Archive for July, 2008
Communication Tips for Parents
Be available for your children
• Notice times when your kids are most likely to talk–for example, at bedtime, before dinner, in the car–and be available.
• Start the conversation; it lets your kids know you care about what’s happening in their lives.
• Find time each week for a one-on-one activity with each child, and avoid scheduling [...]
Being Supermom Stressing You
Mothers are the world’s best jugglers: family, work, money—they seem to do it all. However, all that responsibility can often leave moms feeling overstretched and stressed out. According to a 2006 survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), women are more affected by stress than men and report engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as comfort [...]
Painful Shyness
Avoidance or Inhibition Creates Problems for the Painfully Shy and for Those Around Them
Avoidance and inhibition include:
Canceling social events at the last moment
Avoiding situations that provide positive social interaction
Few or no friends
Avoidance of activities that are otherwise pleasurable
Passivity, pessimism and low self-esteem
Friends, family members, teachers, or mentors are concerned
Excessive computer use that is not social [...]
Workplace Stress? You’re not alone
Americans are known for placing great emphasis on work and career. Working hard, however, should not be confused with overworking at the expense of relationships and physical health. According to a 2007 nationwide poll by the American Psychological Association, three-quarters of Americans list work as a significant source of stress, with over half of those [...]
Back to School Rush?
Whether it’s the first day of kindergarten, returning from a long summer vacation or going to a new school, back to school time can be overwhelming for many parents and children and teens. As the summer comes to an end and the time to return to work or school draws near many Americans are likely [...]
Psychological Tasks – Good Marriage
Research on what makes a marriage work shows that people in a good marriage have completed these psychological “tasks”:
- Separate emotionally from the family you grew up in; not to the point of estrangement, but enough so that your identity is separate from that of your parents and siblings.
- Build togetherness based on a shared [...]
The Effects of Traumatic Stress
What is a Traumatic Stress Reaction?
People who experience or witness horrible events such as school shootings, combat, rape, torture, natural disasters, accidents or other things in which their physical safety and life — or the safety and life of others — was in danger have experienced a traumatic stress. People who are repeatedly exposed to [...]
Mind/Body Health: Stress
We’ve probably all felt stress. Sometimes it’s brief and highly situational, like being in heavy traffic. Other times, it’s more persistent and complex—relationship problems, an ailing family member, a spouse’s death. And sometimes, stress can motivate us to accomplish certain tasks.
Dangerous Stress
Stress becomes dangerous when it interferes with your ability to live a normal life [...]
Mind/Body Health: Obesity
Obesity is one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most troubling health problems. Unless you act to address the emotions behind why you overeat, you could be facing long-term problems.
Obesity is one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most troubling health problems. If you have a very high body mass index (BMI) —that is, your weight is [...]
Mind/Body Health: Job Stress
Jobs and careers are an important part of our lives. Along with
providing a source of income, they help us fulfill our personal aims,
build social networks, and serve our professions or communities.
They are also a major source of emotional stress.
Stress at work
Even “dream jobs” have stressful deadlines, performance expectations, and other responsibilities. For some, stress is [...]
