A Lullaby As Effective Stress Management The repetitive soothing sounds and rhythm of the lullaby have been used for millennia as a natural tranquilizer. Globally, children are gently rocked, lullabies are hummed, nursery rhymes are recited, affectionate sounds are spoken in a lilting fashion—all with the intended purpose of inducing relaxation. Without formal training or…
Tips and coaching for making sense of stress.
Monthly Archives: July 2010
How Stressed Is Barak Obama, Really?
The question on everybody’s keyboard these days is, how close to cracking under stress is our seemingly unflappable president? No punches are pulled in the brave world of US politics, so the bloggers and the pundits and the Beltway insiders, in short everybody and his brother, are speculating over Mr. Obama’s hair. His hair? Yes,…
Seeing Stress Anew Between Two Covers
A fresh perspective on stress doesn’t come easy, given the explosion of self-help books and manuals on the subject that have been published in the last few years. Reading something truly illuminating and new about stress and how to manage it is a rare find. One of the few books that manages to be informative,…
PMR For Absolute Beginners
The Tao of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) The Science of PMR Anxiety and stress-induced tension consists of subjective, behavioral, and physiological components that interact to create a complex physical and emotional experience. When a stressor is perceived, it can cause fear, anxiety or nervousness. The thoughts preceding or accompanying these sensations may add additional tension…
Of Mel Gibson, Narcissus and Stress
A sad pattern seems to be emerging: as Mel Gibson becomes distressed, some self-medication ensues, allegedly alcohol. The medication, instead of solving the problem, appears to merely loosen Mel’s inhibitions and he unleashes a now painfully public tirade laced with profanity, discrimination, and sexism. In many quarters, his behavior has been described as the epitome…
Stress, As Seen Through the Eye of Science
When science looks at stress, the focus is on the body/mind interaction or, more precisely, on its psychophysiological mechanisms. Traveling back in time from our present condition to conception, we can see that our genes and the environment in which we grow up (in which our genes are expressed) determine how we respond to stress…
What Would You Do?
The airliner, heavy with fuel and filled with passengers, is climbing toward its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, having taken off less than twenty minutes earlier and more than one hour behind schedule. The captain and the second officer are completing their post-takeoff routines and anticipating a smooth ride; the weather forecast is for clear…
Do You Know the Answer to These 10 Critical Questions About Stress?
What questions come to mind when we think about stress depends on our relationship with it. If we consider stress as our mortal enemy, then our questions will revolve around the fear of its effects, ways of getting rid of it or at least greatly reducing it, and how we can best distract our mind…
How Severe Is Stress in America?
According to the latest APA (American Psychological Association) survey, nearly half (42 percent) of Americans are reporting that their stress has increased, as compared to the previous year’s survey. Half of Americans say that they are increasingly stressed about their ability to provide for their family’s basic needs. Eight out of 10 say that the…
Economic Distress and Its 8 Remedies
Economic stress is the unpleasant reality for many in the United States and in many other countries today. There is plenty of anxiety to go around for everybody. The unemployed worry about not being able to find another job; the employed fear losing their job; business owners lament stagnating or falling sales; entrepreneurs are holding…
Children Are Dangerously Stressed and Their Parents Are…Out to Lunch
One nation, under stress, with sleeplessness and anxiety for all. A nationwide survey about stress has revealed a worrisome disconnect between what parents believe causes stress in their children, or that their children have any stress at all, and what the children themselves consider seriously stressful. Here are some of the most disconcerting findings. Stress…
When the Doctor Herself Is Stressed
“I could easily blame stress for the many emotional and physical symptoms I experienced from early childhood. Free floating anxiety, feeling unworthy and undeserving of love and happiness, feeling hypersensitive and yet numb to many of my emotions and constantly judging, criticizing and berating myself were just some of the unhealthy defense mechanisms I had…
Stress That Can Save Your Life
Can the body’s natural response to stress be harnessed to combat heart failure? The results of a study published online in the June issue of the journal Circulation Research appear to support this hypothesis. Scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that two experimental drugs have the potential to restore pumping strength to…