"Daydream Believers"

 The following article is a forerunner

to articles I've written about

Quiet Times

based on personal experiences .

Doctors Michael Roizen, and Mehmet Oz (known as Dr. Oz)

published the following steps to essentially benefit your life.

(excerpts taken)

So, you want to boost your creativity, calm your blood  pressure, melt stress 
and raise the happiness quotient of your closest relationships? Don't do anything 
~ just haul out the hammock, pour a tall glass of iced tea (unsweetened, of course) 
and send your gray cells off on a minivacation.  You might want to post a 
“do not disturb” sign nearby so that nobody interrupts your day-dreaming, 
because this state of mind is earning new respect for a slew of surprising benefits.

Better Problem-Solving

When Canadian researchers watched brain scans of people as they daydreamt,

they discovered that their brain's “executive networks” (the areas that govern

decision-making and analysis) lit up like Christmas trees when they weren't

thinking about anything in particular.   
These networks are a combo of high-powered areas that work  together to find 
answers to tricky questions.  Daydreaming gives the networks a chance to 
look in on whatever's bugging you or intriguing you.

This explains why some of the world's biggest discoveries  ~ from gravity and the

Post-It Note to the Barbie Doll ~ happened when  creative types kicked back

and took their minds  off their everyday problems and chores.

Closer Relationships

Fuming about undesirable family habits do not enhance a relationship. 

But daydreaming about  the good stuff ~ things you've done together ~

produces more of the “glue” that bonds happy marriages and makes

friendships and parent-child relationships tight.

More Compassion

Daydreaming increases compassion and a sense of your connection with

others, perhaps because this process exercises parts of your gray matter

that get neglected when you 're focusing on the hustle-bustle of daily life.

Less Stress

There haven't been official studies about what happens to your blood pressure,

heart rate and stress-hormone levels while  you daydream, but studies of related

types of time off, particularly mindful meditation, have been shown to...bust your

stress...reduce your blood pressure...ease your pain...bolster your immune system.

Here are four effective ways to give your brain some neglected R & R today:

               Let it all go for 12 minutes.  If you're stuck ~can't finish that report

or figure out a tricky home repair ~ walk around, look out the window, grab

a healthy snack. When you come back to the task,  you'll be 41% more creative.

                Take your mind outside.  Letting your brain wander outdoors (while

you walk, sit by a lake, contemplate trees from your deck or window) seems

to amplify the benefits , soaking up natural sights, sounds and smells of the

great outdoors is proven to...lower blood pressure...soothe stress...reduce

levels of the high-anxiety hormone cortisol...calm your heart rate.

                Leave  your smart phone at home.  For a real brain break,

let the world go away!  Ringing, beeping, buzzing mobile devices...

boost stress...break the daydreaming spell...dilute the benefits.

                Feel stuck in real-world worries?  Try this easy meditation.

Lie down or sit with good posture in a “quiet place” .  Breathe through

your  nose slowly for four seconds.  As you breathe in, your belly button

should be moving away from your spine ~ the result of your diaphragm

pulling air into  your lungs. When your lungs feel nice and full, exhale

slowly through an open mouth.  This should take about eight seconds.

You should notice your belly button  pulling toward your spine as  you

exhale.  Let thoughts float away.  Continue for 12 minutes.  Ahhhh!

A sizable picture shown here is of a young woman

lying in deepish green grass with woodland at the rear.

She lies calmly with eyes closed as a soft breeze

wafts through her hair...she is meditating.

.

Advice below the picture:

“Step away from the cellphone. 

Let your mind be quiet and let your thoughts go.”

Merle Baird-Kerr … written September 23, 2012

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