Posts Tagged ‘Mental Health’
Shyness Can Be Overcome Through Self Help
If you are a very shy person, the thought of talking to strangers may make you extremely nervous. There is an instant uneasiness if you think about talking to new people. Extreme amount of shyness can cause social inhibitions which lead to disruption of normal social interaction with people. This problem is called social anxiety and it affects millions of people at some point in their life. Cognitive behavioral treatment is one of the best therapies for curing this disorder.
Earlier on, scientists used to attribute the family environment to the emotional growth and development of a child. Now it appears that nature has programmed people’s personality towards being shy. This disorder is overcome by many people, while at the same time, a number of them actually live with it till their old age. Today’s generation lives in a world which needs less social contact and therefore this contributes to the underdeveloped social conditioning of some people. Internet and its related aspects like email interaction and computer based games, lead to risk of people becoming less social. If you happen to suffer from this disorder, there are a number of things you can do to overcome it.
First and foremost, identify what triggers shyness. Every situation does not lead to shyness in all the people. What time do you feel anxious? Ask yourself the question about when do you feel shy. Do you have negative thoughts and predictions automatically? Before you start believing that the negative assumption you are making is fact, try and challenge your thought process.
A shy person should start thinking in the direction that their thoughts are nothing but guesses. Do not put too much attention on information that confirms your belief in anxiety. One good way would be deflect your thoughts to something useful which disproves your negative thoughts. Everyone cannot be pleased all the time.
Put yourself right in the front and confront the negativity. It is a good idea to expose yourself to the situation as you yourself intentionally put yourself in situations which make you anxious. One of the best ways to deal with this is to constantly start facing situations so that the anxiety softens its grips and erodes away. The end objective should be to attract what you are fearful of and to realize that it isn’t a big deal. You may have a rumbling feeling in your stomach, but it is worth doing as soon as possible. The more you delay it, the more you will torture yourself.
Shyness is classified as a personality characteristic and is not considered to be a psychological or emotional disorder. It has various degrees of shyness. There is a category of people who feel nervous when they face an audience; some are extremely shy in so much as they start living reclusive lives. This is not how one should be living their life. For some people, shyness becomes some sort of a shell. It is quite safe, secure, warm and quiet for them. The flip side is that is can become highly dark, desolate, and confined.
Ask the family and friends to support and guide you. When faced with difficult situations, rely on them to seek pointers and guidance. When you are aware that there is someone out there to support you, life becomes much easier. Slowly and gradually, you will see that you are losing your fears and inhibitions. After gaining a social life, it will be interesting to see how easy it is to meet new people.
In order to overcome shyness, you can try out multiple things. If you want to make shyness a thing of past, start taking one step a day or week. While these pointers are good, there is more that can be done to erase shyness.
You can learn some wise insights in a free course at Wisdom Self Help Insights. Hans S Delane teaches words of wisdom courses and you can learn more at Self Help Courses.
What Are Panic Attacks?
A panic attack is a time when the body experiences extreme anxiety, feelings of fear, and sometimes pain which come on with little or no warning. Panic attacks are unique among anxiety related issues because they happen so suddenly and can be so damaging.
About 3 million people in the United States alone have suffered from panic attacks, and they can strike in any age group. Some people are unaware of what is happening to them, and even fear that they are losing their mind, having a heart attack, or dying.
If people are not aware of the fact they are having panic attacks, they won’t normally get treated for them. This lack of knowledge is detrimental since these attacks do not stop on their own.
Panic attacks are the cause of many issues and usually get worse if left untreated. Every person may have slightly different symptoms but the most frequently seen effects of a panic attack are: Rapid onset panic, breaking into a sweat, overly rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, becoming dizzy, becoming faint, and having pain.
Because the experience of a panic attack is so intensely miserable, it is actually common for people to fear new panic attacks so much that the attacks intensify and become more frequent. Prompt and efficient treatment of panic attacks is required if a person wants to eliminate these attacks and move on with their life.
Even though some people get medicine to stop their panic attacks, the side effects of these drugs can be really severe. Common problems from drugs like these are becoming disoriented, falling asleep constantly, and being incoherent. There are however non-drug methods that can help.
Panic attacks are best treated with a method that uses advanced psychological knowledge of brain function. Panic Away is one of the programs that puts an end to panic attacks by first taking away the constant fear of reoccurring attacks. The techniques teach you to retrain the way your brain reacts and it is possible to put into effect right away.
Panic attacks are not a problem which will ever improve if they just have a bandage put on them: They need a real cure. Following a psychologically sound program like the one referenced above can help you achieve the cure for panic attacks.
Most people who endure anxiety attacks say that they would go to nearly any length to avoid having attacks. The stumbling block is that they simply don’t know what to do. Severe anxiety may not cause significant long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be near intolerable. Learn more about measures you can take to stop panic attacks.
Learning About Abnormal Psychology
Have you heard of F-99? Read up! This new definition of ‘abnormal psychology’ could put you in an asylum! The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to the International Classification of Diseases, revision ten (ICD-10), Chapter Five, “Mental and Behavioral Disorders” as a universal descriptor of abnormal psychology. The description of mental and behavioral disorders presented in this chapter essentially define the abnormal everyman, the abnormal men and women of the world.
The WHO rightfully takes a global view on the individual. All people in the world are equal in the eyes of the WHO. At the outset, this is a troubling position. Abnormal psychology always appears in contrast to a cultural norm. From the WHO’s perspective, the individual’s abnormality must be measured against a universal norm, not a cultural one. A universal norm may indeed represent the behavior of a universal or global culture. As global government emerges on the back of a global economy, a global culture may very well ensue. This means that ICD-10 will become the standard used by global government to identify and treat the abnormal personality.
Since critical treatment of abnormal behavior may result in incarceration, such as in a hospital for the criminally insane, our personal freedom may be taken if our behavior fits into one of the categories of ‘abnormality’, as described in the ICD-10. You can see that it only makes good sense for us to safeguard our freedom and become informed of what the World Health Organization considers abnormal psychology. You may well be shocked to learn that ICD-10 has an ‘unspecified’ category: this means that virtually any behavior might qualify as abnormal psychology and require governmental intervention, correction, and monitoring.
Against the norms of a global culture, the ICD-10 identifies organic, physical, affective, schizophrenic, and neurotic disorders. It includes retardation, developmental disorders, behavioral syndromes, and childhood and adolescent emotional disorders. These are certainly categories of abnormal psychology and most people would not take issue with these. What most people would take issue with, are those people who treasure liberty and would see all governments limited in exercising yet more authority, is the ICD-10, Chapter 5 category, F99, the ‘unspecified’ category. While all the other categories of mental illness point to well known and specific mental disorders, category F99 identifies the behaviors described only as an “Unspecified mental disorder”.
The problem is immediately apparent in the phrase. All behavior that is not in one of the other, specific mental disorder categories of the ICD-10 is unspecified behavior. For example, dissent is not found in any legitimate and specific category, but the behavior fits well into F99. Dissent may represent a minority of the populace, an abnormality. Religious rituals are another form of behavior that fits into F99. Will dissent and religious practice be seen as an abnormal psychology? Will it thus require corrective treatment?
The broad generality of F99 should make it unacceptable to all people of the world. An ‘unspecified’ mental disorder category may have a place in research psychology, but it does not belong in the canon of abnormal psychology. If your personal freedom is important to you, hopefully this brief introduction provides a heads-up on what’s coming.
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Fear Of Needles - Overcome Your Fear
Many individuals suffer from a fear of needles and this fear can be very small or completely paralyzing depending on the intensity of that fear. About 10% of the population suffers from some sort of fear of needles. You might simply become uncomfortable around needles or at a worst case scenario you may even faint.
The context of the needle is very important when dealing with your fear. Many people may not have a problem with needles when they are used for sewing but are petrified of needles when you have to have a shot or got to the dentist. The first step to getting over your fear is figuring the actual cause of your fear.
Is it the needles itself or is it the process involving the needle. Many times it may be blood that is causing the problem as an individual that fears needles has no problem at the dentists.
Hypnotherapy is a great treatment for all different types of phobias. This is particularly effective for curing those that have a chronic fear of needles. Hypnotherapy will uncover what caused this fear as for most people this is traced back to something during their childhood. By determining what is causing the panic can help you deal with how you react now.
You may even be able to overcome your phobia of needles by attempting to be around needles, or by prolonged exposure to them. Many times this is only successful if you have help from someone else, maybe in the form of a hypnosis track that is designed to help you conquer your fear of these sharp implements.
Many people all try to be able to be around needles more. If they have needles around and they are part of the background then it is not such of a surprise as they are used to being around needles. You may need support and someone to hold your hand when you first start but with support you can overcome this fear.
Find out how to overcome your phobia of needles once and for all with this needle phobia hypnosis.
What Factors Cause Panic Attacks to Happen?
The exact reasons that people suffer from panic attacks is, in large part, not clear at this time. Even though it does appear that there might be some situations and factors which can cause a person to be predisposed toward panic attacks, there is not one certain factor that is always there.
According to scientific experts, the effects of panic attacks may possibly be related to the action of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. If neurotransmitter are mis-firing, they can make a reaction called “fight or flight” occur. This reaction is typically the precursor to panic attacks. The unknown here is why this reaction would be set off when the time is wrong, and the reasons behind that are still being researched today.
While precise causes may be unknown, it is known that some people are at an increased risk for experiencing panic attacks. Heredity appears to be a factor since panic attacks tend to run in families. The stress related with major life changes such as graduation, getting married, starting a new job, having a baby, divorce, or losing a job can sometimes tend to trigger panic attacks as well.
Some specific medical problems, and medications, may be causative factors in panic attacks. Should you start to suffer from panic attacks, especially if you have never had them, any potential medical causes need to be investigated prior to treatment.
Possible medical causes of panic attacks include: Mitral valve prolapse, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, the use of stimulants, and withdrawal from medication.
If your panic attacks are caused by medical issues which can be easily controlled, your physician will usually choose to make some changes to your medication or ask you to make lifestyle changes to prevent panic attacks from happening again.
For the type of panic attacks that are not rooted in medical problems, which are in fact the majority of panic attacks, it will take an aggressive approach. A program that has a good psychologically based method of stopping panic attacks, such as Panic Away, will usually be the best way to treat panic attacks. Methods like this one use safe and effective techniques to use the tool of your own brain, and it is used in a way that put you in total control.
Because this program works only on the specific brain areas that cause panic attacks, you are able to be in control and make certain you don’t have to deal with unexpected attacks any more.
Those people who endure panic attacks say they would take what ever action is needed to avoid the attacks. The difficulty is that they really don’t know what to do to stop them. Severe anxiety may not cause long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be severe. Learn more about steps you can take to eliminate anxiety related problems.
Battling Anxiety Disorder - And Winning!
Those of you who have coped with an anxiety disorder are all too familiar with the far reaching effects the condition can have. Anxiety disorders can surface at all stages of life and kids can also go through them. Panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder are a few of the manifestations of anxiety disorders. Here is some information to help you learn the basics of generalized anxiety disorder and what those who have this problem can do.
Being continually afraid or concerned over day to day affairs is a normal symptom of generalized anxiety disorder. Having an ongoing tense feeling that also makes it challenging to sleep at nighttime is quite common with this. Stomach problems like nausea or diarrhea are often caused by stress. Furthermore, people with anxiety disorder experience chronic muscular tension, consistent, frequent headaches and neck and back pain.
The exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder is still debated by physicians. Since many individuals with generalized anxiety disorder respond well to medicine, it’s thought that the disorder impacts brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Because this disorder is typically inherited in families, experts think that genes and a few environmental issues contribute to basic anxiety disorder. One consideration when making a diagnosis is that a large number of people with this disorder experienced heavy stress before its inception.
Treatment choices exist today that allow patients to enjoy a higher quality of life, even if the causes of their symptoms remain unsure. Drugs used to treat various psychological symptoms, such as depression, are frequently the first step in treatment. Two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also known as SSRIs, which physicians usually prescribe to manage anxiety systems and help keep them controlled, are Paxil and Prozac. However when such medications are not efficacious, physicians can turn to other medications created for this purpose.
Psychotherapy in addition to medication has been proven to work the best in combating this problem. Patients learn to control their negative thoughts when they take part in psychotherapy. The physician in charge of these psychotherapy meetings is commonly a psychiatrist or a psychologist specializing in addressing nervous disorders. Exercises that focus on relaxation such as yoga or meditation can also be very effective and noninvasive ways to treat anxiety naturally. Making use of them in combination will often result in a reduction of symptoms, resulting in a higher quality of life.
Anxiety disorder is a debilitating condition, one that millions of people deal with on a daily basis. If you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder, it’s important that you seek out treatment as soon as possible. Find out about the various approaches to managing the condition at Fighting Anxiety.
Stop Snoring - Mini Net: You Can Stop Snoring Today
Anyone can be adversely affected by snoring - whether you are personally the snorer or you have a spouse who snores. It helps to learn more about how you can reduce, prevent, and completely stop snoring so you can finally have better sleep at night. You can learn more about these through a Stop Snoring - Mini Net site and the tips you can find there might just be the solutions you have been looking for so you can have a more restful sleep at last.
A Stop Snoring - Mini Net site can be quite helpful if you are looking for general information about snoring. It can also include information on snoring disorders or sleep apnea, causes of snoring, products that can help stop snoring, and snoring surgeries. While most people do not really consider snoring as a major problem, the information that you can get from this kind of website can prove to be valuable as snoring can be an indicator of some other more serious condition that you or your loved one might be suffering from.
More often than not, it is easier to spot another snorer than to identify yourself as a snorer. If you are living with a snorer, it would be a lot of help to know how you should deal with this kind of problem. One way to deal with a snorer is to have him or her learn more about stop snoring tips. You can also wear earplugs as these can help filter out the noise. Another way to deal with the problem is through making arrangements with the snorer - like asking that you sleep in a different room or you fall asleep first.
Among the most valuable information that you can find in Stop Snoring - Mini Net sites revolve around products that can help stop snoring. These products can include CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure appliances, adjustable beds, dental appliances, specially-made pillows, nasal valve dilators, and sprays that help stop snoring. All these products provide solutions to snoring and most of them promote clearer passageways so that snoring can be finally put to a halt.
However, there are cases when the use of products that help stop snoring is not enough. In severe cases, snorers might need to undergo surgery. You can read more about surgical options available for snorers through a Stop Snoring - Mini Net site.
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What Are Panic Attack Symptoms?
Panic attack symptoms might be different for every person, but most of the time there is more than just the feelings of panic. A person who suffers a panic attack usually feels frightened, out of control, and like they are a prisoner of this serious medical problem.
Some people who suffer from panic attacks have several of the following symptoms but not others, and it’s not uncommon to experience additional symptoms over time since panic attacks worsen if not treated.
The American Psychiatric Association says in their official manual of diagnosis and statistics that panic attacks will frequently begin with the feelings of panic and then will be accompanied by four or more other related symptoms.
In a medically defined panic attack, these symptoms will peak within 10 minutes. During the 10 minutes, all symptoms will take place at some point.
Panic Attack Symptoms
Usually some of the other effects of a panic attack are some of the following: Heart pounding, sweats, chills, overheating, having breathing issues, feeling of choking, chest pain, feeling of nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, feeling like insanity is setting in, and numbness or a tingling feeling in the extremities. These symptoms may be simultaneous or may happen in rapid succession, it varies by person.
Because panic attack symptoms are truly nightmarish for many, the attacks can really interfere with quality of life. Treatment is vital, and stopping future attacks is also important.
Anyone can eradicate panic attacks from their life, but it will take a dedicated approach and often will need the use of a method such as Panic Away. This program uses the brain’s inner workings to get control of panic attacks and will allow the best chance to beat them.
People who endure panic disorder say that they would go to nearly any length to avoid having the attacks happen. The difficulty is that they really don’t know what to do to stop them. Panic attacks may not cause major long term physical damage, but the emotional damage can be intolerable. Learn more about the steps you can take to prevent anxiety.
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The Power of Encouragement
I was walking the winding looping steep trail at my local park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The trail is about a half of a mile and very steep in some portions. A great workout. So here I was walking at a very fast pace. A stranger in workout gear was running the opposite direction. He was very fit and looked like he was having a good run. As he passed me he yelled out “way to go!” He was looking directly at me. I was somewhat shocked at being addressed by a stranger. Who was he anyway? On the second lap I earned a smile and a ” keep going!” On the third lap a big wave. So here I was starting to feel good about the encouragement of a stranger! This was an amazing experience and really got me thinking. I wanted to do well for my new “coach”. I actually ran the last lap to please him.
Think about it. All people need to feel good; to get and give energy, to have encouragement, appreciation and acknowledgement. So here is the big issue; many leaders don’t take the energy and time to provide any form of encouragement at all. None! Encouragemant as a tool can have great power. I want you to think about being the Head Motivator. Now you are saying to yourself- “here goes the motivational seminar stuff.” Nope. I am just saying that in a leadership role, your job is to get results. That is it. Results. So how do you get these great results?- through people.
So do you want to be effective as the Chief Encouragement Officer? Here are tips and techniques that can work really well in order to help you fullfill your new role.
Talk to people- I have been at company meetings several times and have watched a key executive walk into the room, walk by everyone and go across the room to speak to other executives. It was as if the “small people” weren’t worth addressing or acknowledging. Shocking and foolish. In my opinion this is a big strategic error and can and will create resentment. So when you are working daily or in one of your offices, do you take the time to say hello to people as you pass them? If not do you at least nod at them giving positive non verbal signals?
Take note of their efforts- Lower level employees often tell me they never ever get any credit for their work. So when employees work really hard do something “over and above” the call of duty, make sure to notice and say something about it. When people do wonderful work let them know! It’s important to publically and privately (one on one) acknowledge people when they do great work. I was once a Vice President at a big company that had 80,000 employees. At times when I saw something I felt was great, I would find out who did it and I would write them a short handwritten note of appreciation, thanking them for doing such a wonderful job. When I traveled I would go in someone’s office (or cube) and well look at that- I woulde see the card I wrote pinned up on their wall. This taught me an important life lesson- that everyone wants to be appreciated.
Bees and honey- There is an old saying in the south “you attract bees with honey not vinegar.” It’s not a comment about bees it’s a comment about humans. It is easy to be critical really easy. Most people screw up alot. But the problem is these people already beat up on themselves on a regular basis. Why do we need to keep adding on to that? It is the big morale killer. It’s probably just being human but its not helping at all. As a leadership expert I encourage leaders to try and find a balance between the honey and the vinegar. In many cases there is no honey at all. So some balance- please!.
Give surprise rewards- Give people rewards when they least expect it. Find small ways to reward them. This can be a gift card, a few extra hours off, taking someone to lunch, or even buying the team a box of donuts in the morning. Just make sure it is when they least expect it and it is positioned as a reward. Say “well I just want you to know that I know how hard you have been working on the project. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Thanks.” Done properly it will be the discussion at dinner at home that night. “Hey guess what my boss did at work today? You will never believe it.”
The secret to great leadership is really not a secret at all. You as a leader need to encourage people, help them feel as if their work matters because it does. We all matter.
So go ahead -get busy!
Shawn Doyle is an expert Motivational Speaker and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn’s book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.
Can You Manage Your Anger?
Do you get angry from time to time? No matter, we all get angry from time to time, it’s a normal human response to some stressful and difficult situations. But when that gets out of control that’s another matter.
Anger is human. But like many of our emotions it can be overpowering and it can also get out of control like some other emotions. And when this happens it can do some real damage to a lot of different areas of your life.
And excessive anger can lead to behaviors that are less than desirable, like shouting at people, chronic sulleness or grumpiness, withdrawal into yourself, overt aggression with other people, moroseness and more.
And there’s anger that creates outward violence towards others including your family, even your children. When this happens you have to get real and tackle the problem or you’re in trouble.
These sorts of behaviors can have severe impacts on the life of the sufferer. Usually their relationships suffer or break down entirely, they can become lonely and alone and resentful, and feel like they’ve totally lost control of their lives. In serious cases life can totally spiral out of control leading to even more serious implications.
And on top of this there are serious health implications that have been uncovered by the research. For example those with uncontrolled anger can suffer from high blood pressure and heart problems and stroke, insomnia, anxiety and depression, digestive problems and headaches and more. Isn’t that scary?
And it’s hard to predict when a serious episode will occur. There is of course nothing you can do to avoid triggers, these are normal life events and setbacks and frustrations that happen to everyone. They will happen to you too. Normally people get angry then get over it and get on with life.
But although you can’t stop stressful events happening in your life you can affect how you react to them.
Your reaction is totally within your control. That doesn’t mean that right now, understanding this, you can suddenly control yourself. But it does offer hope that there is something you can do if you know what, and how.
There are excellent techniques for anger management that are available to everyone if they take time to learn them. Of course like everything some techniques work for some, and others for others. Some people may need professional counseling and others may not.
But there are answers to spiraling down into a life of rage and upset and broken relationships. It needs you to make the decision to take control of your life and do whatever it takes to learn the techniques. Once you’ve done that you ought to get down to work and start learning some solid and effective anger management techniques.
Visit my website for an anger management book that will get you started on the journey towards managing your anger.
Peter has an Anger Management Book available on his website. Find his book at http://angermanagementips.com/