Relaxation Tip
Watch out for “peace stealers” like television or too much time in front of any screen – this wears a body out. It can catch you up and eat your precious time. It may feel like you are relaxing when you are in front of the screen because you are not moving your body or trying to accomplish a task. Your precious mind however, the one you want to pass your tests and solve problems and motivate you, is being bombarded by whatever is on the screen and then has no way to work this stimulation out through movement. Try taking a break from “screen” activities as a way of relaxing.
Organized For Success
Getting organized is going to make your life a LOT easier. Being organized can reduce your stress and increase your chances of success.
Your Student Success Mentors can help you one on one with time management.To find out who your mentor is and make an appointment you can visit the Student Success Hub above SAL and book through Jodie
The following sites have great info particularly relevant to college students on issues of time management, study skills, social skills and dealing with stress to name a few.
http://www.iamnext.com/living/balance.html
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/career/time-man.html
http://www.mala.ca/mariners/mental.htm
ASL signed video about time management
Directed to high school but good graphics and info
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Relationships
Relaxation Tip
Try this little shower tip to reduce pain and stress. In the shower, grab your hair close to your scalp and tug up to release tension. Rub your fingers in small circles over your entire head to stimulate blood flow.
Relationship Stress
Relationship breakups and stresses are definitely a part of college life. Students going through this often feel lonely and sad and they lose their motivation. Be aware that these feelings can be expected and that it is important to address them right away so as to minimize the impact on your academic goals.
Breakups can create so much emotional drama and turmoil that emotional, mental and physical health becomes impacted. It may be difficult to want to eat or study or keep up with a physical fitness routine.
Taking proper care of your emotional being is also an important part of your education at this time in your life. How you deal with emotional stresses and turmoil now, can set a pattern for your future. Loyalist has a counselling department and counselling sessions are free to students. Often, a couple of meetings with a counselor are enough to at least keep you afloat and on track. These older and wiser people can help guide you through a crisis.
Gay and Katie Hendricks about toxic attraction and genuine love
Try this little shower tip to reduce pain and stress. In the shower, grab your hair close to your scalp and tug up to release tension. Rub your fingers in small circles over your entire head to stimulate blood flow.
Relationship Stress
Relationship breakups and stresses are definitely a part of college life. Students going through this often feel lonely and sad and they lose their motivation. Be aware that these feelings can be expected and that it is important to address them right away so as to minimize the impact on your academic goals.
Breakups can create so much emotional drama and turmoil that emotional, mental and physical health becomes impacted. It may be difficult to want to eat or study or keep up with a physical fitness routine.
Taking proper care of your emotional being is also an important part of your education at this time in your life. How you deal with emotional stresses and turmoil now, can set a pattern for your future. Loyalist has a counselling department and counselling sessions are free to students. Often, a couple of meetings with a counselor are enough to at least keep you afloat and on track. These older and wiser people can help guide you through a crisis.
Gay and Katie Hendricks about toxic attraction and genuine love
Friday, March 13, 2009
Balancing Act
Relaxation Tip:
If you have been sitting for a while, get your oxygen flowing by sitting up straight and lacing your fingers behind your head. Pull your elbows back, stretching your upper back and chest muscles. Bring your elbows forward. Repeat.
Some healthy coping behaviour that help a person feel balanced are: Exercise, down time for self care, a mixture of work and play and a time management schedule.
Other coping strategies people use but are more likely to leave them feeling unbalanced in the long term include: Chronic use of alcohol or other drugs, avoidance of a commitment or responsibility, procrastination and overeating.
Addiction can happen slowly. We can slowly begin to rely on less than healthy means of dealing with our stress – eating, relationship drama, drugs, gaming. How do we tell when we cross the line from a passion to an addiction?
Cynthia Jane Collins in her book “The Recovery Spiral” defines addiction :
“…if we habitually or compulsively - with or without awareness or intention - use any activity, substance or person[s] to move us away from our true selves, we are practicing addictive behaviours.”
A few exerpts from Gabor Mate’s new book about the many facets of addiction, “In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts”:
Mate says about addiction, “In the final analysis, it’s not the activity or object itself that defines an addiction but our relationship to whatever is the external focus of our attention or behaviour.
This author also talks about a Vietnam veterans study which pointed to similar conclusions as the "Rat Park Study". Many soldiers in Vietnam used readily available heroin addictively. When they returned home and were no longer exposed to the conditions of that war, the greater part of them no longer used. Similarly, rats living in cages were offered the choice of an addictive substance and they readily chose it. When the rats were placed in “Rat Park” rather than a cage, they stopped choosing the substance. “Rat Park” was also a cage but much larger and with features added that gave interest and stimulation to the daily lives of the rats. Mate’s conclusion: –“under certain conditions of stress many people can be made susceptible to addiction, but if circumstances change for the better, the addictive drive will abate.”
In Mate’s words, “physiological stress reaction causes a maelstrom of hormonal secretions and nervous discharges that involve virtually every organ and system in the body. The most potent stressors are loss of control and uncertainty in important areas of life, whether personal or professional, economic or psychological. What do all stressor have in common? Ultimately they all represent the absence of something the organism perceives as necessary for survival- or its threatened loss.
In humans, the most common stressors are emotional rather than physical. Naturally this suggests that developing some intelligence about how emotions work is a very good strategy for dealing with our stress.
Try to be sure some of the habits you are developing for dealing with stress make sense for you and contribute to your long term sense of wellness and balance. Check out the website link for "What's With Weed?" You can take an assessment to see where you are at with weed use and how you compare with others your age. You can see short videos of young people talking about their weed use. You can pick up tips on how to reduce the harm of weed use if you are interested in doing that.
Daniel Goldman talking about social intelligence
Signed video about emotional and multiple intelligences
If you have been sitting for a while, get your oxygen flowing by sitting up straight and lacing your fingers behind your head. Pull your elbows back, stretching your upper back and chest muscles. Bring your elbows forward. Repeat.
Some healthy coping behaviour that help a person feel balanced are: Exercise, down time for self care, a mixture of work and play and a time management schedule.
Other coping strategies people use but are more likely to leave them feeling unbalanced in the long term include: Chronic use of alcohol or other drugs, avoidance of a commitment or responsibility, procrastination and overeating.
Addiction can happen slowly. We can slowly begin to rely on less than healthy means of dealing with our stress – eating, relationship drama, drugs, gaming. How do we tell when we cross the line from a passion to an addiction?
Cynthia Jane Collins in her book “The Recovery Spiral” defines addiction :
“…if we habitually or compulsively - with or without awareness or intention - use any activity, substance or person[s] to move us away from our true selves, we are practicing addictive behaviours.”
A few exerpts from Gabor Mate’s new book about the many facets of addiction, “In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts”:
Mate says about addiction, “In the final analysis, it’s not the activity or object itself that defines an addiction but our relationship to whatever is the external focus of our attention or behaviour.
This author also talks about a Vietnam veterans study which pointed to similar conclusions as the "Rat Park Study". Many soldiers in Vietnam used readily available heroin addictively. When they returned home and were no longer exposed to the conditions of that war, the greater part of them no longer used. Similarly, rats living in cages were offered the choice of an addictive substance and they readily chose it. When the rats were placed in “Rat Park” rather than a cage, they stopped choosing the substance. “Rat Park” was also a cage but much larger and with features added that gave interest and stimulation to the daily lives of the rats. Mate’s conclusion: –“under certain conditions of stress many people can be made susceptible to addiction, but if circumstances change for the better, the addictive drive will abate.”
In Mate’s words, “physiological stress reaction causes a maelstrom of hormonal secretions and nervous discharges that involve virtually every organ and system in the body. The most potent stressors are loss of control and uncertainty in important areas of life, whether personal or professional, economic or psychological. What do all stressor have in common? Ultimately they all represent the absence of something the organism perceives as necessary for survival- or its threatened loss.
In humans, the most common stressors are emotional rather than physical. Naturally this suggests that developing some intelligence about how emotions work is a very good strategy for dealing with our stress.
Try to be sure some of the habits you are developing for dealing with stress make sense for you and contribute to your long term sense of wellness and balance. Check out the website link for "What's With Weed?" You can take an assessment to see where you are at with weed use and how you compare with others your age. You can see short videos of young people talking about their weed use. You can pick up tips on how to reduce the harm of weed use if you are interested in doing that.
Daniel Goldman talking about social intelligence
Signed video about emotional and multiple intelligences
Friday, March 6, 2009
The No Panic Button
Relaxation Tip
Draw or doodle aimlessly for a few minutes. Colour like when you were a kid – with no expectation of being “good” at it or making a “pretty” picture – just have fun. Put on your favorite music and dance around your room like “there’s nobody watchin.”
Coping Tips for Panic Attacks
1.Remember that although your feelings and symptoms are frightening, they are neither dangerous nor harmful.
2.Understand that what you are experiencing is merely an increase of your normal reactions to stress.
3.Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them away. The more willing you are to face them, the less intense they will become.
4.Do not add to your panic by thing about what might happen. If you find yourself asking “What if?” try telling yourself “So what!”
5.Stay in the present. Be aware of what is happening to you rather than concern yourself with how much worse it might get.
6.Label your fear level from zero to ten and watch it go up and down. Notice that it doesn’t stay at a very high level for more than a few seconds.
7.When you find yourself thinking about fear, change your “what if” thinking. Focus on and perform some simple, manageable task.
8.Notice that when you stop thinking frightening thoughts your anxiety fades.
9.When fear comes, accept it, do not fight it. Wait and give it time to pass. Do not try to escape from it.
10. Be proud of the progress you have made. Think about how good you will feel when the anxiety has passed. And it WILL pass.
Relaxation skills are taught and practiced twice weekly from 1-1:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Mind and Wellness office in the Student Success Hub. Feel free to drop in for any of these sessions.
Shows massaging of an acupressure point for dealing with anxiety, panic and palpitations
Technique to deal with the anxiety guys have to approach a girl
Draw or doodle aimlessly for a few minutes. Colour like when you were a kid – with no expectation of being “good” at it or making a “pretty” picture – just have fun. Put on your favorite music and dance around your room like “there’s nobody watchin.”
Coping Tips for Panic Attacks
1.Remember that although your feelings and symptoms are frightening, they are neither dangerous nor harmful.
2.Understand that what you are experiencing is merely an increase of your normal reactions to stress.
3.Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them away. The more willing you are to face them, the less intense they will become.
4.Do not add to your panic by thing about what might happen. If you find yourself asking “What if?” try telling yourself “So what!”
5.Stay in the present. Be aware of what is happening to you rather than concern yourself with how much worse it might get.
6.Label your fear level from zero to ten and watch it go up and down. Notice that it doesn’t stay at a very high level for more than a few seconds.
7.When you find yourself thinking about fear, change your “what if” thinking. Focus on and perform some simple, manageable task.
8.Notice that when you stop thinking frightening thoughts your anxiety fades.
9.When fear comes, accept it, do not fight it. Wait and give it time to pass. Do not try to escape from it.
10. Be proud of the progress you have made. Think about how good you will feel when the anxiety has passed. And it WILL pass.
Relaxation skills are taught and practiced twice weekly from 1-1:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Mind and Wellness office in the Student Success Hub. Feel free to drop in for any of these sessions.
Shows massaging of an acupressure point for dealing with anxiety, panic and palpitations
Technique to deal with the anxiety guys have to approach a girl
Friday, February 20, 2009
Healthy Thinking
Relaxation Tip
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. Perhaps thoughts in our mind lead to a reaction from our nervous system that create an emotion. Perhaps an emotion creates thoughts in our mind.
You might get a message from your body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. Perhaps thoughts in our mind lead to a reaction from our nervous system that create an emotion. Perhaps an emotion creates thoughts in our mind.
You might get a message from your body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Friday, February 13, 2009
God! God. God?
Relaxation Tip:
Go to a very quiet place and take a very long walk alone.
Got God?
College is a time for experimentation in many areas, including spiritual beliefs. Some students may have attended synagogue, church or faced east to pray on a regular basis because they were at home with family. Being out on their own, some of these practices fall by the wayside because of the pressures of academic life but also because students may start to search and question for themselves.
In a survey done by students in 2007 at Loyalist, 62% of our students did not feel that spirituality and religion were the same thing. Do you feel spirituality plays a strong role in your life? What about religion? 43% of students in the poll in 2007 said they searched for greater meaning in their lives.
Being at college may mean you have the opportunity to be exposed to different belief systems. Some good rules of thumb for entering into interesting discussion:
Discuss ideas to learn, not to criticize
Take advantage of the diversity on campus to get to know about other beliefs.
Don’t push your ideas on others; rather be ready to discuss and share information.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge your own stereotypes.
Students may find their “beliefs” take a back seat to the pressures of college. Others may find that the pressures are a way of deepening and strengthening their beliefs as they have to actually call on inner strengths to get them through the pressures of these first years out on their own.
Separating body and mind separates purpose from intent. Bringing them together brings purpose and intent into union and you end up feeling like there is meaning in what you are doing and living.
Short video with white robed man explaining awareness- being aware of a thought that causes stress
TED link Karen Armstrong provocative original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion.html
Go to a very quiet place and take a very long walk alone.
Got God?
College is a time for experimentation in many areas, including spiritual beliefs. Some students may have attended synagogue, church or faced east to pray on a regular basis because they were at home with family. Being out on their own, some of these practices fall by the wayside because of the pressures of academic life but also because students may start to search and question for themselves.
In a survey done by students in 2007 at Loyalist, 62% of our students did not feel that spirituality and religion were the same thing. Do you feel spirituality plays a strong role in your life? What about religion? 43% of students in the poll in 2007 said they searched for greater meaning in their lives.
Being at college may mean you have the opportunity to be exposed to different belief systems. Some good rules of thumb for entering into interesting discussion:
Discuss ideas to learn, not to criticize
Take advantage of the diversity on campus to get to know about other beliefs.
Don’t push your ideas on others; rather be ready to discuss and share information.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge your own stereotypes.
Students may find their “beliefs” take a back seat to the pressures of college. Others may find that the pressures are a way of deepening and strengthening their beliefs as they have to actually call on inner strengths to get them through the pressures of these first years out on their own.
Separating body and mind separates purpose from intent. Bringing them together brings purpose and intent into union and you end up feeling like there is meaning in what you are doing and living.
Short video with white robed man explaining awareness- being aware of a thought that causes stress
TED link Karen Armstrong provocative original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion.html
Friday, January 30, 2009
It's NOT all in your Mind
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.” Ghandi
Relaxation Tip:Practice walking more slowly in the halls. Notice how your mind thinks you have to be in a hurry all the time. Challenge your own thoughts. Walk slowly and notice how difficult it is to keep your pace slowed down. With practice it will become easier. And why would you want to walk slowly? When you slow your body, your thoughts will slow down as well and you will FEEL more relaxed. Try it.
Remember – you have choices when it comes to your anxiety. A well cared for body creates a relaxed mind. While you are here at college learning “the tools of your trade” you will need to learn how to care for yourself as well. Learn to eat and sleep well. Learn what relaxes you, what brings you pleasure. And learn to use substances wisely.Remember as well – it’s ok to drop a course, end a relationship, let go of some commitments –all of these things can be done with gentleness. It’s when we tell ourselves we have no choice, no way out, that we create a sense of incredible anxiety or depression. Reach out for support and help if you feel overwhelmed.
You can find some good relaxation techniques at this site.
http://www.optimalhealthconcepts.com/Stress
This site on youtube will speak a relaxation to you with some beautiful imagery.
Relaxation Tip:Practice walking more slowly in the halls. Notice how your mind thinks you have to be in a hurry all the time. Challenge your own thoughts. Walk slowly and notice how difficult it is to keep your pace slowed down. With practice it will become easier. And why would you want to walk slowly? When you slow your body, your thoughts will slow down as well and you will FEEL more relaxed. Try it.
Remember – you have choices when it comes to your anxiety. A well cared for body creates a relaxed mind. While you are here at college learning “the tools of your trade” you will need to learn how to care for yourself as well. Learn to eat and sleep well. Learn what relaxes you, what brings you pleasure. And learn to use substances wisely.Remember as well – it’s ok to drop a course, end a relationship, let go of some commitments –all of these things can be done with gentleness. It’s when we tell ourselves we have no choice, no way out, that we create a sense of incredible anxiety or depression. Reach out for support and help if you feel overwhelmed.
You can find some good relaxation techniques at this site.
http://www.optimalhealthconcepts.com/Stress
This site on youtube will speak a relaxation to you with some beautiful imagery.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Sex, drugs and rock and roll
Relaxation Tip
Take a minute right now. Take a deep breath. Rotate your shoulders in small gentle circles forward five times and backward five times. Take another deep breath and feel the relaxation.
Loyalist students report that their number one health concerns are drugs and sex. Those two put together often create heartache for young adults. You tend to make choices and decisions sexually that you aren't happy with in the long term when you are "under the influence."
Some students use alcohol and other drugs to feel more at ease in social situations and decrease their stress. Remember though, if you don’t balance your use, you aren’t developing social skills or stress strategies, you are just developing drug habits. Use of any substance is going to be totally up to you. Using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to deal with stress or just to experiment is your choice. If you think about it, when you are finished drinking or smoking or using, you are still stressed – you haven’t really dealt with the stress. As well, if you are using substances to deal with stress, you miss the opportunity to develop your own personal coping skills. 1. Binge drinking puts you at risk. (Binging is defined as 5 or more drinks in one session.) Every year students who thought it would never happen to them end up with alcohol poisoning. You are particularly at risk when you play drinking games. 2. Party smart and avoid binge drinking. Be creative – party drug and alcohol free. What a concept! 3. Learn to say NO. Don’t be led by the herd mentality. Be clear with yourself about making your own choices. No one makes you do anything at this point in your life. You are free to choose and free to be responsible for yourself.
If you are interested in seeking out other students who are interested in varied and exciting experiences that aren’t defined by alcohol, use our comments sections for ideas. It’s not about total abstinence, just allowing yourself a lot more choices about how often, how much and with whom you choose to drink.
OK so we've talked about sex and drugs. Where's the rock and roll? Well, apparently it will never die so it is out there somewhere. Go find it and enjoy!
At this site you can choose Substance Use to view information and charts about drug effects. http://www.canadianhealthnetwork.ca/
This site offer some good tips for “drinking smarts.” http://www.mta.ca/departments/sss/personal/booze.html 20 minute video about stress and drugs
This site offers a short animation series about tobacco.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/fact-fait/smoke-fumee2-eng.php
Take a minute right now. Take a deep breath. Rotate your shoulders in small gentle circles forward five times and backward five times. Take another deep breath and feel the relaxation.
Loyalist students report that their number one health concerns are drugs and sex. Those two put together often create heartache for young adults. You tend to make choices and decisions sexually that you aren't happy with in the long term when you are "under the influence."
Some students use alcohol and other drugs to feel more at ease in social situations and decrease their stress. Remember though, if you don’t balance your use, you aren’t developing social skills or stress strategies, you are just developing drug habits. Use of any substance is going to be totally up to you. Using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to deal with stress or just to experiment is your choice. If you think about it, when you are finished drinking or smoking or using, you are still stressed – you haven’t really dealt with the stress. As well, if you are using substances to deal with stress, you miss the opportunity to develop your own personal coping skills. 1. Binge drinking puts you at risk. (Binging is defined as 5 or more drinks in one session.) Every year students who thought it would never happen to them end up with alcohol poisoning. You are particularly at risk when you play drinking games. 2. Party smart and avoid binge drinking. Be creative – party drug and alcohol free. What a concept! 3. Learn to say NO. Don’t be led by the herd mentality. Be clear with yourself about making your own choices. No one makes you do anything at this point in your life. You are free to choose and free to be responsible for yourself.
If you are interested in seeking out other students who are interested in varied and exciting experiences that aren’t defined by alcohol, use our comments sections for ideas. It’s not about total abstinence, just allowing yourself a lot more choices about how often, how much and with whom you choose to drink.
OK so we've talked about sex and drugs. Where's the rock and roll? Well, apparently it will never die so it is out there somewhere. Go find it and enjoy!
At this site you can choose Substance Use to view information and charts about drug effects. http://www.canadianhealthnetwork.ca/
This site offer some good tips for “drinking smarts.” http://www.mta.ca/departments/sss/personal/booze.html 20 minute video about stress and drugs
This site offers a short animation series about tobacco.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/fact-fait/smoke-fumee2-eng.php
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Your Body Talks to You
Stress Tip
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. A thought in our mind leads to a reaction from our nervous system.
You might get a message from our body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” This is a good way to talk back to your body to soothe it with thoughts that can challenge your brain's belief that it is in danger. Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. If symptoms persist despite your rational thoughts, it is important to use a variety of techniques to soothe your body. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Some very simple but powerful relaxation techniques include relaxation breathing and short visualizations. These are easy to learn, easy to impliment and easy to maintain as life time practices.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. A thought in our mind leads to a reaction from our nervous system.
You might get a message from our body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” This is a good way to talk back to your body to soothe it with thoughts that can challenge your brain's belief that it is in danger. Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. If symptoms persist despite your rational thoughts, it is important to use a variety of techniques to soothe your body. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Some very simple but powerful relaxation techniques include relaxation breathing and short visualizations. These are easy to learn, easy to impliment and easy to maintain as life time practices.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mind Works
Destress Tip
This is one you can do while you are on the phone. Sit on the edge of a chair and straighten your left leg in front of you. Exhale and bend forward from your hips, keeping your back flat and chest lifted. Hold for 2 to 10 breaths. Do the same with your right leg.
The Workings of our Mind
This week I have copied some helpful information about how our minds work. This comes from an interview: A ROMP THROUGH THE QUANTUM FIELD with Gregg Braden and Dr. Bruce Lipton by Meryl Ann Butler. (See Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/5/life_a_meryl_an_080214_a_romp_through_the_q.htm)
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton: “Our color-coded terror alert system has also been responsible for another serious consequence. In a state of fear, stress hormones change the flow of blood in the brain. Under normal, healthy situations, blood flow in the brain is preferentially focused in the forebrain, the site of conscious control. However, in stress, the forebrain blood vessels constrict, forcing the blood to the hindbrain, the center of subconscious reflex control. Simply, in fear mode we become more reactive and less intelligent.”
Meryl Ann Butler: In your workshop, you talked about how we receive stress information. Would you elaborate on that?
Bruce Lipton: Sure. The principle source of stress signals is the system’s central voice, the mind. The mind is like the driver of a vehicle.
If we employ good driving skills in managing our behaviors and dealing with our emotions, then we should anticipate a long, happy and productive life. In contrast, ineffective behaviors and dysfunctional emotional management, like a bad driver, stress the cellular vehicle, interfering with its performance and provoking a breakdown.
Stress information can come to the cell from the two separate minds that create the body’s controlling central voice.
The (self-) conscious mind is the thinking you; it is the creative mind that expresses free will. It’s the equivalent of a 40-bit processor in that it can handle the input from about 40 nerves per second. In contrast, the subconscious mind is a super computer loaded with a database of pre-programmed behaviors. It is a powerful 40-million-bit processor, interpreting and responding to over 40 million nerve impulses every second. Some programs are derived from genetics: these are our instincts. However, the vast majority of the subconscious programs are acquired through our developmental learning experiences. The subconscious mind is not a seat of reasoning nor creative consciousness, it is strictly a stimulus-response “play-back” device. When an environmental signal is perceived, the subconscious mind reflexively activates a previously-stored behavioral response — no thinking required!
The insidious part of the autopilot mechanism is that subconscious behaviors are programmed to engage without the control of, or the observation by, the conscious self. Neuroscientists have revealed that 95%-99% of our behavior is under the control of the subconscious mind. Consequently, we rarely observe these behaviors or much less know that they are even engaged.
We have been led to believe that by using willpower, we can override the negative programs of our subconscious mind. Unfortunately, to do that, one must keep a constant vigil on one’s own behavior.
There is no observing entity in the subconscious mind reviewing the behavioral tapes. The subconscious is strictly a record-playback machine. Consequently, there is no discernment as to whether a subconscious behavioral program is good or bad, it is just a tape. The moment you lapse in consciousness, the subconscious mind will automatically engage and play its previously-recorded, experience-based programs.
To read more from Dr. Bruce Lipton: www.brucelipton.com
From film “Waking Life” about Free Will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxQuPBX1_U
This is one you can do while you are on the phone. Sit on the edge of a chair and straighten your left leg in front of you. Exhale and bend forward from your hips, keeping your back flat and chest lifted. Hold for 2 to 10 breaths. Do the same with your right leg.
The Workings of our Mind
This week I have copied some helpful information about how our minds work. This comes from an interview: A ROMP THROUGH THE QUANTUM FIELD with Gregg Braden and Dr. Bruce Lipton by Meryl Ann Butler. (See Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/5/life_a_meryl_an_080214_a_romp_through_the_q.htm)
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton: “Our color-coded terror alert system has also been responsible for another serious consequence. In a state of fear, stress hormones change the flow of blood in the brain. Under normal, healthy situations, blood flow in the brain is preferentially focused in the forebrain, the site of conscious control. However, in stress, the forebrain blood vessels constrict, forcing the blood to the hindbrain, the center of subconscious reflex control. Simply, in fear mode we become more reactive and less intelligent.”
Meryl Ann Butler: In your workshop, you talked about how we receive stress information. Would you elaborate on that?
Bruce Lipton: Sure. The principle source of stress signals is the system’s central voice, the mind. The mind is like the driver of a vehicle.
If we employ good driving skills in managing our behaviors and dealing with our emotions, then we should anticipate a long, happy and productive life. In contrast, ineffective behaviors and dysfunctional emotional management, like a bad driver, stress the cellular vehicle, interfering with its performance and provoking a breakdown.
Stress information can come to the cell from the two separate minds that create the body’s controlling central voice.
The (self-) conscious mind is the thinking you; it is the creative mind that expresses free will. It’s the equivalent of a 40-bit processor in that it can handle the input from about 40 nerves per second. In contrast, the subconscious mind is a super computer loaded with a database of pre-programmed behaviors. It is a powerful 40-million-bit processor, interpreting and responding to over 40 million nerve impulses every second. Some programs are derived from genetics: these are our instincts. However, the vast majority of the subconscious programs are acquired through our developmental learning experiences. The subconscious mind is not a seat of reasoning nor creative consciousness, it is strictly a stimulus-response “play-back” device. When an environmental signal is perceived, the subconscious mind reflexively activates a previously-stored behavioral response — no thinking required!
The insidious part of the autopilot mechanism is that subconscious behaviors are programmed to engage without the control of, or the observation by, the conscious self. Neuroscientists have revealed that 95%-99% of our behavior is under the control of the subconscious mind. Consequently, we rarely observe these behaviors or much less know that they are even engaged.
We have been led to believe that by using willpower, we can override the negative programs of our subconscious mind. Unfortunately, to do that, one must keep a constant vigil on one’s own behavior.
There is no observing entity in the subconscious mind reviewing the behavioral tapes. The subconscious is strictly a record-playback machine. Consequently, there is no discernment as to whether a subconscious behavioral program is good or bad, it is just a tape. The moment you lapse in consciousness, the subconscious mind will automatically engage and play its previously-recorded, experience-based programs.
To read more from Dr. Bruce Lipton: www.brucelipton.com
From film “Waking Life” about Free Will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxQuPBX1_U
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Move Your Stress
Quick Tip
When you feel stressed, a flood of hormones races throughout your system. One very simple and rapid way to change this situation is taking 3-5 slow, deep breaths. This will rapidly reduce the levels in your bloodstream which are causing you to be unable to think clearly.
Physical fitness is the cornerstone of all wellness. Developing and maintaining an active lifestyle is critical to your greatest chance of success in all endeavours. No matter what your physical abilities; whether you have chronic pain or are in a wheelchair or hate the idea of going to a gym, finding your own personal path to being physically fit will affect all of the other realms of your life.
Exercise can actually increase your stress threshold. This means you can handle more stress when you maintain an active lifestyle.
Physical exercise is one of the most powerful “drugs” you can give yourself to keep your mind and body going strong.
Go for a walk, join a kick boxing class, dance at home. If you have specific barriers which make it difficult for you to walk or dance or do yoga, find ways to move whatever parts of your body you can move.
It is important to exercise for good health and well being, not just to lose weight.
You might want to try working out in the morning at the fitness centre before classes so you can feel energized for the day.
When you understand how important physical activity is to a strong, healthy mind, you will never again decide you don’t have time for exercise because you have too much studying to do!
One of Natalie’s four part series
When you feel stressed, a flood of hormones races throughout your system. One very simple and rapid way to change this situation is taking 3-5 slow, deep breaths. This will rapidly reduce the levels in your bloodstream which are causing you to be unable to think clearly.
Physical fitness is the cornerstone of all wellness. Developing and maintaining an active lifestyle is critical to your greatest chance of success in all endeavours. No matter what your physical abilities; whether you have chronic pain or are in a wheelchair or hate the idea of going to a gym, finding your own personal path to being physically fit will affect all of the other realms of your life.
Exercise can actually increase your stress threshold. This means you can handle more stress when you maintain an active lifestyle.
Physical exercise is one of the most powerful “drugs” you can give yourself to keep your mind and body going strong.
Go for a walk, join a kick boxing class, dance at home. If you have specific barriers which make it difficult for you to walk or dance or do yoga, find ways to move whatever parts of your body you can move.
It is important to exercise for good health and well being, not just to lose weight.
You might want to try working out in the morning at the fitness centre before classes so you can feel energized for the day.
When you understand how important physical activity is to a strong, healthy mind, you will never again decide you don’t have time for exercise because you have too much studying to do!
One of Natalie’s four part series
Test Anxiety
Nov. National Addiction Awareness
Celebrate the joy of an addictions-free life and increase your awareness of the struggles of others who have an addiction. www.naaw.net
Relaxation Tip
Place one hand on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Feel your hand rise and fall. Let your shoulders drop and feel your body relax and renew. Relaxation has a cumulative effect. If you include a brief period of relaxation into your daily schedule, your body’s ability to relax will increase.
Test and assignment anxiety?
You are not alone. Most students feel some level of anxiety before presentations, tests and exams. It is only when the level of anxiety you experience actually affects your marks that it becomes a problem. Reach out for support early.
Supports
1.Your Student Success Mentors can help you with study skills and time management.
2.Peer tutoring is available for students.
3.Our Mind and Wellness Nurse teaches relaxation techniques every Tues and Thurs from 1-1:30 in the Student Success Hub
4.We have counselors you can talk with if your anxiety is overwhelming you.
You can book an appointment for any of these services through Jodie at the Student Success Hub.
If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety, let your teacher know in plenty of time (days) before any testing begins. There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter. If you have a specific disability (learning disability, mental illness, etc) you can use a quiet test area if you arrange this with your instructors beforehand.
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
•Approach the exam with confident attitude.
•Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to yourself, practice, team work, journaling, etc.
•Be prepared! Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a checklist if you need to.
•Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
•Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
•Do not cram. The time before a test is better spent doing a relaxation exercise which will increase oxygen flow to your brain so it will function at its best
•Strive for a relaxed state of concentration
•Avoid speaking with any students who have not prepared and express anxiety – it really is contagious so surround yourself with the more confident, relaxed students
•A program of exercise will keep your mind sharp
•Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
•Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach. Fresh fruits and vegetables reduce stress. Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
•Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help take your mind off of your anxiety. Avoid high sugar content (candy) which may aggravate your condition
During the test:
•Read the directions carefully
•Change positions to help you relax
•If you go blank, take a relaxing breath, skip the question and go on
•If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, take a slow, deep breath, pick a question and start writing anything. You have just given your brain some fresh oxygen and just the act of starting to write may trigger your newly energized brain to feed you the information you need
•Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done.
•Take slow, deep breaths throughout the test
•Don't think about the fear
•Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
•Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best
•Expect some anxiety. The adrenaline can actually provide energy. Just keep it manageable
About test anxiety from a counselor at an American university –
Celebrate the joy of an addictions-free life and increase your awareness of the struggles of others who have an addiction. www.naaw.net
Relaxation Tip
Place one hand on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Feel your hand rise and fall. Let your shoulders drop and feel your body relax and renew. Relaxation has a cumulative effect. If you include a brief period of relaxation into your daily schedule, your body’s ability to relax will increase.
Test and assignment anxiety?
You are not alone. Most students feel some level of anxiety before presentations, tests and exams. It is only when the level of anxiety you experience actually affects your marks that it becomes a problem. Reach out for support early.
Supports
1.Your Student Success Mentors can help you with study skills and time management.
2.Peer tutoring is available for students.
3.Our Mind and Wellness Nurse teaches relaxation techniques every Tues and Thurs from 1-1:30 in the Student Success Hub
4.We have counselors you can talk with if your anxiety is overwhelming you.
You can book an appointment for any of these services through Jodie at the Student Success Hub.
If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety, let your teacher know in plenty of time (days) before any testing begins. There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter. If you have a specific disability (learning disability, mental illness, etc) you can use a quiet test area if you arrange this with your instructors beforehand.
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
•Approach the exam with confident attitude.
•Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to yourself, practice, team work, journaling, etc.
•Be prepared! Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a checklist if you need to.
•Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
•Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
•Do not cram. The time before a test is better spent doing a relaxation exercise which will increase oxygen flow to your brain so it will function at its best
•Strive for a relaxed state of concentration
•Avoid speaking with any students who have not prepared and express anxiety – it really is contagious so surround yourself with the more confident, relaxed students
•A program of exercise will keep your mind sharp
•Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
•Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach. Fresh fruits and vegetables reduce stress. Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
•Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help take your mind off of your anxiety. Avoid high sugar content (candy) which may aggravate your condition
During the test:
•Read the directions carefully
•Change positions to help you relax
•If you go blank, take a relaxing breath, skip the question and go on
•If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, take a slow, deep breath, pick a question and start writing anything. You have just given your brain some fresh oxygen and just the act of starting to write may trigger your newly energized brain to feed you the information you need
•Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done.
•Take slow, deep breaths throughout the test
•Don't think about the fear
•Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
•Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best
•Expect some anxiety. The adrenaline can actually provide energy. Just keep it manageable
About test anxiety from a counselor at an American university –
Social Scene Stresses
Keep a tennis ball or stress ball handy in your back pack or at your study desk. Take off your shoes and rub your feet over the ball for a relaxing foot massage.
Making Friends
The “Social Scene” can be one of life’s great delights AND one of its biggest stressors.
College is a place where you can make life-long friends or where you can simply enjoy some light social contact with fellow students before you head back to family and well known friends.
Whichever is the case for you; friends are one of the great joys in life. One very important factor that determines how healthy a person is happens to be friendships. Studies show that people who have good supportive friends are ill less often and have greater longevity!
Try one or two of these tips:
1. Commit to speaking to one new person every day this week. Or, at least commit to smiling at one person every day and see what happens. Studies show that behaving in a happy way (eg. smiling) can actually promote the feeling of happiness.
2. Be comfortable and be yourself. Other students are just as nervous as you are. Trying to appear something you are not sets you up for discomfort.
3. If you want to make friends – be a friend – offer your help – lend a pen – participate in school sponsored events, set up study groups or meet for coffee.
4. If you are living in res – leave your door open – invite people in for a snack. Don’t use up all your time communicating by email with old friends from home – take some time to get out and meet some new people.
5. Good friends push us to develop the best in ourselves. Encourage others.
6. Like yourself – if you don’t, it is hard for others to spend time with you.
7. Call someone on the phone to share something you think they may find interesting.
8. Develop a variety of interests. This makes you an interesting person to be with.
9. Find activities that enrich your life that you enjoy doing alone. People who can enjoy their own company are not desperate to have people around all the time and tend to make better friends
You can check out this site for ideas on how to develop some friendships, resolve conflicts and improve your communication skills.
http://dev.iamnext.com/people/makefriend.html
Young man gives good info on stress and shows his dragon breathing stress reliever
Making Friends
The “Social Scene” can be one of life’s great delights AND one of its biggest stressors.
College is a place where you can make life-long friends or where you can simply enjoy some light social contact with fellow students before you head back to family and well known friends.
Whichever is the case for you; friends are one of the great joys in life. One very important factor that determines how healthy a person is happens to be friendships. Studies show that people who have good supportive friends are ill less often and have greater longevity!
Try one or two of these tips:
1. Commit to speaking to one new person every day this week. Or, at least commit to smiling at one person every day and see what happens. Studies show that behaving in a happy way (eg. smiling) can actually promote the feeling of happiness.
2. Be comfortable and be yourself. Other students are just as nervous as you are. Trying to appear something you are not sets you up for discomfort.
3. If you want to make friends – be a friend – offer your help – lend a pen – participate in school sponsored events, set up study groups or meet for coffee.
4. If you are living in res – leave your door open – invite people in for a snack. Don’t use up all your time communicating by email with old friends from home – take some time to get out and meet some new people.
5. Good friends push us to develop the best in ourselves. Encourage others.
6. Like yourself – if you don’t, it is hard for others to spend time with you.
7. Call someone on the phone to share something you think they may find interesting.
8. Develop a variety of interests. This makes you an interesting person to be with.
9. Find activities that enrich your life that you enjoy doing alone. People who can enjoy their own company are not desperate to have people around all the time and tend to make better friends
You can check out this site for ideas on how to develop some friendships, resolve conflicts and improve your communication skills.
http://dev.iamnext.com/people/makefriend.html
Young man gives good info on stress and shows his dragon breathing stress reliever
Like Your Attitude?
Never underestimate the simple power of the deep breath. Start with a couple of times each day to begin to program your mind. Pick the same time each day and attach it to something you already do regularly - like when you turn on a light or get into your car or eat lunch or stop at a red light. Take that moment you have decided on and just take a deep, intentful breath.
Attitudes
“As the famed stress researcher Dr. Bruce McEwen has pointed out, a key determining factor triggering the stress response is the way a person perceives a situation. We ourselves give events their meaning, depending on our personal histories, temperament, physical condition and state of mind at the moment we experience them. Thus the degree to which we’re stressed may depend less on external circumstances than on how well we are able to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally.
For human beings most stressors are emotional ones.” (In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate)
The goal is not eliminating all of your stresses. It is much more relaxing to think about getting control of them, one at a time. Think about making small changes. If you can change your routine so there is just a slight difference between what you used to do and what change you expect, you have a much better chance at long term success. If you want to try to get to bed earlier, start with a five minute change. Successful change is permanent, not dramatic.
Life is 10 % what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens.
Beware the language of stress. “This job stresses me out so much.” “She/he stresses me out.” These statements infer that we are powerless – it is the situation or the job or a person rather than how we are reacting to those things. Try making slight language changes that reflect the reality. “I feel stressed by my job or that driver.” This is not an opportunity to blame ourselves, but rather to acknowledge the reality – stress IS mostly about how we are reacting.
Don't let the stress of the day build up and carry to the next. A fresh start is so necessary for a good day. Stress can be so insidious – it can just creep up on you. It’s like the frog story. It is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.
Two part series talks about how perception is a major part of causing stress
Attitudes
“As the famed stress researcher Dr. Bruce McEwen has pointed out, a key determining factor triggering the stress response is the way a person perceives a situation. We ourselves give events their meaning, depending on our personal histories, temperament, physical condition and state of mind at the moment we experience them. Thus the degree to which we’re stressed may depend less on external circumstances than on how well we are able to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally.
For human beings most stressors are emotional ones.” (In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate)
The goal is not eliminating all of your stresses. It is much more relaxing to think about getting control of them, one at a time. Think about making small changes. If you can change your routine so there is just a slight difference between what you used to do and what change you expect, you have a much better chance at long term success. If you want to try to get to bed earlier, start with a five minute change. Successful change is permanent, not dramatic.
Life is 10 % what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens.
Beware the language of stress. “This job stresses me out so much.” “She/he stresses me out.” These statements infer that we are powerless – it is the situation or the job or a person rather than how we are reacting to those things. Try making slight language changes that reflect the reality. “I feel stressed by my job or that driver.” This is not an opportunity to blame ourselves, but rather to acknowledge the reality – stress IS mostly about how we are reacting.
Don't let the stress of the day build up and carry to the next. A fresh start is so necessary for a good day. Stress can be so insidious – it can just creep up on you. It’s like the frog story. It is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.
Two part series talks about how perception is a major part of causing stress
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sleep away your Stress
TIP of the week
Journaling – writing down your feelings and thoughts can be especially helpful if you have difficulty sleeping – write before bed and be intentful – ie let yourself know you are releasing all your worries through your pen onto the paper so your mind can be free for deep, restful sleep.
To ease your body into sleep, tense and relax all your muscle groups sequentially. Start with your toes, move to your calves, then your knees and thighs, and keep going until you get to your face.
Sleep. Who Needs It?
Sleep is one of the best ways to manage stress levels but often for students there are so many more interesting things to do with your time than sleep, right? You have classes and assignments and tests. Maybe you have a job as well. You've got to spend some time with friends and have some fun; and staying fit takes some time too. Now, when exactly is there time for sleep?
As you get further into the school year, you may notice you have a shorter fuse? Get irritated by very small annoyances? Can't seem to focus for long? Reach for sugary treats or coffee more often to give you a quick boost? Can't get those assignments done as easily as you did before?
Sleep is one of most basic human needs for reenergizing. Sleeping and eating disorders are becoming more prevalent among college age students. Sleep deprivation can hurt academic performance and increase stress. Sleep requirements vary for each individual but studies show college students need more than 8 hours/night! No kidding.
Students are all familiar with the “cram before the exam” strategy. And it may seem as if that is the only way you passed that test last week. In the short term, it may have helped you pass but in the long-term, you will most likely have to relearn all that material for the finals. Without consistent, good sleep patterns, the brain cannot consolidate and retain information.
If you feel you have good habits, but still struggle with sleep, check in with the health centre or with one of our counsellors.
Look in the Sleep and Wellness section on this site for great tips on getting a good night’s sleep.
http://www.mala.ca/mariners/mental.htm#Sleep%20and%20Wellness
10 Sleep Tips from a variety of doctors
Journaling – writing down your feelings and thoughts can be especially helpful if you have difficulty sleeping – write before bed and be intentful – ie let yourself know you are releasing all your worries through your pen onto the paper so your mind can be free for deep, restful sleep.
To ease your body into sleep, tense and relax all your muscle groups sequentially. Start with your toes, move to your calves, then your knees and thighs, and keep going until you get to your face.
Sleep. Who Needs It?
Sleep is one of the best ways to manage stress levels but often for students there are so many more interesting things to do with your time than sleep, right? You have classes and assignments and tests. Maybe you have a job as well. You've got to spend some time with friends and have some fun; and staying fit takes some time too. Now, when exactly is there time for sleep?
As you get further into the school year, you may notice you have a shorter fuse? Get irritated by very small annoyances? Can't seem to focus for long? Reach for sugary treats or coffee more often to give you a quick boost? Can't get those assignments done as easily as you did before?
Sleep is one of most basic human needs for reenergizing. Sleeping and eating disorders are becoming more prevalent among college age students. Sleep deprivation can hurt academic performance and increase stress. Sleep requirements vary for each individual but studies show college students need more than 8 hours/night! No kidding.
Students are all familiar with the “cram before the exam” strategy. And it may seem as if that is the only way you passed that test last week. In the short term, it may have helped you pass but in the long-term, you will most likely have to relearn all that material for the finals. Without consistent, good sleep patterns, the brain cannot consolidate and retain information.
If you feel you have good habits, but still struggle with sleep, check in with the health centre or with one of our counsellors.
Look in the Sleep and Wellness section on this site for great tips on getting a good night’s sleep.
http://www.mala.ca/mariners/mental.htm#Sleep%20and%20Wellness
10 Sleep Tips from a variety of doctors
Thursday, July 10, 2008
RELAX AND CHILL OUT
Stress Tip
Try this little shower tip to reduce pain and stress. In the shower, grab your hair close to your scalp and tug up to release tension. Rub your fingers in small circles over your entire head to stimulate blood flow.
RELAX AND CHILL OUT
Here are just a few samples of information from Jon KabatZinn. He is a world leader in mindfulness based relaxation techniques. YouTube offers a six-part series that contains priceless insights and information. The quotes listed below are from the YouTube six part video series.
“The level of stress being seen at this time is incredible – the digital age has sped up our lives to levels the Human Being cannot tolerate. We have less time than ever for ourselves.”
“Stress manifests as diseases, chronic pain.”
“We need to participate in our own well being – there are limits to what medicine and medical practitioners can do for us.”
“The heart of stress reduction is actually reorienting yourself to know who it is you are and be present to your life as it is unfolding- that is the door into health.”
“We may not even live in our own bodies. We are wired to the outside world but are very disconnected from our inner life.”
“We actually spend a lot of time cultivating mind states like anger, impatience, mindlessness.”
“Practicing dropping into just breath awareness is the least interesting part of the practice but it is strengthening the ability to access patience, relaxation, awareness, mindfulness in “regular life.” It helps you deal with the catastrophes, the pain of being human. You can actually grow the capacity for stability and calmness of mind. Your life is your practice really.”
Friday, April 4, 2008
Fresh Starts
Spring is a great time for a fresh start – shake up your life with a new healthy recipe or exercise. Maybe some spring cleaning to declutter your space.
As the days lengthen, your body just naturally feels a new zip - well maybe for you students this is a bit mixed with the craziness of final assignments and exams.
It is a good time to set new resolutions in motion. The energy is rising as the earth starts to blossom in this corner of the globe. Ride that energy wave to strengthen some of your own resolves.
Maybe you want to quit smoking, become more environmentally friendly, take up an activity, get rid of junk you no longer need, treat your body better by feeding it well, drink less, smile more, or just quit trying to make any improvements and accept yourself and your life exactly the way it is!!!!
Good luck with finals and with whatever resolves you make for yourself.
As the days lengthen, your body just naturally feels a new zip - well maybe for you students this is a bit mixed with the craziness of final assignments and exams.
It is a good time to set new resolutions in motion. The energy is rising as the earth starts to blossom in this corner of the globe. Ride that energy wave to strengthen some of your own resolves.
Maybe you want to quit smoking, become more environmentally friendly, take up an activity, get rid of junk you no longer need, treat your body better by feeding it well, drink less, smile more, or just quit trying to make any improvements and accept yourself and your life exactly the way it is!!!!
Good luck with finals and with whatever resolves you make for yourself.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Are You Emotionally Intelligent?
Research is showing that one of the best predictors of success is emotional intelligence rather than just left brain intelligence(ability to gather information). Some of the competencies in emotional intelligence include self awareness, managing yourself and giving yourself.
1."Self awareness" is knowing yourself ... clearly without wishful thinking or blinders. Are you of a generous nature or do you tend to have trouble trusting there will be enough? Do you hold a grudge or let go easily? Are you warmly affectionate or more reserved?
2.Part of "managing yourself" is developing your intrinsic motivation. This means following your inner guidance based on your own values, rather than being externally driven by constant motivation from your fear of being excluded if you don’t follow the herd – peer pressure, TV, drinking habits,values, etc.
3."Giving yourself" means connecting your daily actions with your larger sense of purpose.
You can connect one of your own personal actions with a larger sense of purpose this weekend by participating in Eath Hour. On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
An interesting discussion about developing your ability to be motivated by your inner values rather than the external “I should do this” kind of voice.
http://www.6seconds.org/pod/media/EQ-planet-intrinsic-motivation.mp3
http://www.myskillsprofile.com/tests.php?test=21&gclid=CNKE1_Gpoo0CFRlmWAodcV865w
1."Self awareness" is knowing yourself ... clearly without wishful thinking or blinders. Are you of a generous nature or do you tend to have trouble trusting there will be enough? Do you hold a grudge or let go easily? Are you warmly affectionate or more reserved?
2.Part of "managing yourself" is developing your intrinsic motivation. This means following your inner guidance based on your own values, rather than being externally driven by constant motivation from your fear of being excluded if you don’t follow the herd – peer pressure, TV, drinking habits,values, etc.
3."Giving yourself" means connecting your daily actions with your larger sense of purpose.
You can connect one of your own personal actions with a larger sense of purpose this weekend by participating in Eath Hour. On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
An interesting discussion about developing your ability to be motivated by your inner values rather than the external “I should do this” kind of voice.
http://www.6seconds.org/pod/media/EQ-planet-intrinsic-motivation.mp3
http://www.myskillsprofile.com/tests.php?test=21&gclid=CNKE1_Gpoo0CFRlmWAodcV865w
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Happiness-What is it?
Well, what is your answer to that one? What is happiness? When I was younger I thought happiness was just a sappy capitalistic plot to numb the mind. Ha! I wasn't very interested in being happy. Or so I thought. Now that I am older and wiser, I can see that it is an essential part of the human condition. The word gets tossed around but have you given it any personal attention?
There is short term happiness like sex, drugs, rock and roll or screamo; shopping, a car or a better job. After a while you start to notice the short termness of these kinds of things, however. And some of those things have nasty side effects.Not that they don't have their place. But as far as offering real and solid refuge from the bumpy road of life, they don't cut it. At least that's what I think.
I'd love to hear what others think about happiness. Here is what the Dalai Lama says about it.
“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” Dalai Lama
It's tough to know what specific changes can bring more happiness. The following self test can enable you to pinpoint what areas of your life may be adding to or detracting from your sense of happiness.
You can go to this site to take the Happiness Self Test. The questions themselves will get you thinking about what consitutes happiness.
stress.about.com/od/selfknowledgeselftests/a/happy.htm
There is short term happiness like sex, drugs, rock and roll or screamo; shopping, a car or a better job. After a while you start to notice the short termness of these kinds of things, however. And some of those things have nasty side effects.Not that they don't have their place. But as far as offering real and solid refuge from the bumpy road of life, they don't cut it. At least that's what I think.
I'd love to hear what others think about happiness. Here is what the Dalai Lama says about it.
“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” Dalai Lama
It's tough to know what specific changes can bring more happiness. The following self test can enable you to pinpoint what areas of your life may be adding to or detracting from your sense of happiness.
You can go to this site to take the Happiness Self Test. The questions themselves will get you thinking about what consitutes happiness.
stress.about.com/od/selfknowledgeselftests/a/happy.htm
Monday, March 10, 2008
It's Smart to be Happy
Another day of classes is over but you have assignments due and tests to study for ; your brain is overloaded, you feel overwhelmed and tired. And tomorrow will be the same.
Creating a good life for yourself requires learning to balance each of the aspects that make up a human being. This includes physical, emotional, mental and emotional health. Form positive habits starting now.
Thoughts of failure and repeated procrastination actually cause chemical and electrical signals in the body that put your body in “protect” mode rather than “growth and integration.” That literally means that if you feel stressed the blood is flowing to the back of your brain and not to the lobes that help you learn and retain new information. So, making sure you are working with a brain that is relaxed and happy makes you smarter!
Being organized to get tasks done, alternating study with short breaks to stretch or get some water and taking time out for fun, physical activity and relaxation all promote learning.
Getting great marks but ignoring the important relationships in your life; being extremely physically fit but not leaving time to nurture friendships or spend quiet, reflective time to nourish the spirit leaves you feeling unbalanced.
Creating a good life for yourself requires learning to balance each of the aspects that make up a human being. This includes physical, emotional, mental and emotional health. Form positive habits starting now.
Thoughts of failure and repeated procrastination actually cause chemical and electrical signals in the body that put your body in “protect” mode rather than “growth and integration.” That literally means that if you feel stressed the blood is flowing to the back of your brain and not to the lobes that help you learn and retain new information. So, making sure you are working with a brain that is relaxed and happy makes you smarter!
Being organized to get tasks done, alternating study with short breaks to stretch or get some water and taking time out for fun, physical activity and relaxation all promote learning.
Getting great marks but ignoring the important relationships in your life; being extremely physically fit but not leaving time to nurture friendships or spend quiet, reflective time to nourish the spirit leaves you feeling unbalanced.
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