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Senior Women: 8 Ways to Improve Your Emotional Health
“I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I’m becoming.”—Deena Kastor Today, because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the digital mental health market is exploding. Stress and anxiety have accelerated the demand for virtual behavioral health services. According to the European Connected Health Alliance, more than 380,000 health apps are available through Apple and Android operating systems, and around 20,000 of them address mental health. But what about emotional health? Emotional Health Vs. Mental Health In researching this topic, I did not find apps specifically to help with emotional health. I believe this is because mental health and emotional health are two terms often…
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Emotional Healing: 6 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”—Willie Nelson What Are Thoughts? A thought is “an idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurs suddenly in the mind.”—Oxford English Dictionary Brain function produces thoughts, but beyond this fact, neuroscientists do not know where they come from. How the brain works as it relates to the creation of thoughts is still a fascinating topic of scientific discussion. But we all have thoughts. Every day and throughout the day, we constantly think, whether it be a thought, an idea, a memory, an event, an opinion, or a belief about ourselves and the world around us. These thoughts…
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Create a Deliberate Positive Emotional State
“The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.”—Dalai Lama You are in no way a slave to your negative emotions. You can change them. You can create a positive emotional state. Tina’s Story: Tina, a teacher, was raised by an alcoholic mother. For years Tina suffered from feelings of guilt and insecurity. Then she decided to come to grips with the problem. What did she do? “First, I worked to identify the thoughts that caused negative emotions. Whenever these thoughts would surface, I would rethink them rationally and objectively. “Then, I would work on making positive thoughts…
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Can Cannabis Treat Common Health Conditions?
“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”—Carl Sagan Note: Cannabis, Marijuana, Weed, Pot, and Dope all refer to the same substance. Anna grew up in New Mexico in a good family environment. At 16 in 1976, Anna met a few boys from a nearby school who smoked marijuana (pot). Marijuana was easy to buy because many people trafficked cannabis from Mexico. At first, the boys’ strange behavior repulsed Anna. But Jennifer, one of Anna’s girlfriends, was attracted to one of the boys who…
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Meditation to Relieve Anxiety
“Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace.”—Mayo Clinic Staff Pick out your most comfortable chair. Sit down, loosen your skirt or trousers, slip out of your shoes, and close your eyes. Now imagine your feet dangling in a mountain lake’s cold, clear, blue water. Smell the aroma of nearby flowers. Can you hear the happy songs of carefree birds? You feel stimulated by the fresh mountain air. For a few minutes, eliminate, as far as possible, all other thoughts. With this peaceful scene in mind, meditate; focus your mind in silence. Feel better? More relaxed? What Is Meditation? Meditation is an ancient practice that has…
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Midlife Women: The Most Effective Ways to Dominate Co-Occurring Stressors Today
“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”—Voltaire For a violinist to make music, the strings on his instrument must be taut—but only to a degree. If they are too tight, they will snap. But if the strings are too loose, they will produce no sound. The proper amount of tension lies somewhere between the two extremes. It is like stress. Too much can be harmful. But what about no stress at all? While the prospect of no stress might sound appealing, you need pressure—at least to a degree. For instance, imagine crossing a street and suddenly noticing…
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Grow Old: Feel Good Doing It
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”—Henry Ford Despite her 74 years, Eleanor looked surprisingly young and fresh. What was Eleanor’s secret to staying “young?” Eleanor explained: “First of all, I think, to stay young, you need a goal in life. I already had mine in my teens. But I didn’t realize then that my aims would change, that I wouldn’t find my real passion for over 40 years. “But in my teens, I was fascinated with fashion. My goal, I decided then, was to design beautiful clothes for…
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Techniques to Reduce Stress & Anxiety: 7 Tips to Implement Self-Care
“If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness, and stress impact your physical health, think again. All these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.”—Kris Carr Meet Tammy, a stressed-out family caregiver: “My husband had three strokes within three months. I had to drive him from the hospital to a nursing home for rehab each time it happened. “I wanted to cry because the nursing homes were awful. “I felt such rage because I had spent eighteen years dealing with my husband, and not one relative offered to…
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7 Harms to You of an Unforgiving Spirit
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”—Martin Luther King, Jr. Did you know that forgiveness is much like the money? You can choose to spend forgiveness freely and mercifully on others, or stow away forgiveness and only use it for yourself. We should work to foster generous spending habits when it comes to forgiveness. Why? A vengeful or unforgiving spirit may only worsen matters and can harm your health. Take the example of Betty. Betty refused to talk to her sister-in-law for over eight years because, as Betty says, “she did me an unbelievable and unforgivable hurt…
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The Golden Mean: How Irrational Are You? How to Manage Difficult Emotions
“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.”—Albert Ellis Cathy, a full-time caregiver to her husband of 44 years, felt like a victim. Cathy’s husband, a sixty-seven-year-old brittle diabetic, had suffered a mild stroke but had recovered and doing well. Lately, however, Cathy experienced stubborn resistance from her husband to everything she tried to do to manage his health regimen, the household chores, and money. Cathy felt frustrated and resentful and said: “I am waiting for things to get…
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Eight Myths and Truths About Family Caregivers
Indeed, you have heard this quote: “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”—Rosalyn Carter How true. Jenny, who nursed her 29-year-old husband for 18 months before he died of a brain tumor, said: “At times I wished I could escape from the situation. But he needed me more than ever. At times I felt very alone.” Loneliness, sadness, fear, grief, anger, guilt, and worry are some emotions that often bubble up when caring for an ill loved one. One cannot overstate the challenge of caregiving.…
