#except for chapter 26 and 76 apparently

[avocado-frog]

WIP files tag

Thank u to @the-stray-storyteller this is a new one I'm not going to do all of them because I have... quite a few (206) and so I'm just going to go by canon chapter what they're saved as instead of all the extra shit

RULES: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and answer with a snippet or tell them about it. Tag as many people as you have WIPS

Well, I technically only have three real ones, these are all just files for them so I don't have to tag 100 people: @elizaellwrites @briannaswords @litbylightning

(Forget me not- 1-30 Dahlia- 31-51 Rosemary- 51-93)

Halloween chapter (part 1: Leo. black rose)

Picture + Sam cameo

School chapter/Leo characterization moment

Things Are Getting Spooky

Leo steals a vehicle

Jaxon and Dylan are here!!

Logan and Lily are here!!

Leo character development moment

Ryan and Sam are here!!

Elliot is here!!

Part two- Jaxon. Zinnia. Just Vibing

Dylan backstory moment

Ryan and Elliot kidnap Logan or something

Exposition chapter

Merry crisis

Elliot mental illness moment

Ryan fucking DROWNS

Ryan backstory moment + bonding

Maine arc part one

Picnic chapter (im so sad)

Part three- Elliot. Lily of the valley. Sad times are near

Elliot VS staircase (part one of three)

Elliot goes mortal kombat mode (elliot vs staircase part two)

Dylan backstory moment again

SHIT FUCK THINGS ARE HAPPENING

Ryan vs Elliot (ryan has the knife) (skipped this outline like a dumbfuck)

sobs screams cries

Triplet backstory hours + STOP FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS

Ryan vs Elliot (elliot has the knife) (rest in peace)

sequel bait (brain arc technically)

Dahlia 1- Sam. Marigold. ABSURD the word count on this bitch

Leo vs Jaxon (Jaxon loses)

Sam being a sad lil guy

In which I needed 21 chapters so i wrote this one

Logan backstory hours

Dylan kidnaps a coma patient

Dahlia part two- Dylan. Iris. Things are getting spooky again

Beginning of the brain arc

Dylan and Ryan vs The Horrors (brain arc)

Leo backstory chapter (real world)

And they were roommates (real world)

Park/Forest/Circus (brain arc)

Who Could've Seen This Coming (real world)

Lab/Mirror/Garden (brain arc) (Also! Part three- Ryan. Asphodel)

Logan Lily and Cass vs the horrors (real world)

Docks/Playroom/Memory (brain arc)

Sam is a magic man (real world)

Leo vs Jaxon (Leo loses)

Logan adopts two more kids

Dylan, Elliot, Logan + where did jax go

Jaxon left the group chat

Rosemary 1- Cass. Sunflower (I THINK) things are happening all of the time

In which i really liked jellicoe road

Jaxon is stolen

Another Emily backstory

Jaxon backstory chapter (will i have one for all the kids?)

The kids all have bonding hours

More Emily (BOOO)

Elliot and Dylan (good for the soul)

Leo is stolen from the hospital whoops

One more Olivia + Emily chapter

Part 2- Logan. Woodland sage. I really wish I could've used Jaxon instead

Jaxon and Leo reunion (gone wrong)

Jaxon and Leo stop being the Worst (derogatory)

Dylan and Logan finally stop being the Worst (affectionate)

Dylan finally manages to get through to Leo

Jaxon loses hand privileges

Leo's escape

Dylan Fucking Dies

Jaxon is being weird

Get stabbed nerd

Jaxon goes feral

Part 3- Lily. Gladiolus. YES I KNOW WHAT HER FLOWER SHOULD BE SHUT THE FUCK YOUR UP

Oh yeah marcy is a character

Cass and Elliot bonding times

Dylan backstory dump (i honest to god skipped this outline again)

Leo and Logan go to get Jaxon (gone wrong)

War arc or something

Logan and Leo vs Jaxon

Fighting fighting fighting

Ryan vs Jaxon. Elliot character development moment

The twins commit felonies (logan is there too)

Part 4- Marcy. Hyacinth. HA FUCK YOU U THOUGHT I WOULD SKIP HER HUH

Kai and Jaxon being much gayer than I meant for them to be

Jaxon is finally allowed to talk to the kids, Ryan is sad

Nothing important happens. the kids watch a movie

More talking + wrapping up plot shit

Part 5- Kai. Peony. FIVE CHAPTERS LEFT

Happy birthday to the Jaxon himself

Logan, Marcy, Kai final chapter

Jaxon and Dylan final chapter

Leo and Cass's birthday. Lily, Ryan, Sam, Cass, Elliot, Leo final chapter

LAST ONE.

Character charts

outlines???

Character analysises

flower symbolism + characters

funky ghost au

medieval au

group chat thing

[livthedragon]

Countdown, Chapter 3

Facility 26-A

Location: [REDACTED]

Current Time: 1:45pm

Running a facility is easier than people think, especially when you brainwash all of your employees.

It was a simple process, the Hollows turned to Wights in a lab just down the hall, and from then on are only fed information that they need. They get a name, (only a last name, it was easier that way) a job, an office, and all the tools they needed for said job. They worked day after day, not even aware of the time ticking by. Most of them didn’t even keep track of their age, and the ones that did only did so out of boredom.

Never curiosity.

Curiosity was never tolerated.

Curiosity led to questions, and questions led to people feeling unnecessary things like righteousness and empathy. That led to slowed work, and that hadn’t happened for years. Everything went as planned, and there were never any discrepancies.

Until one day, when a new Hollow arrived, ready to be mutated.

Unlike the other Hollows that usually came to evolve, this one had been domesticated by the peculiars, like some sort of dog

Disgusting.

Apparently, a Hollow-tamer had spent years with this hollow, before they were eventually killed and the Hollow was brought back to its proper employers. There were some worries that this might effect the Wight that would result, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

As far as the General was concerned, Mr. Newman was just as perfectly mediocre as every other employee in Facility 26-A

That was the only disturbance that had happened in 15 years.

And that will be the ONLY disturbance to happen as long as I retain leadership of this institute

Facility 26-A’s job was simple. Every 3 months, like clockwork, a new shipment of recently manifested peculiar children would arrive. The number of peculiars in a shipment would always shift, sometimes one, sometimes two, once they even got five. The children younger than twelve were kept in pairs or trios to prevent their horrible wailing, and the ones twelve and older were kept in solitude all day with the exception of lunch. At lunch all the children would gather at tables and eat for exactly 12 minutes, just long enough to be able to finish their meal but too short for there to be conversation time. The majority of the peculiars were boring, and basic abilities that she had long grown tired of. They watched the peculiars, keeping track of everything they did. Their behavior, their language patterns, their interactions, everything. The more they knew, the easier it was to win against them.

But this time, it was different.

This time, they had delivered the new peculiar… in a different manner.

Instead of arriving in a large cage or crate, the General was instead given camera and audio feeds. Instead of putting this new specimen (specimen 76 to be exact, why that was her number she did not know) in a cell, they were ordered to just watch.

They also got a timer.

Somehow, they had been able to catch a peculiar before they manifested. How they had managed that was unknown and irrelevant in her eyes. She was simply told to watch and wait, and once the timer ran out, a ‘once in a generation’ ability was supposed to manifest in this pathetically normal looking girl.

She glanced down at her wrist, her digital watch now displaying the timer instead of the hour so she could watch it count down anywhere.

2:02:48:19

18

17

She looked up from her wrist and continued walking, off to get the most recent update from Mr. Newman on how 76, or ‘Carmen’ as her file had read, was doing. If her timing was correct, she should arrive just when the timer ticked down to 2:02:45:00, and not a second after.

She arrived perfectly on time.

Her timing was never off.

[laurenjohnson437]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[richardgarciase23]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[josephwebb335]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[robertharris6685]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[evawilliams3741]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[mhealthb007]

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

The post I’m so lonesome I could cry appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

from Harvard Health Blog http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN Original Content By : http://ift.tt/1UayBFY

[annahgill]

I’m so lonesome I could cry

After only the opening chords and one or two bars of that haunting melody, you probably recognize the old song by Hank Williams — the one with the lyrics that express a feeling almost all of us have experienced:

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill He sounds too blue to fly. The midnight train is whining low I’m so lonesome I could cry.

Although the song captures a common feeling, we now know it is not just a feeling, but a condition that has a very real effect on the body, and as it turns out is also a public health problem — so much so that as the new year turned in Great Britain, the issues of loneliness and social isolation were added to a ministerial portfolio. A survey study there showed that hundreds of thousands of people had not spoken to a friend or relative in a month — that’s a lot of silence in your life.

Humans are social creatures. Among ourselves we form all kinds of complex alliances, affiliations, attachments, loves, and hates. If those connections break down, an individual risks health impacts throughout the body.

The health risks of loneliness

A brief list from recent research includes:

increased risk of cardiovascular disease

decreased cognitive and executive function (there is initial evidence of increased amyloid burden in the brains of the lonely)

as high as a 26% increase in the risk of premature death from all causes

decrease in the quality of sleep

increased chronic inflammation and decreased inflammatory control (linked to the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia)

decreased immune function leading to vulnerability to many types of disease

increased depressive symptoms

increased fearfulness of social situations (sometimes resulting in paranoia)

increased severity of strokes (with shortened survival)

and, as you would expect, an overall decrease in the subjective sense of well-being.

As early as 1988, an important overview of multiple studies documented that social isolation was a major risk factor for mortality, illness, and injury, and in fact was as significant a risk factor as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure. The effects and prevalence of social isolation have been confirmed in good studies many times now, as well as in the work of advocacy groups such as the AARP. In a 2010 survey study, the AARP found that in the US, 35% of adults over the age of 45 were lonely, and isolation was getting worse — 56% of the lonely had fewer friends at the time of the survey than five years before. A study in 2012 found a higher percentage of lonely people — 40%. The AARP survey found (as have other studies) that loneliness was connected to poor health.

But it is only recently that mapping out the underlying neurobiology and neuroendocrinology has become possible, using new technologies.

The effects of loneliness on the brain

Here are a few ways in which loneliness shows up in the brain:

areas of the brain having to do with the perception of pain are activated

gray matter density decreases in an area of the brain related to social perception

areas of the brain having to do with “mentalization” (imagining other people’s minds) are decreased in activity

the brain (in the all-important amygdala, for example) shows increased activity, with decreased recovery in response to negative stimuli — as Lily Tomlin on Sesame Street said about anger, this is “bad weather in the brain.”

The endocrinology is also important

The HPA axis — the feedback system across the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands — is impacted and results mainly through the dysregulation of stress hormones, and this is associated downstream with many negative health outcomes; oxytocin (the “social hormone”) function is apparently decreased; brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the most abundant background facilitators of neuronal plasticity and nerve health, is decreased; and allopregnanolone, an important health-positive neurosteroid in the brain, is also decreased.

If that song, and all the health impacts of loneliness (from the cardio to the neuro to the hormonal), strike close to home, what can a person do?

Understand that people are a medicine

Sigmund Freud, in a chapter on anxiety in his Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, relates a lovely story about a young boy who was afraid of the dark, except when his aunt talked to him. The boy said, “When someone speaks, it gets lighter.”

So, people are anxiety relievers. And people are antidepressants, as well as blood pressure reducers (mostly). People, in general, are good for you. So, find ways to be around and be with people; let people accompany you on your travels through life.

Ways to do this are more common than you might think.

People from a distance: go to a library reading room to read the papers and take in the crowd.

People closer up: volunteer at a hospital, or a local food bank, or another organization that needs help.

People with engagement: join a congregation of worship; take up a hobby that you can share with others, such as a sport, or a game club (chess, mah-jongg, cards, Scrabble).

People with even more engagement: renew old friendships that may have withered on the vine; you will be surprised what a difference just having tea or coffee with an old friend regularly will make. The AARP found that having even one supportive relationship decreased perceived loneliness (and by implication, the health impact) from 76% for those with none to 36%.

If you feel introspective (Mark Twain said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself”), seek out a therapist with whom you can think about your situation.

People are complicated. People can be difficult. But it is only within the complex and gratifying and sometimes challenging ecology of human relationships that we can truly thrive. See you at the coffee shop.

The post I’m so lonesome I could cry appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

from HealthIsWealth via Anna Gill on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2DKvGkN

[epicbook-reviews-blog]

Intro to me

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for deciding to look at my blog! I hope you stay a while and maybe even suggest a book for me to review. Personally, I've always loved to read, ever since I was around six years old. Instead of wanting a new pretty dress, I would want a new book instead. Understandably my parents thought that this was amazing, they thought that I would be smart and successful,which for my sake more than theirs, I hope is true. I've just decided to do a random, 100 questions about me tag so you know a bit more about me as a writer :-) 1.) What's your favorite season? Oh wow, that's an easy one, it's Autumn. 2.) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find a line. "I wanted red and orange leaves in the fall. I wanted change." 3.) Who was the last person you texted? My mom, she asked me about where my brother went on vacation with his friend. 4.) Before you started this survey, what were you doing? Eating a few mini strawberry muffins for breakfast. 5.) What's was the last thing you watched on TV? Sons on Anarchy. 6.) Without looking, guess what time it is now. 9:50a.m. 7.) Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 9.56a.m. 8.) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Bella (my dog) walking around downstairs and my ceiling fan. 9.) Do you tan or burn? Luckily my mom blessed me with Hispanic blood so I ran fairly easily :-). 10.) Do you like fish? I liked crab legs before I became a vegetarian, but other than that, I never liked any kind of fish. 11.) MAC or PC? MAC, I have a MAC book pro for school and it's lovely :-). 12.) Do you remember all of your dreams? I hardly ever remember my dreams at all, but the ones I do remember are the weird ones or the sad ones. 13.) When did you laugh last? The last time I laughed was around 12:30 this morning with my friend. She was talking about her upcoming birthday and how awesome it was going to be. 14.) Do you remember why/what at? She was talking about her upcoming birthday and how awesome it was going to be. 15.) Have you ever been to Canada? No, but I would really like to go sometime! 16.) Shoes, socks or bare feet? Oh bare feet all the way! I love shoes (hate socks) but sometimes I just don't feel like putting on shoes, you know? 17.) Do you wear perfume? Yes yes yes. 18.) What is the last film you saw? The Secret Life of Pets. I watched it with my dads ex girlfriends daughter. She is seven. 19.) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? London, England or somewhere where it is warm and sunny all year around. 20.) If you became a multi-millionaire over night, what would you buy? BOOKS!! (And maybe makeup :-)) 21.) Where would you live if you could go anywhere? Hell. (Being a smartass because I've already answered that question.) 22.) What's your favorite band? One Direction. (Not 10 btw.) 23.) Have you ever had to have surgery? No I have not. 24.) Do you enjoy school? Yes and no, mostly yes because I just like to learn things, it makes me feel good about myself when I leave school knowing more than I did yesterday. No because of all of the petty drama I get dragged into and honestly, I think these standardized tests are bullshit. Everyone learns differently and at different paces, not everyone is super smart. 25.) What do you think of these questions so far? They are pretty normal questions, so they are all right. 26.) Are you a righty or a lefty? Lefty! I know it's strange to hear because hardly anyone is left handed anymore, but I'm a lefty :-) (the only one in my family.) 27.) Who made your last incoming call on your phone? My Aunt. I went to a concert the other night and she saw my Snapchat story thinking I was alone with no parent supervision, (again not 10) but my dad was in the parking lot so... 28.) What's the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Steam. 29.) Last time you swam in a pool? A couple days ago, but I had just gotten my tattoo so I couldn't submerge it in the water and had to put a bandage over it. 30.) Type of music you dislike most? Country. 31.) Are you listening to music right now? Yes. It's my friends music, (she's over at my house) but we have the same taste in music so I don't mind it. 32.) What's your favorite color? Red or Black or purple or army green, it changes everyday honestly. I just like colors haha. 33.) Is there anything you are disappointed about? Plenty of things. 34.) What is the last thing you bought? A book for school :-). 35.) Sun or rain? Sun if it's during the day, but if I'm getting ready to nap or go to bed at night, then rain. 36.) Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Both! 37.) What's your zodiac sign? Scorpio. 38.) What's your hair color? Naturally, Brown. I dye my hair red every so often because I hate my natural color. 39.) What quote do you like by? "Do not judge my character by the chapter you walked in on." 40.) What's your favorite zoo animal? I think zoos are cruel, no I'm just going to have to answer with, I love all animals. 41.) Do you have any pets? I do! I have two pure bred boxers named Brinx and Bella. Brinx is purely white with black spots on his skin and he's 10 years old. Bella is a beautiful chocolate brown with a black face and white paws (they look like socks!) and she is five years old. 42.) What color are your eyes? Brown. 43.) Do you wear any kind of jewelry 24/7? Yes, I have two holes in both of my ears that I keep earrings in, a mood bracelet that I got with my cousin, and my belly button ring. 44.) Do you turn the water off when you brush your teeth? No, but apparently it's a big pet peeve for some people when other people don't run the water off when they brush their teeth but I don't really see why it matters. 45.) Do you know how to change your cars oil? No, I know it's bad that I don't know how to change my cars oil, but I honestly don't really care. 46.) Do you have any phobias? No. 47.) What's your lucky number? 8. 48.) Have you ever eaten a crayon? Once, I got dared to eat a crayon in kindergarten for a quarter. I really wanted that quarter so I ate the crayon haha. 49.) Can you solve a Rubix Cube? No, I've tried so many times, but I always end up getting pissed off and never end up finishing it. 50.) What are you listening to right now? Nothing. 51.) Do you like Marmit? I have no idea what that is. 52.) Do you wear the hood on hoodies? Sometimes. 53.) Is the glass half empty or half full? Well I'm very optimistic so it's half full :-). 54.) What's the farthest-away place you've been? Oklahoma. I've never been out of the United States... I'm boring :-(. 55.) Do you untie your shoes before taking them off? Sometimes if I tied my shoes extremely tight. 56.) What's your favorite radio station? Any station that has good music honestly, I'm not picky. 57.) Are you allergic to anything? Nope. 58.) Were you named after anyone? No. 59.) Do you wear glasses/contacts? No. 20/20 vision :-). 60.) Have you ever walked out of a movie theater before the film was finished? Yeah, then I snuck into another movie haha. 61.) What's your least favorite subject in school? Science. 62.) Put your iTunes library on shuffle. What's the first song that comes on? Poppin' Tags by Future. 63.) Do you wear jeans or sweatpants more? Jeans. 64.) Where in the world would you like to travel? Everywhere! 65.) Are you traveling anywhere soon? Not anywhere far from me. I'm going on vacation to Florida in July as well as Cedar Point in August. 66.) Have you ever built an igloo? What is this? I live in Tennessee not Antarctica. Obviously not! 67.) Best thing at Starbucks? Okay, I'm being basic here for a second, but the best thing at Starbucks is the Pink Drink. 68.) Do you like watching scary movies? I watch scary movies at 3a.m when I can't sleep and sometimes I fall asleep to them if that tells you anything. 69.) What's the best thing about school? My friends and English class. 70.) What were you doing at midnight last night? Laughing and watching Netflix with my best friend haha. 71.) What's under your bed? Dust and dog hair. 72.) How do you really feel about what you are doing right now at this exact moment? There was a question similar to this a few questions up. Still feeling the same. 73.) Think fast, what do you like right now? My new shirts from Spencer's I bought today. 74.) Are you sarcastic? My second language. 75.) What time do you get up? During school days, between 5:30a.m and 7a.m, but during the summer, around 10a.m. 76.) What was the name of your first pet? Brinx. He's a dog and I still have him :-). 77.) What color are your sheets? Purple. 78.) How are you feeling? Wow I'm starting to feel like I'm in therapy again...but I'm feeling pretty good right now. 79.) What was your favorite food when you were a child? Mashed potatoes. 80.) How are you feeling right now? Uhhhhh does someone has short term memory loss??? 81.) Can you whistle? Yup. 82.) Do you drink soda? Only Dr.Pepper. 83.) Have you read the Harry Potter series? Only the Sorcerers Stone, I wasn't really interested in the series to be completely honest. 84.) Can you drink a stick shift? I learned to drive on a stick shift before I learned on an automatic so, yes, I can drive a stick shift. 85.) What's your favorite candle scent? I'm honestly so obsessed with candle melts so I have a ton of candle melts and my favorite is probably the Zen one. It really chills me out because it smells reaaaaally good. 86.) Have your pants ever fallen down in public? No. 87.) Do you sing in the shower? Every time :-). 88.) Can you speak another language? Ugh... no :-(. 89.) Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows? Um.. yeah haha. 90.) Dogs or Cats? Dogs!! :-D. 91.) Do you make wishes at 11:11? Not usually. 92.) What's your favorite type of chapstick? Anything pomegranate flavored. 93.) Which came first; the chicken or the egg? Oh here we go. The most philosophical question on earth. The chicken. 94.) What are you reading right now? Norse Mythology by Neil Gailman 95.) Can you touch your nose with your tongue? *Sigh* Sadly I have never been able to do this :-(. 96.) Can you walk in heels? Now that I can do. 97.) How many rings before you answer the phone? However long it takes me to notice someone is calling me. No one really ever calls me though, it's usually just a text or Snapchat. 98.) Any new and exciting things that you would like to share? Yes actually!! I just got a tattoo a few days ago. It says "I love you to the moon and back" in my dads cursive, and I love it so much :-D. 99.) What is most important in life? Honestly? To live your life with no regrets. You only get one life on this earth, live it the way you want and don't give a fuck about what anyone else thinks. 100.) What inspires you? My imagination. Well that was it! I hope you all got a bit of insight on who I am as a person! If you have any questions or you want to request a book for me to review, then just ask! I'm always on here so I'll be sure to check my inbox everyday! I know this was a long post, but I hope many of you took the time to read it! This took me around 2 hours and I'm kind of ashamed to admit that... anyways, thank you again and I hope that this blog could be a way of finding new books and authors for a lot of people! June. 8th, 2017