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Category: Community Interests

This Category Is For Local Communities, Statewide, Nationwide, International And Online Community For Those Who Like To Feel Part Of A Community And To Encourage All Of Us To Think Outside The Square Where We Reside Personally And Expand Our Vision.

Published on Leave a comment on Something We Can Do For A Healthy Gut And Overall Health – Guess What It Is?

I'VE PLACED AN ARTICLE IN MY BLOG ABOUT THE MICROBIOME WE HAVE IN OUR BODY THAT RELATES VERY CLOSELY TO GUT HEALTH RECENTLY, AND THIS IS SOMETHING ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS. DID YOU KNOW THAT HAVING A HEALTHY GUT HELPS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND OVERALL HEALTH? YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE A MISSING PART TO THE HEALTH PUZZLE FOR MANY - EVEN SOME PEOPLE WHO GO TO GYMS AND TAKE SUPPLEMENTS - SOMETHING THAT IS VERY UNDERATED BY MOST PEOPLE AND EASILY MISSED. IT STRENGTHENS YOUR GUT AND IT'S GREAT FOR YOUR HEALTH...... IT'S ALSO FREE...... CAN YOU GUESS NOW?

The One Thing You Should Do For A Healthier Gut

By Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum – CleanPlates.Com

Stopping to admire a bed of flowers, strolling alongside a river, or sitting on a park bench — chances are, at least one of those scenarios, if not all of them, sounds peaceful and uplifting to you. But time spent in nature benefits more than just your spirits: It can lower stress levels, boost your immune system, improve your heart health, alleviate depression and anxiety, and lead to a healthier gut.…

Published on Leave a comment on Anxious, Depressed, Distracted — What If The Cure Is Just Outside?

Author Florence Williams talks trees, cities, and creativity in her new book "The Nature Fix."

You Spend 5 Percent Of Your Day Outside. Try Making It More. At a time when more than half of all people live in cities, the influence of the natural world is at a low ebb, while our understanding of it keeps growing.

Try Spending Some Time Outdoors - It Lifts Your Mood Level

For two decades, Florence Williams could sit on her porch at night and watch the alpenglow on the Rocky Mountains. Then she moved from remote Colorado to Washington, DC, and started noticing the changes.

“I felt disoriented, overwhelmed, depressed,” she writes in her recent book, The Nature Fix. “My mind had trouble focusing. I couldn’t finish thoughts … and I wasn’t keen to get out of bed.”

Williams was suffering, she says, from nature withdrawal. She spent the next three years digging into the science of how nature works on our brain. In short, it makes us more relaxed, more creative, and more socially connected. She traveled to Japan and Finland, the deserts of Utah and the urban forests of Singapore, to study just how much we stand to gain by bring nature back into our lives.…

Published on Leave a comment on Positive Psychology: Ways We Can Help Ourselves And Others

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY WAS INTRODUCED EARLY THIS CENTUARY (2000 and 2005) AND SOME OF IT'S PRINCIPLES CAN BE PRACTICED PERSONALLY - YOU WOULD NOT NEED A PSYCHOLOGIST. IN SOME RESPECTS, THIS KIND OF PRACTICE IS HEALTHIER THAN OTHERS, IF YOU DON'T OVER-DO IT (like most things). IT CERTAINLY HAS IT'S MERITS, YOU WILL SEE IN THIS POST. THESE DAYS, YOU CAN EVEN PRACTICE SOME BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A THERAPIST. SOME PSYCHOLOGISTS WRITE BOOKS AND VIDEOS SHOWING YOU HOW TO APPLY THE TECHNIQUES FOR YOURSELVES. THEY'RE GOOD FOR MAKING AND BREAKING HABITS. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IS INTERESTING TOO. FOR NOW, LET'S SEE WHAT POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY HAS TO OFFER, HEY?

WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Traditionally in psychology, the focus has been on identifying and treating mental health problems such as depression. This is critically important for those facing mental illness however, it provides an incomplete picture of mental health. Positive psychology is a relatively new branch of psychology that shifts the focus from what is clinically wrong, to the promotion of wellbeing and the creation of a satisfying life filled with meaning, pleasure, engagement, positive relationships and accomplishment.

Positive psychology is not about putting on a happy face all the time.…

Published on Leave a comment on Oh The Joy: USA Farmer Grows 2 Million Sunflowers To Make People Happy!

THEY SAY AMERICANS LIKE TO DO THINGS IN A BIG WAY, AYE? WELL YOU MUST READ ABOUT WHAT THIS STRAWBERRY FARMER IN WISCONSIN DID LAST YEAR WHEN PEOPLE COULDN'T GO OUT MUCH DURING THE PANDEMIC. IT BROUGHT SMILES TO EVERYONE'S FACES - EVEN THOSE WHO WERE TOO FAR TO COME. I'VE OFTEN SAID PLACES ARE FROM A TO B IN ADELAIDE, A TO G IN OTHER STATES, AND A TO Z IN AMERICA. THIS DID NOT STOP PEOPLE TRAVELLING FROM MANY CITIES NEAR AND FAR. SOME FOLK HAVE A WAY OF "CHEERING PEOPLE UP" AND THIS STRAWBERRY FARMER IS ONE OF THEM - WHAT A NICE THING TO DO, SUCH A KIND GESTURE!

'Everyone Is So Happy'

Scott Thompson wakes up each day to a field decorated with more than two million blooming sunflowers.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a dark cloud looming over the world, the Wisconsin farmer decided it was time to breathe joy into 2020.

So, he planted millions of the vibrant yellow flowers on his strawberry fields.

"As the season went on, the pandemic never went anywhere ... and we thought people might be looking for something to do, and what a great way to social distance and ...…

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Published on 2 Comments on The Importance Of Green Spaces And Their Practical Applications – Researched

GREEN SPACE IS A TERM USED FOR GARDENS, PARKS AND NATURE SETTINGS THAT ARE PLANNED OR INTRODUCED IN CITY AND SUBURBAN AREAS FOR THE BENEFIT OF RESIDENTS, WORKERS AND VISITORS AND ENHANCING DEVELOPMENTS. THEY PROVE TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEALTH, MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. THE THERAPUETIC BENEFITS CAN EVEN BE EXPERIENCED PHYSICALLY AS WELL. EVEN THE YOUTH BENEFIT BEHAVORALLY WHEN THERE IS GREEN SPACE IN THEIR AREA. LAND DEVELOPERS ARE NOW CONSIDERING MORE GREEN SPACE IN NEW DEVELOPMENT AREAS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED YEARS AGO AND IS NOW BEING CORRECTED. GARDENS AND NATURE IS SOMETHING THAT IS NECESSARY IN OUR LIVES AND WE CAN ALL BENEFIT BY SPENDING SOME TIME OUTDOORS.

Gardening For Health: A Regular Dose Of Gardening

By Richard Thompson – Royal College Of Physicians UK

There is anxiety that the NHS cannot cope now and in the future with the health needs of an increasing and ageing population. It is also realised that pharmaceutical drugs are increasingly expensive and are not always as effective as they appear in the results of early, enthusiastically reported, clinical trials. Drugs are also prescribed at the cost of side effects, which are a leading cause of admissions to hospitals, particularly for the elderly, who are poorly represented in trials.…

Published on Leave a comment on We Are Custodians Of The Earth – Lets Take Care Of Nature And She Will Take Care Of Us

By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website

Each Country, Each Person. With All Of Us Playing Our Part, There Is Still HOPE. Our Creator Knows Best And We Have Separated Ourselves From NATURE. Sadly But True. In PART, Many Are Waking Up To This, Governments, Countries And Individuals. We Have Made Advances In Clothing And Textiles, Technology And Manufacture Of Many Goods - We Have Much Knowledge In Recent Decades, Yet For The Most Part, We Remain Ignorant About NATURE And NATURE'S ROLE In Our Lives. This Post Is About How Each Of Us Can Make Meaningful Changes As Individuals And Families, Awareness Groups And A Nation, Here In Australia. If You Are Visiting This Website From A Different Country, Welcome, I Encourage You To Practice And Spread Principles You Will See In This Article.

On This Earth, In This 'Civilised' Generation, Indeed We Have Separated Ourselves And Our Children From The Benefits And Privileges Nature Has To Truly Endow Us With. It Goes Without Saying, How We Have Treated This Earth And Sea Very Poorly And Are Reaping Climate Changes Etc As A Result By Disturbing The Elements. We Have Tried To 'Better' Nature (In Her Wisdom) By Turning To Man-Made Medical Drugs And Chemical Agriculture.......In…

Published on Leave a comment on Garden Areas Improves The Health Of Children In Daycare Centres And Hospitals

I FOUND THESE ARTICLES RECENTLY CONCERNING THESE NATURE ELEMENTS THAT ARE MISSING IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY WELL CHILDREN AND ESPECIALLY IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE LONG STAYS IN HOSPITALS OR MAYBE EVEN LIVE IN. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE INTRIGUE AND PEACE AND BEAUTY OF PLANTS TO CHILDREN. THEY'RE COMFORTING AND ENJOYABLE. THEY HELP TO OFFSET SOME OF THE MODERN DAY TECH AND EQUIPMENT CHILDREN GET ACCUSTOMED TO IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN THIS MODERN ERA. MAYBE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GARDEN AT HOME, YOU WILL CONSIDER GROWING SOME PLANTS IN SOME WAY, SO YOU CAN ENJOY MORE TIME OUTDOORS IN THE FRESH AIR AND SUNSHINE.

New Study Shows Garden Areas Improved The Immune Systems of Daycare Children In Only A Month

A study in Finland showed, for the first time, that the immune system of children ages 3-5 improved when lawns, and planter boxes were added outside daycare centers.

Dozens of comparative studies have previously found that children who live in rural areas and are in contact with nature have a lower probability of catching an illness resulting from disorders in the immune system—and a lower risk of developing coeliac disease, allergies, atopy, and even diabetes.…

Published on Leave a comment on $6.5m Government Grant Funds A 100-Acre Therapeutic Farm For Autistic Children

Just found this article on the ABC website. A wonderful residential program which needed some expansion to shorten an ongoing waiting list for children to attend which benefits parents and children alike. Pleasing reports come in, describing the difference this wonderful place has made for families. It is good to live in a Caring Country here in Australia where most people find help in some way. I find this project very commendable. The Mansfield Autism Statewide Service (MASS) has received $6.5 million from the Victorian government.  Read on.

Children with autism and their families to benefit from $6.5m Victorian government funding boost

ABC Goulburn Murray / By Courtney Howe

The Mansfield Autism Statewide Service (MASS) will be able to help more children with autism and their families after receiving $6.5 million from the Victorian government to build more accommodation on its 100-acre therapeutic farm.

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes and Director of MASS Simone Reeves at the Farm

Director of MASS Simone Reeves said the funding would help bring their dream to life.

"To have the funding for the houses so children don't need to remain on our wait list any longer, and that we can service them in that early intervention stage, is vitally important."…

Published on Leave a comment on What’s This About Dopamine And Tech? Some Things Will Surprise You!

By Simon Parkin – The Observer Technology

The Capacity For ‘Persuasive Technology’ To Influence Behaviour Is Only Just Becoming Understood. 

Silicon Valley is keen to exploit the brain chemical credited with keeping us tapping on apps and social media.

In an unprecedented attack of candour, Sean Parker, the 38-year-old founding president of Facebook, recently admitted that the social network was founded not to unite us, but to distract us. “The thought process was: ‘How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?’” he said at an event in Philadelphia in November. To achieve this goal, Facebook’s architects exploited a “vulnerability in human psychology”, explained Parker, who resigned from the company in 2005. Whenever someone likes or comments on a post or photograph, he said, “we… give you a little dopamine hit”. Facebook is an empire of empires, then, built upon a molecule.

Dopamine, discovered in 1957, is one of 20 or so major neurotransmitters, a fleet of chemicals that, like bicycle couriers weaving through traffic, carry urgent messages between neurons, nerves and other cells in the body. These neurotransmitters ensure our hearts keep beating, our lungs keep breathing and, in dopamine’s case, that we know to get a glass of water when we feel thirsty, or attempt to procreate so that our genes may survive our death.…

Published on Leave a comment on Go With Nature Instead Of Pesticides – Beneficial Plants/Insects Will Help Your Gardening Efforts

CHEMICALS ARE BAD NEWS, NATURE IS GOOD - IT WILL HELP YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR GARDEN IF YOU WORK WITH IT'S PRINCIPLES, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE LAWS OF NATURE. JOIN THE MANY FOLK WHO ARE GOING CHEMICAL FREE. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE USE OF NASTY CHEMICALS, MEDICAL WAITING ROOMS WOULD BE HALF EMPTY. YES THAT'S TRUE, SO LETS LOOK AFTER OUR FAMILIES, HEY? AND SPREAD THE NEWS FROM THIS POST TO NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS, SO THEY CAN BENEFIT TOO. MANY ARE TURNING TO THE DIGGERS CLUB OR YOUTUBE AND VARIOUS WEBSITES FOR BETTER SOLUTIONS, SO HERE'S SOME OF MY EFFORTS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR SEARCH, INCLUDING 2 SAFE ORGANIC SPRAYS.

You Will See 5 Beneficial Insects To Encourage.

EXCERPTS FROM DIFFERENT WEBSITES

To Help Insects, Make Them Welcome In Your Garden – Here’s How

By Brian Lovett - Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University

Lawns Are Insect Food Deserts

Some gardeners choose native plants to attract and support helpful insects. Often, however, those native plants are surrounded by vast expanses of lawn. If you’re a gardener looking for a new challenge this year, consider revamping all or part of your yard to support beneficial insects.…