Brain Hacks for the 7 Deadly Sins [Infographic]

The seven deadly sins are lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, vanity, greed, and envy, and as we all learned in explicit detail in the movie Se7en, possessing even one of these qualities can lead to some terrible outcomes. But even if you’re not being hunted down by a serial killer because of your reveling in one of these sins, they still aren’t very positive to possess and look good on no one.

The following infographic goes through each of the seven deadly sins and gives a simple explanation of what it means to possess one of these qualities, and then a brain hack for identifying the trait in your brain and then exploiting or hijacking the thought process in order to eventually change that habit and start looking at the world and at your life in a more positive light, which will ultimately lead to gaining more personal fulfillment.

A Woman’s Journey Back to the Light — Love Thy Self!

Having turned 45 years old this fall and having lost all my children from the nest, I am in a reflective phase of my life. I felt very lonely and lost at first, but am now embracing the opportunity for reflection and a restart of sorts.

Growing up, I was a young girl looking for love any which way I could get it. I was manufacturing love all around me; I loved my gorgeous salesman husband, I loved my curious little children, I slaved to be the best wife and mother I could be. Periodically I felt resentment, loneliness, depression, and a feeling that my life lacked meaning. I had arrived at this place in my life in a daze. I felt like I had never consciously made any decisions for my life.

I pushed these feelings away and concentrated on loving and caring for those …

Calm Your Consciousness — 5 Tips for Your First Meditation

I attended my first-ever Meditation class recently after hearing of its many benefits in helping to manage anxiety and stress. Among the wonderful points the teacher taught us about Meditation, there was one that really stayed with me. She told us of how Buddhists describe life being full of 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows, and how these joys and sorrows travel through our consciousness. She said our consciousness is like a big river full of thoughts and Meditation is about getting on the bank of that river.

As a beginner to Meditation, I liked this visual picture to gain a better understanding of what it is you are trying to do when you meditate. It can be difficult when you are first starting out, as your mind can wander so much (as I found out) …

The Meaning of Life Stretched Out of Me at Bikram Yoga

Five years ago my father died of a sudden heart attack. Naturally what followed were a few emotional months. It wasn’t the normal grieving process as you’d expect when someone in your family or a best friend passes away, as my father and I weren’t close. But because of our estrangement I had bottled up a lot of feelings and when I was told of his passing, all these feelings came to the surface, and my mind had become introspective, thinking deeply about the meaning of life. It wasn’t a healthy way to live and I needed something to help me move on. A colleague at work suggested I try Bikram yoga. Yes yoga! He’d been doing it for over a decade and swore by it.

If you don’t know what Bikram yoga is, here …

Legal Weed’s Top 10 Greatest Hits [Infographic]

Marijuana can be a rather divisive issue, although to be honest with you, I’ve never understood why. While I could very well craft my beliefs on the medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana into several paragraphs, and then go on longer about why it should not be part of the corrupt drug war, let’s just leave it at this: Marijuana has legitimate medicinal uses and can successfully treat a wide variety of ailments, including pain, stress, depression, anxiety, nausea, headaches, appetite, insomnia, and anger, among others.

In 1988, the U.S. Department of Justice wrote:
“Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

That is the quote that kicks off the following very awesome infographic that lists the top ten strains of legal, medicinal marijuana. The strains are ranked by the number of locations where it is sold, as well as the level of THC in each strain, the flavor, and what you can expect to feel like after smoking it.

The Psychology of Color [Infographic]

Did you know that fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Pizza Hut use the color red in their logos because the color red is proven to stimulate the appetite? Or that blue is often used in corporate logos because the color blue represents feelings of something being non-invasive?

Even more interestingly, did you know that during the 15th century green was the preferred color choice for wedding gowns because green has long symbolized fertility? White wedding gowns were not always the norm, which is a pretty radical thought when you look at the wedding industry today.

There is an unspoken psychology behind colors and how they make us feel–whether we like it or not. The following infographic explores color psychology, including what specific colors have long symbolized and why, as well as what colors are best suited for the walls of a particular room in your home, which I will definitely be taking note of when I move into my new home next month.