You know a lot more about you and what is likely to be creating problems for you to live the life you want. Having cleared some space, cleared the decks and programmed your sat nav, it is time to move forward in a new direction. One that will allow you …

Anemia (iron-poor blood) can fatigue and make a person feel listless. Hypothyroidism (hormone imbalance) can flatten or even agitate mood. Mood changes may also occur from the psychological stress of coping with a medical condition or may be caused by the illness itself or by the medications used to treat …

You pace yourself with a realistic number of activities that you can accomplish. These include your responsibilities and obligations, pleasurable and positive experiences, and mastery experiences (see chapter 4). You understand that it is not helpful for you to stay in bed or on the couch all day, with endless …

Ironically enough, even positive stressful events such as the birth of a new baby or a wedding can have the same effect on the body's cortisol levels. As you can see in the section on postpartum depression, new mothers can be particularly vulnerable to symptoms of depression though, in most …

When we open up to one another we inevitably realise that we share the same human feelings: hurts and doubts, hurries and worries. The same dark nights and desires of the soul. And while each one of us is unique, we share our essential humankind-ness. Our need to belong, our …

Thirty-nine states, including my own state of New York, have adopted PDMPs. The data collected can help states to fashion targeted education programs as well as to identify and intervene with doctors whose prescribing patterns suggest that they are "pill mills," conveying to too many patients, collectively, massive doses of …

According to Jill Perry-Smith at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, while strong social ties have a neutral effect, weak ties bolster one's individual creativity. It is not entirely clear why this happens, but according to Perry-Smith, empirical evidence suggests that weak ties facilitate "the generation of alternatives and encourage autonomous …

Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of "me" as distinct from everything else. If you explode the illusion of that one concept, your whole universe changes. Don't expect to be able to do this overnight, though. You spent your whole …

Like Lucille Ball working in the chocolate factory in the classic episode of I Love Lucy, office workers can experience job strain from emails or assignments rushing by like unwrapped chocolates zooming along a conveyor belt. The second factor that correlates with workplace depression is an environment with an "effort-reward …

I put a note next to the bathroom mirror to remind me. It didn't take long to get into the habit. Daffy has a green bag that he always takes with him, kind of a big masculine purse or a mini-backpack. At night he puts in all the things that …

Every mental state has a birth, a growth, and a decay. You should strive to see these stages clearly. This is no easy thing to do, however. As we have already noted, every thought and sensation begins first in the unconscious region of the mind and only later rises to …

Epitomizing this shift, in 1903, Dr. George Pettey, an addiction specialist, vocalized a growing opinion about the depravity of addiction, calling it "another curse." A series of federal regulations, beginning with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, were bellwethers for the changing national outlook on drugs and drug …

The symptoms of bipolar depression are similar to those of major depression. There are different types of bipolar disorder that span a spectrum of these symptoms. The type depends on the intensity and duration of the elevated mood symptoms. A manic episode is as described above, hypomanic episodes are shorter …

Unfortunately, not only does this get in the way of an effective and satisfying working life, but it can also have a knock-on effect on your personal life. Perhaps the simplest way to reduce this feeling of pressure is to plan and prepare in advance. Pack your lunch the night …

We get stuck in the "if only" syndrome. If only I had more money, then I would be happy. If only I could find somebody who really loved me; if only I could lose twenty pounds; if only I had a color TV, a hot tub, and curly hair; and …

Otherwise, you aren't getting you, they aren't getting you, and that's not okay. Generalising a little, you either access past events and recall or exaggerate an experience that results in depression or you create huge multisensory events about the future which results in anxiety (from how the body reacts physically …

It also strengthens the surrounding muscles, taking pressure off the injured area, which allows it to heal more quickly and reduces the chances of reinjury.Plus, it will allow you to return to your full workouts more quickly.See your doctor and let him or her guide you back into …

But which app notifications should we disable, and how? Now that we've whittled down the number of apps on our phones, we can adjust our notification settings. This step took me about thirty minutes, but it was the most life changing. If you use an Apple iPhone, go to Settings …

We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the [Vietnam] war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities . We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break …

Something unexpected comes up which forces you to change your holiday plans. You think: How am I going to work round this? What are my options? Why does this always happen to me? My plans are all ruined. Someone congratulates you on a piece of work you've done. You say …

list did not have a line drawn through them. That's just how life goes sometimes. list, this makes it much easier to come back to. In addition, when a task doesn't have a line struck through it, that task clearly stands out from the pack. list? Well, he's had a …

This does not mean that you are giving up on a great idea. It means that you're not limiting your chance of success by focusing on just one way to accomplish it. Do you see a vision of a new healthier you yet? What do you see? Do you have …

Just reading a book, however, will not fix or change anybody. Seriously checking your sugar consumption, starting a new exercise program, and finding a therapist or health coach to work with will. You need to take action and actually use the suggestions offered. The reason many people can't simply pull …

When you have a plan in place, you will be able to survive and thrive in spite of the added tension. Many people turn to unhealthy behaviors to cope with or escape their stress, such as drinking too much alcohol, self-medicating on drugs, and overeating. But when you change the …

Keep striving. In a lot of cases, the ride to the life you want sucks and it's ugly, but if you don't worry about it and just hold on, you'll make it there. It makes perfect sense that schools use behavior and habit tracking sheets as a learning tool for …

In order to succeed, individuals must be able to recognize their emotions and regulate how they are displayed to others. This idea may sound simple in theory, but it is more challenging in practice. A large part of successful emotional recognition and regulation is the identification of emotions, something with …

Second, we must seek to secure public space that can be used - a closed street works because there is no through traffic, but so does a common piece of green space. Third, one of the most powerful motivators is dreams. Martin Luther King Jr did not give an I have …

If they follow the instructions, they will remember to welcome this thought along with the others, instead of trying to fight it. Something similar applies to people experiencing panic. We have seen that trying to "control" your emotions often backfire. You cannot simply "force yourself" to calm down in the …

You must be no less committed to finding your own path back to your authentic self and your authentic life. Just like Debbie, you must learn to paddle your own canoe and the fewer passengers you invite onboard, the easier it will be for you to reach your goal. You …

Know yourself. For instance, I'm currently in a great writing flow. I don't feel the need to leave my city. I have a set routine every day, and it works very well for me. I feel happy, and I enjoy my life a lot. When I go away for even …

Remember that procrastinators are great at finding excuses. Learn to face your overwhelming emotions. Avoid being a perfectionist. Take the pressure off yourself by developing patience from within. Now, let's move forward by learning how to deal with just one task at a time. In the early stages of treatment …

Confession compels us to acknowledge who we are and to continually seek to improve. What's more, confession puts us in the position to receive God's peace, comfort, and forgiveness. Confess has its origin in "agreement." So beyond the relief from worrying that we might be found out, confession means agreeing …

What sets you apart from the rest who don't have their act together is how you handle boring moments. Do they get the best of you and cause you to whine and complain like a little girl or do you hunker down and push through them? Do you handle them …

I'll tell you about the whole system later, but right now let's focus on the red card. It has the major things to do that I'm working on right now. Like the appointment book, it is always with me. These to-do's are the major, non-routine things that really need to …

Twelve-step programs are typified by AA, NA, and related groups for families and teenagers. They are offered for a variety of specific drugs, including alcohol, opioids, cocaine, nicotine, and marijuana, and for behavioral addictions such as gambling, sex, and food. Those who work the program are expected to progress through …

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a kind of talk therapy (psychotherapy) that addresses this connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In CBT you learn to identify and change thinking patterns that may be distorted, beliefs that are inaccurate, and behaviors that are unhelpful. CBT is a way to help …

To enjoy and reap its benefits, individuals don't have to be athletes--just physically active people. In short, Sarah has entered a cycle of avoidance that perpetuates and exacerbates (meaning worsens) the symptoms of panic and anxiety over time. At each stage of this cycle, she tried to avoid the possibility …

Don't sit there looking for things to be mindful of. Keep your mindfulness on the breath until something else steps in and pulls your attention away. When you feel that happening, don't fight it. Let your attention flow naturally over to the distraction, and keep it there until the distraction …

How can people manage the complex challenges of addiction if they have blood sugars bouncing around from uncontrolled diabetes, or chest pain from walking up a flight of stairs, or difficulty breathing, or knees or hips burning up with the inflammation and pain of arthritis? Of course, these questions answer …

The act of making the lists is a helpful organizing activity. It's helpful to break tasks into small steps, and then a step can be one of the list of five. Sometimes, serious injuries hurt very little; other times, very small injuries hurt a lot! The brain determines how much …