Mental & Emotional Health

I’ve been doing a little reading here and there lately and thought that I would share a few articles with you! Some are silly, some are useful, others are just ones that I enjoyed reading! I hope you can find something that brightens your day!

When To Break Up With Your Blog - are you sick and tired of writing for your blog? Are you wondering if it’s not time to cut the cord and let it move on? Read this great article and see if you’re feeling the way this blog described, and then write your Dear John letter.

10 Words to Avoid in Your Writing - would you guys stop reading me if my sustainable and tightly integrated cutting edge writing became full of features and benefits? LOL I don’t know that I’ve ever use words like these in this blog!

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Characters You Wouldn’t Want to Wake Up in Bed With - I agree on EVERY single one of these, and the idea just made me giggle!

Time Management: How many hours can you fit in one day? - Me? I have 24. How many do you have? How many can you fit into? How many hours do you stay awake? How many hours are you actually working? I am going to start tracking things now that I’ve started using Google’s calender. It’s one of the recommendations here at this entry that I already do!

50 Holiday Things You Can Make Yourself - I would love if someone would make me this Christmas afghan, or just an afghan for any season. I need a beautiful blanket.

Prolific Blogging - 5 Methods I Swear By - this guy writes a great post about HOW to be a prolific blogger. I’m hoping that over the break I am able to really bump myself into prolific blogger mode and keep it going through winter term.

When Bad Writing Becomes Funny - oh man did I laugh at some of these high school analogies that are at the top of the page!

Engrish - when translations just don’t quite work for you!

mental & emotional health, interesting articles, breaking up with your blog, words to avoid in your writing, Thursday thirteen, time management, homemade holiday gifts, silly writing, bad writing, Engrish

If you Google health information, you have the option of 110,000,000 different links to choose from. Google-ing mental health information and your results are a little more specific, but still leave you with 70,800,000 links! 110 million links? 70 million links? Where do you go to get information that you trust from experts? Where do you go when you’re looking to meet someone who deals with the same generalized anxiety disorder or the premenstrual induced migraines that you live with?

You go to WEGO Health!

You sign up***,
You read and post on the forums,
You see what sites the experts recommend and you can rest assured that you are being provided with the best health content there is on the internet.

(more…)

I read a lot of blogs. I read health blogs, mom-blogs, photography blogs, fact blogs and every kind of blog in-between! I had a relaxing weekend where I was finally able to catch up on ALL of my blogs and found some that I wanted to pass on to my readers! Enjoy, follow the links, leave them comments and let me know what you think!

This post at Eating Disorder Talk made me stop, pause, and then re-read. “Heidi is a 25-year old girl. She allowed me to interview her and this two-part series is the result of her honesty and candidness. Today, I’ll cover what led her to present day’s habits. “

Depression Talk Online has a good entry about giving up her security blanket. She has been very candid in her feelings on giving up alcohol and I commend her effort and have faith that she’ll be able to do exactly what she wants.

I have written about Master of Irony beforehand, but lately her entries have been really moving me. MOI has recently taken the steps to get on disability and writes about her medication switch. She also has been playing with her blog layout which is always fun to see!

I’m a new reader to Life Tips Daily but am enjoying (and sometimes laughing) at the entries posted there!

Get Incensed sometimes makes me laugh (especially on Fridays) and sometimes makes me think, and sometimes just really makes me get incensed!

Later on in the week Diana, of Somebody Heal Me will be more fully featured, so I’ll keep it simple here; Di inspires me to take care of myself. She struggles to put herself first even when she’s hurting badly. I do the same.

Amalah’s latest entry What We Do When We’re Not Making Fun of the Dog was just another on the long list of entries that she writes that make me laugh. I consider her part of the cool crowd of blogging women and so I probably don’t comment there as often as I should, but she rarely fails to make me laugh!

Another blog that always makes me laugh is I Can Has Cheezburger. Seriously. Funny.

What do you regularly read that you think I should check out?

Machine Means Ends to Sleepless Nights - A device worn on the head could in squeeze the benefit of eight hours’ sleep into just two or three hours. Scientists in the US used a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce slow waves - indicative of the deepest phase of sleep and essential for learning ability and mood, in a group of sleeping volunteers. (This story is just for Mad … who has no other name but Mad. I’ve never seen him mad … so it’s all kinda weird to me. /randomness)

The face, not the body, attracts a mate - Body builders and gym buffs, look away now. It appears that the opposite sex is much more interested in your face than your bulging biceps or elegant figure, especially if you’re a man. At least that’s the upshot of the first study to assess how much faces and bodies contribute to someone’s overall attractiveness.

Gut Almighty! - Intuitions, or gut feelings, are sudden, strong judgments whose origin we can’t immediately explain. Although they seem to emerge from an obscure inner force, they actually begin with a perception of something outside—a facial expression, a tone of voice, a visual inconsistency so fleeting you’re not even aware you noticed.

A Frown or A Smile? Children With Autism Can’t Discern - When we have a conversation with someone, we not only hear what they say, we see what they say. Eyes can smolder or twinkle. Gazes can be direct or shifty. “Reading” these facial expressions gives context and meaning to the words we hear. In a report presented May 5 at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Seatlle, researchers from UCLA explained that children with autism can’t do this. They hear and they see, of course, but the areas of the brain that normally respond to such visual cues simply do not respond.

mental and emotional health, sleep, transcranial magnetic stimulation, University of Wisconsin, attraction, body building, working out, attractiveness, University of Western Australia, Psychology Today, intuition, gut feelings, inner force, The Second Brain, Columbia University, Brazilian School of Business and Public Administration, autism, facial expressions, International Meeting for Autism Research, UCLA, visual cues, children

mental and emotional health, alcohol, alcoholism, alcohol abuse, American Academy of Neurology 2007 Annual Meeting, genetics, calorie restriction, Salk Institute, PHA-4, Foxa, Louisiana State University, mental health, Margaret Trudeau, Pierre Trudeau, CBC Newsworld, medical checkups, persuasion, arguing, Thank You For Arguing, Jay Heinrichs, Three Rivers Press, book reviews, how to fight, conflict, education, interpersonal dealings, negotiating strategies, negotiation skills, phantom pregnancy, pseudocyesis, pregnancy, news

Antidepressants to Get U.S. Warning on Suicide Risks - The Food and Drug Administration asked the makers of 36 antidepressants to extend an existing precaution for children and adolescents to cover people ages 18 to 24 when they first use the drugs, the agency said in a statement today. Wyeth, Eli Lilly & Co. and other drugmakers must revise their labels within 30 days.

Analysis: Gulf War vets’ brains shrink - “We found that two regions of the brain had significant shrinking compared with other soldiers who have lower levels of symptoms,” Roberta White, chairman of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, said at the 59th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston.

Alzheimer’s reversed in mice - In a new study, mice bioengineered to mimic the fading memory of Alzheimer’s patients got their memories restored - either by being placed in stimulating environments or by receiving a drug most commonly used to fight cancer.

Bipolar disorder harder to diagnose in children - In the new study, researchers found that adults whose first bipolar symptoms arose in childhood typically waited years for a diagnosis — and far longer than those whose symptoms began in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Hormones may ward off dementia in women - New research suggests that hormone therapy taken soon after menopause may help protect against dementia, even though it raises the risk of mental decline in women who do not take the drugs until they are older.

Perfectionists more stressed by social pressure - In a study of 50 middle-aged men, those who measured highest on tests of perfectionism also secreted more of the stress hormone cortisol while undergoing a stressful public speaking task, Dr. Petra H. Wirtz of the University of Zurich in Switzerland and colleagues found.

Migraines can boost teen suicide risk - They said young teens with migraines, a debilitating kind of headache, are also at higher risk for other psychiatric disorders, such as depression and panic disorder.*

Migraines may be tied to brain damage - People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen — a finding that may help explain why migraine sufferers have a higher risk of stroke, researchers reported on Sunday.**

*I connected with this news story personally as I’ve lived all my life with migraines and ended up with depression and a panic disorder as well. Interesting.

**Does this mean I can use the handicapped parking places? I may be brain damaged! I shouldn’t jokoe about stuff like this though. Shame on me!

mental and emotional health, news, antidepressants, suicide, teen suicide, FDA, Wyeth, Eli Lilly & Company, suicide warning, Gulf War, veterans, Boston University School of Public Health, American Academy of Neurology, brain shrinking, Alzheimer’s, bioengineered mice, bipolar disorder, children’s bipolar disorder, hormones, dementia, menopause, perfectionists, perfectionism, stress, University of Zurich, cortisol, migraines, psychiatric disorders, depression, panic disorder, brain damage

First; I passed the site on to my mom; so I must say “HIIIIIIIII Mutti! Ich bin lustig!”

There are endless amounts of ways to save money if you look for it. I spent a little time at the Federal Trade Commission website reading their 66 Ways to Save Money. The FTC gives you tips on how to save money on everything including car rentals, gasoline, credit cards, major appliances, heating your home, grocery shopping and even funeral arrangements. If you need to save money on it, the FTC probably has a tip for you.

Scholarships Around the US gives us 118 Ways to Save Money in College as well. They give you tips on managing your money in a bank, how to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to drinking alcohol, buying your textbooks, eating on $0.12 (Ramen noodles!), using a school discount to buy a new computer, buying and legally sharing music and DVDs, where to grocery, birthday, and even Christmas shopping!

There are many bargain shopping places you can find online to do your shopping:
EBay
Overstock
Smart Bargains
DealCatcher, catching deals so you don’t have to
Pricegrabber will find the cheapest price for you!
BizRate shopping searches
CouponMountain will give you coupons on thousands of items
Ultimate Coupons will, too!
CouponChief

Save Money on Heating Costs
Easy Ways to Save Money on Gas and Save Money on Car Expenses
Saving Money on Home Expenses
How to Save Money on Your Credit Card and Saving At Your Bank

Lending Tree offers many ways to save your dollars!
7 Tips from MSN on how to save or make some money.

Here are some easy tips on how to save some money quickly!
1. Cut out the soda, juice & flavored drinks and drink more water!
2. Go over your grocery list. Try buying more off-brands. Most are exactly the same as their more expensive counterparts.
3. Buy clothes and shoes from the clearance racks and buy them off-season.
4. Get movies from the library instead of renting them.
5. Same with books, borrow instead of buy. We usually only read them once anyway. If you have to buy a book, buy it used!
6. Go on a picnic instead of going to the restaurant.
7. Toss all your change in a “piggy bank” of some kind and let it accumulate for a few months or longer.
8. If you have all the movie channels, cut them down a bit. Most of the movies rotate through anyway.
9. Do your laundry at night. The rates are cheaper.
10. Give your clothes an extra spin as it costs less to run a washer than the dryer.
11. Ask your credit card companies for a lower interest rate. Sometimes rather than lose a good customer, they will grant your wish!
12. Buy your holiday decorations AFTER the holiday. You can save up to 75% or more.
13. Turn down your heat a couple degrees more at night and throw on an extra blanket.
14. Clean behind your refrigerator at least once a year to get out all the dust and dirt that can cost you more money.
15. Save empty bread bags and grocery bags instead of buying box after box of storage bags.
16. Keep your car tuned and your tires properly inflated to save money on gas.
17. Buy inexpensive fabric for cloth napkins, doilies, etc. You don’t need to use disposable ones, either.
18. Be creative when it comes to decorating. Use sheets to make curtains. Use an old quilt as a cozy wall-hanging. Create an artful display with family photos.
19. Save the new, convenient plastic coffee cans with handles. Paint them, decorate them and use them for organizers for kids art supplies, your CDs, pens & pencils, food envelopes, recipes, craft supplies, etc.
20. Turn unused stuff into money. If you have a gift you haven’t used or that shirt you bought and never wore, take them back to the store. You might not get full price, but some is better than none.
21. Use petroleum jelly to remove make-up. It is much more economical then beauty products made for removing make-up. (I don’t recommend this as petroleum jelly isn’t the best for your skin. Use an generic Oil of Olay instead!)
22. Hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill germs in cuts and sores rather then expensive antibiotic medicines.
23. Make windowsill or container gardens and grow herbs and fresh vegetables.
24. Instead of a night on the town, send the kids to Grandma’s and have a romantic night at home.
25. Make and STICK TO a budget! (Remember my previous days posts?)

Do you have favorite sites that you shop at to save yourself money? What are your favorite money-saving tips?

Yesterday I brought up a touchy subject … money! Today I am going to try and tackle an even touchier subject … learning how to realize when you don’t have enough money.

The first thing most financial experts recommend is finding out where you stand. Do you have your situation under control or do you have a major money problem? You may have to look at how you answer these questions before you move on:
~ do you have any savings?
~ do you only make the minimum payment on your credit cards?
~ do you have more than two or three major credit cards?
~ are you unsure about the total amount you owe on all your debts?
When it comes to debt, and these important questoins, time is of the essence. The sooner you react to your situation, the easier it wil be.

Once you have honestly tackled the “where do I stand?” questions, it’s time to learn about systems that can help you out. Budgeting is an easy way to take control of your financial situation. There are many sites out there that can help you create one that fits with your lifestyle.
Making A Budget
CNN’s Make-A-Budget
Make a Budget Stick
An Online Budget Calculator
Making A Budget Really Work
Microsoft’s Tips for Making a Budget Work

Now that you have your budget created, you’ll need to work towards actually getting out of debt.
* Know about your credit cards.
* Pay off the balance on the credit card with the highest interest rate first (unless the balance on any card exceed 50 percent of your credit limit).
* Learn to use cash instead of credit cards.
* Use direct deposit for your paychecks.
* Cut down on your discretionary expenses. This includes dining out, overusing your cell phone, and other such unnecessary expenses.
* Evaluate your living situation. Your housing costs should be no more than 33 percent of your household income.
* Avoid borrowing money to get out of debt, especially consolidation loans.
* Contact your creditors and try to work out repayment plans.
* Become a savvy shopper. Look for deals, bargains, and savings.
* Look for extra ways to make some money.
* Round up. For speeding up the time it takes to pay off your mortgage, simply add a few dollars each month. Those dollars are applying to the principal, and even a few dollars a month can trim years off your debt. One idea is to round the amount up to the nearest ten.

Once you can concentrate on using these techniques to lower your debt, you can then read tomorrow’s piece on stress-reducing techniques and changes to create a lower-stress lifestyle. The burden of financial stress can be lowered!

Since I will have been unemployed for two weeks by the time that I start nannying, I’ve been a bit stressed out about money. I have a back board and can turn to family if I get desperate, but I hate having to ask for help or admit that I’ve done something I need assistance with. Many people are stressed about money even though they work full-time … or even more than full-time … and so I thought I’d do a few posts about financial stress and how it affects our lives … and then what we can do to help ourselves.

There are millions of internet sites you can find if you do a simple Google search of “financial tips,” and so I had quite a bit of information to digest. Good thing I’m getting paid to do this at least, right? ; )

Research has recently show (thank you 2007 tax year) that half of employed people have money “problems” and financial stress can be linked multiple ways to depression and anxiety. In 2005, the US Congress passed legislation making it harder to wipe away credit card debt which only seemed to increase the anxiey surrounding finances for most.

This anxiety over finances can affect a person’s physical, mental and emotional health in many ways:

* unhealthy coping behaviors: when one has to deal with financial stressors, you may be more likely to want to numb your anxiety by binge drinking, smoking nicotine, using drugs, emotional overeating, and other unhealthy coping behaviors. These actions do not reduce the amount of stress and anxiety in a person’s life; in fact, they will more often add to a stress level.

* having less money for self-care: if you don’t have a lot of money, you aren’t going to take as good care of yourself (or your family) as you would be able to if there were more money involved. Health care is expensive and preventative measures are put by the wayside when the budget gets tight. Small health problems may turn into larger ones as they are ignored and grow.

* lost sleep: stress related insomnia is a huge problem in our nation. A lack of sleep impairs your immune system, your mental and cognitive functioning and can cause moodniess. Who wants to be stressed and moody at the same time?

* unhealthy emotions: feelings of hopelessness, high levels of frustration and intense anxiety can be experienced when debt begins to pile up. The additional stress compounding with the stress from poor coping & self-neglect can lead to an immense and menacing amount of stress.

It is absolutely no surprise that American’s leading cause of stress is money! Tomorrow I will concentrate on some resources on how to handle your own financial situation in order to feel more control in your life.

mental & emotional health, depression, anxiety, money, stress, financial stress, budgeting

I have two job interviews today … one in the fancy schmany area of Portland for reception work in a real estate office and one in Vancouver for a translating service (maybe I’ll put my German degree to use?). I’m not nervous about either interview, but I decided to let Kevin Donlin help me Prepare for the Interviews. I put my own comments in bold because I’m just like that.

“The best way to ace your next job interview is to prepare for it. This may sound obvious, but it’s not. Too many applicants walk into an interview without knowing as much as they should about the industry, the company and its problems.

1. Know the company. Find out as much as you can about the position, the company and its needs, so you can show how your background meets those needs. Telephone the receptionist and ask for copies of company brochures. Be friendly and professional on the phone and when you go pick up those brochures. (A receptionist who takes a liking to you can be one of your most important allies in getting a job.) Whenever possible, get a copy of the company’s annual report. Research the company at your local library and on the Internet. Unless you have a lot of time, this is often hard. Most employers, I’ve noticed, want you in to interview immediately and I haven’t had much time outside the Internet to research companies.

2. Know yourself. Mentally review the skills and character traits you have that will help the company’s bottom line. Think in terms of the value you can add to the position and the company.

3. Know your job history. Mentally review your past achievements and be prepared to describe your work experience in detail. Gather letters of reference and samples of your work to present to the interviewer as proof of your past accomplishments. Practice describing your experience in terms of your responsibilities and accomplishments at each job. Can’t you just see me in front of the mirror? LOL

4. Know the questions. You can almost bet on being asked: “Tell me about yourself.” Approach this from the employer’s point of view. Ask yourself, “If I were hiring someone for this position, what would I want to know?” Then answer those questions. And be ready for tough ones, too. Think of the worst questions you could be asked about your experience and abilities, then prepare positive responses. Why would you think of NEGATIVE responses, though? Duh! : P

5. Prepare questions of your own. Employers are as interested in your questions as they are in your answers. And they’ll react favorably if you ask intelligent questions about the position, the company and the industry. I normally ask the interviewer ‘What is your favorite part of working for ‘InsertCompanyNameHere’?” as well as ‘What is your least favorite part of working for ‘InsertCompanyNameHere’?” to see what they say. This has seemed to impress people becuase I have questions for them! LOL

6. Get the big picture. Visualize the entire interview, from start to finish. See yourself as performing with style and confidence. How will the interview end? Will you get a job offer or be called back for a second interview? How much salary do you want? What kind of benefits? The research you did in step 1 will give you an idea of what to expect. Be ready for any eventuality.

Make a Good First Impression
The outcome of the interview will depend largely on the impression you make during the first five minutes. To succeed, you must project a professional, competent and enthusiastic image. Your aim is to convince the interviewer that you would be an asset to the company. Keep the following in mind:

7. Punctuality. Do whatever it takes to arrive a few minutes early. If necessary, drive to the company the night before and time yourself. Allow extra time for traffic, parking and slow elevators. I am driving 14 miles North on the busiest road in Oregon/Washington and so I’ve allowed for PLENTY of time today between interviews! LOL

8. Dress. Your clothing should be appropriate for the position you’re seeking. Attire must fit well within the office and be immaculate. If you don’t know what the typical attire at the company is, call and ask! Shoes should be polished; pants/skirts and shirts pressed. Nah, I’ll show up in jeans and an emo-t-shirt. ; )

9. Grooming. Clean hair and fingernails are essential. Hair should be styled conservatively. Avoid excessive make-up, jewelry or cologne.

10. Handshake. A firm handshake is appropriate and projects confidence. Make eye contact when you shake. But don’t shake the hand as though you’re trying to strangle people. I am always wigged out by interviewers who shake my hand like that!

11. Body language. Send the right message by standing straight, moving confidently, and sitting slightly forward in your chair.

Conduct the Interview
Have your own agenda and know where the interview should be heading. This will give you confidence and help you move from one area of questioning to the next. Remember: Most interviewers are as uncomfortable as you are. They just want the position to be filled as fast as possible. If you can put the interviewer at ease by helping things move smoothly, you’ll improve your chances of being hired.

12. Enthusiasm and eye contact. Show your enthusiasm by making eye contact and keeping an interested expression. Nod and gesture in moderation; excessive body movement can distract and annoy the interviewer.

13. Listening skills. Listen carefully and ask questions to probe deeper into what the interviewer is telling you. Most interviewers are delightfully surprised by a question such as, “How could I help you solve the problem you’ve just described?”

14. Communication skills. Good grammar and articulate speech are essential. If this is an area where you’re weak, work on it. Practice on your family, practice in front of a mirror, record your voice, take classes — do whatever it takes to become a more effective communicator.

15. Negative statements about previous jobs or employers. NEVER make them. Instead, be diplomatic. No matter how bad your last job or boss was, there’s probably something good you learned from the experience. Emphasize the positive — with a smile. “My previous boss was a nasty nasty woman. I hated her, she treated me poorly and tried to get me fired. Instead of letting her fire me because she’s that nasty, I gave my 2-weeks notice and now you can have me!” Uhm, yeah, I’ll pass on saying that.

Follow Through
This is a crucial and often-overlooked final step in the interviewing process.

16. It’s essential that you write a thank-you note to every person you met at the company. Your most important letter(s) should go to the interviewer(s). In your letter, be sure to summarize your conversation and re-emphasize the skills you would bring to the position. Thank them for their time and ask if it’s all right to call later in the week to see how their search for a candidate is going. That candidate may well be you! I always do this! It’s what got me my previous job, actually!

mental and emotional health, job search, interview tips

As I was starting this post, I made it three things into my list and then accidentally lost the post. Instead of getting really frustrated, I used my own aforementioned stress techniques and moved on. I couldn’t control (or save) what I had previously lost, so I am continuing.

For the past two days you’ve been reading about life-changing activities you can do to lessen the stress in your life, but have any of you been wondering about little day-to-day things that you can do to help yourself out? Well, that’s what today’s “Stressball, III” post is dedicated to. Pick one thing a week and slowly start adding it to your life in order to reduce your stress!

*Add something beautiful to your life on a daily basis (e.g., flowers). I like to get flowers. I love having flowers around, and am thankful that my roommate is willing to replant weeds & flowers outside to cheer us both us. If I’m really craving fresh flowers, I will just buy them myself to cheer me up! : ) Looking at flowers reminds me that there is always something good in life!

*Do some enjoyable activities whenever possible. What do you like to do? Read? Check out a new book! Enjoy cooking for friends and family? Try out a new recipe! Do you scrapbook? Take pictures? Run? Watch TV? Do something that you enjoy doing; that is definitely going to help you out!

*Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace. If you can help it, remember that slow & steady does really win the race. Take your time and keep yourself calm, even under pressure!

*Take a short break after meals to relax. If you like to, get out and go for a short walk after dinner. Sip on a cup of (decaf) coffee. Read the newspaper. Enjoy your meal and then relax afterward to let it settle.

*If possible, go outside at least once per day and notice the simple things such as the weather, scenery, etc. This goes along with taking your walk! You can go for a 10-minute walk during your morning or afternoon break or even take a walk during lunch-time. Get your blood flowing and count this as part of your daily exercise requirement!

*During the day, whenever you remember, notice and tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphram, shoulders, etc.). Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas. Need some stretches? Print this out and tape it up near your desk. During your breaks, use this to stretch yourself out and breathe deeply while doing so!

*Avoid holding in feelings day after day, but instead, find a safe place to feel, express and embrace them. < a href="http://www.451press.com/more-bloggers-wanted/">Start a journal! Write to get your feelings out, embrace them, and deal with them as they come. Don’t just sit on your feelings and let them eat away at you. This is one of the best stress-relievers I’ve ever encountered and probably why I enjoy writing so very much!

mental and emotional health, stress, stress relief, stress relievers, reducing stress, 1-800-flowers, fresh flowers, books, cooking, recipies, photography, taking pictures, watching TV, Aesop’s fables, meals, relaxing, walking, decaf coffee, newspaper, The Oregonian, outdoor activity, exercising, body tension, stretching, desk stretches, journaling, writing, 451press

Destressing Techniques from HealthyDay online.

When you’ve got 1 minute
Place your hand just beneath your navel so you can feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Breathe in slowly. Pause for a count of three. Breathe out. Pause for a count of three. Continue to breathe deeply for one minute, pausing for a count of three after each inhalation and exhalation.

Or alternatively, while sitting comfortably, take a few slow deep breaths and quietly repeat to yourself “I am� as you breathe in and “at peace� as you breathe out. Repeat slowly two or three times. Then feel your entire body relax into the support of the chair.

When you’ve got 2 minutes
Count down slowly from 10 to zero. With each number, take one complete breath, inhaling and exhaling. For example, breathe in deeply saying “10� to yourself. Breathe out slowly. On your next breath, say “nine,� and so on. If you feel lightheaded, count down more slowly to space your breaths further apart. When you reach zero, you should feel more relaxed. If not, go through the exercise again.

When you’ve got 3 minutes
While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Each time you breathe out, try to relax even more.

When you’ve got 5 minutes
Try self-massage. A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands or tapping with fingers or cupped palms. Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that falls easily within your reach. For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head.
* Start by kneading the muscles at the back of your neck and shoulders. Make a loose fist and drum swiftly up and down the sides and back of your neck. Next, use your thumbs to work tiny circles around the base of your skull. Slowly massage the rest of your scalp with your fingertips. Then tap your fingers against your scalp, moving from the front to the back and then over the sides.
* Now massage your face. Make a series of tiny circles with your thumbs or fingertips. Pay particular attention to your temples, forehead, and jaw muscles. Use your middle fingers to massage the bridge of your nose and work outward over your eyebrows to your temples.
* Finally, close your eyes. Cup your hands loosely over your face and inhale and exhale easily for a short while.

When you’ve got 10 minutes
Try imagery. Start by sitting comfortably in a quiet room. Breathe deeply for a few minutes. Now picture yourself in a place that conjures up good memories. What do you smell — the heavy scent of roses on a hot day, crisp fall air, the wholesome smell of baking bread? What do you hear? Drink in the colors and shapes that surround you. Focus on sensory pleasures: the swoosh of a gentle wind; soft, cool grass tickling your feet; the salty smell and rhythmic beat of the ocean. Passively observe intrusive thoughts, and then gently disengage from them to return to the world you’ve created.

stress, de-stressing, relaxation techniques, HealthyDay, guided imagery, self-massage, muscle tension

I am doing some research for personal reasons on meditation as I’ve really been struggling to keep myself together in certain places lately … I thought I’d share some of what I learned on my lunch break and my own personal notes attached to them.

My favorite thing I read included a bit about eating meditations to keep yourself aware of your eating habits. I struggle with always feeling like I need to clean my plate and so being aware that it’s okay to leave food on a plate is something I am trying to become more aware of.

Another one that I have been doing for a while now and is one of the most basic meditation exercises that you can do is easy. You should try it on your own!

Silently repeat a word, sound, prayer, or phrase as a mental “focus”. You may close your eyes if you like, or focus your gaze on an object. I use “direction” as it’s a line from a quote I love: You will go in the direction you are facing.

Disregard distracting thoughts or concerns about how well you’re doing. Any time your attention drifts, simply say, “Oh, well” to yourself and return to silently repeating your focus word or phrase. This has been one of the harder parts for me, and I can’t deal with “oh well,” so I go with keeping the “direction” idea in mind thinking more in the lines of “this is not the direction you want to face,” and straighten myself out.

Now, slowly relax your muscles, moving your attention gradually from your face to your feet. Breathe easily and naturally while using your focal device for 10 to 20 minutes. After you finish, sit quietly for a minute or so with your eyes closed. After you open your eyes, wait another minute before standing up. I started with two to three minutes because the idea of 10 minutes was incredibly daunting to me. If you can only do it for a few minutes, it’s a way to get started and you may eventually need to block out a half an hour or so to do this technique just because you want to!

If you only have a minute or so, try this exercise that my pain therapist told me about.
sit back in a chair, on the floor, wherever you can relax
breath in through your nose as deeply as you can feeling your stomach swell (as this is diaphragmatic breathing)
exhale immediately (don’t hold this breath in) expelling all the breath from your lungs and making your stomach flat again
once all of the air is out, hold your breath for seven counts (you will not pass out, this is a way of making your body recognize that you are not really in a fight-or-flight situation and it will help you relax)
as you are breathing out, remember to let your body sink deeper into whatever you are sitting or standing on and try hard to only concentrate on your breather

In short: breathe in, breathe out, one-two-three-four-five-six-seven, breathe in

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