Here’s Something Interesting

Here’s Something Interesting: You Only Remember 7 Things at Best

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I haven’t done one of these kinds of posts in a long time. When it comes to our memory, there are so many things that we can store and remember for later times. Our short-term memory, on the one hand, we can best remember 7 things at one time.

Everyone’s short-term memory is different. Some say the magical number is 7 things plus or minus 2 things. On good days, people can remember more and on off days, they remember less.

People can train their minds to chunk information together, which allows us to remember more things in our short-term memory. Studies have found that it’s easier for us to remember numbers than letters.

Our short-term memory seems to be between 15 to 30 seconds. If we vocalize what we want to remember, it helps to keep things in our short-term memory. Overall some people can remember a handful of things at once and some can only remember a small amount and that’s ok. Your not alone if you relate to any of the information presented here. Remember, everyone is different therefore everyone’s mind is wired differently.

Here is a link to where I got my information if you want to learn more down below

Short-Term Memory | Facts, Types, Duration & Capacity

Take care, stay safe, and remember your not alone and you have worth in this world.

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Here’s Something Interesting: Shinrin Yoku

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Have you ever walked in on a hiking trail and just felt at peace? Your thinking process

just slows down and you feel at peace. If so, you probably just experienced Shinrin Yoku.

Shinrin Yoku is the Japanese phrase for forest bathing. It’s also known as nature therapy. If you don’t

live near a highly wooded area, you can practice shinrin yoku at parks. Going back to how negative

ions are outside, when walking in nature, your breathing in those ions. Studies have shown that people

who practice shinrin yoku have reductions in stress, anger, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. Their

blood pressure drops, concentration, and mental clarity improve after 15 minutes.

Here are 5 ways to practice shinrin yoku:

  1. Leave your phone, camera, or anything that will distract you from being in the present.
  2. Allow your mind to wander freely while you’re walking. Don’t think about goals, deadlines, etc.
  3. Stop at times to appreciate your surroundings. Look at a flower, tree, or a funny looking rock.
  4. Sit down and listen to the sounds of nature around you.
  5. If you’re going with a group of people, you can all make the decision to stay silent for the

walk and share your experiences at the end.

I have practiced shinrin yoku before. In my experience, I found that when I started my walk,

my mind was racing with thoughts. After a while though my thoughts stopped and I felt at peace.

I was calm and enjoying the raw sight of nature.

Here is a link that talks more about shinrin yoku

https://www.growwilduk.com/blog/5-simple-steps-practising-shinrin-yoku-forest-bathing

If your able to get out, I would suggest practicing shinrin yoku. Take care, stay safe, and you’re

not alone and you have worth in this world.

Here’s Something Interesting: Positive and Negative Ions

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If you have been in a storm, on a hiking trail, at the beach, at a big wide meadow, and felt a sense of relief, that’s actually your body absorbing negative ions.

Negative Ions

Negative ions are molecules floating in the air or atmosphere that have been charged with electricity. They exist in nature in various places like UV rays from the sun, discharges of electricity in the air after a thunderclap or lightning strike, and are produced as part of the normal growth process for a lot of plants.

When you are exposed to negative ions:

  • Symptoms of depression are reduced (for some people)
  • Cognitive performance is improved
  • Short duration of exposure may positively affect seasonal depression (30 minutes roughly)

Positive Ions

Now you may think that positive ions are a good thing; well actually they aren’t.

Electrical charges in the air are conducted more quickly by increased amounts of humidity during cloudy days. Any negative ions also quickly become attached to any particulate matter in the moist air. This leaves a high concentration of positive ions in the air.

These types of ions however, can make you feel unpleasant, sluggish, and sometimes have respiratory irratations.

How to Get Negative Ions

Negative ions exist mostly outside; so being outdoors is the best way to get them. Spend some time by a creek, riverbank, beaches, water fountains, or even hiking trails. Next time it rains, step outside and breathe in the smell. If your daring, you can step all the way outside and you’ll definitely get very wet. Just sitting on your porch or pavilion is good enough. The sound of rain coming down is soothing itself.

The Takeaway

You may not have thought negative and positive ions had an effect on your mood and how you function. In the end, negative ions are good for you, but they aren’t a cure all miracle. They have some benefits to improve your morale and overall health, but if you have a serious medical issue or issues, seek professional medical help.

Here a link to the webpage, I got my information from. There’s more there that go into more details about negative and positive ions if your interested.

https://www.healthline.com/health/negative-ions#takeaway

Take care, stay safe, and remember your not alone and you have worth in this world.