Source: http://greatist.com/live/life-coaching-questions?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

“I want to get out of my dead-end job.”
“I want to make more money.”
“I want to finally open up my heart to love.”
“I want to accept myself for who I am.”

Any of these sound familiar? You’re not alone. Most of us want to experience some kick-ass changes in our lives in 2016. And here’s the best news: You can make those changes all on your own. As luxurious and awesome as it is to have one-on-one support from a life coach, it’s not always in our budget.

But with a little help from Dan Sullivan—a thought leader in the field of growth and development and coach to some of the most successful CEOs in the world—it’s possible to get clear on what you want and how to get there, without paying up for professional help.

His questions, which appeared in The Success Principles, have helped me and my clients enormously. All you need is an open mind, a notebook, and an hour alone for one amazing coaching session. One thing to keep in mind: Imagine someone you trust is asking you these questions and answer with your whole heart—don’t hold back!

4 Questions for Personal Growth 1. If we meet three years from today, what has to have happened during that three-year period for you to feel happy about your p…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/missed-periods?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Got two X chromosomes? Then you probably know your period can be more like your flaky friend who always shows up late to drinks (and sometimes not at all) than that super-organized friend who’s early to every group dinner.

First of all, don’t freak out. Irregularities in menstrual cycles aren’t all that rare. Many women experience a missed period every once in a while, and three to four percent of all women will skip at least three cycles at some point in their lives (a condition technically known as oligomennorrhea).

While your initial—and very valid—reaction to skipping a cycle might be that you’re pregnant, a number of lifestyle and health factors can also prompt our menses to take a mini-vacay. (Still, never wait to take an OTC pregnancy test or visit your doc for a blood or urine test to rule out a potential pregnancy.)

But if you’ve skipped three or more periods, and you’re sure you aren’t pregnant, paying a visit to your OB/GYN, GP, or an endocrinologist is non-negotiable. In the meantime, here are seven common reasons your periods could be AWOL—and what you can do to get things back on track.

1. You&#…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/what-procrastination-does-to-your-body?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

If you get something done on time, it doesn’t really matter if you procrastinate, right? This video from Men’s Health will make you think twice about putting anything off.

When you have a project with a looming deadline (especially one that’s due, say, tomorrow), your body reacts by producing different hormones that ramp up your heart rate and cortisol levels. Usually, cortisol keeps white blood cells in check, but frequent procrastination makes your body less sensitive to the stress hormone. That allows the white blood cells to go bonkers and cause inflammation. Even worse? Constantly producing cortisol requires a lot of energy, so your body stores up fat (a form of energy) around nearby organs. And that can lead to heart attacks. Bottom line: Try not to put it off, if you can.

(h/t Men’s Health)

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/how-quickly-get-over-breakup?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

As a kid, maybe you were known as the smart one, the creative type, or musically gifted. Those labels are helpful—you don’t have to explain why you’re good at math, your reputation proceeds you. But researchers have found that such a fixed sense of identity makes it harder to get over an ex.1

Sure, it seems like scientists haphazardly connected two dots, but let us explain. Say you see yourself as the creative type—it’s the life you live, the air you breathe. Psychologists call this the “entity theory of personality.” When these people encounter rejection (like a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking it off), they tend to question everything about themselves. (Does the whole world hate me? Have I been living a lie?) And down the rabbit hole they go. That endless rumination can make bouncing back from a breakup a doozy.

On the other hand, if you see your personality as always changing (the double-fisting partygoer in college who now prefers to knit and read on a Friday night), you tend to let romantic rejection roll off your back a little easier. The reasons behind the breakup don’t lead you to rethink your intrinsic identity (and everything you know to be true in the world) because your sense of self is always changing. And before you know it, you’re on to the next one.

Works Cited
Changes in Self-Definition Impede Recovery From Rejection. Howe LC, Dweck CS. Personality & social psychology bulletin, 2015, Oct.;42(1):1552-7433.
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Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/29/464885833/we-sampled-the-gastronomic-frontier-of-virtual-reality?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

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<img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/01/29/gizmos_wide-1c4e96c253fe8025e290204ce0f40e20878b3913-s1000.png" title="Project Nourished's virtual eating gizmos. From left: An atomizer that releases the scents of a food; a virtual reality headset; a a device that mimics the chewing sounds transmitted from a diner's mouth to their ear drums; a cocktail glass with built-in sensors; a utensil that picks up on the diner's movements and integrates them into the virtual reality experience; and a 3-D printed food cube." alt="Project Nourished's virtual eating gizmos. From left: An atomizer that releases the scents of a food; a virtual reality headset; a a device that mimics the chewi…

Source: http://greatist.com/fitness/it-safe-exercise-cold?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Almost everyone can work out safely in cold weather. In fact, scientists have suggested no temperature is too low to exercise outdoors as long as you suit up to minimize cold-weather risks.1 And though it’s obvious that high-intensity workouts—like boot camp training or running—are better choices for staying warm than, say, yoga, your body will work to maintain a core temp of 98.6 degrees no matter what you’re doing.

“I still remember working out in 9 degrees,” says Anthony Burdi, co-founder of The Rise, a year-round outdoor workout group based in New York. “Afterward we said, ‘I can’t believe what we just did!’ But it’s not as bad as you think.”

Exercising outdoors when the temperature drops below freezing does come with annoyances. But that runny nose is a good sign. The inside of the nose moistens to humidify the air we inhale, and the excess fluids creep out our nostrils. As for that icy air hitting your lungs? It’s basically impossible for freezing air to damage your lungs. Try wearing a scarf and keep layers on your chest to feel warmer as you inhale.

There are a few groups of people who should be cautious before trekking outdoors for a mid-winter run. If you have asthma, the cold, dry air can trigger lung tightness and asthma attacks while exercising. And if you’ve been diagnosed with poor blood circulation or heart problems, it’s best to check with your doc first before hitting the frozen pavement.

Your Action Plan
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Source: http://greatist.com/live/you-cant-see-mental-illness?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

When you see someone with a cast on, you know they’re injured. But when someone is suffering from mental illness (and one in five Americans do), it’s not always so easy to tell. At a time when it’s easier to filter and crop your life on social media to look fine and dandy, you can seem A-OK, even as you’re seriously struggling.

That’s why we love writer Anna Spargo-Ryan’s refreshingly real Facebook post. She puts two selfies side-by-side—one where she’s clearly been crying and another where she’s smiling—with the caption: “These photos of me were taken three days apart. In the first one, I have a mental illness. And in the second one, I have a mental illness.” The post was a reaction to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, which claims to show how to spot employees who are “faking” mental illness to leave work. The article’s author James Adonis has since apologized, but Spargo-Ryan’s message highlights the fact that we still have a long way to go to help put an end to all of the myths and misconceptions about mental illness.

Check out her full post below.

These photos of me were taken three days apart. In the first one, I have a mental illness. And in…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/yoga/why-practice-yoga/

“Yoga is not about self-improvement or making ourselves better. It is a process of deconstructing all the barriers we may have erected that prevent us from having an authentic connection with ourselves and with the world.” – Donna Farhi

Each time I come to the mat, new metaphors for understanding the essence and purpose of the practice emerge. Teachers offer words to inspire clarity and understanding, a posture once unattainable suddenly materializes and an “a-ha” moment ensues, or in the moments both magical and mundane, in which sweat drips down from my face or meditation brings me closer to existential levity—yoga finds new meaning. We’re told that yoga is a practice of returning to one’s true self; it’s an unpacking and a discarding of the many layers of armor and baggage—both inherited and self-imposed—which we’ve accrued over time to cope with our personal and generational suffering.

Related: How Yoga and Meditation Helped Me Manage Anxiety

We’re also told that yoga means union: We unite with our infinite unchanging center, a product of our primordial purity and divinity. While the Sanskrit word yoga is commonly defined as “to join” or “to attach”, many scholars have posited that in fact the paramount definition comes from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (1:2, chitta vritti nirodhah): “The cessation of the fluctua…

Source: http://www.theminimalists.com/workshop/

By Joshua Fields Millburn · Follow: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram

What if you were able to communicate more clearly, express yourself more effectively, and add value to other people’s lives with just your written words?

You can.

Join me for a special How to Write Better two-hour workshop on Sunday, February 7, 2016, at 3 PM EST. This online class will be full of detailed instruction on how you can write clearly, concisely, and beautifully. Whether you’re interested in creating more powerful business emails, improving your blogging skills, composing beautiful prose, or writing your first book, this class will point you in the right direction.

Our two hours together will include a plethora of writing tips and instructions culled from my expansive four-week online writing class, as well as my years of experience writing books and building an audience of more than 4 million readers. I’ll also host a live, interactive Q&A session at the end of the workshop.

Can’t attend the event live? Don’t worry—a recording will be available for anyone who would like to watch or rewatch the class at a later date.

Note: I wanted to offer this class for free, but because we need to pay for the webinar software to host the workshop, and beca…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/barbie-new-body-image?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Barbie just got a major overhaul. And it’s not a new career—there’s no data scientist Barbie (yet) to keep up with the times. The infamous doll is staying hip by getting some hips. Mattel announced it’s now selling curvy, tall, and petite Barbies in addition to the one we’ve known for the last 50 years.

Photo: Mattel

The change (Mattel is calling it “an evolution”) comes on the heels of new skin tones and hair styles that were introduced last year. Curvy Barbie is scooping up most of the attention, and for good reason. Barbie has a booty and calves—and just generally looks a lot more like you, or at least someone you’d pass by on the street. The petite and tall Barbies are also a big step forward, showing that beauty really comes in more than one very rigid shape and size. And if you think it’s silly to connect self-confidence to what a doll looks like, there’s actual science to back us up. Studies have found that girls who played with Barbies had lower self esteem than those who didn’t.1

To celebrate the release, Mattel released an adorable video (see below). It’s a bit heavy on the cheese factor, opening with one girl saying, “It’s important for Barbies to look di…