WELLNESS THEORY

July 23, 2009 By

Ask 100 people what “wellness” is and you’ll get 100 different answers. Bottom line: It’s doing what you need to do to be emotionally happy and optimistic, mentally challenged and sharp, physically healthy, spiritually content, fulfilled in your job and relationships, and comfortable in your environment. One small change – positive or negative — in any one of these areas affects all the others. So it’s important to be positive because nobody wants an avalanche of negative. Counseling can help you change the way you think and respond to situations, help reduce addictions and relieve anxiety and depression.

Take optimism, for example. When you see the glass as half full, life tends to be a little less overwhelming. That’s because when you have a problem, you know you’re already halfway to the solution. With that attitude, you feel energized and hopeful that you can do almost anything. Positive energy attracts positive people, who give you more energy and can lighten the load even more. As your stress levels are reduced, your health and happiness improve.

Don’t discount how important energy is to your wellbeing – and, remember, you only have so much of it. You can choose to use it wisely or to fritter it away on wasted time, worry, regret and resentment. Once it’s used up, something has to give — usually your immune system or your patience.

Think about the last time you were burning the candle at both ends—working a full time job, trying to keep up a house, be a good spouse and chasing your kids and pets around. Were you pleasant to be around, or did you lack the energy to be patient and forgiving? Were you well rested and feeling healthy, or sick and tired of being sick ad tired? Did have time to attend to good personal habits, or did you use spray deodorant instead of shower, dress in those not-too-dirty clothes from the laundry hamper and eat leftover pizza for breakfast on the way to work?

Personal Strategy
So what does that all mean to you?
It means you’re responsible for/in control of your own destiny. You’re the only one who can prioritize your life, so it’s your responsibility to figure out what you need to be happy and what you need to do to make that happen. …

Just because something works for your partner/significant other or neighbor doesn’t mean it will work for you. Some people would rather die than exercise. Others would rather do anything than go to counseling and talk about the “F” word (Feelings). You have the ability to choose the solution you are most comfortable with. As you start to have less “stress” in one area, everything else will start to improve.

It also means that your energy is precious. Use it wisely and life will seem effortless; waste it and you’ll spend each day swimming up stream. If you have read this far, you believe that you have room to improve, so choose one or two of the suggestions below and see what happens.

Emotionally: Do one thing every day that makes you truly happy. A good belly laugh does wonders. Play with your kids. Get a comedy video. Watch the birds and squirrels in your yard.

Mentally: Try being more optimistic in the way you interpret things. If it’s raining, don’t focus on it being a gloomy day. Think about the good things: It’s cooler it is because of the clouds, or you don’t have to water your lawn today! Find something that challenges your mind or your creativity such as crosswords, puzzles, restoring an old car or redecorating a room in your house.

Physically: Go outside for 20 minutes each day to breathe the fresh air and get sunshine. Go on a 10-minute walk. Let yourself go to bed whenever you get tired for a week.

Socially: Make a list of people you enjoy. Call one of them each day. Send an e-card for no reason, or just take stock of how many wonderful people you have in your life.

Spiritually: Engage in random acts of kindness (See Resources below)

Environmentally: Clean up. You don’t have to be June Cleaver, but a tidy house or work space can make you more productive and generally happier. Get Feng Shui for Dummies and try out a few of its suggestions. Put flowers on your table to brighten up a room. Get some cookie dough from the store and bake your way into a sweet smelling house and very happy children.

Each week pick one area of wellness and experience how small (relatively painless) changes can help you feel happier and healthier in every aspect of your life.

Resources
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People series by Stephen R. Covey
Please Understand Me by David Keirsey
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series and website by Richard Carlson Ph.D.
The Book of Lists series by Sandra Choron
Books by SARK http://www.campsark.com

http://www.actsofkindness.org/

Filed Under: Mental Health, Self-Improvement, Stress Management, Wellness

Stress

July 23, 2009 By

My father used to have a coffee cup that read–and you see I have paraphrased :) : “STRESS is the condition resulting when the mind overrides the body’s overwhemling deisre to choke the living crap out of some poopoo head who desperately needs it”

Yes, this is the most common definition of stress. Let’s take a look at the problem.
75-90% of visits to primary care physicians are due to stress related problems
85% of adults report “high levels of stress” more than 2 times per week
Stress levels have risen dramatically in children and the elderly
1 million employees are absent on any give day due to stress related problems, according to the National Safety Council.
Job stress costs American industry $200-$300 Billion dollars each year.
60%-80% of on-the-job accidents are stress related.

Stress does not only include anxiety and mental stress, but also physical stress due to poor working conditions, shift work, excessively long shifts and inadequate time-off. Mental sources of stress include the obvious job stressors, but also “secondary stressors” caused by work at home. For example, my husband is a cop. His department often will transfer him to a different shift or change the times of his shift with little notice and for no apparent reason. Since both of our children are young, and I really like structure, this causes a lot of chaos and stress. Childcare becomes a crisis and our routines get disrupted which impacts our sleep, our interactions and our attitudes.

So what do we do about it?
Prioritize. Figure out what is really important. There are not enough hours in a day. What absolutely has to be done. What can wait?

Ask yourself, will this really matter 6 months from now?

Figure out what things you have control over and change those. For all the rest of the stuff, let it go. There is nothing you can do about it and getting all worked up just takes years off your life.

Get plenty of rest. When you are tired, molehills seem like mountains.

Avoid too much sugar or caffeine.

Filed Under: Stress Management Tagged With: , ,

TIP 35 Motivational Interviewing

May 13, 2009 By

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Filed Under: Addictions, Anxiety, Counseling Techniques, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Stress Management Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

50 Ways to De-Stress Your Life

February 19, 2007 By

1. Keep your house clutter free
2. Allow “wiggle-room” in your schedule
3. Get a pet
4. Maintain clear communication with house-members
5. Get up 15 minutes earlier for extra time
6. Lay out your clothes and book bag/brief case the night before
7. Set 2 alarms (one on the other side of the room) and have one with a battery back-up
8. Set one day aside to run errands etc. . .
9. Listen to “happy music” on your way to work
10. Get your least favorite task out of the way first
11. Make a resolution for the day to practice acceptance
12. Use only one credit card so you only have one bill/grand total to keep track of
13. Enlist the help of others when possible
14. Make an office buddy. You can give each other pick-me-ups when stress hits.
15. Try not to gossip
16. The more difficult someone is, the more stressed s/he is. Try and do something nice for them. It may be just what they need to get out of their funk.
17. Bring happy pictures to work. Even if you don’t have a desk, you can keep it in your pocket.
18. Take a time-out and go for a walk
19. Moderate caffeine and sugar as they mimic the stress reaction
20. Keep a humor page book marked on the internet. Go to it when you need a laugh.
21. Wear comfortable clothes
22. Practice affirmations and Stress Inoculation Training
23. Find something to look forward to every hour
24. Try to find something positive or redeeming about every task
25. Check to make sure your life is in balance: Do you feel overwhelmed by a particular area?
26. Do something nice for someone every day
27. Overcome one resentment or regret to free up some energy
28. Practice a relaxation strategy
29. Eliminate one stressor from every area of your life
30. When you get up, wake up with an aromatic bubble bath and your favorite morning drink
31. Reward yourself for a job well-done at the end of each day
32. Leave little notes with affirmations or jokes throughout your house/office: cabinets, drawers, books
33. Express your frustration through something creative
34. Spend the day with a child learning to appreciate what s/he appreciates: swings, clouds, merry-go-rounds, slides, scampering little ants. . .
35. Turn off all forms of external communication for a day: pager, telephone, cell phone, answering machines (or at least turn the volume all the way down–check it tomorrow)
36. If you died tomorrow, what would you like to spend the day doing today??? Do it (or as close as you can get)
37. Keep a running list of everything you run out of/need at the store
38. See about shopping from the internet.
39. Evaluate to see if you are giving too much
40. Contact at least 1 positive person per day
41. Describe your perfect day: what would you do (or not do) where are you (somewhere feasible) and make it happen at least once a month
42. Create a personal space where you can go and relax without interruption
43. Be honest with yourself about what is stressful then modify small parts of it
44. Volunteer for something in your profession (make it a tax write off–see your accountant for specifics)
45. Find a social cause to work for: saving stray animals, curing disease etc. . .
46. Cross things off your to do list for a sense of accomplishment
47. Learn how to play just as hard as you work
48. Don’t watch the news in the evening if it is going to stress you out
49. Spend 10 minutes a day being silly with someone else or an animal
50. Ask yourself, Is it worth time out of my life to get upset about this

Filed Under: Counseling Techniques, Depression, Stress Management Tagged With: , , , , ,