Chronic stress can produce a feeling of being overwhelmed. It makes it difficult to shift perspective and see the stressor from a different angle. Rather than seeing stress as a useful signal and address the cause of it, the tendency is to focus on the stress reaction itself as something that can be just pushed…
Tips and coaching for making sense of stress.
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Anger and Sadness Increase Fibromyalgic Pain
Perhaps another study that falls into the “I knew it all along” category: Anger and sadness increase pain in women who suffer from fibromyalgia. A recent study conducted at the University of Utrecht on 121 women, 62 of which were suffering from fibromyalgia, confirmed a significant increase in pain levels in response to both anger…
Can Comfort Food Reduce Stress?
When eating is a way to tame anxiety instead of hunger, it is an emotion-driven behavior that adds calories, fat, cholesterol and inches to the waistline, while providing at best a temporary relief to feelings of stress and anxiety. So what is emotional eating, does it relieve stress or can it do more harm than…
The Rising Cost of War: Military Sexual Trauma
The latest research on the long-term health consequences of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (OEFA) and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq (OIFI) suggests that US veterans are bringing home a significant number of psychological problems. The most recent study published in August by the American Journal of Public Health estimates that 19% to 42% of…
Mild to Deadly: Stress At Work
Stress at work can take many forms and range in severity from mild annoyance to burnout. It may be relatively easy to tell if co-workers appear to be under severe stress by observing the appearance and persistence of certain characteristic behaviors. It may not be so easy to diagnose dangerous levels of stress in ourselves,…
Get Away From the Maddening City—Now!
Incidence of schizophrenia and other psychoses is greater in urban than rural areas, but the reason remains unclear. Various studies have found the link between living in the city and severe mental illness, and none have determined a specific cause. A new study claims to have the explanation. The study examined a group of over…
eClass 5: Stress and Emotional Intelligence
We’re social creatures, and the life best lived often depends on our ability to create and maintain healthy relationships. Success, happiness, and the ability to give and receive love all hinge on our relationship skills. Most of us do a good job with relationships at the start. But why do we so often stumble down…
How Great Companies Minimize Employee Stress
How do truly outstanding companies minimize their employees’ stress? What programs do they implement that appear to make it easier to join the company, fit in well within the organization, grow and prosper as an employee? In their book, Best Practices in Talent Management: How the World’s Leading Corporations Manage, Develop, and Retain Top Talent,…
6 Worst and 6 Better Ways to Manage Time
How much can time management cost in terms of stress and health risk? It depends on how we choose to manage it. Some choices appear more effective but have short-term benefits and high cost. Others appear lower in stress and health cost but do not seem to use time efficiently. What’s the right answer? Let’s…
Past: Regret. Present: Stress. Future: Worry!
To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. –William Blake: Auguries of Innocence Wasting time and time management, hourly wage, multitasking, deadlines, bank accounts, financial investments, insurance and retirement planning are all facets of…
People Who Lie Under Stress And How to Tell If They Are
People who make public statements are generally expected to tell the truth, and most of the time that’s the case. Severe stress, however, can override ethical obligations. People in public positions, such as CEOs, political figures, athletes, entertainers who are under media or legal scrutiny may and do lie about facts and circumstances. How to…
Something Needs to Be Done About Hostility!
Hostility is stressful, both ways. To giver and receiver alike, hostility metes out its toxic charge of badness. Far from being a true relief for frustration, pent-up anger, or unexpressed emotion, a sudden explosion of hostility merely releases a burst of energy and briefly discharges some muscle tension. Beyond these ephemeral effects, it is hard…