5 Tiny—but Powerful!—Life Tweaks for a Happier, Healthier You
Time Major Decisions
During the week before ovulation, both estrogen and testosterone increase in order to help prepare the egg," says Rebecca Booth, MD, author of The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle...at Any Age. "Estrogen is going to make you more creative and emotional, while testosterone will raise your assertiveness and your self-confidence." So the week and a half after your period is the ideal time to work on projects that require insight and out-of-the-box thinking, or to tackle something you need courage for, like asking for a promotion. However, she cautions against making relationship decisions during this time. "The estrogen will make you sappy, and the testosterone can make you rash," says Booth. "So if you feel like doing something big and sweeping, give yourself a few days to think it over."
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When You Learn Something, Say It Out Loud
The more actively you engage your brain in the process of learning, the more likely you are to retain knowledge, says Janet Sherman, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. In fact, researchers have found that repeating information-the name of a person, a phone number, anything you're trying to absorb-in different ways increases retention. You might try phrases like "So you're saying..." as an opportunity to go over the fresh information and build on it. Or when you hear a story, tell it to someone new; just thinking about it in a different situation will help your mind store the details.
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Wake Up with a Plan
If you overuse the snooze button, try this: When the alarm goes off, get out of bed and into the shower. And while you're there, try to remember yesterday's headlines. The one-two punch of physical and mental activity will activate your brain, says Zac Unger, author of Working Fire: The Making of a Fireman. (This Ivy Leaguer learned a lot about waking up quickly when he started fighting fires.) He also suggests that rather than dwell on how awful you're feeling, you make a goal you want to achieve before lunch.
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Practice the Phrase "I Forgive You"
It's easier said than done, but after an argument, try thinking about forgiveness. "Choosing to forgive helps us see a situation through understanding and compassion," says Eileen Borris, director of training at the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy and author of Finding Forgiveness: A 7-Step Program for Letting Go of Anger and Bitterness. "By making a problem yours to forgive, regardless of the behavior of the other person, you're giving yourself a profound degree of control."
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Chew Gum
The jury is still out on whether gum stimulates the appetite, but it seems to improve the thinking process. Researchers reported in the journal Neuroscience Letters that chewing gum activates areas of the brain that improve both concentration and memory.
KEEP READING: 4 More Tiny, But Powerful, Life Tweaks for a Happier, Healthier You
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