5 Wellness TED Talks That Will Change Your Life
I had never really spent any time listening to TED Talks until now. I didn’t think that anyone else knew what worked best for me other than myself.
You see, most of us want, consciously or not, to be in control of everything. It can be overwhelming - focusing on every little thing we eat, do, or think. When I began to watch these TED Talks, my perspective changed. I felt less stressed, less conscious about monitoring food, more motivated to work out, and all around more in charge of my life.
We may think we know what works well for our lives, but maybe (just maybe) we don’t. Maybe we need a fresh perspective. Take a few minutes to watch one; you’ll see what I mean.
The Brain Changing Benefits of Exercise
If you are anything like me, you need some motivation to get up and go to the gym. In the past, I’ve found myself constantly making excuses for avoiding exercise. But now I know its benefits. Exercise changes the physiology, anatomy, and even the function of your brain. It improves your reaction time, long-term memory, mood, attention, and it even wards off disease. So get up, get out, and exercise! Not only will you be helping your body, but you might just be helping yourself in the classroom as well.
Why Dieting Doesn’t Usually Work
Per Sandra Aamodt, “you can take control of your health by taking control of your lifestyle.” So let’s stop worrying so much about diet and start paying more attention to the signals our body is trying to send us. Your brain already has an idea about how much you should weigh, regardless of what you think. Basically, your brain is a thermostat. It responds to signals from your body in order to adjust to hunger, activity, and metabolism. Take a minute of your time and learn more about living a truly healthy lifestyle, free from the stress of dieting.
How to Gain Control of Your Free Time
As a college student, time is both important and fleeting. This video explains that we don’t build the lives we want by saving time, we build the lives we want and then time saves itself. In reality, you choose how you spend every minute of your time. You choose whether to go to class or spend that time doing something else (like Netflix). You decide whether you go to the game with friends or stay home and study. We find ourselves saying we don’t have time to do things, but honestly, some things are just not a priority. And that’s okay! Just accept it, and evaluate how you prioritize your to-do list.
How to Make Stress Your Friend
The belief that stress is bad for you has become a legitimate cause of death. Not stress itself, but the belief that stress is bad. This TED Talk helps to add clarity to stress and informs about the misunderstandings we might have about it. Learn how to start viewing the stress response as helpful and how to trust yourself to handle life’s challenges. You will feel less stressed, less anxious, and more confident in yourself.
There’s More to Life than Being Happy
While happiness is not a bad thing, have you ever asked yourself if there may be something more rewarding? Happiness doesn’t necessarily mean that we have a feeling of meaning and purpose. It is an emotional feeling that comes and goes, highly reliable on circumstance. People who have meaning in life are more resilient, perform better at work and in school, and have been shown to live longer. Meaning doesn’t come from happiness, it comes from belonging to and serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you. Don’t strive just to be happy — data shows that chasing happiness often doesn’t work. Strive for something far more rewarding, and the happiness will naturally come.
These videos are just a taste of what is accessible to you! There are so many quick videos that are jam-packed with helpful wellness tips, because wellness isn’t just about fitness. It encompasses your overall self. Stop exhausting yourself, and start taking some “me” time to focus on your health. It will help your body and brain.
Get watching, and as always,
Be well, Auburn.
Originally born on the Plains, there is no other option than being an Auburn Tiger. Ashley is a senior majoring in marketing and looks forward to moving back to Birmingham to be close to family, and to start her career as the North Alabama Marketing Representative for her employer.
New to the Recreation and Wellness Center, Ashley enjoys every day working here, not only because she feels more a part of the Auburn Family, but because she is learning more about how to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle. When she is not on one of her organization or cleaning binges, you can find her shopping for shoes or watching an entire season of the newest Netflix show with her best friends. She is a fanatic for Fall, loves cooking, finding new hobbies, and can always be found running in the rain.
