Most of the pain of overwhelming emotion is caused by our struggle against feeling the emotion. We fight against our situation, wishing things were different, being disappointed when our expectations aren’t met, and telling ourselves we shouldn’t be upset, depressed, sad, disappointed, or angry. ... Views: 3194
At times, everyone experiences emotions so intense that there’s no controlling them or talking ourselves out of them. When the emotions you feel are so overwhelming that you just need to stop what you’re doing and deal with them, here are some tips for what to do. Remember that feeling your ... Views: 9006
The negative effects of overwhelming emotions often have more to do with our reaction to the emotion than to the emotion itself. If you feel extreme rage and act on that rage by breaking a window or physically assaulting the person you’re angry at, the problem then becomes the damage you’ve ... Views: 2070
There are two types of mindfulness practice: formal and informal. In formal practice, you actually set aside an amount of time and dedicate it to being mindful. Informal practice doesn’t require any extra time; the idea is to bring moment-to-moment awareness to everything you already do, to zero ... Views: 1431
You probably think of stress as bad or negative, but there are times when stress actually helps you.
Andrew plays soccer on his school’s team. He tends to get really nervous before a game, and his stomach often feels a little queasy. At the same time, his adrenaline increases and that helps ... Views: 2615
No matter who you are, if you walk deeply into the forest enough times, you’re going to get lost. I certainly have—several times. Dark, twisting ravines, steeply sloped hillsides, and impenetrable tangles can be disorienting. That’s the bad news. The good news is that if you persist, if you ... Views: 3446
• Calcium.
This mineral is vital for skeletal mineralization, blood clotting, conduction of nerve impulses, buffering of acidic blood, enzyme activity, and muscle contractions.
• Phosphorus.
This mineral is important for energy, enzyme activity, muscle contraction, and nerve ... Views: 5810
Here are some suggestions to help you get through your chemotherapy treatment. By preventing nausea you can be comfortable, stay well nourished, and feel better sooner.
BEFORE TREATMENT
It’s not necessary to have an empty stomach before getting chemotherapy. Staying well nourished and well ... Views: 3636
When you’re first diagnosed, you may not even know what questions to ask. And the answer to one question often leads to many more questions about things you may not have considered before.
It’s hard to take in a lot of new information when you feel anxious. It’s normal to need information to be ... Views: 1372
DECIDING ON THE TREATMENT PLAN
During your next visit, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy alone or in combination with radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, or surgery. Your doctor will explain treatment options and why a certain one is recommended. Your doctor may be able ... Views: 1486
In every situation you’ll encounter as a new mom, whether it is chaotic or mellow, there are three things happening. Examine what’s going on for you right now. You are probably having some thoughts, or your mind is focused on reading and digesting this information. You may be having some ... Views: 1158
In every situation you’ll encounter as a new mom, whether it is chaotic or mellow, there are three things happening. Examine what’s going on for you right now. You are probably having some thoughts, or your mind is focused on reading and digesting this information. You may be having some ... Views: 1256
One of the participants in our Mindful Motherhood Training for new moms (I’ll call her Cindy) told us a story about one of those moments that every mom dreads. At the park one day, she and her husband took their toddler and their four-month-old baby in her stroller to the pond to watch the ... Views: 1260
To create our subtypes we reviewed numerous cases of rescuing behavior in intimate relationships. We examined and compared the personality styles, behavior in relationships, and early history. From this review, four basic subtypes of rescuers emerged: the overly empathic white knight, the ... Views: 17178
White knights have a compulsive need to rescue, but how and why they rescue can be quite varied. The following is an overview of the basic characteristics common to all white knights. There are also four subtypes: the overly empathetic white knight, the tarnished white knight, the terrorizing/ ... Views: 3547
Emotional difficulties in women during pregnancy and after delivery are surprisingly common. For example, studies consistently show that approximately 14 percent of women suffer from postpartum depression (Paulson, Dauber, and Leiferman 2006). In addition, some studies have found around 16 ... Views: 2205
Whether you’re a new dad or a dad-to-be, you probably already realize something about fatherhood: it’s the highest of the highs—and the lowest of the lows. You’re on an emotional roller coaster unlike any you’ll ever experience. One moment, you’re beaming, the proud dad of a beautiful newborn. ... Views: 7289
Now that you’ve learned some of the basics about sleep, let’s take a look at some common myths about sleep that may be contributing to your sleep problems.
MYTH 1: Spending more time in bed at night will give me a better chance of falling asleep.
Actually, the opposite is true. The longer you ... Views: 1911
Here are some tips for developing self-compassion:
+ Start with mindful breathing.
Breathe slowly and deeply. Breathe into your body, wherever it hurts most. Imagine your breath flowing into and around the pain; feel yourself opening up around it.
+ Place a hand on the area that is most ... Views: 4415
If you’re going to address an issue, first think about the outcome you are looking for. If you want to waste your energy in a useless fight, you know what to do: put on your armor, pick up your sword, and charge. Leap into the fray, armed to the teeth with accusations, strong words, criticisms, ... Views: 1210
NAME your feelings
If you want to handle your feelings effectively, NAME them. NAME is an acronym for:
N – Notice
A – Acknowledge
M – Make space
E – Expand awareness
Let’s go through these steps for handling your feelings, one by one.
STEP 1: NOTICE
When strong feelings show up, the first ... Views: 3547
In the right context, rules are very useful. We’d be in trouble if we didn’t have rules about which side of the road to drive on, or how fast we can drive, or how much we can drink before we drive. However, rules can be problematic if we hold them too tightly. We can become rigid or inflexible, ... Views: 1141
Let’s discuss LOVE:
L – Letting go
O – Opening up
V – Valuing
E – Engaging
Let’s now explore each of these elements in more detail:
LETTING GO
“Letting go” is the escape route from inside-your-mind, one of the elements that DRAIN your relationship. Your mind is like a master storyteller ... Views: 2782
After you’ve had herpes for a few weeks or months, the emotions surrounding it sometimes change. You might still have some of the initial ones we talked about, but they’ll tend to fade a bit as you get more information about herpes, in general, and your case, in particular. But now, some new ... Views: 8416
People seem to go through two separate periods in their reactions to having herpes. The first obviously comes right away; it starts as you sit in your clinician’s office and hear the words, “I think you may have herpes,” and continues until you get your test results that confirm those ... Views: 8672
One late-night talk-show host is famous for his top-ten lists. I hope he won’t mind, but I’m going to borrow his idea. Here’s my top-ten list of questions asked most often about genital herpes. They come from patients at my clinic and from the WebMD message board. And if your question isn’t in ... Views: 25416
Find a quiet place where you will be relatively free from distractions and unlikely to be bothered by anyone. Sit in a comfortable position. Write down how strong your urge is on a scale from 0 (no urge at all) to 10 (the strongest urge you’ve ever had). Then, write down how much you feel as if ... Views: 6653
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of where to find information on self-harm, the types of resources that are out there, and some of the treatments for self-harm. Below, we turn our attention to the specific ways in which you can go about finding help in your area, as well as some important ... Views: 2279
Several different types of treatment may be helpful for self-harm, including the following:
+ Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT helps people learn new skills for managing their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. CBT is often a fairly structured treatment, with a clear agenda for each ... Views: 2719
You’re Off the Hook
Unwittingly, your female forebears passed the carnival mirror self-image down to you, and, unwittingly, or unintentionally, you have passed it down to your daughter. (Many mothers may be sensitive to their influence on their children and still find themselves unable to ... Views: 1853
You know it’s a good idea—to make a list of what you’re grateful for—but you just don’t get around to actually doing it. So take the next five minutes and do it now.
1. Grab a pen and paper.
2. Start with your body and record what you’re most thankful for. You may list: Good health, good ... Views: 1514
An older couple, Shirley and Rick, planned what they thought would be one of their last vacations. Finances and aging were making their trips more difficult. They wanted to travel to southern Utah and take in the beauty of the national forests. They had heard from a number of friends about the ... Views: 1160
TREATMENTS FOR A BIO -PSYCHOSOCIAL CONDITION
Understanding and treating bipolar disorder requires tuning in to biological, psychological, and social aspects—it is a bio-psychosocial condition.
Typically, bipolar disorder is treated with one or more medications plus some type of counseling or ... Views: 1860
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Overcoming Bipolar Disorder: Anger - by Mark S. Bauer, MD; Amy M. Kilbourne, Ph.D., MPH; Devra E. Greenwald, MPH; Evette J. Ludman, PH.D.; Linda McBride, MSN
Everyone experiences feelings of anger or irritability, but people with bipolar disorder are especially prone to these feelings and the adverse effects of anger. In fact, sudden feelings of anger or irritability are key symptoms of mania. Inappropriate anger attacks occur in up to 60 percent of ... Views: 30205
Research indicates that a variety of factors can be associated with the onset of depressive symptoms for people with bipolar disorder. It is important to recognize such potential triggers, because avoiding or reducing exposure to them can reduce the likelihood that depressive symptoms will ... Views: 3174
Research indicates that a variety of factors can be associated with the onset of manic symptoms (Johnson 2005; Goodwin and Jamison 2007; Bauer 2008a). It is important to recognize such potential triggers because avoiding or reducing exposure to them can reduce the likelihood that manic symptoms ... Views: 9148
Intimacy, by its very nature, requires us to be vulnerable. Our partner, lover, or mate can know us to our very core, sometimes better than we know ourselves, and that can make anyone feel as though they were totally exposed. Intimacy can be intimidating. However, it is also an amazingly freeing ... Views: 3262
Anxiety disorders are a group of psychological disorders characterized by debilitating anxiety that interferes with a person’s functioning. The following explores the connection between starvation eating disorders, core anxiety, weight obsessions, and compulsions. Beyond the relationship between ... Views: 5678
I have had many people sit on the therapy couch, look deeply at their partner, and say, “I love you, but I’m not in love with you.” As the eyes of their other half fill with tears, I explain to both of them that this is not a bad thing. Now they can get down to the business of having a real ... Views: 2690
The things that can go wrong with your body when your thyroid function is low are so pervasive and extensive it’s startling. So many of the difficulties and indignities we learn to live with, thinking they’re an inevitable part of aging, are actually the result of low thyroid function and are ... Views: 26736
This is a delicious and easy way to prepare squash. If you have any leftovers, they make a great soup. Just puree them in a blender with enough stock or water to reach the consistency of a creamy soup, then heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ... Views: 4373
For a vegetarian variation, replace the shrimp with cubed seasoned, smoked tofu (available at natural food stores). If you use shrimp, keep the shells for stock; just throw them in a bag in the freezer until you're ready to use them.
4 leaves bok choy
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 ... Views: 1273
I genuinely believe that in order to create an effective exercise habit, you must think about what you can sustain not for weeks, but for decades. What sort of movement and exercise can you do that you'll enjoy and that won't elicit the mule response? What feels good to your body? In terms of ... Views: 1226
Let's take a look at our personal, emotional, and spiritual support systems, as they will hold up our physical structure - and not the other way around. What follows is my interpretation and synthesis of the work of many masters, principally the seven levels of judgment of George Ohsawa, ... Views: 1261
The human body is a very complex system. It is a whole much larger than the sum of its parts. And most importantly, all of the parts work together in synergy, and all depend on one another for proper function. Being but one element in this complex system, calcium needs many other nutrients to ... Views: 1317
Perhaps the most important application for your listening skills is when you communicate with your partner. A process called reciprocal communication provides a structure in which you can really hear each other. Here's how it works. When you're discussing a topic that is a conflict area for ... Views: 1665
How do you relieve stress? Coping with stress requires that you identify and understand the source of your stress and then make a plan for how to reduce the impact of that stressor on your life. The next set of action steps will give you some tools to help you identify stressors, and learn how ... Views: 1891
Do you know how beautiful you are? Yes, you! You're beautiful beyond compare. Affirm this to yourself ten times right here and now.
Okay, now that you're back, think about how you felt as you affirmed your beauty. Did you feel a spark of power? What if you used that spark to ignite filling ... Views: 2882
~ HOW CAN A PERSON USE THEIR DEPRESSION TO CHANGE THEIR LIFE, INSTEAD OF BEING RENDERED POWERLESS BY THE EXPERIENCE? ~
If you can translate your depression into a message that you need to make some changes and set out to discover precisely what those changes are, your depression may prepare ... Views: 3223