There is one activity that every one of us should be doing at least once a day, every day. Meditation.

Meditation is a time of contemplation, many use it as a way to deepen their spirituality or connection to nature. Meditation is a way to keep the mind “sane” and able to function properly. Think of it as a work out for the mind. It is important that we keep our mind as fit as we keep our body, if not more so!  Our mind is a versatile and complex mechanism but like anything it can become boggled, clouded, overwhelmed- which makes it have problems functioning the way it should.

The mind, in all of its complexity has different levels of operation. These levels work by what we know as brainwaves. As you go through your day, each new activity or situation initiates a new level of brainwave activity. Our mind also uses the brainwaves to give us time to relax, refocus and manage all of the information that we take in during the day.

When our mind doesn’t get the opportunity to process this information it becomes bogged down, backed up and unable to function properly. Lack of rest and/or sleep contributes to this back up. Think of it as a runner who is going to participate in a marathon, and a month before the marathon she stops running. Obviously it will be harder to run that marathon, because she isn’t in peak shape.  This goes for the mind as well, with out time to process, with out rest, our mental fitness slacks off.

Energy is something that flows through all of our bodies. This energy flow, this power is what holistic healers and alternative medicine practitioners use to help heal and explain ailments. This same energy is a part of our mind as well. The energy from our mind radiates out through the body’s nervous system so that there is communication between the mind and the body.

Failing to keep our minds fit can lead to age related mental disorders. It is imperative that we continue to try to learn new things, this keeps the mind youthful and sharp. Learning new things creates new pathways in our brain. Those new pathways help to transmit information from the mind to the body and the body to the mind.

It is hard to learn new things though if don’t take the time to let our mind relax and replenish itself. As you work towards improving your physical fitness, you should not overlook improving your mental fitness. While you are out doing your daily walk you can let your mind do its own daily walk, by letting go of the day, focusing on your breathing or the air around you as you walk. Giving your mind “down time.”

Did I lock the front door? Turn off the stove? Lock the windows?  These are some questions many of us ask ourselves on a daily basis as we jump in our car to leave.  It’s natural to run the checklist through your head a few times and eventually the concern fades and we carry on with our day. Some people perform a checking routine to make sure that a window is locked, a door is shut so they can leave the house knowing that everything is fine. Others never think about such matters; they just leave with the assumption that everything is as it should be.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions related to germs, cleaning, counting, checking and re-checking, and hoarding.  An obsession is a persistent series of disturbing thoughts that intrude on the mind and seem to have a life of their own. The subject of these thoughts has to do with extreme concern and fear that harm will come to oneself or others due to forgetting to perform an everyday action like locking a door or checking to see if an appliance is off or due to some form of contamination.  Obsessive thoughts are followed by compulsions that attempt to alleviate the severe psychological pain of this persistent thinking pattern.  These can be a series of repetitive behaviors like washing and re-washing of hands, re-arranging objects so they are lined up perfectly, checking and re-checking to make sure that any possibility of harm to oneself or others has been totally eradicated.

Many people who do not understand this disorder or do not suffer from it have a difficult time understanding why someone would continue these rituals. They see it as a waste of valuable timeand insensible. Once you have locked a door, you move on and forget about it.

Obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions are psychologically very painful. Some sufferers are so distressed by this disorder that they suffer insomnia and inability to think about anything else. They are immobilized. The compulsive behavior appears to lessen the obsessive thinking. But this is very temporary. The thoughts quickly return, followed by the persistent rituals and the cycle is renewed and appears to have no ending point.

The origins of this disorder are still being studied. Recently, there was strong scientific evidence that obsessive compulsive disorder has neurobiological roots. The brain chemistry of individuals with OCD is different from those who do not suffer from this disorder.

Current treatments for OCD include behavioral therapy and more specifically, exposure therapy. Under the instruction and guidance of a trained psychotherapist the client is gradually exposed to those objects or situations he fears most. In subtle gradations the client learns that he can tolerate exposure to the feared objects or situations.

For those of whom exposure therapy does not work, some OCD sufferers have benefited from taking serotonin re-uptake medications. The gradual increase in serotonin has a beneficial effect upon the obsessive-compulsive cycle.

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, a degenerative brain disease which causes the brain to essentially shrink.  Although medical science is making strides toward curing Alzheimer’s, there is no clear-cut cure on the horizon at this time. There are, however, some medical treatments that appear to lessen some of the symptoms to a small degree, which does give us hope.

It should be noted that not all patients show the same symptoms, and while there appear to be ten main symptom categories, there are only three phases or degrees of severity that they are categorized under.  Patients are varied in their responses to the symptoms, responding with denial, blaming others for the results of their actions, to despair or hopelessness and giving in to inevitability.

The 3 Stages of Progression of Alzheimer’s Symptoms

• Early-stage, also known as mild-stage: The beginning of loss of cognitive skills becomes apparent though the individual can still function.

• Mid-stage, also known as moderate-stage: Large scale decline of mental faculties beginning. Physically the patient starts to lose muscle tone and coordination, causing them to begin to rely on on caregivers both physically and emotionally.

• Late-stage, also known as severe-stage: Complete deterioration of the personality as well as of bodily functions causing an even stronger reliance on caregivers.

The Ten Main 10 Alzheimer’s Symptoms

• Forgetfulness or memory loss – as the stages progress so does the intensity.
• Difficulty with abstract thinking – numbers become very problematic
• Disorientation – it is possible to get lost in their neighborhood. They lose their sense of time, date and even recognition of their surroundings.
• Problems with language – simple words are forgotten and the frustration of trying to remember them usually is expressed with anger at the one they’re speaking to; the individual may use descriptive sentences. If they’re asking for a fork they may start describing what the fork does to get the point across.
• Poor judgment – bad decisions are often made as the individual still seems in their “right mind” to others. A recent case in Massachussets focused this problem: A ministry was forced to return over one million dollars to a woman whose family took it to court. The ministry was unaware that the donor was a victim of Alzheimer’s symptoms and unable to judge her actions fully.
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks – unable to turn on the television or use the phone.
• Mood/Behavior changes – may experience extremes in mood changes without explanation.
• Changes in personality – becomes more dependent on the caregivers, along with being fearful, suspicious and confused.
• Losing things – both hides and misplaces things, sometimes accuses others of stealing them when they don’t remember hiding them.
• Lack of participating – becomes very passive as the disease progresses, eventually spending hours watching TV or sleeping.

Alzheimer’s can only be diagnosed by medical personnel. However, learning about symptoms, especially if the disease seems hereditary in your family, can help other family members be prepared for inevitably difficult times.

Ever been in a situation where someone rattled off their phone number and the only thing you could remember is the first 3 digits? Or, have you ever heard a musical lyric and then two minutes later you can’t remember what you just listened to?  The question you have to ask yourself is, does this happen to me often?  If the answer is yes, then you might want to engage in some auditory memory exercises to help keep your brain sharp. Here are a couple to try out:

The Top Ten Countdown

A good auditory memory exercise is to listen to a top ten countdown on your favorite radio station. Don’t write any of the songs down but try to remember the titles to each one as they are played. Then, at the end, try to write them down in the order that you heard them. As you get better, you should be able to write down the artist and song title without having to try very hard. The best part about this type of auditory memory exercise is that the radio stations that play these types of countdowns often have contests to see who can remember the list the best. You could cash in while also helping to increase your short term memory capacity!

Partner Exercises

Another type of auditory memory exercise requires you to have a partner. Have a partner recite something to you, such as a phone number, list of names, a shopping list, or anything else that you have to remember. Then, try and recite back what you heard verbatum. As you practice, you’ll get better and soon you’ll be able to recite everything you heard without having to ask for a cue.  As with anything, the more you practice the better you’ll get.

If you don’t have a partner, you can do this with a recording. Play back a recording of a song, a comedy routine, or anything else and then try to write down what you heard.  As you get better, you’ll be able to write down every detail without having to go back and check.

Auditory memory exercises are easy to do and a great idea for anyone who would like to hold onto information a little longer than the few milliseconds after they’ve heard it.