Lifestyle

4 ways to be more present and do less

Published

6 months ago

August 4, 2025

Do you often feel overwhelmed by society’s focus on productivity and accomplishments? As a physician and researcher, I was convinced that building my resume should be the top priority.

However, in 2013, my body started to develop random physical symptoms that changed my career path dramatically. Because I could no longer work as an ER physician, I shifted to studying wisdom, interviewed 60 wise adults, and published the book Common Wisdom with the goal of helping others gain new perspectives. Whether I liked it or not, my situation taught me four ways to focus more on being and less on doing.

Similar to most Americans, I used to be obsessed with work. It was productive, safe, and expectable. After completing my residency training in emergency medicine, I completed three additional years of advanced studies aimed at learning about and publishing research. Instead of seeking a healthy life balance, I was focused on publishing more and serving as an editor for scientific journals. This “always doing more” approach was really unhealthy.

When I finally realized that my days as a clinician were numbered, I was no longer concerned about resume-building and being published in journals. Instead, I was in survival mode. As odd as it sounds, it was my body telling me to slow down that allowed me to better appreciate my surroundings. I let go of my focus on the future and shifted to appreciating the here and now.

While my health challenges are more extreme than most, you don’t need a drastic change to get a wake-up call. Here are four ways that you can be more present:

1. Stop and Be Grateful to Gain New Perspectives

If you are in the middle of doing something or running an errand, give yourself time to pause and be grateful. Think about stopping to find joy in the simple things. It’s not about wasting time, but stopping to reflect.

If you take a break for less than a minute, you can gain insights by paying attention to what you are doing. Be mindful. It can be as simple as asking yourself reflection questions for a minute. Think about what makes you grateful for that moment, and it can completely change your perspective.

2. Look for the Colors of the Rainbow to Inspire Creativity

Take a minute to look around and pay attention to your environment. To bring more joy to your life, a good practice is to look for items that are at least four or five colors of the rainbow. While this exercise may seem silly, a rainbow often symbolizes hope, new beginnings, and peace.

So take a time-out and notice your surroundings. For example, I was recently in a store and noticed someone wearing a red shirt. The floor was yellow. The counter was green, the cash register was blue, and there was a purple pen on the counter.

Simply looking for the colors of the rainbow can increase your focus on the present and help connect you with both the natural and spiritual worlds. It can also inspire creativity and curiosity, which are important wisdom skills.

3. Breathe Deeply to Reduce Anxiety

As simple as it sounds, deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is a part of the nervous system that regulates your “rest and digest” functions. It gets you out of stress mode and sympathetic fight, flight, or freeze mode. Breathing deeply is a simple and powerful way to reduce your anxiety and pain levels. It’s something that can give you a greater sense of calm and peace and help you sleep better.

4. Take a Mental Picture of Your Surroundings

Many people don’t remember the details of an event, but can often recall how it made them feel. Recently, I was with someone at a restaurant whose primary concern was seeing the menu and ordering. In reality, they will rarely recall the food they had, but will remember the place and the feeling it gave them.

Creating a “mental picture” only takes a few seconds, but it can last a lifetime. So the next time you meet people for a dinner, event, or walk, focus more attention on being present by expressing compassion and enjoying your time together.

In our warp-speed world, “being” is much harder than “doing.” Yet it’s being present in the moment that will make you feel more like a human and less like a robot. It’s being aware of your feelings and surroundings that will allow you to better understand the meaning and value of any situation. It’s being present that will engage your emotions and let you connect more with humanity.

When you think about your most memorable moments, they’re likely to involve a sense of being. So the next time you start thinking about your resume, stop! Instead, every time you meet friends and family for a visit, travel to a new city, or do a task, think about how the experience made you feel. Then think about how you can be more present and do less. As a result of this mindset shift, you will increase your wisdom and gain perspective on how to live a more meaningful and healthier life.

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Lifestyle

Old Age: Once You Clock 50 And Above, Stop Consuming These 10 Things Regularly

Published

1 hour ago

January 30, 2026

Naijacoaded

It is reasonable to assume that you will need to cut back on certain things, such as food sources, direct, and so on, because reaching a certain age brings with it a lot of responsibilities and challenges.

Because of this, it is reasonable to assume that you will need to cut back on certain things. Because everyone desires to live a long life and create classic works, this is a request that is made to God by everyone. Everyone prays for this. Nonetheless, reaching this age brings with it a significant number of responsibilities and obstacles that one must face.

This is the situation taking into consideration the fact that your packaging method is no longer a well-known brand, like it was when you were twenty years younger. This is the reason why this is the case. This is indeed the situation. This is because your packaging system has reached an outdated condition, which is the cause of the problem.

There are ten different kinds of food and drink that you should stop consuming on a regular basis once you reach the age of 50. This is due to the varying degrees to which different kinds of these meals and beverages might affect your health. In the following paragraphs, I will talk about them in more detail.

Without further ado, let me to offer some assistance in having things arranged in the following manner:

1. A sugar concentration that is significantly higher than normal

It is possible that the pace at which you consume an excessive amount of sugar has significantly dropped, and it is also likely that as a result, the amount of insulin that is present in your body has decreased. As a result of this, it is possible that as you get older, it will become less effective at removing extra sugar from the bloodstream and managing it, which will increase the likelihood that you will develop high glucose levels. Alternatively stated: it is possible that as you get older, it will become less effective at managing it. If you are over the age of 60, it is very essential for you to remember this information.

2. An abnormally high concentration of salt in the surrounding natural environment

The amount of salt that a person consumes can have an effect on their pulse, which can place them at an increased risk for a range of health concerns. These problems can include ailments such as a stroke, heartache, and others that are quite similar to them. Those who are having trouble with their health should avoid consuming an unhealthy amount of salt during this time.

3. An abnormally high concentration of alcohol was found in the substance as a whole.

Heavy alcohol drinking at a traditional age is related with an increased risk of a number of health problems, including damage to the kidneys and liver. This is due to the fact that as you get older, your liver and kidneys become less efficient at processing alcohol and flushing it out of your system. This is especially true when one considers the role that age plays in conjunction with the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

4. An extremely large quantity of different types of cigarette products

This is something that, when compared to alcohol in the vast majority of ways, is virtually indistinguishable. There are many other ways in which the two are comparable to one another. If you are already above the age of 50 or will reach that age in the near future, it is in your best advantage to completely abstain from smoking. Because smoking can have a severe influence on a person’s lungs and liver, quitting is a goal that should be sought and should be a priority for everybody who is a smoker.

5. Customers can choose from a large selection of eggs to purchase.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein; however, it is not generally recommended to consume an excessive amount of eggs while you are fasting. This is because eggs contain cholesterol, which can make it difficult for your body to break its fast. This is due to the fact that eggs contain cholesterol, which might make it more challenging for your body to break its fast when it has been eating nothing but water. If you are trying to minimize the amount of fat that makes up your body, it is extremely crucial that you keep this in mind. If you are concerned about your health, you should probably not consume more than two eggs in a week at the most. This will help you maintain a healthy weight. Egg consumption after a certain age, particularly in men of advanced age, has been linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. This is especially true in older men.

6. Consuming an abnormally high number of dinners that have levels of LDL cholesterol that are relatively high in comparison

People of any age who consume dinners that are high in LDL cholesterol put themselves at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, which is possibly connected to atherosclerosis. These dinners pose this risk to anyone who consumes them. This is due to the fact that cardiovascular disease can sometimes be the cause of atherosclerosis. In general, this risk is lower in those who have more developed coping mechanisms than in those who do not have any coping mechanisms at all.

7. A disproportionately large amount of meat in relation to the amount of other ingredients in the dish

If you are above the age of 50, you should make a point of fully removing it from your diet posting and remembering to do so. If you are over the age of 50, you should make it a point to eliminate red meat entirely from your diet. In general, red meat is not the best choice for confirmation; however, if you are over the age of 50, you should remember this. This is due to the fact that it is well-established that eating red meat can lead to the development of disease, with the risk being significantly increased in individuals who have undergone further preparation as a result of the fact that it is well-established that eating red meat can lead to the development of disease.

8. A substantial repositioning of pre-packaged dinners in the competitive landscape of the market

Also, it is common knowledge that eating food that has been pre-packaged might make you sick, and study has shown that the risk is greatest for people who take the greatest care possible to maintain their health. As you reach level 50, you will be confronted with the decision of whether or not to give in to your craving for pre-packaged meal assortments. You really ought to give this a lot of consideration.

9. An excessive amount of caffeine consumed throughout the day

People who spend their life dwelling in the past aren’t making the most of the opportunities that are available to them right now!

10. On a consistent basis, a huge variety of options for assortments of junk food are made available to consumers.

In this context, eating meals of a lower quality can lead to a variety of health concerns, some of which have the potential to be fatal, such as coronary heart disease, obesity, stomach-related issues, and other illnesses. Because of the susceptibility of their packaging in relation to the possibility of health concerns, I strongly advise people who are older than 60 years old to completely abstain from consuming garbage dinners. This is because garbage dinners are not the healthiest option for people of any age; however, I advise people who are older than 60 years old to completely abstain from consuming garbage dinners.

Using these goods on a consistent basis may enhance the risk that you may encounter health problems in your later years.

utilizing the premise that nobody cares very much either way, degree, as, or remark, and treating this premise as a fixed assumption. I am grateful that you could make it today.

Lifestyle

Drugs That Can Cause Blindness If Taken Without Medical Supervision

Published

1 hour ago

January 30, 2026

Naijacoaded

These days, we have access to medicines that can treat a wide variety of medical conditions, including illnesses that, if they aren’t addressed, could result in the patient’s death.

On the other hand, the majority of these medications come with warnings and instructions from the prescribing doctor that must be followed to the letter in order to prevent side effects that could be significantly more harmful than the illness itself.

It is possible that some of these diseases and conditions could have a subsequent impact that would result in a loss of vision, either partially or completely.

As maintaining healthy vision is critical to our overall well-being, we must always proceed with the utmost caution whenever we are filling a prescription.

Before you take any of these medications, you should discuss the matter with a qualified medical professional and be sure to follow all of your physician’s recommendations to the letter in order to lessen the possibility of unpleasant adverse effects.

According to WebMD and Healthline, the four drugs listed below are the ones that have been linked to cases of blindness in certain patients.

1. Hydroxychloroquine

This medication has been investigated as a potential treatment for a wide range of inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and a great many others. It is also well documented that if damage to the retina and optical nerves goes untreated, there is a danger of blindness occurring.

2. Isotretinoin

Those who struggle with acne usually turn to this drug, which was originally known as absorica. The inappropriate use of this chemical may have severe, far-reaching, and a variety of other consequences. Eyes that are dry, eyes that are sensitive to bright light, and other symptoms point to the possibility of blindness.

3. Amiodarone

Patients who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation are given this drug in an effort to return their heart rate and rhythm to normal. Even though it is quite effective in treating this disease, the medication amiodarone has been shown in some patients to cause irreparable damage to the optic nerve, which can result in blindness.

4. Flomax

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the medical term for the disease that would be present in the vast majority of patients who take this medicine and would get positive results from using it. Nonetheless, this medicine should be used with extreme caution, and it should never be used by anyone without a prescription from a medical professional or without the supervision of a medical.