This Is What Happens in Your Brain When You’re Hypnotized

THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Skeptics view hypnosis as a little-understood parlor trick, but a new study reveals real changes occur in the brain when a person enters an hypnotic state.

Some parts of the brain relax during the trance while others become more active, said study senior author Dr. David Spiegel, associate chair of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

"I hope this study will demonstrate that hypnosis is a real neurobiological phenomenon that deserves attention," Spiegel said. "We haven't been using our brains as well as we can. It's like an app on your iPhone you haven't used before, and it gets your iPhone to do all these cool things you didn't know it could do."

Hypnosis was the first Western form of psychotherapy, but little is known about how it actually works, the authors say.

Hoping to learn more, Spiegel and his colleagues selected 57 people for this study out of a pool of 545 potential participants. Thirty-six of the 57 displayed a high level of hypnotic susceptibility, while the other 21 did not appear to be very hypnotizable.

Using MRI, researchers measured the subjects' brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. Each was scanned while resting, when recalling a memory, and when exposed to a message intended to induce a hypnotic trance.

People highly susceptible to hypnosis experienced three distinct brain changes while hypnotized that weren't present when they were out of the trance, the study reports. These changes weren't detected in the brains of those with low hypnotic capability.

People in a trance experienced a decrease in activity in an area called the dorsal anterior cingulate, part of what's called the brain's salience network. "It helps us compare context and decide what is worth worrying about and what isn't," Spiegel said.

Hypnotized people also experienced an increase in connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula. The prefrontal cortex helps us plan and carry out tasks, while the insula helps the mind connect with the body.

"In hypnosis, we know you can alter things like gastric acid secretion, heart rate, blood pressure and skin conductance," Spiegel said. "Your brain is very good at controlling what's going on in your body, and the insula is one of the pathways that does that."

Finally, people in hypnosis also have reduced connections between the task-oriented dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the brain's default mode network, a region most active when a person is daydreaming rather than focusing on the outside world.

This decrease in connectivity likely represents a disconnect between someone's actions and their awareness of their actions, Spiegel said. Such a disassociation allows the hypnotic subject to engage in activities suggested by a hypnotist without becoming self-conscious of the activity.

Taken together, these brain changes match well-known outward effects caused by hypnosis, Spiegel said.

A hypnotized person is intensely focused but not worried about what they're doing. They are not worried about evaluating instructions, but are simply following those instructions, and they have a more direct connection between their minds and the physical function of their bodies, he noted.

"This is the first time that we've shown what's going on in the brain when a person is hypnotized," Spiegel said. "This is a natural and normal brain function. It's a technique that has evolved to enable us to do the routine things routinely, and deeply engage in the things that matter to us."

Based on this knowledge, doctors might be able to enhance hypnotic response in ways that better help treat medical conditions, he said. Already, hypnosis has been proven to help people quit smoking or cope with pain and stress, the authors noted.

This study provides "important evidence" that could help convince skeptical patients of hypnosis' potential benefits, said Guy Montgomery, who specializes in integrative behavioral medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed.

"Hypnosis has been around for a long time, but people have looked upon it as quackery," Manevitz said. "This demonstrates it's a legitimate neurobiological phenomenon, by revealing the brain activity that underlies the hypnotic state."

However, Montgomery added that it will take further research to make this specific knowledge directly useful in daily medicine.

"How would I use this information to enhance procedures for patients?" he said. "I don't really know."

The study appears July 28 in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

More information

For more on hypnosis, visit the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

This Is What Happens in Your Brain When You’re Hypnotized

Can Virtual Reality Meditation Get You Closer to Mindfulness? I Tried It to Find Out

I’ve been meditating, off and on, for the past 14 years. The technique I learned in meditation class many years ago is old-school and austere: Find a place to sit, close your eyes, feel your feet on the floor, and focus on the in-and-out breath at the tip of your nose. No music, no mantras, just the moment-by-moment struggle of bringing your attention back to breathing every time your mind wanders away (which is just about every time you breathe). The point, and the challenge, is to train your mind to let go of distraction, to detach from thoughts, to simply “be here now.” 

Mindfulness meditation is a welcome (some say necessary) respite from the hustle and stress of modern life, and from the incessant pings, buzzes, and chimes of personal technology.

So I was intrigued when I received an invitation from the folks at Oculus, the virtual reality shop at Facebook, to test out the latest application for this booming technology: guided meditation. I wondered: If being mindful requires disengaging from the diversions of modern life, can we truly meditate while mind-melding with state-of-the-art computer processing power? Is it possible to “be here now” if that “here” is a digitally-synthesized someplace else?

At Oculus’ pop-up showroom in New York City, I was first given a quick tour of the capabilities of their high-end Rift system.  I was menaced by a life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex (cowering in virtual terror as the beast stomped past/through me) and dropped onto the ledge of an 80-story Times Square skyscraper (dropping reflexively to hands and knees and crawling backwards to safety). 

RELATED: A Meditation to Start Your Day

After the stress test warm up, I strapped on the Samsung Gear VR, for a downshift into Oculus’ meditation offerings.

The Guided Meditation VR app, developed by Cubicle Ninjas, gives you a choice of environment, voiceover, and chill-out music. I picked a fall foliage setting called "Autumnshade" to start, and the "Relaxation" audio track. 

The 360-degree view was splendid: Crisp brown leaves floated from trees between shafts of golden sunlight. In the narration, an English woman likened our thoughts to hummingbirds, and indeed, my mind was flitting from voice to scene (with multiple perspectives available at the push of a button) and back again, with nary a thought of my breath.

I switched to a tropical seaside setting ("Costa del Sol"), with waves sloshing on the shore, then toggled again to an icy mountain ("Snow Peak"): Blood red sky reflected in an iridescent blue lake. Somewhere behind me I heard a crunching sound, like the calving of icebergs (or the footfall of a hungry snow leopard). Each time I picked a new setting, the device asked me to press my finger to a sensor to measure my heart rate, part of the app's biofeedback feature. I started out around 76 beats per minute, and hovered in that range throughout the experience.

RELATED: Wait, Congress Has a Meditation Guru?

I shifted one last time to a sunny bamboo grove ("Hanna Valley"), leaves swaying in a gentle breeze, a pagoda in the near distance. There was even a pudgy panda dozing on the rocks behind me to add to the snoozy vibe.

Now that I’d found a calm setting, I turned on the lulling “Loving Compassion” voiceover, which was much more conducive to  relaxation than the hummingbird talk, and more in keeping with my own experience practicing loving-kindness meditation. A voice urged me to think about a loved one with the following recitation:

May you be safe / May you be peaceful / May you be healthy / May you live with ease and wellbeing.

Good food for thought, yet I still found myself dazzled by the scenery, looking out and around rather than inward.

My Oculus friends urged me to try another app, so I dove into Perfect Beach, developed by nDreams, which offers a choice of four seaside views with an audio track. The most interesting feature here is that the app lets you select a lower torso (customizable by sex and skin tone) as part of your view, presumably to help you locate your floating head in the VR space. That idea makes sense, given that groundedness is one of the starting points of most any meditation practice, though I found it gave me yet one more thing to look at: undulating waves throwing flecks of golden sun, plus a pair of nicely tanned legs and muscular pecs, just below my line of sight. 

RELATED: Meditation Might Work Better than Painkillers for Chronic Low Back Pain

After an admittedly brief tour, I yanked off the headset and defogged my glasses. The verdict: Is virtual reality immersive?  Of course. Diverting? For sure. Is it relaxing? It would be, if you had enough time to steep in the experience.

Is it meditative? That's a tough one, and it depends on one’s definition of meditation. If by “meditation” you mean getting outside of yourself for a few minutes to zone out, decompress, and escape, then virtual reality would do the trick. If you’re new to meditation, and don’t have access to a class or a teacher, and you’re looking to learn some of the basics of a guided practice like loving-kindess, an app like Guided Meditation VR (as a kind of jacked-up audio program) would help.

But if you’re trying to meditate in the more orthodox, hard-way-in style—to tune in rather than out; to be here, right now; to wake up into reality—you run into something of a conundrum. It seems that a technology that pries your eyes and ears wide open to absorb as much sensory input as possible is working at cross-purposes with a discipline that asks you to forgo distraction, to close your eyes and direct your attention inward.

RELATED: Memory Failing You? Study Suggests Meditation May Help

Oculus’ VR meditation is a fun trip, no doubt, but if I could design a setting, it might look and sound like the classroom where I first learned how to sit: careworn wood floors, mismatched chairs, a rattling air conditioner, with a teacher at the front of the room offering terse instruction and then… silence.  Maybe this dazzling technology, confident enough in its verisimilitude, could also be humble enough to slip into the background, so you'd have no qualms about missing out if you just closed your eyes, and tuned in to the real.

Can Virtual Reality Meditation Get You Closer to Mindfulness? I Tried It to Find Out

One Big Interviewing Mistake You Should Try to Avoid

Say you’re in the running for your dream job, but it’s on the other side of the country. The higher-ups call you for a final interview, and give you a choice: You can video conference in, or fly out to meet with them face-to-face.

You might be tempted to choose the easier option that doesn’t involve travel or additional expenses. But it may be wise to make the trip: A new study suggests that in-person interviews tend to leave better impressions on both the hiring company and the candidate.

“We live in a world where we increasingly rely on technology, but this study reminds us that personal interactions should never be underestimated,” study co-author Nikki Blacksmith, a doctoral candidate at the George Washington University’s Department of Organizational Sciences and Communication, said in a press release. Blacksmith and her colleagues wanted to see how tools like telephone and video interviewing might affect overall decision making, so they analyzed the findings of 12 studies published between 2000 and 2007.

Their results, published Monday in the journal Personnel Assessment and Decisions, found that overall, technology-mediated interviews resulted in lower ratings—for both parties involved—than face-to-face interviews. Video interviews received the most negative rankings, followed by telephone and computer interviews.

Initially, the researchers assumed that these differences would have lessened over the years, as people became more accustomed to technology in the workplace. But they were surprised to find the opposite: The ratings were actually more negative in the later research. (They do point out, however, that even the most recent study took place seven years ago.)

“Considering the rate at which technology has changed, it is clear that we lack understanding of the modern interview,” the authors wrote.

Senior author Tara Behrend, PhD, director of the Workplaces and Virtual Environments Lab at George Washington University, says the study was not able to determine what, exactly, was wrong with technology-mediated interviews—but does offer a guess.

“On the phone I can’t shrug my shoulders, roll my eyes, wink, or nod my head to show that I understand,” she told RealSimple.com. “That means that the interviewer can easily misinterpret something I say.”

On top of that, she says, taking turns is harder in a video or phone setting. “The chance of accidentally interrupting the interviewer would be much higher,” says Behrend. “If you’re afraid of interrupting, then you might have a long awkward pause instead. Neither option is going to give the perception that you are a strong communicator.”

It’s also difficult to engage in what Behrend calls “impression management”—doing things to make the interviewer like you—when you’re not face-to-face with them. You might not be able to make friendly small talk or show that you’re attentive by smiling and sitting up straight if you’re on the phone or staring into a webcam, she says.

The problem is, many interviewees aren’t given a choice as to what kind of meeting they’ll have. If a company holds all of its interviews for a certain position the same way, the study authors say, then no one has an unfair advantage. But if some candidates are given in-person interviews and others aren’t, results are likely to be skewed. In fact, the study concludes, these findings could potentially open up companies with such hiring practices to lawsuits.

Behrend says that an important next step is finding a way to improve perceptions in video interactions. “There is plenty of popular advice out there about how to do well in a Skype interview,” she says. “For example, making eye contact is very tough online. But, you can configure your computer so that ‘eye contact’ with the camera happens more naturally.” (You can find our expert tips for acing a video interview—and other smart interview tips—here).

She hopes that by studying tips and techniques like these, researchers can help level the playing field—and give remote interviewers gain back a bit of their lost advantage.

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

One Big Interviewing Mistake You Should Try to Avoid

What Being Expected to Check Email After Work Does to Your Health

The Ice Bucket Challenge Helped Researchers Find a Key ALS Gene

It was two summers ago that our Facebook feeds were full of videos of friends and family dumping buckets of ice-cold water over their heads to raise money and awareness for ALS—Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Now we can officially say that the social media stunt has made a real-world difference. 

The ALS Association announced this week that scientists have discovered a new ALS gene, NEK1, that's one of the most common genes linked to the neurodegenerative disease, and a potential new target for treatment. This breakthrough research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, is part of Project MinE, which aims to sequence the genomes of 15,000 people with ALS—​an international effort that recieved $1 million in #IceBucketChallenge donations.

RELATED: The Story Behind the Ice Bucket Videos All Over Your Facebook Feed

“The sophisticated gene analysis that led to this finding was only possible because of the large number of ALS samples available,” said ALS Association chief scientist Lucie Bruijn, PhD, in a press release. “The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled The ALS Association to invest in Project MinE’s work to create large biorepositories of ALS biosamples that are designed to allow exactly this kind of research and to produce exactly this kind of result.”

As the Ice Bucket Challenge began to sweep across the nation in 2014, it was criticized as a classic example of "slacktivism," or activism that requires little actual effort (like signing an online petition, for example, or championing a cause in your Facebook status). 

But in just eight weeks, donations to the ALS Association climbed to $115 million and generated worldwide awareness and support for people affected by the debilitating disease. Since that summer, researchers from all over the globe have identified several ALS genes thanks to funding from the ALS Association that resulted from the viral challenge.

RELATED: Why Everyone on Facebook Is Taking the #22Pushups Challenge

John Landers, PhD, one of the lead researchers on the new study called the discovery of NEK1 "a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS."

This August, the ALS Association is launching a new campaign to generate funds and awareness. Visit the site to learn more about Every Drop Adds Up.

The Ice Bucket Challenge Helped Researchers Find a Key ALS Gene

The Sneaky Early Signs of Dementia You Should Know About

Very early dementia may cause changes in personality and behavior—in ways that have nothing to do with memory loss, according to researchers who presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto on Sunday.

Older adults who have become uncharacteristically sad, irritable, anxious, rude, or disinterested in friends or family—and who have been that way for at least six months—could be exhibiting warning signs, they say.

The group of experts is proposing a new diagnosis, called Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI), which could hopefully help doctors recognize brain changes that may lead to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Identifying this progression sooner, they say, might help to pave the way for earlier treatments and better care for at-risk patients.

Along with the new diagnosis, the team also designed an “MBI Checklist” for doctors, which looks at behaviors involving the patient’s mood, level of motivation, impulse control, social appropriateness, and sensory experiences. Caregivers may also be able to use a version of the checklist once it’s finalized.

The checklist asks 34 questions about qualities that many people may recognize in the older adults in their lives. It suggests that doctors consider any behavior that has “been present for at least six months (continuously, or on and off) and is a change from her/his longstanding pattern of behavior.”

A few of these questions include:

• “Does the person lack curiosity in topics that would usually have attracted her/his interest?”

• “Has the person become more easily frustrated or impatient?”

• “Does the person seem to lack the social judgment she/he previously had about what to say or how to behave in public or private?”

• “Has the person developed suspiciousness about the intentions or motives of other people?”

Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer, Alzheimer’s Association, said in a press release that the new checklist could help change the way doctors evaluate patients for possible early dementia.

“Alzheimer’s is a deadly brain disease, and while memory loss is a hallmark of the disease, early symptoms such as anxiety, confusion and disorientation are often more common, troubling, and obvious to family members,” she said.

It is important to note, however, that not every older adult who becomes cranky or loses interest in certain activities is on the road to dementia. And some experts do worry, the New York Times reports, that making MBI an official condition could lead to over-diagnosis, expensive and unnecessary treatments, and needless worry for patients and their loved ones.

Zahinoor Ismail, MD, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Calgary and co-author of the proposed guidelines, says more research is required before the diagnosis and checklist can be put into practice.

“We are still in the very early stages of understanding this new syndrome,” he tells RealSimple.com. “Clinical trials still need to be set up to see if treating patients identified earlier this way makes a difference in terms of the time on onset of dementia.”

He is hopeful, however, that patients identified with MBI will be monitored more closely by their doctors; previously they might have been ignored.

And while patients and concerned family members shouldn’t jump to conclusions or self-diagnose, he does believe that a shift in a person’s mental or emotional state is worth checking out.

“Yes, later life changes in personality should be brought up with one’s doctor,” he says.

The new checklist isn’t the only exciting news coming out of the Alzheimer’s Association conference this week. Additional new and novel ways the disease may soon be detected earlier have been proposed, as well.

For example, University of Waterloo scientists unveiled a non-invasive eye-scan technology that may help recognize dementia-specific proteins in the brain before a person develops symptoms. And a team from Columbia University reported that a scratch-and-sniff smell identification test might also be useful in predicting cognitive decline.

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

The Sneaky Early Signs of Dementia You Should Know About

Transgender's Classification as 'Mental Disorder' Is Outdated, Study Finds

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Being transgender is currently classified as a mental health disorder in the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD), but a new study suggests that should change.

And, such a change wouldn't be without precedent. The American Psychiatric Association removed gender identity disorder from the latest edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

For the new study, Mexican researchers interviewed 250 transgender people.

The researchers found levels of distress were more strongly influenced by social rejection and violence than by being transgender.

Seventy-six percent said they suffered social rejection due to being transgender. This rejection most often came from family members, followed by schoolmates/co-workers and friends, the study showed.

Nearly two-thirds were victims of violence due to their gender identity, the researchers found.

Family members were responsible for nearly half of the cases of violence. The most common types of violence were mental and physical violence. Some of those surveyed reported sexual violence, the study revealed.

This study is the first of its kind, the researchers said. Others are now being conducted in Brazil, France, India, Lebanon and South Africa, the researchers added.

Findings from the study were published July 26 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

"Stigma associated with both mental disorder and transgender identity has contributed to the precarious legal status, human rights violations and barriers to appropriate care among transgender people," study senior author Geoffrey Reed said in a journal news release. Reed is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"The definition of transgender identity as a mental disorder has been misused to justify denial of health care and contributed to the perception that transgender people must be treated by psychiatric specialists, creating barriers to health care services," he said.

Reed said some governments have used the definition of transgender as a mental health disorder in courts to deny people their rights in matters of child custody, reproduction and changing legal documents.

Study lead investigator Rebeca Robles said, "Our findings support the idea that distress and dysfunction may be the result of stigmatization and maltreatment, rather than integral aspects of transgender identity." Robles is from the Mexican National Institute of Psychiatry.

She said these findings need to be confirmed with additional studies before the next approval of the revision of the WHO International Classification of Diseases in 2018.

"Rates of experiences related to social rejection and violence were extremely high in this study, and the frequency with which this occurred within participants' own families is particularly disturbing," Robles said.

"Unfortunately, the level of maltreatment experienced in this sample is consistent with other studies from around the world. This study highlights the need for policies and programs to reduce stigmatization and victimization of this population. The removal of transgender diagnoses from the classification of mental disorders can be a useful part of those efforts," she concluded.

More information

For more about transgender issues, visit GLAAD.

Transgender's Classification as 'Mental Disorder' Is Outdated, Study Finds

Does Dementia Diagnosis Have Silver Lining for Some?

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Is it possible that a diagnosis as devastating as dementia could have some positive effects?

Yes, a small study suggests.

Researchers asked 48 people with early dementia or mild cognitive impairment to complete a questionnaire that measured their quality of life and personal outlook after getting their diagnosis.

The "Silver Lining Questionnaire" was designed to measure how much patients believe their illness has a positive impact in areas such as: relationships, appreciation for life, positive influence on others, inner strength and life philosophy.

The questionnaire has been used before with cancer patients. But, this was the first time it was used with dementia/mild cognitive impairment patients, the researchers said.

"The overall assumption is that this diagnosis would have a uniformly negative impact on a patient's outlook on life, but we were surprised to find that almost half of respondents reported positive scores," said study author Dr. Gregory Jicha, a professor at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky.

The patients in the study had high scores on areas such as: appreciation and acceptance of life; less concern about failure; self-reflection, tolerance of others, and courage to face problems in life; stronger relationships and new opportunities to meet people.

"The common stereotype for this type of diagnosis is depression, denial and despair," Jicha said in a university news release.

"However, this study -- while small -- suggests that positive changes in attitude are as common as negative ones," he said.

The study was to be presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they've been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The next phase in this research is to determine the factors that led some dementia patients to see the positive in their diagnosis. That information can likely be used to help other patients, the researchers said.

More information

The Alzheimer's Association has more on dementia.

Does Dementia Diagnosis Have Silver Lining for Some?

Got Ringing in Your Ears? Here's How to Cope With Tinnitus

You might be the only one who can hear the ringing in your ears, but that doesn’t mean you’re alone. A new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery found that 1 in 10 adults suffers from tinnitus, or the perception of noise that isn't actually there.

For some people it's a high-pitched buzz. Others might hear a low roar, hissing, or clicking. Tinnitus may come and go, or never stop. And doctors may never determine the exact cause of the symptom.

It can be triggered by anything from a buildup of earwax or a very loud concert to a blood vessel disorder or age-related hearing loss. Even some antidepressants and other meds can trigger a phantom noise.

Unfortunately for most chronic cases, there's no cure, as the American Tinnitus Association points out. But there are steps you can take to manage the symptom. For tips on coping with the ringing, we tapped Sarah Mowry, MD, an assistant professor and member of the Ear, Nose & Throat Institute at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Here, Dr. Mowry's tips for anyone bothered by the noise.

Mask it

If you're having trouble concentrating or resting, turn on some white noise. You could use a sound machine, a fan, or even the TV at low volume. “These help your brain suppress the [phantom] noise so it’s less bothersome,” Dr. Mowry explains. 

RELATED: 7 Best White Noise Machines for a Good Night's Sleep

Try to de-stress

Tinnitus can actually be a sign from your body that it's time to take a breather, says Dr. Mowry. “My patients will say they’re not sure why [their tinnitus is] so bad today, and then it turns out they’re stressed and not sleeping,” says Dr. Mowry. When you put stress management techniques into practice (like breathing exercises, or gentle stretching before bed), you may find that you don't notice the noise as much.

Consider biofeedback

If your usual tension-busting measures don’t help, you might want to look into biofeedback therapy, in which you learn to control your body's physical reaction to stress. Dr. Mowry compares some cases of tinnitus to phantom pain (or sensation perceived in a body part that's been amputated); when a patient is suffering from tinnitus from hearing loss, she explains, it may be that "their brain is trying to fill in missing information" with the phantom noise. "For those patients, we do a lot of biofeedback," she says.

Or tinnitus retraining therapy

A combination of biofeedback, psychotherapy, and music therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is another option for patients who are struggling to live with the noise, says Dr. Mowry. It can be difficult to find a practitioner, she warns, and may not be covered by your insurance plan. But when nothing else has worked, TRT can make a world of difference.

Join up

It may be helpful to connect with others who are dealing with the same problem, Dr. Mowry points out. By attending meetings of a tinnitus support group, not only will you realize you're not alone, but you'll be able to share coping strategies with the people you meet. 

RELATED: 15 Everyday Sounds and How They Affect Your Hearing

Protect your ears

“Tinnitus gets worse as hearing loss gets worse,” explains Dr. Mowry, which means it's really important to protect your ears when you know you'll be exposed to loud noise. Dr. Mowry recommends taking precautions such as wearing earplugs when you blow dry your hair (seriously!) or go to a concert. Research suggests earplugs really do help: A study published last month found that only 12% of concert-goers who wore them experienced ringing in their ears afterwards, compared to 40% of people who didn't use ear protection.

Got Ringing in Your Ears? Here's How to Cope With Tinnitus

The Weird Way Harry Potter Could Affect Your Political Views

Come November, your fiction preferences might have a real-life impact on your choices at the polls. People who have read Harry Potter novels tend to have a lower opinion of Donald Trump, according to a new study—and the more books they’ve read in the series, the less favorably they view the Republican presidential nominee.

These findings held true regardless of a person’s political party, gender, age, level of education, or religious beliefs, says study author Diana Mutz, professor of political science and communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.

The massive popularity of the series, by British author J.K. Rowling, made such research possible; more than 450 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, and Mutz found that both Republicans and Democrats were equally likely to have read them.

To gauge people’s opinions of the controversial businessman-turned-politician, Mutz surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,142 Americans. (In addition to Trump and Harry Potter, she also asked them about hot-button election issues such as waterboarding, the death penalty, and the treatment of Muslims and gay people.)

She found that each book people had read in the fantasy series lowered their evaluations of Trump by about two to three points on a 100-point sale. “This may seem small,” Mutz acknowledged in a press release, “but for someone who has read all seven books, the total impact could lower their estimation of Trump by 18 points out of 100.”

To a lesser extent, Harry Potter readership was also associated with a more positive attitude toward Muslim and gay people, and a more negative one toward questions about the use of torture and killing terrorists.

Mutz believes that the books’ message of tolerance and respect for each others’ differences may play a key role in influencing readers’ political views.

For example, she writes, Harry Potter advocates for oppressed house-elves and opposes the evil Lord Voldemort’s quest for “blood purity” among wizards. Trump, on the other hand, has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, and made comments about minorities, including women, Mexicans, and disabled people.

The protagonists in Rowling’s books are also reluctant to use violence to settle disputes, she writes, while Trump has supported waterboarding and bombing terrorists’ families.

Finally, Mutz writes, “it may simply be too difficult for Harry Potter readers to ignore the similarities between Trump and the power-hungry Voldemort.”

The study will appear in a special election edition of the journal PS: Political Science and Politics. Mutz concludes—with obvious bias of her own—that she’s not sure if Harry Potter can “defeat Donald Trump” in this year’s election, but that her research raises hope that the values the book preaches could prevail.

“If half-bloods, werewolves and others should be treated with respect and fairness as the Potter stories teach,” she writes, “so too should all human beings.”

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

The Weird Way Harry Potter Could Affect Your Political Views

Why Can't I Meditate? 7 Solutions to Common Meditation Blockers

Meditation might be the biggest self-care trend since yoga, and for good reason—it’s been shown to help with everything from easing anxiety to boosting your sex life. Problem is, meditation isn't quite as simple as it seems, and it doesn't come easy for everyone. If you’ve tried (and tried, and tried) meditating to no avail, you’re not alone. Here, Elisha Goldstein, PhD, co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles, solves the most common meditation problems so you can finally find your Zen. 

I can’t clear my mind

Legs crossed, eyes closed, body relaxed—you’re all ready for a meditation session. There’s just one problem: you can’t stop thinking about all those errands on your to-do list, that fight you just had with your sister, or what you’re going to make for dinner. Sound familiar? Try as we might, sometimes it’s downright impossible to totally empty our minds. “It’s easy to get frustrated because we have certain expectations about what meditation is supposed to be like,” says Goldstein. “There’s this misconception that meditation is supposed to be concentration. But it’s not.”

If you’re having trouble staying focused, Goldstein suggests trying mindfulness meditation. With this type of meditation, the goal is not to completely clear your mind of all thoughts; instead, it's to be fully aware of your thoughts and surroundings in the present moment. “If your mind wanders that’s perfectly fine, just realize your mind is going off and be aware of that,” Goldstein says. Most importantly, he points out: “It’s perfectly okay to be imperfect about this practice.”

RELATED: A Meditation to De-Stress

I get restless

Many people feel fidgety when they try to meditate. Just because you struggle to sit still, though, Goldstein says you shouldn't assume meditation is not for you. “The only way we can be more at ease and at peace with our lives is to learn how to deal with that restlessness differently, and to learn how to settle it down,” he says. Test out different types of meditation. Your restlessness may be well suited for a walking meditation, in which you focus on staying mentally present while moving your body.  

It’s physically painful to sit still

When you imagine somebody meditating, you may picture them sitting cross-legged on the floor. That may be the ideal position for some, but ultimately, you just need to get into a comfortable position that allows you to relax and breathe, whether you're sitting on a mediation cushion or a chair, or even lying down, Goldstein says. Take a few deeps breaths, and really try to soften your muscles. The main goal: “Come to a place where you’re settling in and taking the time for you,” Goldstein says. 

I don’t have enough time

Ask yourself: If I’m not going to take care of myself, who will? Just like working out, taking time for this self-care practice can do a world of good for your body. Studies have shown that mediation may sharpen memory, ease chronic pain, reduce depression and anxiety, improve sleep, and more. “It has to do with committing to ourselves,” says Goldstein.

Plus, meditation doesn't need to last for hours and hours. You can start with as little as three minutes a day, says Goldstein, and build up to a longer practice later. Just be sure to make it a non-negotiable part of your day. 

RELATED: 7 Ways to Carve Out Time to Meditate

It makes me fall asleep

So you finally found the time to meditate, and two minutes in you’re out like a light. While falling asleep mid-practice isn’t the goal, it’s also not necessarily a bad thing. “I prescribe meditation to go to bed all the time, it’s a great thing to help turn the volume down on your mind,” says Goldstein. To do this intentionally, lie down on your bed, play a guided meditation, and allow yourself to drift to dreamland. “The goal is of course to be awake,” he says. “But if all you have time for is a meditation as you fall asleep, that’s totally fine.”

If you’re prone to drowsiness, but are determined to stay awake for a full session, Goldstein suggests picking a time of day when you tend to be less tired, or doing a little stretch before you begin your practice. “That helps with energy, and promotes better meditation.”

RELATED: A Sleep Meditation for a Restful Night

I can't stick with it

So you tried to make meditation a priority for a few days, but then totally dropped the habit. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pick the practice back up. “There’s this phrase I really like to use: forgive, investigate, and invite,” Goldstein says. First, forgive yourself for missing a few sessions. Then, Godstein advises, ask yourself what got in your way. Did you forget to plan it into your day? Did something unexpected come up? No matter the reason, Goldstein says it’s simply important to identify the obstacle, and then invite yourself to try again. “If you do that alone—stopping and starting your practice over and over again in your life—you’ll become a master at meditation.

RELATED: Stuck on a Problem? Let Your Mind Wander

I won't be good at it

There’s often an underlying fear of failure at the root of this hesitation, says Goldstein. Question your self-doubt, and work with it instead. “Vulnerability is oftentimes where we learn to trust ourselves," Goldstein says. 

Why Can't I Meditate? 7 Solutions to Common Meditation Blockers

7 Things to Know Before You Donate Blood

The summer’s no vacation for blood banks, and this one has been especially hard: Just after the fourth of July, the American Red Cross issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donations. This time of year, “blood donors are typically out of town and unable to give," explains Justin Kreuter, MD, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center in Rochester, Minnesota; or they may not be eligible to donate after traveling to certain areas outside the United States. “It really hits us in the summer months,” Dr. Kreuter says. Your community needs your help now; here’s what you should know about pitching in.

Eligibility is always changing, and Zika’s a concern this year

The Red Cross maintains an alphabetical list of eligibility criteria for potential donors—from acupuncture (thumbs up) to Zika (thumbs down)—and can give you the latest information on whether or not you’re good to give. There have been no reported cases of Zika transmission via blood transfusion so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but there’s a strong possibility that the virus can be transmitted that way. “What we’re doing now, per the FDA, is deferring [donors who may have been exposed to Zika] for 28 days, which is twice the known period of infectivity,” Dr. Kreuter says. Because Zika can be transmitted by sexual contact (via semen) as well, women with male partners who have visited Zika-affected areas are deferred for three additional months.

RELATED: 4 Unexpected Benefits of Donating Blood

The FDA regulates donor blood just as aggressively as it regulates drugs

“It takes a lot of money to do the infectious-disease testing that we do [on donor blood], and when we create blood products out of the donation, that’s done to the same standards as any drug manufactured in this country. The FDA holds us to those same standards, so it’s a very high level of quality and also resources that are invested,” Dr. Kreuter explains. “These tests and high standards are what’s keeping the blood supply safe, so that if my wife or one of my daughters needs a blood transfusion, I can feel assured that I can just sit at their bedside and hold their hand rather than worry about what that might result [in] for them later down the road.”  

You’ll get a mini-physical before you donate

The flip side of donor blood screening (which ensures that it’s safe for the eventual recipient) is confirming the donor’s health (which ensures that the blood draw won’t have a negative effect on them). “We check blood pressure and pulse, we do a pinprick to check red blood cells to make sure they’re safe—we don’t want to make our donors iron deficient,” Dr. Kreuter says. He makes no specific suggestions about what you eat and drink prior to donation; just be sure you have breakfast and lunch under your belt, and take it easy on caffeine. “We all live on our daily espressos and whatnot, but we see donors who show up and haven’t eaten [meals] and they’ve only been drinking coffee, and they’re quite dehydrated. When you donate you’re losing circulating fluid, so the water that you drink before and after your donation is important.”

RELATED: 15 Signs You May Have an Iron Deficiency

You’ll hardly feel a thing—seriously

The needles used to collect blood are a bit larger than those you’d encounter when, say, receiving a flu shot, but the so-called ‘small pinch’ you feel at insertion is, truly, no big deal. “What we feel [at the start of a blood draw] is just on the surface of our skin. These needles have silicone on them, they’re made to glide and be quite comfortable. After that initial stick, you’re not going to feel anything,” Dr. Kreuter says. If needles give you the shivers, look away for the quarter-second in which yours is placed; then ask a staffer to cover up the insertion site for you. Since the so-called tough part is already over, you can lie back and spend the next eight to 10 minutes zoning out.

It’s okay to have a cookie after you donate

“What’s healthy is to keep a balanced diet as you go forward in the day [after your donation],” Dr. Kreuter says. “We tend to stock our canteen area with things like water and juice and then salty snacks, because salt helps you retain a little more of the [water] volume that you’ve lost through donation. The cookies are there because [they’re] something the donor culture has grown up in—maybe not the healthiest option, but certainly an expectation. Believe it or not, I have meetings about cookies. I’ve seen shirts before that say ‘I donate for the cookies.’” Bottom line: Rewarding yourself with a treat isn’t going to do any harm, provided that you indulge in moderation.

Your blood could save patients who haven’t even entered the world yet

Though many of us are reminded of the importance of blood donation when tragedies hit the news, much of what we give does the quiet work of saving people who’ll never show up on the news. Since the need for blood doesn’t go away, the best way to save lives is to contribute regularly. “At Mayo, about 15% to 20% of our blood is going to trauma patients and being used in our ER; a lot of our blood gets used supporting patients through life-saving cardiac or cancer surgeries. Cancer patients [also need blood]—chemotherapy knocks down their ability to make their own red blood cells and platelets—and folks who have medical conditions like autoimmune diseases also need transfusions.”

Donations flow to delivery rooms, too: “If anemia is significant enough in utero we transfuse during pregnancy and sometimes immediately after delivery,” Dr. Kreuter explains. “A lot of kids need blood in the first couple of minutes of life. Sometimes with newborn babies an emergency platelet transfusion in the first few moments of life is absolutely necessary; in their situation the newborn brain is so delicate and fragile that having these platelets immediately available is the name of the game in order to prevent bleeding into their brains, which results in long-term disabilities.”

Note that platelets have a shelf life of just five days, while whole blood can be stored for up to six weeks. The immediate need for platelet—and platelet donors—is constant.

RELATED: 6 Iron-Rich Food Combos—No Meat Required

Donating your voice is vital, too

Those "Be nice to me, I gave blood today!" stickers aren’t merely a cute (and justified) humblebrag: They’re also a benevolent form of peer pressure, not unlike the "I voted" stickers we earn and wear on election days. “Hearing about blood donation from a friend or colleague is very motivating in getting [potential first-timers] to think about taking that next step,” Dr. Kreuter says. “Our donor population [in Rochester] has an older average age, and we’re trying to reach out to the younger generation to start having the same blood donation habits.”

Think about it this way: Taking your kids to see you strengthen your community’s heartbeat at a blood center is just as important as bringing them with you to the voting booth. Donate visibly, donate vocally, and donate as often as you can.

7 Things to Know Before You Donate Blood

In a Scientific First, Blind Mice Regain Eyesight

Once the optic nerve that’s responsible for sight is damaged, it’s impossible to see again. At least that’s been the dogma. But a group of U.S. scientists has upended that thinking and helped mice with destroyed optic nerves to see again. It does not have immediate implications for humans yet, but it points researchers in promising new directions.

Andrew Huberman, an associate professor of neurobiology at Stanford University, and his team describe their advance in a study published in Nature Neuroscience. To learn about the way vision nerves grow, they crushed the optic nerve in one eye of mice. Once destroyed, the long finger-like extensions sent out by nerve cells from the eye to the brain start to shrivel, eventually severing any connection to the brain and resulting in blindness. Huberman and his colleagues, however, found that a combination of visual stimulation of the nerve, along with nerve-growing chemicals, can rescue these extensions, called axons, and coax them to stretch out again. Not only that, but the axons are able to find their appropriate connections to the correct sight-dedicated parts of the brain to restore vision. Mice with similar damage to the nerve that didn’t receive the treatment did not show much regrowth of the axons.

About three weeks after the optic nerves in the mice were damaged, the researchers saw evidence of axons extending back into the brain from the eye, something that previous efforts to regenerate eye nerves haven’t done with much reliability. The combination of keeping the damaged but remaining axons stimulated, by exposing the mice to bars on a screen that are moving in different directions, and the nerve growth factors lead to a 500-fold increase in axon regrowth. Granted, not all of the axons managed to sprout again, but those that did were able to do so with impressive speed and distance to reach the brain.

When the researchers conducted four different tests to verify how much of the regrowth contributed to actual restoration of vision in the animals, the animals passed two of the tests that detected large objects and movement.

“For the longest time people in the field wondered if neurons could regenerate and form the correct patterns to connect to the brain, and we found that they did,” says Huberman.

The most compelling finding is that the study suggest that once nerves are coaxed to grow again, they retain the instructions to find their proper connections in the brain’s visual center. If nerves growing toward the brain are like visitors to New York’s Grand Central Station, these nerves are like well-equipped travelers with maps and specific instructions for finding their destination. “It means that neurons remember the way home; they never forget,” says Huberman.

That’s encouraging him and his team to start considering how to translate the results to treat blindness in people. Keeping the axons stimulated by exposing them to stimuli is an easy first step; if these axons are kept alive, then they have a chance of regrowing again, as the mouse study showed. And now that it’s possible to push those axons to grow long enough to reach the brain, there is hope that some people with diseases like glaucoma, for example, might be able to retain their vision if they keep their compromised axons stimulated enough, and then eventually treat them with nerve growth factors.

That may be a few years away yet for people, but, Huberman is hopeful. “I want to see something positive in humans within five years,” he says.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

In a Scientific First, Blind Mice Regain Eyesight

5 Ways to Make Yourself a Morning Person

Do you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? While it might be tough to leave the comforts of sleep, you're not alone—60% of Americans say that they wake up feeling groggy at least a few times per week, according to a Sleep in America poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. If you're one of those people, watch this video for some ways that you can trick yourself into being a morning person, so you'll wake up with more energy every day. 5 Ways to Make Yourself a Morning Person

3 Simple Steps to Mindful Eating (And Why You Should Try It)

Mindfulness is a major buzzword right now—and rightly so. In my experience, becoming more mindful is life-changing. It can help you react more calmly and thoughtfully in any situation, whether you’re stuck in traffic, dealing with a difficult boss, or making food choices. And mindfulness isn’t just a new age theory; its benefits are backed by plenty of research. Studies have found it may help reduce inflammation (a known trigger of premature aging and disease), lower stress hormone levels, boost happiness, shrink belly fat, improve sleep, and curb appetite.

Mindfulness can also be pretty powerful when it comes to your eating habits. With my clients, I've observed how mindful eating can totally transform a person's relationship to food. (That's why I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book Slim Down Now.) Mindfulness can help you eat less and enjoy your food more. Plus, feeling relaxed while you nosh helps improve digestion and reduce bloating. And while becoming mindful doesn't happen overnight, the process is actually pretty simple. Here are three steps you can take today.

RELATED: Do These 5 Things Every Day to Live Longer

Practice slowing down

If you find yourself eating too fast, or making spontaneous food decisions often (like grabbing a handful of M&Ms from the office candy jar), start by slowing the pace of your day. One way to do so: Pop in your earbuds and listen to a five-minute guided mindfulness meditation. You’ll find many options on YouTube, and through apps like Headspace, Meditation Studio, and Calm.

At meal times, try putting your fork down in between bites. You can also try an app like Eat Slower which allows you to set an interval (anywhere between 20 seconds and 3 minutes) between bites; a bell lets you know when it's time to lift your fork again. Even if you don’t do this at every meal, regularly practicing slow eating will help you become accustomed to unhurried noshing.

RELATED: 49 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Feeling Full

Take smaller bites and sips

When clients really struggle to quit a speed eating habit,  I often recommend that they cut their food into smaller pieces. I also advise choosing  “loose” foods. For example, it's helpful to eat popped popcorn kernels or nuts one at a time, and chew each well before grabbing another. Grapes, berries, and grape tomatoes can also work well for slowing the pace.

RELATED: 5 Superfood Snack Recipes You Can Make at Home

Eat without distractions

As efficient as multitasking may be, it’s not a great idea for meal or snack time, since it’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to really pay attention to more than one thing at a time. So step away from your computer, TV, phone, and even books during meal time. By removing distractions, you can really pay attention to the flavors, textures, and aromas of your food, and better tune into your hunger and fullness levels. You’ll also be more mindful of how quickly you’re eating, and likely realize that gobbling down food at lightening speed doesn’t actually feel good. If you can’t do this at every meal, commit to undistracted eating at least once a day.

RELATED: 8 Sneaky Reasons You're Always Hungry

Ready to give it a go? In my experience, this trio of steps can lay the foundation for balance, and help remedy chaotic or erratic eating. So rather than thinking about calories or carbs, shift your focus inward, take a deep breath, and start to adopt a new type of healthy eating pattern.

Do you have a question about nutrition? Chat with us on Twitter by mentioning @goodhealth and @CynthiaSass. 

Cynthia Sass is a nutritionist and registered dietitian with master’s degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on national TV, she’s Health’s contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Yankees, previously consulted for three other professional sports teams, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics. Sass is a three-time New York Times best-selling author, and her newest book is Slim Down Now: Shed Pounds and Inches with Real Food, Real Fast. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

3 Simple Steps to Mindful Eating (And Why You Should Try It)

How This Grown-Up Coloring Book Can Help You Heal From Grief

Grown-up coloring books are all the rage right now—an estimated 12 million books were sold in 2015, according to Nielsen Bookscan, up from 1 million the previous year. Most books feature swirling mandalas, intricate floral patterns, or scenic cityscapes, and help colorers soothe everyday stress and explore their artistic side.

One new adult coloring book, however, was designed specifically for people who've experienced significant loss or challenges in their lives. Colors of Loss and Healing: An Adult Coloring Book for Getting Through Tough Times ($11; amazon.com) serves as both an art project and a guide for coping with grief. 

Deborah Derman, PhD, a Dresher, Penn.-based grief and bereavement counselor, was inspired to write the book after receiving a coloring book for her birthday last year. “I looked at the book and all the little lines and thought, ‘oh my gosh I’m never going to finish this!’" she says. "But I picked up a pencil and I started to color, one little space, and another little space. I was so relaxed, it was like a meditation almost. I realized this is exactly how I got through all of these losses—one small, little space at a time."

Derman knows from experience what it takes to heal after a personal tragedy. At age 27, an ex-boyfriend died by suicide, sending Derman into a spiral of grief and self-blame. Ten years later, she was waiting for her parents at an airport when she watched their small private plane crash from the sky, killing everyone aboard. A few years later, her husband died suddenly from a heart attack, leaving her a single mom. And shortly after his death, Derman was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. Rather than allowing grief to take over her life, Derman picked up the pieces, channeled her sadness into researching loss and methods of healing, and eventually earned her doctorate in psychoeducational processes. 

For her book, Derman drew on her own losses, as well as experiences of her patients. She distilled those elements and feelings into 35 words and phrases, such as "one day at a time," "resilience," and "bitter and sweet." She then took those words to Lisa Powell Braun, an illustrator, and together they created illustrations for each word and phrase. 

“When someone is grieving or having a difficult time with loss, one of the hardest things to do is concentrate," Derman says. "Your whole world is focused on what hurts and what’s lost, and everything seems so overwhelming. I want people to be able to take this book out in a nice space with pencils and have a few quiet moments a day, putting aside their concerns and just being in a quiet, contemplative state.”

How This Grown-Up Coloring Book Can Help You Heal From Grief

How to Train Yourself to Complain Less in 3 Weeks

Sure, everyone needs to vent once in a while. But being a compulsive kvetcher can hurt your mood and send people running. On the flip side, “complaining strategically, and in moderation, can actually be effective in bringing about desired outcomes,” says Robin Kowalski, PhD, professor of psychology at Clemson University in South Carolina. This plan will help you learn which woes matter and which don’t—and how to speak up to achieve results.

Week 1

Monitor yourself. Start by figuring out how much you complain, as well as what tends to set you off.

Stay aware. Keep a hair tie on your wrist and switch it to the opposite arm every time you grouse.

Mind your mood. Write down each complaint, the person you expressed it to, and your mood before and after.

Read the patterns. When the week ends, scroll through your list. Did you curse every time your neighbor mowed the lawn at 6 a.m.? Was your work BFF your go-to listener when you lamented about your boss? Spot common themes so you can tackle the underlying problems.

RELATED: What to Say to That One Friend Who's Always Criticizing Her Body

Week 2

Pick your battles. There are two basic types of complaints, says Kowalski—expressive, which are cathartic and let you get something off your chest, and instrumental, which help you find a resolution. The goal is to make fewer of the former.

Sort it out. Separate your gripes from week one into “expressive” and “instrumental” piles. Then rank the complaints in each pile in order of importance to gain a better idea of which comments seem trivial to you now.

Keep count. Tally your groans daily and aim to slash the number by a third each day. (That means biting your tongue when you reach the limit, so choose wisely!)

Go cold turkey. At week’s end, try to make it a full 24 hours without grouching. Need to vent? Do so in a journal. (Tip: Tell pals to cut you off if you start in.)

RELATED: Sit Less Every Day: Take Our 3-Week Challenge

Week 3 

Get your way more. Now ensure the times you do need to complain are as productive as possible. “When you can complain effectively and get a result, even if it’s just lowering a late charge, there’s something very empowering about it,” says Guy Winch, PhD, author of The Squeaky Wheel.

Have an end goal. Think of your ideal solution to the problem. If you can’t come up with one, move on or journal.

Choose your audience. Speak with the person who’s most likely to help you fix the issue; e.g., if you’re unhappy with a product, call customer service instead of your spouse.

Practice the dialogue. First validate what the other person may be feeling, then politely explain your problem. If you’re frustrated that your husband never gets up with the dog, tell him, “I know it’s tiring, but it would make my days easier if you shared this chore with me.”

How to Train Yourself to Complain Less in 3 Weeks

Study finds preoperative falls common among adults of all age groups

In a large study of 15,000 adults undergoing elective surgery, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that falling up to six months before an operation is common and often causes serious injuries — not only in elderly patients but across all age groups. Surprisingly, the frequency of falls among middle-aged patients was slightly higher than those who were age 65 or older. Study finds preoperative falls common among adults of all age groups

8 Ways to Actually Unplug on Vacation

After months of lamenting to your friends, coworkers and cats that, “Ugh, I need a vacation”—but refusing to take one—you’ve finally given in and put in for a few much-needed PTO days. Hooray!

But if your first question is “Can I get WiFi?” you’re not alone. In a culture where we earn our vacation days yet don’t always take them, it can be difficult to let go, unplug and relax once we’re physically out of the office. But it’s so important.

“Taking time off allows us to physically, mentally and emotionally recharge, and allows us to gain perspective, which boosts our creativity when we return,” says Brandon Smith, also known as “The Workplace Therapist” and faculty member at Emory University’s Goizeuta Business School.

Here’s how to snap into vacation mode ASAP so you don’t waste half your trip trying to chill.

RELATED: How to Get the Most Out of Your PTO

8 Ways to Make Your Vacation Time Totally Worth It

1. Stay within your budget. If a two-week European luxe vacation is out of the question, consider a long weekend or opt for a resort within driving distance. “Taking shorter breaks more frequently can be more beneficial than just taking one long break once every year or two,” says Melanie Greenberg, PhD, a clinical psychologist in California and author of the upcoming book The Stress-Proof Brain. You don’t want to return from your trip to a negative bank account balance, which will no doubt cause even more stress than what you had before you left.

2. Get yourself in order before you go. You’re not going to be able to chill and eat cake by the ocean if you’re thinking about that deadline you missed or the email you were supposed to send. “Try to work extra hard before you leave, and let people know you’ll be gone,” says Greenberg. Smith adds, “In addition to setting your out-of-office notifications, provide a person that can be reached in your absence.” (Just be sure to give that person a heads up.)

RELATED: 7 Fitness Retreats You Can Actually Afford

3. Remind yourself that, yes, you deserve a vacation. People tend to feel guilty for taking time away for themselves. But don’t! “Relaxation is something we often view as only appropriate for the weekends or vacation time,” says Lodro Rinzler, chief spiritual officer and co-founder of MNDFL in New York City. Rinzler reminds us that we need to take breaks during the week, too, and enjoy the things that make us feel relaxed and happy.

“For many of us, the fact that we’re physically and emotionally unable to relax during the week takes a toll on our bodies. We need to walk away from our work life for a bit in order to recharge and come back to full health.”

RELATED: 17 Positive Affirmations That'll Change the Way You Think

4. Don’t worry about what you should be doing. In an Instagram and Snapchat-driven world, there’s this idea that you should either be super active, totally lazy or whatever other idea you have in your head about what a vacation should be. However you choose to spend your time off, make sure that it serves your interests.

“For some people, that’s being next to a pool. For others, it’s climbing a mountain,” Greenberg says. “Use your vacation to build healthy habits and spend time with people you love. Don’t use your time visiting relatives who stress you out or trying to run around catching up on household errands. Just focus on recovering from your everyday stress.”

RELATED: 5 Easy Tips for Healthy Travel

5. If a problem pops up while you’re away, redirect it. To put it lightly, stuff happens. “If you discover a burning fire during your vacation, don’t tackle it yourself,” says Smith. “Pass it on to others, and remind yourself that you’re on vacation.” Repeat after us: Vacation is not a dirty word!

6. Try meditating. Need help unplugging while on vacation? Do a quick 10-minute meditation to start your day. You can’t meditate while Snapchatting. “Meditation can help you work with whatever stressful situations come up in life,” says Rinzler. “It’s been scientifically proven to reduce stress, relax the body, normalize sleep, and boost the immune system.”

RELATED: Can the Right Mattress Change Your Life?

7. Set some connectivity ground rules—and abide by them! Whether you need to check on the kids or get back to a few clients, we can’t always escape the real world entirely. “Some of us have no choice but to monitor what’s happening at work or back home,” says Greenberg. “Try to keep this to a minimum and check email only once or twice a day.”

Other guidelines you can set for yourself: checking and answering email for only 30 minutes a day before logging off. Or, limiting Instagram scrolling to five minutes each day but maybe avoiding other apps. “If you want to post a photo of your perfect vacay, fine, but post it and walk away,” Rinzler says. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of going through every friend’s account.

RELATED: 7 Tips to Actually Succeed at Your Digital Detox

8. Ease back into reality. Try to schedule your flight back home on a Friday or Saturday, so you have time to readjust to real life. “Plan a re-entry day that serves as a buffer between your vacation and your first day back to work,” says Smith. “This day should be used to catch up on email and prepare for going back to work. This will relieve pressure to check your email while you’re gone.”

Ultimately, says Greenberg, “Some stress when coming back to work is unavoidable. Integrate healthy and pleasurable activities into your everyday life after vacation—and every day, ideally—so you’re not always reliant on vacation to de-stress.”

This article originally appeared on DailyBurn.com.

8 Ways to Actually Unplug on Vacation