The Nutrient: Thinking about thinking, Vitamin-D and CRP, Death Doula
Research
Thinking about thinking: People underestimate how enjoyable and engaging just waiting is
Most people don't want to sit around and "just think" because they assume it won't be enjoyable. They prefer to keep themselves busy with other people's problems via the news.
In this radically simple experiment, 259 students were asked to wait in a quiet room without doing anything. The participants predicted it would be painful, but their experience was quite different. They enjoyed it!
Do you fear the moments that present an opportunity for reflection and imagination in your daily life? I see it all the time in the line at the grocery store. Someone has a minute to wait, and instead of spending that time thinking, they distract themselves with their phone or a magazine.
Give it a try this weekend. See what happens when you take a minute to engage with your internal thoughts. You just might enjoy it more than you expected.
News
"This study examined vitamin D and C-reactive proteins and found a one-way relationship between low levels of vitamin D (< 50 nmol/L) and high levels of C-reactive protein, expressed as inflammation."
Article
Jessica Estrada
"Beyond the things they regret not doing, people nearing the end of their life also have one common realization: Love is all that truly matters."
Words of the week
“People talk about escapism as if it's a bad thing... Once you've escaped, once you come back, the world is not the same as when you left it. You come back to it with skills, weapons, knowledge you didn't have before. Then you are better equipped to deal with your current reality.” – Neil Gaiman (Read more about escapism in my article about Revenge Nighttime Procrastination)
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