You're worried about it. Worry forces you to think about little else over the weekend other than getting to see a doctor on Monday. It's annoying that you can think of little else, but the fact that you are so preoccupied makes it likely you'll go and see the doctor …

We may feel fear, worry, restlessness, or boredom. These reactions are also universal. We should simply note them and then generalize. We should realize that these reactions are normal human responses, and can arise in anybody. The practice of this style of comparison may feel forced and artificial at first …

We're not in denial--we know there is something going on that needs to be solved. Maybe we even understand that the matter is serious. It's on our to-do list . it just never gets done. The reasons we procrastinate are many and can vary by person. It's possible that some people …

I won't quarrel with that. But the secondary gain of educating the public is far more valuable. One of the greatest ways we make sense of the world is by hearing the stories of others. Through their narratives, we measure and reframe our internal thoughts and feelings, learn that we're …

There is an amusing passage by the British novelist Kingsley Amis on this subject. Amis was writing at the time about his strategies for recovering from a hangover, after a binge of nighttime drinking, but if you replace the word "hangover" in this passage with "panic attack," it reveals a …

Keeps your bones strong and joints healthy. Helps you maintain a healthy weight. Helps you maintain your independence well into your later years.1 Constantly fighting your emotions can be like playing an exhausting game of tug-of-war with a monster. What might happen if you just put down the rope …

It is also possible, and in fact not at all uncommon, that a successful person may attribute a great deal of positive characteristics to someone whose influence at the time was entirely negative or destructive, yet the person accommodated or adapted that negative experience in a healthful and positive way …

"The results suggested that suppressing the thought for the first five minutes caused it to `rebound' even more prominently into the participants' minds later," according to an article in Monitor on Psychology. Wegner later dubbed this tendency "ironic process theory" to explain why it's so difficult to tame intruding thoughts …

Why is that? There is often considerable evidence that both supports and contradicts the hypothesis tested. If we focus primarily on the supporting data, we're more likely to accept that hypothesis, even though the contradictory information may be more compelling. In essence, when we use a confirming strategy, we rely …

However, true experiments are difficult to perform on this issue because you can't force a random sample of people to smoke or stop smoking. As a consequence, researchers had to analyze the incidence of illness in smokers and nonsmokers. But any observed differences in one study could have been the …

Thomas Edison's productivity was boosted by napping. Napoleon Bonaparte would nap anywhere he could because he was so busy he didn't know when the next opportunity to rest would present itself. Leonardo Da Vinci took a 15-minute naps every 4 hours and slept less at night. On top of 10 …

So, keep in mind that evaluating risk for suicide is not like setting up a list of pros and cons. There is no specific formula for detecting and preventing suicide. What I recommend is to look at a person's biology, biography, risk, and protective factors--as well as her or his …

It directly influences the content and quality of every moment that you live. We needn't consider ourselves to be religious in order to invite prayer into our lives. In my eyes, prayers of love, gratitude and care are powerful, healing energetic frequencies that do count, and do make a real …

While early contradictory evidence may blur our understanding, later work often brings the picture into sharper focus. When programs to help disadvantaged children, such as Head Start, were first studied, we saw headlines like "Early Intervention Raises IQs by Thirty Points," along with "Head Start a Failure." What are we …

We'll discuss this topic in part five. Different communication channels have different uses. Rather than use every technology as an always-on channel, use the best tools for the job. Get in and get out. Group chat is great for replacing in-person meetings but terrible if it becomes an all-day affair …

He can even schedule, "8:30 pm -9:30 PM - goofing-off", if he wants. But now, whatever he does, he's doing it on purpose, with intention, and his evening is more likely to turn out satisfying to him. He still has to deal with distractions that would pull him away …

Its effects have in recent studies been likened to those of smoking and obesity combined. Centenarians living in Blue Zones' around the world, those living happily and healthily into old age, are invariably living in community. <a href='http://major.majz.com/t10-Aim-for-a-voice-and-tone-for-your-website-that-s-conversational-friendly-and-respectful.htm#p12'>(Blue Zones' are areas around …

It's your life, why would you want to be a passenger? In examining your locus of control, we've been talking about the particular style with which you interpret and respond to the events in your life. I trust that, by this point, you have a clear understanding of which of …

We now also know that it reduces the type of inflammation that triggers heart disease, and dramatically improves the function of the lining of the blood vessels so that blood flows more easily to the heart." Exercise is also a potent weapon in fighting type 2 diabetes, which is becoming …

There wouldn't be enough time to process all of the words, "They scare me. They are slimy. They can bite me and kill me. They have devil eyes, and so on." They couldn't possibly think that fast--as you know from having seen or experienced this kind of thing in your …

If you cannot do that, people will grow bored and walk away. Remember, they're going to ask "what's in this for me" and it's your job to show them as quickly as possible. So, when you meet, you should treat them like old friends - buddies that can rely on each …

It reestablishes itself simply by noticing that it has not been present. As soon as you are noticing that you have not been noticing, then by definition you are noticing and then you are back again to paying bare attention. Mindfulness creates its own distinct feeling in consciousness. It has …

The state bureau that issued his medical license first tried to persuade him to enter treatment. Many states have "impaired physician (and nurse)" programs, where doctors and nurses are identified and offered a plan in which a medical license may initially be suspended but restored when it is safe to …

In that situation, I'm like a scared cat getting dipped in ice water - I'm not having that shit. But wrong in the sense that he failed to recognize my stubbornness would take me extremely far if I pointed it in the right direction and stayed consistently persistent. Calvin Coolidge said …

Our propensity to overvalue the things we have is exploited every day by the business community. Marketers understand that when we buy a product and take it home, the endowment effect will take over and we won't want to return it. And so, we see furniture retailers enticing us to …

In addition to the risks during surgery, there are also lasting side effects after the procedure, such as an inability to absorb certain vitamins and minerals and an intolerance to specific foods. Finally, the surgeries are not a guarantee against future weight gain. Research from McGill University in Canada suggests …

I'm talking about knowing the essentials that will make you an expert on the opposite sex. There are universal rules to becoming likeable to the opposite sex, and once you know what they are you can decode a person's desire right off the bat. To some, it's known as their …

The more it hurts. The weaker you feel yourself getting. Stress from running isn't doing damage and it doesn't stop a lot of us from ever running again. If we run all of the time, it doesn't hurt that bad, it makes us stronger, and we enjoy it more. The …

(Though I wonder if this business will last now that California has legalized recreational marijuana.) And if she did have a heart attack while driving, wouldn't this force her to fly off the road and crash? As she keeps thinking these thoughts, her heart starts pounding, and her breathing becomes …

These positive emotions in turn orient us to keep behaving in ways that promote our continued experience of these positive emotional states. And even when it seems like luck is not on our side and we can't catch a break, we can always stand behind our choice to do our …

Keep your mental health professional's contact numbers on hand as well as those of family and friends should you feel you can't access the care you need. If your symptoms return, make an appointment immediately with your healthcare practitioner--or if necessary, go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Review your …

It's done. Don't feel one way or the other about the future. See it as, "I'm busy dealing with today and I'll deal with the future when it gets here. I won't waste my time worrying about it." Try to avoid fast food' as it usually contains more fat and …

When you put things down in print before you, they somehow become undeniable. If you want to move from the place you're currently at and into a better place, you'll need to have a clear awareness of the present spot first. A lack of action in either constitutes action for …

You're completely disconnected from everything else. When you're working on a particular project or towards a particular goal, you're in that box and nothing else. Put the other boxes away. Nothing else matters but getting everything in that particular box done. If you have more than one box open at …

In addition, remember that it's important to begin building up a reserve of inner strength. One good way of doing that is by training yourself to stick with your more difficult tasks as you encounter them. Part of a habitual procrastinator's persona is to change direction immediately after he's faced …

Pay attention to life, and maybe you'll discover and draw inspiration from your childhood experiences. Sometimes it also helps to develop these passions by diving into uncommitted ventures. By uncommitted, I mean activities in a nonprofessional sense. Perhaps you can volunteer or join an organization that will help you nourish …

A variant, also ineffective, is having uniformed policemen come to schools and warn students about the laws against drug use and the misery of prison. They may feel good for the moment, especially for educators desperate to help, but these warnings also don't work. Rattling on about consequences is akin …

As a clinician, I see this all the time. It's hard to appeal to a child or adolescent about the need for "commitment to treatment" because they're young and feel invincible. They roll their eyes or give me an I-know-what's-better-for-me-than-you look. Though it's easier to plead this case to adults …

97% of us are borrowing money to create the illusion of having money and only 3% of us actually have money and own what it looks like we own. We think of debt-free as some kind of wonderful accomplishment when it's actually what normal is supposed to look like! Of …

That you're only working for yourself because you think you're too good to have a normal job like everyone else. You will hear it all. There will always be an opinion lurking around the corner and it will come from a person who's inexperienced, unmotivated, and all talk and no …