the solutions that could benefit us all. These are testing times, and crises are not limited by national borders. But then neither are we.

Photograph: Guardian Design

Thank you for your feedback.

Scientific studies have found that the effectiveness of this contrast therapy (such as for treating athletes injuries) is questionable, but the physiological effects are such that it persists regardless. As no one knows better than the Finns, it feels good to be really hot, then really cold. As such, icy plunge pools and snow rooms are popular as a chaser to heated or humid experiences at spas worldwide.

Sophrology, a practice of dynamic relaxation, was developed by a Colombian neuropsychiatrist in the 60s, but it took root in France and Switzerland, where it remains wildly popular.

It combines eastern and western influences, meditation, breathing techniques, gentle movement, positive psychology and visualisation to give a sense of being calm and in control.

Although the practice is said to be more dynamic than mindfulness, it has similar benefits, and is said to be helpful in stress management, self-development, preparing for public speaking or even childbirth. French studies have recorded positive effects in helping cancer patients to manage their anxiety, stress and fear.

In the UK, sophrology is taught at clinics in London for about 100 an hour. In France and Switzerland, it is widely covered by health insurance, used by corporate high-flyers and professional athletes (including, reportedly, the French national rugby team) and taught in schools and hospitals.

It is gemtlich in German and gezelligheid in Dutch; in English, you might say smelly candles. But it was the parallel Danish concept of hygge that launched a global lifestyle phenomenon in 2016, with concerted cosiness the suggested solution to a turbulent year of Brexit and Donald Trump.

Hygge relates to a level of cosiness and conviviality that incites a feeling of wellbeing, says Joseph. The core of the practice is to live in the everyday moment and appreciate everything around you streaming the ideas of eastern mindfulness.

There is no easy English translation, but the Dutch word uitwaaien refers to spending time in wild, windy weather usually by going for a walk or a bike ride. By replacing bad air with good air, it is believed to leave you feeling clear-headed and refreshed.

It feels exhilarating wind is distracting, so its sort of meditative, in the sense you cannot think about anything else, says McGroarty.

Many northern European countries have an equivalent of the Japanese term shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), which refers to the restorative effects of spending time in woodland or parks.

Time spent outdoors in any capacity has recorded benefits, such as increasing vitamin D levels, improving mood and focus, encouraging incidental exercise and possibly reducing pain. A 2018 study found that exposure to green space can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, pre-term birth, stress and high blood pressure. Even as little as two hours a week may have an effect.

Comparable to the western coffee break, fika is another simple Scandinavian wellness philosophy that involves slowing down to prioritise social interaction. It is a meal or a meeting allowing for social interaction and stronger relationship bonds, increasing feelings of positivity, calm and creativity, says Joseph.

The meeting can happen at any time of day and preferably several times a day, advises the Swedish government. Although baked goods or sweets are often served, the key purpose is the social interaction.

This factors into other areas of life in Sweden. Herman Rutgers, a co-founder of the nonprofit organisation EuropeActive, notes that group exercise is popular in the country: They like to do things in groups, to be social and to drink coffee afterwards. The country has one of the highest rates of gym membership in the world 21% of the population are signed up to a fitness club.

Building a social component into exercise, by taking a fitness class or working out with a friend, has been shown to increase motivation and accountability and even improve performance. A University of Aberdeen study in 2016 found that people exercised more when they did so with a friend, due to the emotional support.

The concept of wellness tourism, valued by Bloomberg at $639bn, began in Europe centuries ago, says McGroarty. She points to the 200-year-old German tradition of the kur: a commitment to taking a longer break for the purpose of wellness.

From the late 18th century until the second world war, it was common to retire to a sanatorium or a spa for a weeks- or months-long programme of rest, fresh air, bathing and steam. McGroarty likens the best-known of these destinations Baden-Baden and Bad Ems in Germany, Bad Gastein and Bad Ischl in Austria, Bath in the UK to our Las Vegas of health: the places to be and to be seen. Composers and authors would go there to work, while others would go to recover from or avoid illness.

Even today, a two- or three-week-long kur can be prescribed and even paid for through the German (and Austrian) healthcare system, in recognition of the fact that healthy, rested workers are more productive.

The idea of taking a longer break just to be well is at odds with the modern fashion for shorter, high-impact holidays but the pendulum will need to swing back, says McGroarty. She predicts a trend for wellness sabbaticals, as people retreat for longer to recover from the busy world.

Read more:
From siestas to saunas: the 10 European wellbeing traditions everyone should try - The Guardian

was surprisingly nervous when I attended St Michael's Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, for my first appointment with my diabetic consultant last week. I had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in mid-August of last year and although, as those of you who have read my previous columns know, I made lots of changes to my lifestyle and diet, I wasn't entirely sure it was going to be good enough.

I was also conscious that the blood test which would be central to this visit measures your blood sugar levels over the previous three months; three months that included Christmas and my birthday. On both occasions, while not going entirely mad, I did break some rules. There was some chocolate and some pudding and some custard and some cake. Oh, and some of the most delicious dessert on the planet - the chocolate bombe. My weight loss of just over a stone-and-half had stalled over the festive season and so I was bracing myself to be told that although I had done well, I would need to go back on medication to ensure my blood sugars were kept in line.

Before being ushered into the audience with his holiness the consultant, I saw the archangel Anne, the diabetes nurse who has been so helpful and supportive. Before she even took my weight or blood pressure, she congratulated me, telling me that I had "knocked it out of the park". My blood-sugar levels were excellent. And I cried, just a little bit.

The relief of knowing, definitively, that my hard work had paid off was enormous. And so, I more or less floated into the consulting room where his holiness was flanked by two trainee doctors, one on each side. It was like arriving before a very serious interview panel, when you already had it on good authority that you had the job. But then he told me something that I really didn't expect to hear. I have successfully put my diabetes into remission and all that's needed from now on, is a six-monthly visit to my GP for a blood test to ensure that I am keeping up the good work.

My cholesterol has gone up, however, so I need to take statins, as with my weight loss and healthy diet, it is assumed that this is genetic and not something I can manage alone. But this fact didn't overshadow my great joy and relief. It was a good day.

Unfortunately, putting my diabetes into remission doesn't mean that I can return to being the dessert-diva-cum-couch-potato that I was. My new lifestyle is for keeps, something I realised right from the start.

Looking back over the last five months, I realise that my 'journey' wasn't about a diet or exercise plan. It wasn't about wearing a yoke that told me to move, or counted my steps. It wasn't about signing up for a boot camp or any other punishing-sounding activity. It wasn't even about following any particular diet plan, be it fasting or keto or whatever and yes, I did research them all. No, the secret was finding what worked for me and what I felt I could do forever. The advice of the dietician and archangel Anne was all I needed.

Cutting 'obvious sugar' was straightforward. No more scones, cakes, desserts, sweets and chocolate. But learning that carbohydrates were also a source of sugar was a revelation. I love pasta, rice and potato and my portion sizes were mental, the blame for which I lay at the feet of my brothers who, when we were growing up, never seemed to have enough on their plates.

Too much carbohydrate combined with my allergy to exercise was disastrous. So, from the get-go, I halved the amount of pasta, rice and so on that I was consuming.

Changing my eating habits wasn't easy. The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was my attitude to food, which more accurately could be described as my food obsession. I thought about food a lot. I comforted and rewarded myself with it. It is no longer high up on my list of life priorities.

I also had to recognise the difference between being hungry and experiencing a craving. For example, old me rarely had a lonely coffee. Coffee was always accompanied by little sugary something, which sometimes weren't so little. I have learned to appreciate the taste of good coffee, which up to now had been masked by the luscious delight that accompanied it.

I had been living in total denial about my weight, my fitness and my clearly unhappy body. I had gotten away with it for decades, but I was becoming increasingly unhealthy. Some of the symptoms of my body's unhappiness, such as my sore knees and ankles, were due to my weight and not, as I thought, my age. I was beginning to avoid doing certain things because I couldn't and that bothered me. I nearly got stuck in a bath in Copenhagen two years ago but still I didn't take steps to get fitter. I had great intentions but I never followed through. And now I look back and realise that while some of that was due to laziness, it was also due to fear. Fear of failure. It's much easier to say "I am not bothered" than do the hard work involved in getting healthier.

Diabetes delivered me the kick in the ass I needed and I am determined to keep it at bay. But since sharing my story I have been baffled by a number of people who have been in touch because of a loved one who won't take the disease seriously. Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease. Perhaps because it doesn't have any really obvious symptoms that we don't give it the respect it deserves. I think many of us think that sure it's grand, you take some medication and you will be fine.

But unmanaged diabetes leads to too much sugar in your blood which impacts organs. And that damage is irreversible. By the time you have problems with your eyes or kidneys or heart, it's too late.

I mentioned before that I was a 'happy fatty' but now I wonder. I wasn't too bothered about how I looked because I have always relied more on my 'big' personality. But I wasn't happy when my weight caused me to be breathless when walking, or meant that I avoided stairs and low chairs that I couldn't heave myself out of easily.

But the magical thing is that as soon as I made real, lasting changes towards a healthier lifestyle my body reacted positively and the benefits become apparent.

We went away to a spa for my birthday and for the first time I didn't request an extra-large robe. And getting off the low beds in the relaxation room was not something I had to make a few attempts at. I like this new me. This new life.

I met an old friend last week who I haven't seen in months who said, "I can see old Barbara again" and he was referring to the 1980s version. That will do me just fine.

Go here to see the original:
'Diabetes gave me the kick in the ass I needed' - Independent.ie

Try something new each week preferably based on a healthy lifestyle such as hiking, visiting a new farmers market, watching a live music performance

As a part of my series about 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve Ones Wellbeing, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stella Metsovas.Stella Metsovas is a former competitive athlete, clinical nutritionist, speaker, author, and specialist in food science and human nutrition, with over fifteen years of experience in the health and fitness industries. Stella is the founder of Love Live Wild, a lifestyle brand that helps people elevate their everyday with soul-nourishing rituals.www.lovelivewild.com/press

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

Around 15 years old while training at the elite level for USA Swimming. I realized nutrition would make or break my performance in the pool after having indulged in a donut party before a big swim meet. I recall feeling tired and bloated all day, not knowing what caused this since the day before I turned one of my best time splits in the 100-meter breaststroke. Through trial and error, we realized the high carbohydrate swimmers diet from mostly processed foods was the culprit to performance issues.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I have worked as a consultant to food brands and commodity groups whove invited me to travel to their locations and learn more about the product. The Norwegian Seafood Council welcomed me to explore their fisheries in beautiful Tromso, Norway. I enjoyed the food and culture very much so!

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

Sitting in my first office, circa 2006, fresh out of college, wondering how do I market my business I was fortunate to have thrived from referrals early on, but the first few years were tough. Resilience and networking are the formulas to success in any industry. Also, finding a mentor is key.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

The combination of my athletic background, and advocating the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle especially for optimal gut health and wellness. Ive lived the ancestral Mediterranean way every summer in the villages of Greece since I was a little girl. Ive been able to provide my clients and followers an effortless approach on how to integrate these practices no matter your geographic location.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

First and foremost my swim coaches. They instilled a strong work ethic that has helped me professionally in more ways than one. Also, my literary agent, Chris Tomasino, for believing in the authentic Mediterranean way as championed through my book, Wild Mediterranean (Penguin Random House, 2017) that promotes a blueprint of wellness, backed by research.

Ok thank you for all that. Now lets move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that its important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, its often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

Firstly, our modern living environment has made the convenience of food both good or the absolute worst attribute to health. You can never replace whole unprocessed foods to easily packaged varieties that make bogus health claims. Also, processed foods change the way you taste the food, making unadulterated meals quite bland on the palette.

Can you please share your 5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve Ones Wellbeing? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

Know your water. The consumption of quality water is essential to your health, including our gut microbiome. Unfortunately, a reverse osmosis system can do very little if your tap water is treated with various chemicals. See more here:https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/cmp130704chap8.pdf?ua=1

Take adaptogens for both the body and mind. My top recommendation is to include Lions Mane and Siberian Ginseng.

Try to rise and sleep with the circadian rhythm of the sun and moon. Our hormones depend on quality sleep.

Vary your workouts and try to get outside as often as possible if weather permits.

Try something new each week preferably based on a healthy lifestyle such as hiking, visiting a new farmers market, watching a live music performance

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

Natural detoxification through breath and sweat that occurs while exercising. Also, depending on the form of exercise, youll feel a sense of stress relief and most likely better sleeping habits throughout the night. Lastly, maintaining leanness throughout the body helps promote a healthy gut microbiome. Since the gut and brain are considered connected, its important to have a balance between the two.

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

Daily sit-ups and pushups. No matter your fitness level, both forms of exercise are imperative to body conditioning. Im also a fan of early morning sun for vitamin D absorption; try to get outside for a hike or jog.

In my experience, many people begin an exercise regimen but stop because they get too sore afterwards. What ideas would you recommend to someone who plays sports or does heavy exercise to shorten the recovery time, and to prevent short term or long term injury?

Soreness after a workout could be an indication of a circulatory deficit. This is why I like to promote movement throughout the day. Training in a gym for 45 minutes and then sitting for the rest of the day and night is not a good preventative formula if you wish to lead a long, healthy life. You might have heard that sitting is hazardous to health since other lifestyle habits come along with sedentary behaviors, such as type 2 diabetes.

There are so many different diets today. Can you share what kind of diet you follow? Which diet do you recommend to most of your clients?

The ancestral Mediterranean diet as presented in Wild Mediterranean. I encourage the value of intermittent fasting for gut health and a diet that is heavy on plant-based fibers, combined with quality meats and fats, with prebiotic fibers mainly from ancestral grains.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

The Zone Diet by Dr. Barry Sears. One of the most influential nutritional concepts of the 21st century. Dr. Sears is a prolific researcher when it comes to hormones especially insulin and dietary attributes that trigger inflammation. He pioneered the basic formula 40:30:30, which is still respected in dietetic research today. This book sparked my curiosity 15+ years ago to think beyond a calorie is just a calorie, and to realize that our bodily systems are far more complex than basing a diet off of heat units (i.e., caloric measurements in food).

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Elevate your every day through body and mind rituals harvested by Mother Nature. The idea here is to support your internal ecosystem the best way you can.

Can you please give us your favorite Life Lesson Quote? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

My sports medicine professor: Live long die long; live long die short. You choose. Live long, die long means that you are living longer, but the quality of your life or dying long is not the goal.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

Gary Vaynerchuk. I love his enthusiasm that spreads far beyond a digital media company.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

Instagram: love.livewild

Twitter: /stellametsovas

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Thank you!

More:
5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One's Wellbeing, with Dr. William Seeds & Stella Metsovas - Thrive Global

Weearnacommissionforproductspurchasedthroughsomelinksinthisarticle.

Every year thousands of us make the pledge to be healthier.

With Lent just around the corner as well, theres another opportunity to ditch the chocolate and snacks, and make healthier food decisions if you want to. But what about a dog diet plan for our furry friends?

If youve never put your dog on a diet plan, now might be the time.

It turns out that as were snacking, our dogs are snacking too. Research conducted by Natural Instinct, the premium pet food brand, revealed that a staggering 90 per cent of us feed our dog food scraps and leftovers. And its not just occasionally, apparently we pass nibbles down from our plates an average of 11 times a month!

As much as this happens because of their big brown eyes and expectant faces, the research reveals another reason. A third of us dont really know what our dogs can and cant eat, and 1 in 3 of us have little understanding of what size meals to feed their dog.

MORE:Is your dog depressed? These are the subtle signs to look out for

This means that without even knowing why, our dogs are piling on the pounds leading to conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

A spokesperson for Natural Instinct says, The last five years has seen a concerning increase in pet obesity, with an astonishing 51 per cent of dogs overweight. It has never been more important to look after our canine friends.

So if youre one of the hundreds of people who want to improve the health and wellbeing of your dog, youre in luck weve got the perfect doggy diet plan.

MORE:What do these different dog sounds mean? Heres what your pooch is really trying to tell you when they make these noises

Just like humans, if your dog needs to lose some weight for the good of their health, its going to be a calories in versus calories out situation. That means lowering their calorie intake and upping the exercise.

Heres what Natural Instincts Doggy Diet Plan advises

Kate Bendix is the author of The Dog Diet. She says, Feed them roughly 2 to 3% of their bodyweight per day making sure the food they get is what they need, not what those begging eyes want.

This means that if your dog weighs 70lbs (roughly the size of a retriever), then you should only be feeding them a maximum of 1.95lbs of food every day.

And that food needs to be healthy. Put away the sausages and bacon, as these types of food are high in fat and salt the two things that will lead to weight gain and health problems for your dog.

Instead, opt for a whole food diet. But importantly, check with your vet for advice on how to safely transition your dog to a whole food diet before making any changes.

If possible, feed your dog raw meals rather than cooked. Raw meals, including meats, are better as they contain plenty of whole proteins, good fats and carbohydrates.

Or if you want to buy whole food for your dog and kick-start their diet plan, why not try store-bought whole food like this Beef and Chicken?

Every dog needs a boneand a treat once in a while!

Credit: Getty

Bones are great for dogs. They help to relieve stress and prevent boredom, as well as help maintain healthy teeth and gums. But remember to choose the right size bone for your dog, always supervise them when feeding and separate any rowdy dogs to prevent them squabbling.

There are some foods that dogs should never eat. While some will just give them an upset stomach and you give you the subsequent clean up, others contain toxins will can be fatal.

When it comes to fitness, going out for a 20-minute walk around the block and letting your dog meander and sniff every lamppost is the best thing, especially if youre strapped for time. Our expert Kate Bendix says, Sniffing is extremely for good mental health, as is the physical exercise and fresh air. Go at their pace and take a moment for yourself too.

Other easy ways to get your dog exercising include:

At the end of the day, as long as there are less calories being consumed by your dog and more calories being burnt off, theyll lose weight!

Continued here:
Has your dog piled on the pounds? Heres how they can lose weight - goodtoknow

Amber Coster was working as an executive for a tech start-up when burnout hit. I literally felt sick and tired, but I thought I was superhuman, the 30-year-old says, explaining how she ignored the warning signs as she focused on helping to take the company from a $100m valuation to a $3.7bn acquisition.

Eventually my entire body and mind shut down. One Wednesday, I got so out-of-breath walking up one flight of stairs. On the Thursday, I opened up a simple spreadsheet, but had absolutely no idea how to change the figures. By the Friday, I felt tense and went for a body massage my back muscles were so locked that the therapist told me my body was in extreme trauma, and I just burst into tears.

Initially, Coster told her boss shed take a couple of weeks off work. In fact her recovery took six months. My burnout escalated really quickly I felt like I was constantly being hit by all-consuming exhaustion, she remembers.

Id sit at the dinner table and get all my words mixed up; I couldnt walk for more than 10 minutes at a time and I couldnt concentrate on anything for long.

In the UK, 602,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, anxiety or depression in 2018/19, according to the Health and Safety Executive accounting for 54 per cent of all working days lost due to ill health in this period.

AI is now being used in cognitive behavioural therapy

Psychotherapist Hilda Burke, author of The Phone Addiction Workbook, describes burnout as a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.

She compares its ongoing nature to ignoring the red warning light on your car when youre running low on fuel. You can keep driving but your time is limited, she says.

When we override those red flags, we run the risk of that final crash, when your engine stops altogether.

For some people, burnout acts as a real wake-up call, she argues, noting that: Sometimes you need a breakdown to have a breakthrough.

It can often be high-achieving individuals who experience burnout, she says.

Its humbling to ask for support, thats hard, and sometimes its easier for people to risk the burnout. So they may need to lose their job or go on sick leave for a period, and that crash might be the start of a profound transformation in their lives.

While a healthy diet, exercise and creating time to get some headspace are all essential to mental wellbeing, ultimately change needs to come from within, says Burke. To push through everything your body is telling you and just keep going even when youre exhausted is such a high internal driver, she says.

Melissa Hemsley on tackling loneliness and couples therapy

That persons core belief system needs to be unrooted before those foundations need to be put back in.

Sophie Medlin, a 33-year-old dietitian living in north London, went freelance after experiencing burnout. Things are much more straightforward for me now, she says.

At my worst, I couldnt concentrate. I was exhausted, but my sleep was disturbed, and Id wake up anxious at 4am and start working to try and keep on top of things, she says.

Medlin had been working in situations she found stressful for years: first in the NHS, which she describes as a constant marathon, and then in academia, where she found presenteeism was a problem. She explains that she felt there was an expectation that she would be constantly available, and checking her mail late into the evening and working at weekends.

But I couldnt be 100% functional all the time, she says. She found that work was having an impact on her mental and physical health. Cortisol [the stress hormone] massively increases your appetite but your body uses up nutrients rapidly during times of stress so I often felt poorly because my immune system was much less resilient as a result.

When she decided to leave her job, Medlin had counselling, and describes feeling a massive weight lift. She started to work as a consultant dietitian with businesses and private clients, and realised there was a different, more balanced way of working.

She is now based at wellbeing hub Nimaya, Londons first dedicated gym for the mind, as an in-house, specialist dietitian. Her experience of chronic stress and anxiety has changed her perspective on the damage it can do. So many people live in a state of chronic stress, but its so poisonous for people and it has long-term effects on our health, she says.

A negative experience of burnout also prompted Cate Murden to reconsider her career in advertising, and found Push Mind and Body, a corporate well-being company. She spent three months signed off with stress in her previous role. I was suffering from imposter syndrome in a new role, constantly slightly in fear and fight or flight mode, Murden says.

Id wake up at 3am and start firing out emails. It was crazy. Now she tries to ensure that nobody dreads going to work. Resilience is born out of physiology and mindset the most important thing is to talk to someone, and talking therapy with counsellor, or coach can start getting you out of that cycle, she says.

When Coster was struggling with burnout, researching chronic burnout and adrenal fatigue from her west London home, she also turned to familiar voices to find hope. Podcasts were her saviour relatable advocates such as Bryony Gordon, who shared her experience of anxiety and breakdown.

Gradually, Coster learnt to listen to her own body. At first she started gently swimming a couple of lengths, then walking for a few minutes, before she eventually began to run. The following year she ran her first London marathon, and once back at work she passionately introduced more awareness about mental health into the company.

These are the best meditation apps to reduce stress and anxiety

Returning to the office was a terrifying prospect, Coster admits. By practising kindness and patience and by focusing on small wins, it gradually became easier. I needed to prove that it was possible to find a healthier way to exist while also doing an excellent job.

She left her employer last June to start her own consultancy, Balpro, which helps businesses to balance aggressive revenue goals with employee wellbeing. But in the year before resigning she launched mental health initiatives across the company and also ran mental health workshops leaving with the knowledge that she had done something positive.

Reflecting on that journey, Coster says: Things need to change and I want to help transform the lives of other people now thats my silver lining.

Self-care is now an integral part of her daily routine. I run regularly to boost my energy levels and clear my headspace, and I have a really open dialogue with my friends were always checking in with each other.

Talking to others about your stress is crucial, agrees Medlin: Tell people that youre struggling and theyll be more open to supporting you. I do believe you have to stop to be able to have the headspace to imagine how things could work out differently. And thats quite liberating.

She is now much more conscious of her mental health and stress. Ive learnt to prioritise things that help me feel better in particular yoga has been important, having more time to invest in my support network of friends and family and just having headspace to reflect.

Go here to see the original:
Work burnout: 'My entire body and mind shut down' - 3 women on how they recovered - Evening Standard

If you're anything like most people, you're probably investing heavily in one market.

You may not know it. You may not realize you're investing at all. But chances are, you are and it could be hurting your finances.

That market? Your home market.

We're not just talking your physical property or rental home. Your job, your income even your pension are tethered to the country in which you live and work, which could leave you overexposed to market risks pertaining to that geographical region.

"If you think about it, essentially everything that is everything is in our home market," Dhruv Arora, CEO of Singapore-based digital wealth manager Syfe, told CNBC Make It.

"Our salaries, our jobs, our success, growth is deeply intertwined with our home market's growth," Arora, a former trader, continued.

That can be great during an economic boom. Jobs are plentiful, wages are rising, home prices are appreciating and pension funds are outperforming. But when a downturn hits, the implications can be severe and wide-reaching.

The reality is, you're putting all of your eggs in one basket and in the long-term that's never paid off.

Michele Ferrario

CEO, StashAway

"God forbid something happens in that market, the ramifications would be across all these areas," said Arora.

The tendency to hone in on your home market is not just common, it's inevitable. By taking a job or buying a home in a particular country, you naturally expose yourself to that market.

It's also psychological. You're more likely to invest in something you know better, "like an apartment you can look at or an industry you work in and understand better," explained Michele Ferrario of online wealth manager StashAway.

But that's why it's all the more important to hedge your bets and build in exposure to other markets.

"The reality is, you're putting all of your eggs in one basket and in the long term that's never paid off," said Ferrario.

Institutional investors, who are responsible for things like pension funds, have long advocated global diversification, building portfolios with exposure to a diverse range of assets including equities, bonds, real estate and gold as well as a variety of geographies.

But the rise of online investment platforms have opened up international investment opportunities to regular savers too.

Options such as Robinhood and Betterment in the U.S., Nutmeg in Europe and StashAway and Syfe in Asia can offer new investors access to a wide range of opportunities for as little as a dollar and annual fees of less than 1%.

Elsewhere, more experienced investors can invest in other specific markets and industries by buying exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which track stock market indexes like the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100.

Understanding the assets youre putting your money into has major significance.

Steve Brice

chief investment strategist, Standard Chartered

Before moving into new investment opportunities, however, it's important to familiarize yourself with those assets and the potential risks involved, noted Steve Brice, chief investment strategist at Standard Chartered.

"Understanding the assets you're putting your money into has major significance. People generally have more staying power in assets they understand and are close to," Brice told CNBC Make It.

Investing is often as much about personal risk tolerance as anything and if you're likely to be scared easily or overreact to the unknown it may be sensible to stick with what you know, he said.

"If it encourages you to stay invested, that can be reason enough for a home bias," he continued. "That said, we do believe in diversification."

Don't miss: Experts share their best advice for making your first investment

Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!

Follow this link:
Over investing in this market could be a big risk, finance experts say - CNBC

IntelyCare's app allows nursing facilities to instantly request staff and for clinicians to take ... [+] control of their schedule

Nursing technology start-up, IntelyCare has recently announced the completion of their Series B funding round. Totalling $45 million, this large scale investment represents the biggest-ever venture round in Nursing and was led by Endeavour Vision, with participation from Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and Generator Ventures.

Co-founded by former biotechnologist, registered nurse and a hospital IT manager Chris Caulfield, the mobile app and associate platform hopes to offer a solution to the current nursing crisis within healthcare by disrupting nursing scheduling and leveraging gig economics to close the projected 1 million nurse shortfall by 2030.

Chris Caulfield, cofounder of IntelyCare

When working in biotechnology at Siemens Healthcare, a desire to serve others compelled Caulfield to study nursing and once qualified, he not only became aware of the many logistics issues facing the profession, but had amassed the knowledge through his career to consider practical solutions.

The key issue he wanted to address was nurses becoming stuck after shifts. Given the immense strain on his colleagues, nurses often cancelled just before they were due to work, meaning other full-time staff were unable to be relieved from their post. As a UK-based anaesthetist, I can recall ICU shifts where nurses were sometimes a few minutes late, or occasionally nurses on opposing shifts would trade hours with each other, but Chris described a problem that I was fortunate never to see in a UK hospital setting:

Youre stuck if the next nurse doesnt come to work. Youre literally forced to stay. Were talking hours, double shifts even. In the extreme, Ive seen situations of 24 hours stuck in the facility.

This strain on resources leads to burnout and attrition amongst staff, ultimately limiting patient care. IntelyCares digital solution aims to apply gig economics and advanced data science technology to optimise the existing talent base and close the widening gap between supply and demand.

The software allows nursing facilities to instantly request staff and for clinicians to take control of their schedule, potentially picking up shifts in less than 72 hours, which gives flexibility to nurses booking shifts. An associated machine-learning algorithm also matches prices and people, and based on previous behaviour, Caulfield tells me that it can predict staffing-gaps before they happen, which appears to be solving problems at scale.

Given the growing burden of chronic disease and ageing populations globally, solving issues for the staff addressing this demographic is more pressing than ever and there is a significant role for new technologies. Healthcare has an integral resource often left neglected by new technology: clinicians. Businesses with solutions that save clinicians time and make their lives easier often struggle to demonstrate cash-in-hand savings for providers and other buyers, but Intelycare has grown exponentially since its founding in 2016, consistently doubling its revenue and user-base annually between 2017-19.

Along with a good business model, successful innovation often comes down to timing and Chris notes that a well timed culture of disruption helped him found the company, stating that IntelyCare saw a need at the same time Uber were crushing it. Its perhaps no coincidence then that its software allows nurses to pick up extra shifts in much the same way as Ubers drivers.

As an ex-clinician, myself, that often felt too thinly spread across my patients, its encouraging to see this new funding round aiming to fuel a positive change in workforce management. IntelyCare plans to solve the frustration staff feel towards a rota that can often feel arbitrary and to inflexible leave policies that are, in the extreme, dehumanising.

In March 2019, The Guardian published an article detailing the petty tortures of doctors denied leave, despite, for example, experiencing stillbirth or having a child or partner in intensive care. Outrageous, but not surprising for anyone that has been front-line in the NHS. Whilst this is UK-based and IntelyCares solution is aimed at US institutions, I have no doubt that the same pressures, prerogative and purpose weigh just as heavy on healthcare staff around the globe.

At a time when a modern adage is look after your staff and they will look after your company, solutions like Intelycare could help channel this sentiment to healthcare workers who want to optimise their work-life balance and their ability to care for their patients.

View original post here:
Healthtech Startup Receives $45million In Biggest Ever Nursing Investment - Forbes

SHANGHAI, March 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MPM Capital (MPM) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have jointly announced on February 26, 2020 the successful closing of the MPM Oncology Innovations Fund (INV) with $100M in capital, and the Dana-Farber Innovations Research Fund (IRF) with more than $26M in pledged donations. 3SBIO, a leading biopharmaceutical company in China, is a limited partner in the INV and has agreed to make donation to the IRF, to support early-stage oncology research at Dana-Farber. The collaboration of INV and IRF is a unique, first of its kind, impact investing collaboration.

Through INV, MPM intends to create and invest in early-stage companies developing innovative therapeutic technologies in oncology. MPM expects 50% of the capital from INV to be invested in new companies generated from Dana-Farber research. As part of the collaboration, MPM, through INV, has the right of first offer to license certain Dana-Farber technologies that have been identified for commercialization.

"With innovative new funding structures, such as the collaboration between MPM and Dana-Farber, we believe we can expand and accelerate important research efforts while putting in place a path for developing this research into novel therapeutics. We are honored to partner with one of the world's leading cancer research centers to execute on this strategy and, having partnered before to bring groundbreaking science to patients, we are excited to continue working with our esteemed colleagues at Dana-Farber to advance the search for cancer cures," said Ansbert Gadicke, co-founder and Managing Director at MPM Capital.

"We are thrilled to have partnered with MPM on this innovative venture philanthropy model. We have generated substantial philanthropic support for exciting areas of cancer research at Dana-Farber, and MPM will support the creation of biotech companies that seek to bring new and advanced treatments to our patients," said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dana-Farber.

"3SBIO is pleased to invest in MPM's INV as a limited partner and to make donation to IRF to support Dana-Farber, a top cancer research and treatment center in the world. We are looking forward to this collaboration to develop many promising oncology therapies that address the unmet medical needs of cancer patients," said Dr. Jing Lou, Chairman and CEO of 3SBIO.

MPM's partnership with Dana-Farber comes as biotechnology venture investors seek access to the most-promising academic discoveries and as medical institutes pursue new ways to fund research and propel their innovations into the market.

About 3SBIO 3SBIO is a fully-integrated biotechnology company in China with market-leading biopharmaceutical franchises in oncology, auto-immune diseases, nephrology, metabolic diseases and dermatology. 3SBIO is focusing on building an innovative product pipeline, currently with over 30 product candidates under development. 3SBIO's manufacturing capabilities include recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and chemically-synthesized molecules. 3SBIO has research and production centers in Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Como, Italy. Please visit http://www.3sbio.com for additional information.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is ranked in the top 5 of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care. Dana-Farber's mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. They provide the latest in cancer for adults through Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Care and for children through Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world.

About MPM Capital MPM Capital is a healthcare investment firm with over two decades of experience founding and investing in life-sciences companies that seek to translate scientific innovations into cures for major diseases. With its experienced and dedicated team of investment professionals, entrepreneurs, and advisors, MPM strives to power novel medical breakthroughs that transform patients' lives. For more information visit http://www.mpmcapital.com.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3sbio-makes-investment-in-mpms-100m-oncology-innovations-fund-and-donation-to-dana-farber-cancer-research-301014013.html

SOURCE 3SBio Inc.

Read more:
3SBIO makes investment in MPM's $100M Oncology Innovations Fund and donation to Dana-Farber cancer research - BioSpace

For the third time in just over a week, some customers had troubles with access to their investment accounts and some of these locked-out investors shared their fury on Twitter.

Fidelity Investments, TD Ameritrade AMTD, +3.41% and Vanguard were responding to customers on the social media site Friday morning. Complaints included lack of access to their online accounts, as well as problems trading investments. Others said they could not see their account balances.

The technical difficulties come only days after financial firms including Fidelity, TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab, experienced similar issues, and a little more than a week after Fidelity customers were stressing about seeing their 401(k) plans had no money in them (it was a glitch, the company says).

The lack of access and trouble trading also comes during a stressful week for investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +5.09% was off 3.7% on Friday, and the S&P 500 SPX, +4.60% was down 3.4%. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +4.49% fell 2.8%. All three benchmark stock indexes are near correction territory, which is when an investment declines between 10% and 20% from a recent peak.

See: Coronavirus fears are clobbering the stock market is it doing the same to your retirement?

Vanguard is experiencing higher-than-normal phone and web traffic given the steep declines in the global stock markets, a spokeswoman said. The company had a two-minute web outage earlier in the morning, and clients reported slow response times to log in. We are working to correct the reported connectivity issues, and thank clients for their patience at this time, she said.

TD Ameritrade said client trades were and are being processed as usual but the company did experience slowness in reporting trade confirmations because of heavy trade volumes, a spokeswoman said. The issue has been resolved. A Fidelity spokesman said the company had a minor issue lasting a few minutes and impacting a small number of companies, but it had been resolved.

The coronavirus is partly to blame for the deep dips in the stock market, with investors worrying about what the impact of the spreading of the disease will have on global supply chains and economics.

Fidelity was responding to customers saying the site had experienced technical issues early in the morning, but the platforms were running smoothly now. TD Ameritrade said mobile app updates may have been to blame and to restart or update the service.

Read the original here:
Investment firms face customer fury over tech glitches during one of the most stressful market weeks in recent history - MarketWatch

So, you have some money to put to work in the market. Where do you start?

The first thing to do is make sure you're not investing any money in stocks that you might need in five years. While history has proven that stocks are incredible wealth-building tools, anything can happen in the short term.

Now, let's look at some investment options for where you can invest $500.

Image source: Getty Images.

We'll get to individual stock ideas in the next section, but first, a word about index fund investing.

Investing in a low-cost index fund like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:VOO) is a good option if you don't care about going for big returns. It gives you instant diversification across household-name companies, and while you won't strike it rich in the next 10 years, it will multiply your initial investment over a lifetime. Even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway invested in a few index funds recently.

If you maintain a minimum holding period of 10 years, you have a high chance of seeing a return on your investment. Recent market history serves as a good example.

The chart shows the return of the S&P 500 index from Dec. 31, 2007, through today. If you had decided to start investing at the end of 2007, you would have seen the value of your investment fall roughly 50% over the next year as the 2008 financial crisis reared its ugly head. But if you hung in there, your investment would currently be up about 130% excluding dividends.You would have even more money if you had taken advantage of the lower prices and added more shares at the bottom.

^SPX data by YCharts.

I personally like to stick with individual stocks, because it's more fun and offers greater rewards. The right growth stocks can trounce the returns of an index fund -- which has returned an annualized return of about 10% over decades. And the good news is that you don't have to be the next Warren Buffett to be successful.

Peter Lynch generated phenomenal returns over a 13-year stint managing Fidelity Magellan in the 1980s, and he always advocated buying shares of companies that you are familiar with. His mantra was "invest in what you know."

There's a lot of wisdom behind this advice, because by investing in brands that you're familiar with, you probably already have intuitive insights about what makes the business tick that a number-cruncher on Wall Street hasn't figured out.

Do you exercise a lot or notice more people wearing sneakers? If so, then you might want to buy shares of lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) or Nike (NYSE:NKE). These stocks have been great performers for investors.The athletic apparel industry is expected to continue growing over the long term, and the great thing about Lululemon and Nike is that these businesses are innovating and delivering the e-commerce shopping experience that so many consumers are demanding these days.

Many people head to the salt mines every morning needing a fancy coffee from Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX). The popular coffee chain has had its ups and downs, but it continues to look like a solid investment.Starbucks has a great opportunity to expand in China and still sees opportunity for expansion at home domestically.

Do you binge-watch TV shows? Then adding shares of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Disney (NYSE:DIS) is a no-brainer. Netflix has 167 million subscribers but is still adding new ones at a rapid clip. Disney+ just launched last fall but already has 28.6 million subscribers. Plus, with Disney, you get a piece of Disney World and ESPN, where theme parks and media networks bring in about $50 billion in revenue every year for the House of Mouse.

You can put $500 in one stock or several stocks with fractional shares. Several brokers are introducing the ability to buy fractional shares right now, including the Robinhood app and Square's Cash app, but traditional brokers like Charles Schwab are expected to launch fractional trading soon.

Consider investing in the stocks mentioned above, and then next month try to add more money to your brokerage account and keep buying stocks. The key to successful investing is to ignore the short-term noise, consistently buy promising growth stocks, and let time do its thing.

Follow this link:
Where to Invest $500 Right Now - The Motley Fool