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Most recently published stories in Longevity.
16 Things I Learned in 2016
Sometimes, it really is better to just let things go. Holding onto grudges and bitterness and baseless hopes just takes up space in our minds and makes us sad. That's not to say giving up is always the right option, but if it's not going to happen... it's not going to happen. And when you hold onto anger towards someone, all it's doing is hurting you. You deserve better than to be hurt by someone who made you feel that way in the first place. People will come and go in your life, but every time someone leaves, someone else is about to walk in and make it okay. I truly believe that most things happen for a reason, even if that reason isn't readily apparent. When you lose someone you care about, it's just your life making room for the amazing new person or thing that's about to come into it. Sometimes a small change can make a huge difference. If you're stuck somehow, and nothing seems to be working, try changing something else. That change could be the spark to the fire that burns down the wall that's been in front of you for as long as you can remember. Appreciate the small joys in life. Experience every moment as it's happening and bask in the beauty of it. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be here, and just let it happen. Years from now, the memory of that moment will be much sweeter. I promise. Listen to more music. Seriously. Whenever you can, add a soundtrack to your life. Music has a funny way of making everything better. Don't apologize for what you enjoy. Do what you want to and drop anyone who tries to make you feel guilty. As long as you're not hurting anyone else, you have a right to do whatever you need to in order to experience life to the fullest capacity possible. If that means getting that haircut you've always wanted, do it. If that means moving across the country because you've been thinking about it for years, then do it. Life is too short to not do what you enjoy just to please others. Take more selfies, both by yourself and with friends. Ignore people who say it's vain or pointless, because they're wrong. In ten years, you're going to have a collection of pictures that detail you at every stage of your life. You'll be able to look back to that time you cut your bangs and they took a year to grow back out. You'll be able to see that selfie you took with your friends at that party, and remember how fun it was. Pictures are a way of preserving our precious memories. On a related note, take more candid and unposed pictures. Sure, we all love those pictures that look perfect. But they're fake. You'll never look at that and remember something amazing, you'll remember how painstaking it was to get everything just right. Genuine photos will never be perfect and that's okay. My favorite pictures in the entire world are all blurry and someone is always making a stupid face. But that's okay, because they're real. When those pictures were taken, we were all so happy, and it shows - and that's what I'll always remember when I look at it. Never, EVER, make the mistake of forgetting to look in the mirror when you go out somewhere. Stand up for yourself. While it's true that letting go of anger is a good thing, letting someone walk all over you is worse. You're a human being and you deserve to be treated with love and respect. Family is a privilege, not a right. If a family member consistently treats you like garbage and refuses to stop, you don't have to acknowledge a relationship with them. Similarly, your best friends are your family. They do just as much for you as your relatives do, sometimes more. Therefore, they're your family, too. When someone says they're there for you, they mean it. Take advantage of that. If you need help, reach out to someone. Your loved ones want to help you, they don't want you to suffer in silence. They want to help you, I promise. Listen to those around you. If every single person you know tells you that getting that face tattoo is a bad idea... you might want to listen to them. A small act of kindness goes a long way. It might be nothing to you, but it could make that person's entire week. My sophomore year of high school, I was sitting alone at lunch. I was going through some stuff at the time, and I had recently moved, so I didn't have any friends yet. Out of the blue, this person who was in band with me came up to me and said, "You look kinda sad and you're sitting alone so...can I give you a hug?" That person went on to be my best friend. When I told them about this, they didn't really remember it. It wasn't a big deal to them. But to me, it made my week. The fact that I still remember it shows how much it meant to me. Little acts of kindness can do so much for someone. If you did something embarrassing, but nobody saw it, it didn't happen. You're never alone. There is always at least one person who is willing to help you. Don't be afraid to reach out to them.
By Sarava Watson7 years ago in Longevity
Top Slang of '17
Whenever I imagine an older person trying to be cool I envision someone saying "yo yo yo" while they flail and cross their arms like a rapper from the 80's. Except instead of looking like a cool ass hip hop artist they look more like someone having a fit and sounding like a total dweeb. OK, maybe that's just me since that is exactly what my father did while I was growing up. My friends would come over, mostly dressed in XXL t-shirts and Phat Farm jeans on, and there would be my dad Yo Yo Yo'n and arm seizuring all up in their face. And never, not once, did any one of those friends say, "Damn your dad is cool".
By Jus L'amore7 years ago in Longevity
Discovering Dysphoria
I started to appreciate my period as I grew more mature. It happened as a result of exploring alternative means of healing and meeting a bunch of pagans while I studied shamanism. The Wiccan women I encountered seemed to appreciate their cycles. They spoke of "moon times" and "flow"...words I'd never associated with what I only knew as "the curse" because the word "menstruation" was far too bulky to be useful in most circumstances. I didn't know it was connected to the moon or the three faces of the goddess (virgin, maiden, crone), or that my blood was actually magical.
By Cheeky Minx7 years ago in Longevity
My 411 About Coming Off Mental Health Medications
I started taking Effexor XR, aka venlaxafine, in the fall of 2010 after experiencing ongoing issues with what I now am able to recognize as anxiety. I was extremely functional, but my brain and my body were very overtaxed and the theoretical backpack of things that I had been dealing with over the course of several years was virtually to the point of bursting. At the time, what did I know? I was following the example I felt was set by the generation previous to mine; you soldiered on although you most definitely needed a break from the general "stuff" life had been throwing at you.
By Christina St-Jean7 years ago in Longevity
The Pill and the Polyp
This article isn't about sex. I know, I know. You're disappointed. Me too. But all the best writers say to write about what you know, and to this day, I know very little about sex. Not long after getting my bachelor's degree, I was safely married and out of sin's way. I had a whopping total of two sexual encounters before I met my first husband.
By Cheeky Minx7 years ago in Longevity
Swallowing the Spider to Catch the Fly
From July 2015 to July 2016, I was part of a clinical trial for an antidepressant drug that is not yet on the market. I worked with a psychiatrist and a team of nurses to maintain dosing and monitor my health throughout the study.
By Daniel Blitch7 years ago in Longevity
Difference Between Natural and Synthetic Vitamins
Most health-conscious people out there make a point to look for food that delivers a powerful nutritional punch when they are trying to eat. Eating vitamin-rich foods means that our body has the goods it needs to keep functioning at maximum capability.
By Rowan Marley7 years ago in Longevity
Favorite Makeup Products by Ulta Beauty
I am a budget shopper, but also a lover of beauty products. I am always looking for ways to save money, but still, have high-quality products that I enjoy using and make me look great. As a long time fan of Ulta, I have tried many of their store brand products over the years. I find that many of their store brand items are great quality and have a lower price tag than higher end brands. Also, Ulta often has sales on their store brand items, which is a great time to stock up and save even more cash. Ulta often runs sales where you can buy two, get two free of their store brand items.
By Amanda Zylstra7 years ago in Longevity
The Image Makers
Before we are born, we deliberate with the highest potential of our self, the Chuluamadahey, or the Keepers of our Book of Life. This is represented in the number 18 on what is known as the Children's’ Count, a way that numbers communicate with us here on Earth. This number is also associated with the Hebrew word ‘chai’, meaning ‘alive’, ‘living’, or ‘life’, as in “L’chaim,” a toast to life. We examine the lessons we have yet to learn and design a life that will deliver us the opportunities we need to learn these lessons.
By Hyapatia Lee7 years ago in Longevity
Best Oils for Heart Health
Over the last two decades, Americans have sharply increased their intake of oils high in polyunsaturated fat–largely due to their "good guy" image in preventing heart disease. But, some heart experts now say we've been pinning our longevity hopes on the wrong fat.
By Rowan Marley7 years ago in Longevity