August 1, 2018 in Blog by Dee

Keep Your Brain Young with Music

By: John Hopkins Medicine

Music can be medicine for your mind, with benefits from memory improvement to stress relief. Learn what Johns Hopkins experts are discovering—and how you can put it to use.

If you want to firm up your body, head to the gym. If you want to exercise your brain, listen to music.

“There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,” says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.”

Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.

The Brain-Music Connection
Experts are trying to understand how our brains can hear and play music. A stereo system puts out vibrations that travel through the air and somehow get inside the ear canal. These vibrations tickle the eardrum and are transmitted into an electrical signal that travels through the auditory nerve to the brain stem, where it is reassembled into something we perceive as music.

Johns Hopkins researchers have had dozens of jazz performers and rappers improvise music while lying down inside an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) machine to watch and see which areas of their brains light up.

“Music is structural, mathematical and architectural. It’s based on relationships between one note and the next. You may not be aware of it, but your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of it,” notes one otolaryngologist.

Everyday Brain Boosts from Music
The power of music isn’t limited to interesting research. Try these methods of bringing more music—and brain benefits—into your life.

Jump-start your creativity.
Listen to what your kids or grandkids listen to, experts suggest. Often we continue to listen to the same songs and genre of music that we did during our teens and 20s, and we generally avoid hearing anything that’s not from that era.

New music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. It might not feel pleasurable at first, but that unfamiliarity forces the brain to struggle to understand the new sound.

Recall a memory from long ago.
Reach for familiar music, especially if it stems from the same time period that you are trying to recall. Listening to the Beatles might bring you back to the first moment you laid eyes on your spouse, for instance.

Listen to your body.
Pay attention to how you react to different forms of music, and pick the kind that works for you. What helps one person concentrate might be distracting to someone else, and what helps one person unwind might make another person jumpy.

August 1, 2018 in Blog by Dee

7 Ways Self-Reflection And Introspection Will Give You A Happier Life

By: Sara Uzer

Throughout our daily lives, we are constantly observing and analyzing.

Whether it’s an important document for work or a confusing text from the opposite sex, we have successfully trained our brains to obtain data and examine it for deeper meaning or explanation.

While it has become second nature to think critically, the ironic part is we often forget to apply this concept to ourselves.

Introspection involves examining one’s own thoughts, feelings and sensations in order to gain insight.

Being introspective is often a rare quality in young adults, and with good reason: Slowing down and taking a breather from our crazy lives isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

In a society fixated on fast-paced environments and a “go, go, go” mentality, it’s difficult to find the time to sit down and reflect. However, setting aside a small portion of your day for self examination can be a lot more helpful than you might expect.

Here are seven ways introspection can be a positive tool in your daily life:

1. It allows you to notice negative patterns in our life.

Maybe you keep crawling back to that toxic relationship, convincing yourself that through all of the frustration and inconsistency, the person will eventually change.

Maybe you’re continuously picking up a coworker’s slack, delaying your own tasks and hurting your progress in the long run.

Whatever the case may be, introspection allows you to recognize these patterns, and how and why they have a detrimental effect on your emotions and outlook.

From there, you can consider alternate approaches to these situations and eventually, migrate away from the stressors altogether.

2. It keeps you focused on the bigger picture.

So, your unpaid internship is starting to slowly but surely feel like slave labor, and by the time five o’clock rolls around, all you can think about is drowning yourself in wine. Of course, without any experience, you can’t get your dream job – plain and simple.

When we don’t have an overall goal in mind, our daily tasks become meaningless and increasingly frustrating. Therefore, it’s important to have a clear vision of where you want to see yourself in the future.

Write it down if you have to, and don’t forget to continuously remind yourself of what you hope to ultimately accomplish. As a result, you will have a more positive attitude toward your current obligations.

3. It prevents you from worrying about things out of your control.

An infuriating traffic jam, a boss who never considers your opinions, a torrential downpour when you planned a weekend at the beach — you get the idea. No matter how many times we’ve been told not to stress about what we can’t change, we do it anyway. It’s difficult to realize we don’t always have total control of the outcome, and sometimes, we have no choice but to adapt to unfavorable conditions.

Introspection allows us to eventually detach from these aspects over which we have no influence, and instead, direct our energy toward things we can absolutely improve on ourselves.

4. It helps you face your fears.

We all want to be that person who can dive into any challenge headfirst and come out successful. But, let’s face it: We’re all afraid of something.

Whether it’s rejection, failure or something else entirely, introspection allows you to admit your fears to yourself and eventually learn the best way to handle them.

This can be a trial-and-error process, but simply recognizing what scares you is a great starting point.

5. It allows you to clearly define happiness on your own terms.

When are you most happy? Who do you most enjoy spending time with? What accomplishments are you most proud of and why?

These questions may seem cliché (and sound strangely like your college admission prompts), but they hold a lot of value. By recognizing the positive events in your life, you can apply your knowledge to future goals and endeavors.

For instance, if a quick phone chat with your best friend always lifts your spirits, take the time to do so every day.

Or, if you feel most accomplished after independently completing a project, start to take more initiative and exert that same self-starter attitude in your workplace.

6. It allows you to make decisions based on your conscience.

When it comes to making significant life decisions, the important people in your life will naturally have opinions. However, introspection helps you make decisions based on fully understanding what is right or wrong for you.

Make choices based on what you truly believe, without letting other people’s input sway you. While it’s okay to ask for others’ advice and feedback, ultimately, trust your gut — it won’t fail you.

Plus, by following your conscience, you’ll, in turn, feel better about the path you chose.

7. You will finally get different results.

When we continuously go through our lives the same way, we inevitably block the chance of changing things for the better.

By becoming more self-aware, we are able to have a better understanding of what we truly want in life. Naturally, this involves making changes, whether they’re significant or menial.

Of course, nobody likes change. It’s uncomfortable and scary, and we seek comfort in what we know.

However, this is why it is critical to ask ourselves, is it worth it to take as little as five minutes out of our day for introspection in exchange for an increased chance of happiness? Most of the time, it’s safe to say you already know the answer.

August 1, 2018 in Blog by Dee

10 Highly Effective Study Habits

By: John M. Grohol

Students grapple with many issues in their lives, and because of all of the competing things for your attention, it’s hard to concentrate on studying. And yet if you’re in school, you have to do at least a little studying in order to progress from year to year. The key to effective studying isn’t cramming or studying longer, but studying smarter. You can begin studying smarter with these ten proven and effective study habits.

1. How you approach studying matters
Too many people look at studying as a necessary task, not an enjoyment or opportunity to learn. That’s fine, but researchers have found that how you approach something matters almost as much as what you do. Being in the right mindset is important in order to study smarter.

Sometimes you can’t “force” yourself to be in the right mindset, and it is during such times you should simply avoid studying. If you’re distracted by a relationship issue, an upcoming game, or finishing an important project, then studying is just going to be an exercise in frustration. Come back to it when you’re not focused (or obsessed!) by something else going on in your life.

Ways to help improve your study mindset:
•Aim to think positively when you study, and remind yourself of your skills and abilities.
•Avoid catastrophic thinking. Instead of thinking, “I’m a mess, I’ll never have enough time to study for this exam,” look at it like, “I may be a little late to study as much as I’d like, but since I’m doing it now, I’ll get most of it done.”
•Avoid absolute thinking. Instead of thinking “I always mess things up,” the more objective view is, “I didn’t do so well that time, what can I do to improve?”
•Avoid comparing yourself with others, because you usually just end up feeling bad about yourself.

2. Where you study is important
A lot of people make the mistake of studying in a place that really isn’t conducive to concentrating. A place with a lot of distractions makes for a poor study area. If you try and study in your dorm room, for instance, you may find the computer, TV, or a roommate more interesting than the reading material you’re trying to digest.

The library, a nook in a student lounge or study hall, or a quiet coffee house are good places to check out. Make sure to choose the quiet areas in these places, not the loud, central gathering areas. Investigate multiple places on-campus and off-campus, don’t just pick the first one you find as “good enough” for your needs and habits. Finding an ideal study place is important, because it’s one you can reliably count on for the next few years.

3. Bring everything you need, nothing you don’t
Unfortunately, when you find an ideal place to study, sometimes people bring things they don’t need. For instance, while it may seem ideal to type notes into a computer to refer back to later, computers are a powerful distraction for many people because they can do so many different things. Playing games, going online, IM’ing, surfing the Web, and answering emails are all wonderful distractions that have nothing to do with studying. So ask yourself whether you really need a computer to take notes, or whether you can make do with the old-fashioned paper and pen or pencil.

Don’t forget the things you need to study for the class, exam or paper you’re focusing on for the study session. Nothing is more time-consuming and wasteful than having to run back and forth regularly because you forget an important book, paper, or some other resource you need to be successful. If you study best with your favorite music playing, make sure your iPod is with you.

4. Outline and rewrite your notes
Most people find that keeping to a standard outline format helps them boil information down to its most basic components. People find that connecting similar concepts together makes it easier to remember when the exam comes around. The important thing to remember in writing outlines is that an outline only works as a learning tool when it is in your own words and structure. Every person is unique in how they put similar information together (called “chunking” by cognitive psychologists). So while you’re welcomed to copy other people’s notes or outlines, make sure you translate those notes and outlines into your own words and concepts. Failing to do this is what often causes many students to stumble in remembering important items.

It may also be helpful to use as many senses as possible when studying, because information is retained more readily in people when other senses are involved. That’s why writing notes works in the first place – it puts information into words and terms you understand. Mouthing the words out loud while you copy the notes before an important exam can be one method for involving yet another sense.

5. Use memory games (mnemonic devices)
Memory games, or mnemonic devices, are methods for remembering pieces of information using a simple association of common words. Most often people string together words to form a nonsense sentence that is easy to remember. The first letter of each word can then be used to stand for something else – the piece of information you’re trying to remember. The most common mnemonic device example is “Every Good Boy Deserves Fun.” Putting the first letters of every word together – EGBDF – gives a music student the five notes for treble clef.

The key to such memory devices is the new phrase or sentence you come up with has to be more memorable and easier to remember than the terms or information you’re trying to learn. These don’t work for everyone, so if they don’t work for you, don’t use them.

Mnemonic devices are helpful because you use more of your brain to remember visual and active images than you do to remember just a list of items. Using more of your brain means better memory.

6. Practice by yourself or with friends
The old age adage, practice makes perfect, is true. You can practice by yourself by testing yourself with either practice exams, past quizzes, or flash cards (depending what kind of course it is and what’s available). If a practice exam isn’t available, you can make one up for yourself and your classmates (or find someone who will). If a practice or old exam from a course is available, use it as a guide – do not study to the practice or old exam! (Too many students treat such exams as the real exams, only to be disappointed when the real exam has none of the same questions). Such exams help you understand the breadth of content and types of questions to expect, not the actual material to study for.

Some people enjoy reviewing their materials with a group of friends or classmates. Such groups work best when they’re kept small (4 or 5 others), with people of similar academic aptitude, and with people taking the same class. Different formats work for different groups. Some groups like to work through chapters together, quizzing one another as they go through it. Others like to compare class notes, and review materials that way, ensuring they haven’t missed any critical points. Such study groups can be helpful for many students, but not all.

7. Make a schedule you can stick to
Too many people treat studying as the thing to do when you get around to it or have some spare time. But if you schedule study time just as your class time is scheduled, you’ll find it becomes much less of a hassle in the long run. Instead of last-minute cramming sessions, you’ll be better prepared because you haven’t put off all the studying into one 12-hour marathon. Spending 30 or 60 minutes every day you have a class studying for that class before or after is a lot easier and will allow you to actually learn more of the material.

You should study regularly throughout the semester for as many classes as you can. Some people study every day, others put it off to once or twice a week. The frequency isn’t as important as actually studying on a regular basis. Even if you just crack open a book once a week for a class, it’s better than waiting until the first exam in a massive cram session.

Scheduling is even more important if you’re going to be a part of a study group. If only half of your members are committed to a study group for every meeting, then you need to find other study group members who are as committed as you are.

8. Take breaks (and rewards!)
Because so many people view studying as a chore or task, it’s human nature to avoid it. If, however, you find rewards to help reinforce what you’re doing, you may be pleasantly surprised by the change you may find in your attitude over time.

Rewards start by chunking study time into manageable components. Studying for 4 hours at a time with no breaks is not realistic or fun for most people. Studying for 1 hour, and then taking a 5 minute break and grabbing a snack is usually more sustainable and enjoyable. Divide study time into segments that make sense and work for you. If you have to digest a whole textbook chapter, find sections in the chapter and commit to reading and taking notes on one section at a time. Maybe you only do one section in a sitting, maybe you do two. Find the limits that seem to work for you.

If you succeed in your goals (such as doing two sections of a chapter in one sitting), give yourself a real reward. Perhaps it’s saying, “I’ll treat myself to some good dessert tonight at dinner,” or “I can buy a new tune online,” or “I can spend an extra 30 minutes gaming for every 2 sections of a book chapter I read.” The point is to find a reward that is small but real, and to stick to it. Some may view this as absurd, since you’re setting limits you can easily ignore. But by setting these limits on your behavior, you’re actually teaching yourself discipline, which will be a handy skill to have throughout life.

9. Keep healthy and balanced
It’s hard to live a balanced life while in school. But the more balance you seek out in your life, the easier every component in your life becomes. If you spend all of your time focusing on a relationship or a game, you can see how easy it is to be out of balance. When you’re out of balance, the things you’re not focusing on – such as studying – become that much harder. Don’t spend all of your time studying – have friends, keep in touch with your family, and find interests outside of school that you can pursue and enjoy.

Finding balance isn’t really something that can be taught, it’s something that comes with experience and simply living. But you can work to try and keep your health and body balanced, by doing what you already know – exercise regularly and eat right. There are no shortcuts to health. Vitamins and herbs might help you in the short-term, but they’re not substitute for real, regular meals and a dose of exercise every now and again (walking to class is a start, but only if you’re spending an hour or two a day doing it).

Look at vitamins and herbs as they are intended – as supplements to your regular, healthy diet. Common herbs – such as ginkgo, ginseng, and gotu kola – may help you enhance mental abilities, including concentration, aptitude, behavior, alertness and even intelligence. But they may not, either, and you shouldn’t rely on them instead of studying regularly.

10. Know what the expectations are for the class
Different professors and teachers have different expectations from their students. While taking good notes and listening in class (and attending as many of the classes as you can) are good starts, you can do one better by spending some time with the instructor or professor’s assistant. Talking to the instructor early on – especially if you foresee a difficult course ahead – will help you understand the course requirements and the professor’s expectations. Maybe most students in the class are expected to get a “C” because the material is so difficult; knowing that ahead of time helps set your expectations, too.

Pay attention in class. If the instructor writes something on the whiteboard or displays it on the screen, it’s important. But if they say something, that’s important too. Copy these things down as they’re presented, but don’t zone out completely from what the instructor is also saying. Some students focus on the written materials without regard for what the instructor is saying. If you write down only one aspect of the professor’s instructions (e.g., just what they write down), you’re probably missing about half the class.

If you get a particularly bad grade on a paper or exam, talk to the instructor. Try and understand where things went wrong, and what you can do in the future to help reduce it from happening again.

Don’t forget to learn!
Studying isn’t just about passing an exam, as most students look at it as. Studying is an effort to actually learn things, some of which you might actually care about. So while you’ll have to take your share of classes that have little or nothing to do with your interests, you should still look for interesting things to take away from every experience.

By the time you’ll realize what a great opportunity school is, you’ll be well into the middle of your life with a lot of responsibilities – children, mortgages, career pressures, etc. Then most people have neither the time nor energy to go back to school. So take the time to learn some stuff now, because you’ll appreciate the opportunity later on.

August 1, 2018 in Blog by Dee

14 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Cut College Debt Now

By Richard Satran

Financial planners will give you a quick list of the things you must absolutely do to pay for your child’s college (529s, Stafford loans, Coverdell savings accounts, savings Bonds, home equity loans) but sometimes their advice is hard to follow in the time frame you have—and often they involve piling on more debt.

Students already are choking on $1 trillion in loan repayments for college. Parents spend and borrow huge amounts beyond that. But what can you do in the near-term to make the funds you have go further?

With help from students and college financial aid officers, we’ve compiled 11 tips to cut college costs and avoid borrowing more:

When shopping for a school, get past the sticker price. “It really is like buying a car,” says Chanel Greene, manager of the office of financial aid for Peirce College in Philadelphia. “People look at the sticker price and get shocked and say I am not going there. But like cars there are lots of option.” There are rebates and scholarships nearly every school offers or knows about. Saving on college costs requires that you “look beyond fees and tuition. It’s really never as simple as comparing apples to apples,” Green says. Cost-effective education plans are even more complicated than car deals. Consider all of the options.

Live off campus. This might rank lowest on parent’s cost-saving lists. But it’s more than an off-campus party pad and potentially the biggest moneysaver on the list. The College Board says the amount colleges charge for room and board has jumped 65 percent over the past decade—about twice as fast as inflation. Boomer parents who opted for dorm life when they went to school a generation ago often paid below-market rates. Not true anymore. “You can share a place and really cut down on rental costs, and you also pay less for things like food if you share with roommates,” says David Ellman, a Brown University student now taking time off to work on a social media startup.

Take that year abroad. The dream of jetting off to Paris for a café-society semester at the Sorbonne or zipping down Florence’s narrow streets to get to class at the Academy of Arts was a luxury purchase then. Not any more. With American colleges the most expensive in the world, students can save by taking that year abroad, even with transportation costs included. Becoming more popular are Latin American destinations like Chile, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Argentina, and further-flung places like South Korea, India, and South Africa, as students seek out less expensive and more exotic study-abroad locations alongside with old favorites like Britain, France, Italy, and Spain, according to the Institute for International Education. In a global economy, the experience often pays dividends in the job world. But smart shopping is essential since fees vary widely. It’s also a good thing to consider in your initial college search: Some U.S. schools assess fees while students study abroad.

Don’t assume your income is too high for financial aid. “It’s one of the most common mistakes. There is no real ‘cutoff’ for financial aid assistance,” says Peirce’s Greene . “Everyone should fill out the FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid) regardless of income level.” “There are a lot of factors we take into account,” she says. Sometimes they are not even part of FAFSA. The college where she works is a low-residency school where many adults attend and parents often don’t know that their own school costs can be a factor in weighing their children’s financial awards.

Return unused loan money. Students will sometimes qualify for loan refunds if they do not use the funds during a financial aid period. Some see it as a kind of tax refund to be treated as a bonus for travel, or to reinvest in costs not directly related to their degrees. Either way that loan adds to total debt. Greene recommends that students return them when they don’t use them for school costs.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s the job of financial aid offices to provide information, says Greene. “A lot of people ask their neighbor or friend what they did to pay for college. If you do that you will only be getting part of the picture.” Some parents are afraid to approach the financial aid office at the school where their child is applying for fear it will hurt their child’s chances of getting in. But some schools will view it as a sign of serious interest, a positive in admissions. And the majority of students look for financial aid. Some schools admit their student admission policies are not entirely “needs blind.” But talking with financial aid specialists are unlikely to be a factor. Once a student is admitted, financial aid officers want to see students graduate and usually are ready to help.

Let financial aid office know about a change in your situation. “I’ve come across students who are embarrassed to say that their parent has lost their job. But they really should share that information because sometimes we can help,” says Greene. Many schools have emergency funds for just this situation. There are also Federal programs that come into play when jobs losses hit parents.

Wrong numbers on forms can be costly. Incorrect information can be costly since it can lead to delays in processing forms. Incorrect Social Security numbers are one of the biggest errors that turn up, says Greene, and that mistake alone could be enough to delay aid for weeks or months.

Don’t be embarrassed to start college trips early with your kids. Some early high school students will feel peer pressure not to do tours when they are far from graduation. They don’t want to be uncool in high school. Adults, too, worry about being seen as pushy by taking younger students on college trips. But early visits are great chances to explore schools and fully understand the costs and benefits. What’s more, an ambivalent high school freshman might find new inspiration in their visit to State College in springtime when things are in bloom. “The old junior-year visit is done partly because the dorm visits are more difficult with younger students,” says Greene. “But most schools will be glad to arrange tours or visits with younger teens.”

Share debt with your children. Many boomer parents don’t want to stick their kids with huge debt. It’s an admirable goal, but at least a small piece of borrowing on the student’s part can be an incentive to manage and understand costs. Green says, “It’s not bad if they have some skin in the game.”

Set a realistic number. Before the college chase begins junior year, it pays to consider what you can afford to contribute and talk about it with your child. Try to be encouraging. Some kids will decide they don’t want to pay the cost, or will not want to add to their parent’s money burdens. Have the talk at the start of the application process before getting accepted at a too-expensive dream school turns into a family nightmare. Remember that you will probably want to be fair in giving equal opportunity to all of your children, so asses the overall costs and limits to family income.

Get a (reasonable) job. Over 50 percent of students work in college. But too much of a good thing can hurt the college experience and also hurt students’ grades. A National Survey of Student Engagement study showed that if students work for 20 hours or less, it will not hurt grades. Over that level academic performance suffers, the study shows.

Every student has their own tips. A 2010 Cornell graduate, public relations executive David Brodnick of Weber Shandwick, found a way to stretch dollars at the deli counter. “My own dollar stretching tactics in college surrounded holding down a deli job that allowed me to eat lunch for free at work (not to mention actual pay) and to go off the university’s costly food plan. Living in a fraternity house for three years I saved probably $5,000 to $10,000, as all living expenses were included, and I didn’t have to cook or clean, and could focus on studying.”

Think small. In getting a degree that costs $100,000 to $200,000, nickel and dime savings might not seem so big. But even a relatively small cost can become larger if its paid out over the life of a student loan, with interest. As Greene says, “It really all adds up and it can be more painful later in life when you pay back those loans.”