Deal with Anxiety and Get Your Life Back

You know the feeling. You’re doing fine, when all of a sudden your car dies, your daughter tells you she’s dropping out of college, and you find out you need a new roof. Suddenly, you feel like you can’t breathe. Your chest hurts, and you’re convinced you’re having a heart attack. More likely, you’re having an anxiety attack—an acute reaction to intense stress. Even if…

Feeling Lonely? It May Increase Risk of Early Death

People who feel consistently lonely have a 14% higher risk of premature death than those who don’t. The impact of loneliness on early death is almost as strong as the impact of being poor, which increased the chances of dying early by 19%. “Loneliness is a risk factor for early death beyond what can be explained by poor health behaviors,” says psychologist John Cacioppo, director of…

4 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

The sky is grey, the temperature is low, and the color of your mood ring turns a scary blackish blue. The winter months — especially for those huddled under a snow drift during the first two months of the year — can trigger a major depressive episode or worsen the symptoms in persons with chronic depression. So what to do? 1. Get a lightbox. Less sunlight…

7 Tips for Helping Your Child Manage Stress

Like adults, kids also struggle with stress. Too many commitments, conflict in their families and problems with peers are all stressors that overwhelm children. The key to helping kids manage stress is teaching them to problem-solve, plan and know when to say yes and no to activities and commitments, she said. It isn’t to “make everything smooth and comfortable.” “If you don’t teach [your kids]…

Benefits of Reading – Getting Smart, Thin, Healthy, Happy

A love of reading can protect your brain from Alzheimer’s disease, slash stress levels, encourage positive thinking, and fortify friendships. Here’s how your brain and body benefit when you crack open a book. Reading gives muscle to your memory. Reading gives your brain a different kind of workout than watching TV or listening to the radio. Whether you’re absorbed in a page-turner or simply scanning…

Small Talk Can Improve Health

Social isolation, not loneliness, is linked with earlier death. Led by Andrew Steptoe of University College London, the study surveyed 6,500 people aged 52 or older about their social contacts and experiences of loneliness. After seven years, the researchers followed up to see who had died. Initially, people rated as highly lonely seemed to die at a higher rate than those with low or average…

Deal with Post Vacation Depression

According to psychological studies, the return from vacation is a major stress for the organism. Many people that need to go back to work after holidays can feel fatigue, lack of energy, depression, anger and insomnia. After a month of “fooling around” the body forget the need to get up early, to think quickly and deal with any work. So that is why, right after the…

Top 10 Most Depressive Professions

You think that you have the hardest job in the world and that other people love their jobs? Relax, it’s not true. The proof of this is the rating of the most depressive professions in which you will hardly find yours, which means that you’re luckier than many others. And well, if you can find there yours there’s nothing you can do about it. Either…

Quick Stress Relief Tips Through Your 5 Senses

We all possess the power to decrease the effects of stress in our lives in an instant. Once we learn to identify our stress and the way our body responds to stress we can develop our personalized plan for decreasing stress in stressful situations. The best way to relieve stress is through our senses. Our five senses often hold the key to quick stress relief.…