4 Practices To Build Self-Worth That Lasts
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Self-worth is internal, based on who you are, not what you do or external validation. It differs from self-esteem, which is more performance-based. High self-worth doesn’t necessarily mean arrogance, but can lead to more confidence and success. Most importantly, it’ll help you to thrive in what’s actually most important to you, rather than being swept along by what other people want.
A stable foundation
A strong sense of self-worth shapes how you handle boundaries, what you believe you deserve, and what you pursue in life. This matters, because life is unpredictable, so having a resilient internal foundation (like a secure “house”) helps you to weather challenges.
- Self-acceptance and compassion:
- Accept both your positive and negative traits with compassion.
- Don’t judge yourself harshly; allow yourself to accept imperfections without guilt or shame.
- Self-trust:
- Trust yourself to make choices that benefit you and create habits that support long-term well-being—especially if those benefits are cumulative!
- Balance self-care with flexibility to enjoy life without being overly rigid.
- Get uncomfortable:
- Growth happens outside your comfort zone. Step into new, challenging experiences to build self-trust.
- However! Small uncomfortable actions lead to greater confidence and a stronger sense of self. Large uncomfortable actions often doing lead anywhere good.
- Separation of tasks:
- Oftentimes we end up overly preoccupying ourselves with things that are not actually our responsibility. Focus instead on tasks that genuinely belong to you, and let go of trying to control others’ perceptions or tasks.
- Seek internal validation, not external praise. Avoid people-pleasing behavior.
Finally, three things to keep in mind:
- Boundaries: respecting your own boundaries strengthens self-worth, avoiding burnout from people-pleasing.
- Validation: self-worth is independent of how others perceive you; focus on your integrity and personal growth.
- Accountability: take responsibility for your actions but recognize that others’ reactions are beyond your control.
For more on all of these things, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Practise Self-Compassion In Your Relationship (But Watch Out!)
Take care!
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Blackberries vs Blueberries – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing blackberries to blueberries, we picked the blackberries.
Why?
They’re both great! But the humble blackberry stands out (and is an example of the rule-of-thumb “foods that are darker are often more nutrient-dense”).
In terms of macros, blackberries have 2x the fiber and for what it’s worth (which isn’t much because the numbers are tiny) 2x the protein, while blueberries have 2x the carbs. An easy first-round win for blackberries.
When it comes to vitamins, blackberries have notably more of vitamins A, B3, B5, B9, C, and E, while blueberries have a little more of vitamins B1, B2, and B6. Another clear win for blackberries.
In the category of minerals, blackberries have a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while blueberries are not higher in any minerals, so that’s a total win for blackberries in this round!
In other considerations, blueberries are famous for their antioxidants, but blackberries actually equal them. The polyphenol content varies from one fruit to another, but they are both loaded with an abundance (thousands) of antioxidants, especially anthocyanins. So this round’s most reasonably a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for blackberries, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
PS: this writer has managed to get both to grow in her garden, and she lives at the edge of an ancient bog, which really limits what can be grown here. This is probably no use to you, dear reader (you are too far for me to share my blackberries and blueberries with you), but I’m proud of it :p However! If we want to make it useful, then: do consider it an exhortation to grow what you can, wherever you may be!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
Enjoy!
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Real Superfoods – by Ocean Robbins & Nichole Dandrea-Russert
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Of the two authors, the former is a professional public speaker, and the latter is a professional dietician. As a result, we get a book that is polished and well-presented, while actually having a core of good solid science (backed up with plenty of references).
The book is divided into two parts; the first part has 9 chapters pertaining to 9 categories of superfood (with more details about top-tier examples of each, within), and the second part has 143 pages of recipes.
And yes, as usual, a couple of the recipes are “granola” and “smoothie”, but when are they not? Most of the recipes are worthwhile, though, with a lot of good dishes that should please most people.
Bottom line: this is half pop-science presentation of superfoods, and half cookbook featuring those ingredients. Definitely a good way to increase your consumption of superfoods, and get the most out of your diet.
Click here to check out Real Superfoods, and power up your health!
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Altered Traits – by Dr. Daniel Goleman & Dr. Richard Davidson
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
We know that meditation helps people to relax, but what more than that?This book explores the available science.
We say “explore the available science”, but it’d be remiss of us not to note that the authors have also expanded the available science, conducting research in their own lab.
From stress tests and EEGs to attention tests and fMRIs, this book looks at the hard science of what different kinds of meditation do to the brain. Not just in terms of brain state, either, but gradual cumulative anatomical changes, too. Powerful stuff!
The style is very pop-science in presentation, easily comprehensible to all. Be aware though that this is an “if this, then that” book of science, not a how-to manual. If you want to learn to meditate, this isn’t the book for that.
Bottom line: if you’d like to understand more about how different kinds of meditation affect the brain differently, this is the book for you.
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Weak Knees? Four Exercises To Strengthen Every Knee Muscle
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Over-50s specialist physio Will Harlow shows us how:
The most bang-for-buck:
We’ll keep it simple; the four exercises are:
- Knee extensions while sitting: sit back in a chair, straighten your leg, pull your toes towards you, and strongly contract your thigh while pushing your knee down into the chair, before lowering and repeating.
- Hamstring bridge: lie on your back on the floor with your legs resting on a chair or similar elevated surface, press your lower back into the floor, then push through your heels to lift your pelvis by squeezing your hamstrings, before lowering slowly.
- Forward lean calf raise: stand about a meter from a wall, lean forwards with your hands on it, then rise onto your toes through a full range before lowering under control, progressing to one leg if reasonable.
- sit to stand progression: move from a standard sit-to-stand to a staggered stance, and eventually a single-leg version, leaning your body forwards, and controlling both the lift and the descent.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
- Do This Before Walking To Suffer Less (It Takes 30 Seconds) ← when what feels like a problem in your knees is actually a lack of glute activation
- How To Make Downhill Walking Easier On The Knees ← famously more of a challenge than going uphill, in the case of dubious knees
- The Best Exercise to Stop Your Legs From Giving Out ← this one’s good if, like this writer, you have strong legs and/but also EDS or a similar connective tissue disorder that causes your joints to sometimes just fold like laundry for no obvious reason (it’s about the body’s misguided attempt to save you from something that’s not actually a problem but a tendon got confused so the muscle just dropped it)
Take care!
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A Very Cheap Way To Slow Biological Aging
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
“Multivitamins and minerals are good for longevity” is an interesting one as a topic, because:
- On the one hand, that is already popularly assumed
- On the other hand, multivitamins and minerals are equally popularly much-derided as a waste of money
And indeed, they have their limitations, and yes, it’s still better to get everything from one’s diet.
Warning: do not, however, fall into the trap that many do, and think “I don’t need to take supplements because it’s better to get it from my diet” and then not, in fact, get a full coverage from your diet
So, for whatever reason you might choose to take a multivitamin and mineral, let’s take a look at…
Cause and effect
Researchers (Dr. Sidong Li et al.) found that taking a daily multivitamin for two years slowed biological aging by the equivalent of about four months.
So, that’s basically as if every time you went forwards 6 years, you went back 1 year.
Compared to what, you ask?
Good question, because if it’s “compared to not taking it”, and if it’s an observational study, then there can be all kinds of confounding factors, most of them rooted in the theme “people who do thing 1 for their health are more likely to also do things 2, 3, 4, and 5 for their health”.
The answer, happily, is: “compared to placebo”. It was a randomized controlled trial.
Next up, some may be wondering what “biological age” is. In fact, biological age is not one thing but quite a lot of things, each of which can age at different rates.
See for example: Age & Aging: What Can (And Can’t) We Do About It?
One of the best ways to try to boil it down to a composite figure, however, is to look at epigenetic clocks.
First let’s quickly cover the question of: what does “epigenetic” mean? In few words and put simply, epigenetics is the study of “around genetics”, i.e. the things that are not the genes themselves, but modulate how (and indeed, whether or not) genes are expressed.
In this case, Dr. Li and her team used epigenetic clocks that estimate biological age based on patterns of DNA methylation, which influence gene expression and naturally change with age. The quicker the progression of the clock, the faster the aging.
The analysis included DNA methylation data from blood samples of 958 healthy participants with an average chronological age of 70 who were randomized to receive combinations of cocoa extract, multivitamins & minerals, or placebo.
- Good news: participants taking a multivitamin enjoyed slowing across all five epigenetic aging clocks tested, with strongest effects in the two clocks most strongly linked to mortality risk.
- Bad news: the cocoa extract supplement was a bit of a flop. Didn’t help. Or rather, it had no effect whatsoever on the 5 epigenetic clocks tested.
The reason why she tested cocoa extract for this, is because of: Cocoa vs Biological Aging!
…in which Dr. Li (yes, the same Dr. Li) and her team (mostly the same team, but not entirely the same) found that daily cocoa extract reduced hsCRP (a key inflammation marker tied to heart disease) by about 8.4% per year compared with placebo, suggesting anti-inflammatory and cardio-protective effects, and also noted that this cocoa extract supplementation reduced cardiovascular mortality by 27%.
Which is relevant, because epigenetic clocks and inflammatory markers are two out of three of: The 3 Best Predictors Of How Well You’ll Age
If you’d like to read Dr. Li’s latest work, you can find it here: Effects of daily multivitamin–multimineral and cocoa extract supplementation on epigenetic aging clocks in the COSMOS randomized clinical trial ← published literally today, at time of writing this article. Never let it be said we don’t bring you cutting edge health science news!
Want to learn more?
You might like this book we reviewed a while back
Eat Your Vitamins – by Mascha Davis, RDN ← This book methodically discusses an assortment of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients; the “other nutrients” category including amino acids (branched chain and essential), prebiotics and probiotics, and triglycerides of various kinds.
Enjoy!
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Stop Tinnitus, & Improve Your Hearing By 130%
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Caveat: this will depend on the cause of your tinnitus, but there’s a quick diagnostic test first, and it’s for the most common kind 🙂
Step by step
To address noise in the ears (tinnitus) and improve hearing, start by identifying whether the issue is treatable. The diagnostic tests are:
- First, turn your head to the side, tilt it forward and backward, and observe changes in the noise. If the intensity changes, then the noise can be managed.
- Additionally, open and close your mouth, clenching and unclenching your teeth, and note any variations; this is about muscular tension affecting hearing.
- Finally, tilt your head downward—if the noise increases, it may mean it is a venous outflow disorder—there’s a fix for this, too.
Effective exercises focus on releasing tension and improving blood flow:
- Begin with the neck’s scalene muscles, located behind the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
- Massage these areas by moving your hands up and down and varying head positions slightly forward and backward.
- Repeat on both sides to enhance blood circulation and reduce auditory interference. Next, target the chewing muscles.
- Massage painful areas of the jaw and temporalis muscle in circular motions, working along and across the muscle fibers.
- Divide the temporalis muscle into sections and address each thoroughly to relieve tension and improve hearing.
- Mobilize the outer auditory passage by gently pulling the ear in all directions—starting with the earlobe, middle part, and upper ear.
- Focus on the cartilage above the lobe, moving it up and down to restore mobility and improve blood flow.
These exercises should fix the most common kind of tinnitus, and improve hearing—you’ll know quickly whether it works for you or not. Regular practice is required for sustained results, though.
For more on all this, plus visual demonstrations (e.g. how to find that temporalis muscle, etc), enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Tinnitus: Quieting The Unwanted Orchestra In Your Ears ← our main feature on this topic, with more things to try if this didn’t help!
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
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