Happy in NEPA

May is Mental Health Month

Posted by DrPFox

Welcome to the Mental Health Blog Party 2012!  The American Psychological Association (APA) is promoting good mental health through the month of May.

Here are some tips for maintaining and improving your mental health.  

1. Manage Your Lifestyle ~ Get 8-9 hours of sleep a night by practicing good sleep hygiene ~ Eat food low on the food chain and avoid fast food/processed food ~ Move every day and move often. 

2. Cultivate Close Relationships ~ Spend time with friends and family who are smart, funny, and active.

3. Increase Positive Emotions ~ Express gratitude, take a walk outside, or smile. 

However, if you still find yourself trudging through the day, help is available. Talk to a psychologist; the side effects are a better life! In Pennsylvania, you can find a psychologist in your area by visiting the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's Psychologist Locator.

Learn more:

Mental Health Month ~ by American Psychological Association 

Improving Emotional Health: Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health ~ by HELPGUIDE.org  

 

Twitter #mhblogday 

Heart Health, Anxiety, & Curiosity

Posted by DrPFox

February is American Heart Month and the perfect time to evaluate the stress and anxiety in your life. Remember that stress is a normal experience and can motivate you to make important changes in your life. Anxiety, in contrast, is our fear system gone awry. The fight-or-flight reseponse keeps us safe from threats in the environment. When we are constantly in this activated state, anxiety takes over and wears out the body. Anxiety is a primary factor in cardiovascular disease.   

What if we made friends with anxiety and used it to improve our well-being? Dr. Todd Kashdan, a clincial psychologist, recommends that we use anxiety to fuel our curiousity. 

~ Take the anxious feelings along as you explore situations that provoke anxiety.

~ Focus on your strengths & decide how you want to spend your time. 

~ Harness anxiety to maximze your attention & energy. Butterflies are good! 

~ Defuse your thoughts. Ugly thoughts filled with self-doubt foster ugly emotions. 

Kashdan suggests using the Two Systems exercise, created by Dr. Steven Hayes, to defuse anxiety by tuning into your curiousity: Imagine anxiety and curiousity are two knobs. Imagine the knobs go from 0 to 10. You have the power to dial back, or turn down, the anxiety. You also have the power to turn up the curiousity. Practice this exercise. Make it your goal is to turn down the anxiety and to turn up the curiousity.

Adopt a perspective of curiousity to stretch your skills and knowledge. Go forth and explore!

Learn more:

Managing Stress for Heart Health ~ by Anxiety Disorders Association of America ~ February 2, 2012 

Anxiety ~ by American Psychological Association 

Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life ~ by Todd Kashdan, Ph.D. ~ 2009 ~ Harper

The Psychologist & The Monk  ~ Dr. Steven C. Hayes & Venerable Lobsang Nyingpo ~ October 10, 2011 ~ YouTube  

 

Improving Well-Being Through Self-Control

You already know the things you should do to improve your life. That's why you make New Year's resolutions. You resolve to lose weight, eat better, live greener, save money, or be more patient. What gets in the way of keeping those resolutions? You may need to increase your willpower! 

Dr. Roy F. Baumeister, a social psychologist at Florida State University, and his research team have found that willpower is a limited resource but you can manage and even increase this powerful resource. Consider the following findings:

~ Making a decision exhausts willpower. Exhausion leads to simpler or poorer decisions.

~ The average person spends 3-4 hours a day resisting desires, e.g., food, alcohol, Angry Birds, etc. which also depletes willpower. 

~ Willpower is also used to control thoughts and emotions.

~ Baumeister calls this depleted willpower, "ego depletion." Ego depletion results in experiencing even stronger desires. 

Making decisions, especially difficult decisions, along with controlling our desires, results in reduced blood glucose levels. Baumeister and his team found that with ego depletion, people perform more poorly on taks that require self-control. They found that when people eat a snack or even drink a glass of lemonade, their self-control improved. 

You can increase your willpower by exercising it. For example, pick a simple, habitual task like brushing your teeth. Make a point to use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth every day for a week or two. You'll notice that this non-automatic activity will become easier with practice. 

Or, pick one of your New Year's resolutions and develop a detailed, daily plan for accomplishing the goal. If your goal is to eat better, consider how your day will be spent. What time of the day are you most likely to experience ego depletion? Planning your daily meals and snacks in advance will help you stick with the longer-term goal of eating better. 

Become more aware of how ego depletion feels and when it's most likely to occur. Plan for failure and arrange your day to avoid the environmental factors that will influence your ability to stick with a plan. 

Learn more:

The power of self-control ~ by Kirsten Weir ~ January 2012 ~ Monitor on Psychology 

John Tierney - Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength  ~ October 4, 2011 ~ ReasonTV

The Sugery Secret of Self-Control ~ by Steven Pinker, Ph.D. ~ September 2, 2011 ~ The New York Times 

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength ~ by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney ~ September 1, 2011 ~ Penguin Group

'Live Happy' Smart Phone App

I downloaded the Live Happy app, based on Sonia Lyubomirksy's book, The How of Happiness, in August and I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it.

I like the app. The Activities menu include savor, strive, explore, gratitude, optimism, and social activity. I made just one entry in Strive, which was a mission statement of sorts related to my career goals and I smiled when I reviewed it today.

However, I made exactly the mistake I caution clients against. I wasn't SMART when I developed my goal: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relavant, and Time-bound. Failing to be smart, in this case, was a human error and not a technological error.  My identified goal is attainable and relavant but not specific, measurable, or time-bound. 

After entering a goal, you can move to the Baby Steps screen, which allows you to enter the specifics of the goal. You can share your Baby Steps on Twitter or Facebook. The key to success is to review the goal frequently and to take action, something I didn't do. 

Another interesting feature of this app is the survey page, which you'll find under the Me menu. You can select a survey intended to measure "your overall happiness and current emotional state." Another survey assesses key personality traits that contribute to happiness and mood. The third survey helps you identify your personality strengths. 

The Live Happy app is user-friendly and a great deal at $0.99. Still, consider reading Dr. Lyubomirsky's book. She has an engaging writing style and more importantly, her recommendations are supported by scientific research. 

Well-Being Online

What could be better for tracking well-being than a smart phone app?

I began researching well-being apps by reading other people's reviews. . . and was immediately overwhelmed by the many choices. My focus was on apps that tracked and promoted psychological, physical, emotional, social, and environmental well-being. Too many choices promotes procrastination so I decided to try out two. 

1. Live Happy - this app is a "happiness-boosting positive psychology program" based on Sonia Lyubomirksy's book, The How of Happiness. Dr. Lyubomirsky talks about her app here.

2. Twitter Well-Being Tracker - I stumbled on this site by searching "well-being apps" via Google. The Well-Being Tracker isn't a smart phone app. Rather, it allows the user to take a quiz, get a score, and compare it to other Twitter users. The Tracker is based on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which tracks U.S. health and well-being. 

I'll be using the programs for the next month. Check back at the end of September for an update!

Making Change is Easy. . . Right?

Change is a process, not an event. ~ James Prochaska, Ph.D. 

A wonderful blog post, The Only 100 Words You Need to Read Today!, tweeted by @TimBrownson, got me thinking about change. 

Simply put, if you want to change something about your life, just do it! So why aren't we all instituting amazing changes? What is getting in the way? 

Drs. James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente developed a framework to help therapists understand how people change. The Transtheoretical Model of Change describes five stages that individuals move in and out of as they get ready to make a change in their lives. The model has been applied to a range of human behaviors. 

The first stage is Pre-Contemplation, when the individual has no interest in changing. The Contemplation stage is about ambivalence. In the Preparation stage, the individual may have tried to change some behavior, without success, or may be planning to change in the immediate future. This is the stage to begin taking small steps, and social support will help the process. In the Action stage, the person begins the change, with ongoing social support and recognizing that there may be feeling of loss related to the old behavior. Finally, in the Maintenance stage, change is maintained for 6 or more months with a relapse plan for preventing a return to the "old" behavior. 

Easy, right? Despite our best intentions, our emotions, sometimes overwhelming and often irrational, will get in the way of change. Eat less if you want to lose weight - until you pass by your favorite Italian restaurant that makes meatballs just like your grandmother's. Warm, happy feelings! Join a walking group if you want to get in shape - until you remember that your car is out of gas and your sneakers have holes. Disappointment and guilt! Break up with a romantic partner because the relationship just hasn't worked out - until you think about how challenging it is to find someone new. Sadness and fear! 

The emotions are real. Experience the happiness, disappointment, guilt, sadness, and fear. Acknowledge the emotions, but don't let the emotions prevent you from making the change. Just do it!

Feel the fear and do it anyway. ~ Susan Jeffers 

 

Increasing Well-Being

If you could increase your well-being, would you do it? Well-being refers to the positive and pleasant experiences people have in life. Well-being is subjective. Our individual perceptions of pleasure vary. 

Coaching psychology might be an avenue for increasing individual, organizational, or community well-being. Psychology is the scientific study of human mind and behavior. Coaching is defined as a professional relationship between a "coach" and a "coachee" where the coach helps the coachee identify goals that might include improving health, facilitating career growth, or increasing satisfaction with life. The coach provides motivation and change strategies for the coachee. 

Coaching psychology, according to researchers Anthony M. Grant and Michael J. Cavanagh, involves the systematic application of behavioral science to the enhancement of life experience, work performance and well-being. Admittedly, coaching psychology is a recent development in the field of psychology and is influenced by the study of positive psychology. While positive psychology has its roots in humanism, this area has been been actively studied for only about 10 years. Coaching psychology can be viewed as an application of positive psychology. 

The goal of coaching psychology, then, is to use evidence-based strategies for enhancing the positive aspects of human experience like flourishing, resilience, awe, and appreciation. 

Would you hire a coach to increase your well-being? 

 

How to Be Happy - Broaden and Build

During a class discussion on resilience, a student asked if positive thinking caused people to get over illnesses faster. Social scientists remind us that establishing causation when studying aspects of human behavior is not so straight forward and that behaviors that may be correlated, or related, does not mean one caused a change in another. 

Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D., director of the PEPLab at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, studies the relationship between positive emotions and flourishing. She has developed a theory she calls broaden-and-build to explain the impact of positive emotions on health and well-being.

Dr. Fredrickson has found that experiencing positive emotions helps us envision more possibilities in our lives. The more creative and open we are, the more likely we are to take risks and explore the world. This exploration allows us to build our resources, making us more adaptive in difficult times. Experiencing positive emotions expands our psychological, physical, and social resources. 

Fredrickson refers to the experience of positive emotions as positivity. Her 2009 book, Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life, describes the top 10 forms of positivity and interestingly, happiness is NOT one of them. She notes that term happiness is "murky and over-used." Here are her top 10: 

1. Joy
2. Gratitude
3. Serentity
4. Interest
5. Hope
6. Pride 
7. Amusement
8. Inspiration
9. Awe
10. Love 

If you'd like to learn more about increasing your positivity, the book contains a chapter called A New Toolkit describing activities to build positive emotions. You can also find activities at On-line Tools. 

How to Be Happy - Winter in NEPA

Though the temperature is well below freezing and there is snow on the ground, the view from my desk is a sunny and bright blue sky. Spring feels just a little bit closer. The good news is that the days are getting longer which means we are getting more exposure to natural light.

How do we stay happy during the long, grey winters in NEPA? Many people have a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Others may suffer with the "winter blues." They experience similar symptoms yet don't meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of SAD. Symptoms typically include feelings of sadness or depression; irritability and unhappiness; lethargy; social withdrawal; weight gain; and, sleep difficulties. Women are much more likely than men to experience symptoms. 

Our brains produce melatonin, a hormone that controls the sleep/wake cycle. Melatonin production is influenced by exposure to sunlight and the short winter days appear to disrupt production. The neurotransmitter serotonin, associated with mood, appetite, and sleep, may also be impacted. 

Phototherapy, use of a "light box" early in the day, appears to be an effective treatment for symptoms of SAD and the "winter blues." Sitting near a window with a southern exposure may also help. Getting outdoors and getting physical helps increase light exposure and neurotransmitter production. 

Opportunities to get outdoors in NEPA are plentiful. Walking is cheap, convenient, and easy to do. Consider hiking the State Park trails which are so plentiful in Pennsylvania. Check out the Winterfest at Lackawanna State Park and enjoy snowshoeing and ice skating. The Northeast Pennsylvania Mountains boast 13 state parks for cross-country skiing. Check out NEPA Runner for outdoor running events. For the adventurous, visit Sno Mountain in Lackawanna county or Elk Mountain in Susquehanna county for skiing and snowboarding. 

Remember, the days are getting longer and spring is just 56 days away. 

Expressing Gratitude in the Face of Tragedy

In her book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, Dr. Sonja Lyubormirsky identifies the expression of gratitude as an activity to increase one's happiness. She writes, "Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, avarice, hostility, worry, and irritation." 

Like so many in the US, I was horrified by the events on 1.8.11, when a gunman shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D) in the head and then shot 18 others, killing 6 people. I watched the story unfold, curious to know more about the mental state of the shooter. The political rhetoric heated up and the finger-pointing began. 

More importantly, stories of selfless acts and heroism by "average people" emerged.

Daniel Hernandez, a 20-year-old Mexican-American, who was the Congresswoman's intern for just 5 days, is credited with saving her life. Several bystanders risked their personal safety to subdue and disarm the gunman: Patricia Maisch, Joseph Zamudio, Bill Badger, and Roger Sulzgeber. 

I am grateful that these "average people" were recognized for their selfless acts. I am grateful that acts of courage and kindness are made visible in age of 24/7 news coverage which so often focuses on the sensational and the sad.  In a memorial for the six victims of the shooting, President Obama urged Americans to ask ourselves, "Have we shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to people in our lives?"

May we all express gratitude to those important people in our lives and neutralize the negative.