Do You Have Difficulty Making Decisions?
“Do you like it? Should I buy it?” asked Flora, displaying the finely tailored black coat she was trying on. “I like it,” said her friend Anna, “but it’s your choice to make.” Weakened by indecision, Flora placed the coat back on the rack and left the store.
They were home not 15 minutes when Flora exclaimed, “I should have bought that coat!” They returned to the store the next morning, but it was too late. The coat was gone—sold to someone else.
WHEN you are confronted with a personal decision, do you struggle painfully, procrastinate, and finally ask someone else to decide for you? And after the decision is made, do you keep wondering if a different choice would have been better? If so, you can probably identify with Flora’s experience above. You know how difficult decision-making can be.
Nevertheless, you can learn to make decisions with greater ease and pleasure. How?
Reduce Your Anxiety
When struggling with a decision, do you anxiously fuss over making the right choice, as if only one option could succeed? If so, you will be happy to learn that this is rarely necessary. The book Overcoming Indecisiveness, by Dr. Theodore Isaac Rubin, points out: “It almost always is the decisionmaker and not the particular choice that makes the decision work. . . . The failure of the decision has little or nothing to do with the choice. The failure is directly traceable and proportional to lack of dedicated commitment.”
Yes, in most cases, an option can succeed if it is tenaciously pursued. So wholeheartedly support the decision that has been made. This will reduce much of the tension associated with decision-making.
But how can you actually make the decision itself?
Think Systematically
This is important, especially if you are dealing with a decision having long-term features: making a major purchase; selecting a home, a career, a marriage mate. Fight any tendency to allow your mind to jump worriedly from one thought to another. First, collect the facts you need. Then, on paper, list your options. Take each option, and list its advantages and disadvantages, comparing these with your needs. If you know yourself—your personal preferences, values, priorities, strengths, and weaknesses—you are in a position to see which option satisfies your most important needs.
Unless you are facing an immediate deadline, take time to allow your true feelings to surface. Rushing the process will only suppress your decision-making faculties. Actually, spending several days, weeks, or even months mentally living with each option, one at a time, may be enjoyable. Dr. Harold H. Bloomfield notes: “Many people think anxiety, worry, and tension are unavoidable as long as they’re struggling with a problem or decision.” But you do not have to postpone happiness until your decision is settled. You can choose to enjoy the decision-making process itself. It is a part of life that is both challenging and rewarding.
‘But I’m Still Confused!’
What if, after giving systematic thought to your options, you are still undecided? What can you do? Should you seek help from a friend?
Some people, lacking confidence, always want others to decide for them. Of course, if you are dealing with a matter that requires more than your scope of knowledge and experience, then your seeking advice from a qualified person would not be an abdication of responsibility. Those who have successfully made decisions similar to yours may provide additional options and facts to help you. (Proverbs 15:22) However, the person whose assistance you seek will take your request more seriously if you have first thought matters through to the best of your ability.
If making a final choice is hard, remember that decision-making almost always involves taking risks. If you are afraid to make a choice until you are absolutely certain of success, you will remain indecisive, for many decisions involve uncertainty and must be made on the basis of probability. (Ecclesiastes 11:4) In most cases, no one option has every advantage. No matter what choice you make, there will be something to sacrifice. So make the choice that is most likely the best, and . . .
Support Your Decision!
Resist the temptation to second-guess your decision once it has been made. Remember, every time you mentally indulge in ‘maybe I should have,’ you rob yourself of strength that could be used to support your decision and make it work. So do not keep looking back, wondering how things might have turned out had you made a different choice. Unless clear evidence emerges that proves a change of mind is necessary, leave your rejected options behind. Put your energy behind your decision.
To summarize: Think systematically, select the option most likely to succeed, and support that choice wholeheartedly. Inevitably, some of your decisions will turn out better than others. Nevertheless, your ability and confidence will grow as you accept the responsibility of making and supporting personal decisions.
Ruel Hinaloc
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/do-you-have-difficulty-making-decisions-448278.html
Constipation Cure Tips – Home Remedies for Constipation
Constipation is one of the most widespread gastrointestinal complaints in the United States, ensuing in about 2 million doctor visits per annum. However, most people treat themselves without looking for medical help, as is obvious from the millions of dollars people waste on laxatives each year. When compared to other diseases constipation is effortlessly curable by holding appropriate dietary model. The hard and dry stools of constipation happen when the colon absorbs too much water or if the colon’s muscle contractions are slow or sluggish, causing the stool to move through the colon too gradually.
Constipation is a ordinary disorder of the digestive region. In this situation, the bowels do not move frequently, or are not entirely emptied when they move. This state is the chief source of a lot of diseases as it produces toxins, which find their way into the bloodstream and are passed to all parts of the body
Constipation Symptoms
Uncommonness, irregularity in removal of hard faecal matter
The most ordinary symptoms of constipation are infrequency, irregularity or obscurity in elimination of the hard faecal matter.
Coated tongue, Foul breath, headache, depression etc
The other signs include a coated tongue, foul breath, loss of appetite, headache, giddiness, dark circles under the eyes, depression, nausea, pimples on the face, ulcer in the mouth, constant fullness in the abdomen, diarrhea alternating with constipation, varicose veins, pain in the lumbar region, acidity, heart burn, and insomnia
Causes of Constipation
Faulty diet and method of living
The most significant causes of chronic constipation are a faulty diet and style of living.
Inadequate intake of water, strong tea and coffee etc
Intake of refined and rich foods lacking in vitamins and minerals, insufficient intake of water, consumption of meat in large quantities, excessive use of strong tea and coffee, inadequate chewing, overeating and wrong combination of foods, irregular habits of eating and drinking may all give to poor bowel function.
Irregular habit of defecation, lack of physical movement
Other factors include faulty and irregular habit of defecation, frequent use of purgatives, weakness of abdominal muscles due to sedentary habits, lack of physical activity, and emotional anxiety and strain.
Home Remedies for Constipation
1. Constipation treatment via Bael Fruit
Normally all fruits, except banana and jackfruit, are useful in the treatment of constipation. Certain fruits are, however, more useful. Bael fruit is regarded as the finest of all laxatives. It cleans and tones up the bowels. Its normal use for two or three months throws out even the old accumulated faecal matter. It must be rather taken in its original form and before dinner. About sixty grams of the fruit are enough for an adult.
2. Constipation treatment with Pear
Pears are useful in the treatment of constipation. Patients suffering from chronic constipation must accept an exclusive diet of this fruit or it’s juice for a few days, but in normal cases, a medium-sized pear taken after dinner or with breakfast will have the desired effect.
3. Constipation treatment with Guava
Guava is another helpful remedy for constipation. When eaten with seeds, it provides roughage to the diet and helps in the standard evacuation of the bowels. One or two guavas should be taken daily.
4. Constipation treatment with Grapes
Grapes have proved very helpful in overcoming constipation. The combination of the properties of the cellulose, sugar, and organic acid in grapes build them a laxative food. Their field of action is not inadequate to clearing the bowels only. They also tone up the stomach and intestines and reduce the most chronic constipation. One must take at least 350 gm of this fruit daily to achieve the desired results. When fresh grapes are not obtainable, raisins, soaked in water, can be used. Raisins must be soaked for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. This will make them swell up to the original size of the grapes. They must be eaten early in the morning, along with the water in which they have been soaked.
5. Constipation treatment with Orange
Orange is also beneficial in the constipation treatment. Taking one or two oranges at bedtime and again on increasing in the morning is an excellent way of stimulating the bowels. The all-purpose stimulating influence of orange juice stimulates peristaltic activity and helps prevent the accumulation of food residue in the colon.
6. Constipation treatment using Papaya and Figs
Other fruits specific for constipation are papaya and figs. Partly a medium-sized papaya should be eaten at breakfast for it to act as a laxative. Four or five dry figs must be soaked overnight in a little water and eaten in the morning.
7. Constipation treatment with Spinach
Among the vegetables, spinach has been measured to be the most vital food for the entire digestive tract from time immemorial. Raw spinach holds the finest organic material for the cleansing, reconstruction, and regeneration of the intestinal tract. Raw spinach juice-100 ml, mixed with an identical quantity of water and taken twice daily, will cure the most aggravated cases of constipation in a few days.
8. Constipation treatment by means of Other Remedies
Half a lime, squeezed is a glass of hot water, with half a teaspoon of salt is also an effective medicine for constipation. Drinking water, which has been kept overnight in a copper vessel, first thing in the morning, brings superior results. Linseed (alse) is extremely useful in complicated cases of constipation. A teaspoon of linseed swallowed with water before each meal offers both roughage and lubrication
Peter rodrick
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/constipation-cure-tips-home-remedies-for-constipation-169552.html
Panic Attacks Can Be Controlled
Panic attacks are not something that you will receive a warning for before it occurs; it is a matter of time for people to become prone to it. Panic attacks are said to last for a minute or above, but in some extreme cases you will find that they last for more than an hour. Panic attacks are caused due to various reasons but the main reason for it is anxiety where a person always tends to feel stressed. If you are a person who has already experienced this nightmare then it wont be long, until you will be surprised by another panic attack. For this you should be ready and try overcoming it.
The symptoms that a person tends to have under panic attacks are very dangerous for a person, they can be physically or either mentally related with the person. Some of the physical symptoms are sweating, trembling, chest pain, stomach pain, exhaustion and many more to be followed. There are many symptoms that are mentally related as well, they are extreme nervousness, worried feelings, feeling of aloofness from people in society etc. A person also tends to have emotional problems. All these are some basic signs of your body to get future panic attacks.
The case with anxiety attack is that a person tends to get anxious a number of times in his life; it can be for various reasons, at the time of public speech, before the presentation at the office or even at the time of exams, anytime. Anxiousness is bound to come your way but if this anxiety threatens your output you are experiencing a panic attack. Anxiety attack is a mental fear where a person starts getting worries, and it is not that you will be aware of it unless you are struck with a panic attack. Panic attack and anxiety attack are related with each other. Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are also shown as the same disease. Such a condition may strike anyone at anytime.
However you can control your frequent panic attacks by knowing the exact reason of its cause that of course could be due to any reason. Hypnosis is said to be the treatment that you should surely opt for. With hypnosis as your treatment, you will discover its real values where many have been cured with the help of hypnosis. Hypnosis deals with a number of physical or mental disorders. It helps you eliminate your problem, and panic attacks can be cured with the help of hypnosis. You can download the mp3 from the sites providing it. This consists of the self-based hypnotizing where you are supposed to invest very less compared to the other ways of treatment.. Self-hypnotizing will surely help you eliminate panic attacks from your life and you can lead on to live your normal life. So don’t let this chance slip away. Rediscover your inner strength and face daily ups and downs. Fortify your inner being to combat the unknown and deal with panic attacks.
Shanat Kuphur
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/panic-attacks-can-be-controlled-311106.html
Using Hypnosis Cds for Weight Loss
Everyone knows that regular exercise and the right diet can help you lose weight, but there are times that both these methods may not be enough to help you reach your goal. Also, exercising regularly and eating the right food seem like impossible goals for most people. As such, they end up doing nothing at all to address their health needs.
There is, however, a new method that you can try to help you lose weight, and this is nothing but hypnosis. Although hypnosis is generally known as a method to influence people into overcoming traumatic or tragic events, revealing the truth, and relieving one self from stress, hypnosis can also be used to help people lose weight.
There are several ways for you to lose weight with the help of hypnosis, and one of such ways is by listening to hypnosis recordings. These recordings are created by professional hypnosis practitioners and contain carefully chosen statements that are designed to help listeners attain their goals in this case, losing weight.
Using the Services of a Hypnotherapist for Weight Loss
If you do not think that merely listening to hypnosis recordings is sufficient to help you lose weight, you can opt to hire a hypnotherapist and have a one-on-one session.
Make sure that your hypnotherapist has the required education, skills, and experience for the job since hypnotherapists have varying fields of expertise. Hypnotherapists are also paid by the hour so the total cost for this option depends how long it will take you to hypnotize yourself into losing weight successfully.
Using Self-Hypnosis for Weight Loss
People choose to exercise self-hypnosis for weight loss either because they are working with a tight budget or consulting with a hypnosis professional is too big a step to take for them.
Although using self hypnosis to weight loss is a longer and more difficult process than the others, it can still be as effective as working with a professional or using a recording if you have the required skills and attitudes for the job.
Other Advantages of Using Hypnosis for Weight Loss
Seeing the New You – Hypnosis require you to make use of guided imagery, and this consequently allows you a glimpse of a more beautiful future and the more beautiful you as well.
Absence of Pressure – Hypnosis also eliminates factors such as stress and anxiety from your weight loss program. These things can often make it more difficult than easier for you to lose weight. Hypnosis however will help you gain a calm manner and be able to maintain it while you focus all your attention and efforts in shedding off those extra pounds!
The Power of Positive Thinking – With the absence of pressure, the power of positive thinking can finally enter your mind, body, and soul. You can now fully concentrate on the more positive aspects of your goals and effectively make use of affirmations as well. Instead of futilely worrying about the time you are spending losing weight, you can simply focus on happy images of being able to lose weight and seeing those dreams gradually turn into reality.
Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is a method that anyone can use as long as you willing to be patient and work hard for it. Moreover, hypnosis will not cost you a dime if you are willing to work by yourself. As such, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose if you try hypnosis for weight loss so else what are you waiting for?
Bill Urell
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/using-hypnosis-cds-for-weight-loss-77345.html
How to Survive Depression in the Family
We lost everything!
We lost our home, our investments, our live savings, our friends, our relationships with our family members including our kids and our enjoyment of life. We almost lost our marriage and my wife almost lost her life all to her depression!
This article was written out of empathy for those who live with someone who suffers with depression or anxiety disorder; for those to whom I refer as “The Silent Victims”
For 6 years I was a silent victim and my life was completely unlivable as my wife, Sharon, suffered with extreme debilitating depression, anxiety disorder, a severe sleep disorder, destructive obsessive compulsive behaviors, rage and several other behavioral disorders.
I didn’t know about any of her conditions until the day after we were married, then it was all to obvious that something was desperately wrong!
I could go on for hundreds of pages about what happened next, but the purpose of this article is to share with you just a couple of the lessons I learned through my 6 years of learning to live with sever depression and other mental and emotional illnesses in the family.
I should also mention that Sharon and I are still together and doing just great! In fact, our purpose now is to help others who suffer as we have.
It took me six years of learning lesson every minute of every day to make it through life with Sharon’s depression. Through that time, I documented what I was going through.
While going through the daily stresses of Sharon’s depression-driven behaviors, and in speaking with so many poeple who have also gone through it all, I have identified 4 unconscious stages of coping with a loved one’s depression.
1. Denial: In this stage, I was either not willing or not able to accept that fact that my wife was mentally ill. My denial made life very difficult for both Sharon and I because I was not in a position to help her by continually pressuring her to “snap out of it”!
In order for us to move forward, it was critical that I accepted the reality that Sharon was ill…that took me to the next unconscious coping mechanism…
2. Secrecy: Once I accepted internally that Sharon was ill, I felt ashamed and uncomfortable with it. Again, this did not help either of us. I made sure that our private affairs were kept as private as I could and I was not able to willing to speak with anyone about it.
Holding all of this inside was like a poison to me and it soon began to affect my own health and my own emotional well being. At this point, Sharon’s depression and related illnesses were starting to cost us dearly. Some of her behaviors involved compulsive spending which financially crippled us. This, along with other behaviors, pushed me into the next unconscious stage of coping…
3. Anger and Resentment: At this stage, I made my plight very public…and I began to consult my lawyer about a divorce. This was the most dangerous stage for us because this is the stage at which I was closets to leaving the marriage. It was also the stage which was hardest on Sharon, because she could clearly see my misery which drove her to blame herself and become suicidal on more than a few occasions.
If you think you are at this point in your own relationship with someone who suffers from depression, you truly do need to do whatever it takes to get to the next stage. The next stage is the one where you can finally start healing and moving forward in a positive direction…
4. Understanding and Forgiveness: This was the point where Sharon and I began to work together to find solutions. At this unconscious stage, I began to become more empathetic to Sharon’s situation and she and I began down our path to healing together.
This is, in my judgment, where things can start to turn around. Until you reach this stage, I am convinced that there is no chance for the family to survive.
To survive depression in the family, I recommend that you start by identifying which stage you are currently at and do whatever you need to do to get to stage 4; Understanding and Forgiveness.
It may take some time; it took me several very unhappy years of living minute by minute to reach stage 4. Once there, you can then start taking the steps towards healing for both you and your depressed loved one.
Depression destroys lives…but it doesn’t have to destroy yours!
Steve Lowell
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-to-survive-depression-in-the-family-51801.html
Overcome Shyness and Change Your Life
Shyness is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a social phobia. Depending on the degree of introversion they have, some people may actually find that it can be debilitating, depriving them of a healthy social life. It not only affects their relationships, it also affects their careers, keeping people from performing at their best and making use of opportunities that come their way.
Overcoming shyness is a process and will take time. But each step you make will reward you by boosting your confidence level and making you a better person who is self-assured and can take on anything thrown your way. Here’s how:
1. Figure out the source of your shyness. You might find that certain situations trigger your shyness and cause you to fold onto yourself and allow your worries and anxieties to overcome you. Once you recognize these situations, you can then find ways to handle them more effectively.
For example, you might feel most shy during social parties but don’t feel the same way during family affairs or office occasions. It may be that your shyness is brought about by stranger anxiety, considering that you only feel shy around people you don’t know. Once you recognize this, you can then adjust yourself to the situation accordingly.
2. Realize that it’s perfectly natural to feel shy sometimes. You can’t be forward and overly confident in every situation. You will always find that there are times when you feel a little hesitant and tongue-tied, especially if something is new and unfamiliar. It’s perfectly all right to feel shy when you’re meeting someone new or when you’re going somewhere you’ve never been before.
3. Don’t berate yourself for being shy. Overcoming shyness means affirming yourself as an individual and as a person. If you feel shy, don’t tell yourself that you’re stupid and that you’ll never amount to anything. More negative thoughts will fabricate negative thoughts. The last thing you want to do is to become your own worst critic.
Instead, accept that you are shy but that you are working towards overcoming it and becoming a more confident person. By telling yourself it’s all right and that you’re taking positive steps to improve your condition, you unburden yourself.
4. Change your posture. Believe it or not, actually changing the way you stand and walk can do a lot to overcoming shyness. Slouching and keeping your chin close to your chest will only make other people look at you more, increasing your self-consciousness and anxiety.
Keep your chin up, your shoulders level, your stomach tucked in, your arms a little loose and your legs relaxed. Breathe in heavily and exhale slowly several times to calm yourself. Do this before doing anything such as public speaking, entering a party, speaking to someone, etc. Breathing in allows you to set a natural, calm rhythm that helps you walk steadily and speak in your natural voice.
5. Prepare. If you’re going to a party and not know a single soul there, you might as well find out something about them. If not their names, find out what they do, what the crowd’s general interests are and what they will be like. Knowing what you’re getting into sheds half of the shyness factor and makes you feel more confident.
Keep a mental list of things that you can use during conversations. Neutral topics are a good start and do not put pressure on you or to anyone to produce information or expert opinion. You’ll feel more at ease if you have something to contribute to the conversation.
6. Make small steps towards overcoming your shyness. You can’t expect to live the rest of your life cooped up in some small part of your little universe hoping for a miracle to happen. Even Cinderella had to step out of her glass slipper in order to find a new and rewarding life. You can never overcome shyness if you don’t go out there and interact with people.
Start small. Smile at the girl behind the counter of the perfume shop, say hi to the teller at the bank, nod to someone who lives in your building. If they acknowledge your greeting, good for them. If they don’t, it only shows their lack of manners.
7. Take risks. After you’ve known the feeling of taking little risks, it’s probably time to take bigger risks. Change is always scary but isn’t that what you want? Do something you’ve never done before like eating out alone, going on trips by yourself, volunteering for a task, taking lead in a group. You’ll be surprised at how easy it will be once you’ve gotten started.
8. Acknowledge that it’s not about you. Self-conscious behavior stems from the belief that you are the focal point of people’s attentions when in fact they have other things in mind. Practice shifting your focus to other people and develop an interest in them.
By keeping the spotlight focused on someone else, you keep attention away from yourself. If you do this on occasions when you feel particularly shy, you will overcome the feeling of being concentrated on. Instead, you learn to socialize effectively and enjoy yourself.
9. Affirm! Scott Adams (creator of ‘Dilbert’) uses affirmation to strengthen his resolve. Even life coach guru Brian Tracy encourages people to affirm themselves. Affirmation is the closest thing you can get to a magic potion in overcoming your shyness. It will not transform you overnight but it can massage your subconscious into focusing on your assets and building your confidence.
10. Practice. From your posture to your voice to the way you introduce yourself, techniques for overcoming shyness should be practiced to be perfected. By practicing them, you slowly integrate them into your thinking and mannerisms. This makes you feel that they’ve always been a natural process with you. As you shed your shyness little by little, you will find small but measurable improvements that boost your self-assurance.
Bill Urell
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/overcome-shyness-and-change-your-life-134672.html
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): What Is It
Over the past decade, as I have worked with cops, firfighters, abuse victims and children of addicts, I have learned that there are many causes for PTSD. It has also affirmed my belief that PTSD is real and harmful, not only to those who have it, but also to those around them. It impacts the way we act, react, our motivation and our capacity to feel–well, anything.
Terrifying experiences that shatter people’s sense of predictability and invulnerability can profoundly alter their coping skills, relationships and the way they perceive and interact with the world. The criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are 1) exposure to a traumatic event(s) in which the person witnessed or experienced or were confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others, and 2) the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror DSM IV p. 427-28). Gradual Onset Traumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by repeated exposure to “sub-critical incidents” such as child abuse, traffic fatalities, rapes and personal assaults.
Nevertheless, not all people exposed to trauma are “traumatized.” Why? In 1998, Pynoos and Nader proposed a theory to assist in explaining why people have different reactions to the same event. They asserted that people are at greater risk of being negatively impacted by traumatic events if any of the following are present: 1) they have experienced other traumatic events within the preceding 6 months, 2) they were already stressed out or depressed at the time of the event, 3) the situation occurred close to their home or somewhere they considered safe, 4) the victims bear a similarity to a family member or friend and 5) they have little social support.
It has been argued that officers, emergency service personnel, children of addicts and abuse victims experience traumatic events or threats to their safety on an almost daily basis. Being abused, not knowing when or if your parents will come home, repeatedly seeing children murdered, people burned in car fires and devastated victims starts to take its toll. People like idealistic officers who joined the force to change the world and protect the innocent begin to feel like nothing they do makes a difference, they cannot even keep their zone safe (criteria 3). This is especially problematic for officers who live in or near their work zone and often leads to frustration and burnout (criteria 2). Children start to feel that the whole world is uncontrollable and unsafe.
It is still not totally accepted within the law enforcement community for officers to discuss the impact of situations on them. Anger, humor and sarcasm are but a brief outlet for what many officers dream about at night. As their condition worsens, many officers withdraw, because they are fearful of seeking help or support for fear it is a one way ticket to a fitness for duty evaluation or will get out and be an obstacle for future promotions. Several studies in recent years have shown that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is among the most common of psychiatric disorders.
Another thing that distinguishes people who develop PTSD from those who are just temporarily overwhelmed is that people who develop PTSD become “stuck” on the trauma, keep re-living it in thoughts, feelings, or images. It is this intrusive reliving, rather than the trauma itself that many believe is responsible for what we call PTSD. For example, I have worked with officers who have responded to child abuse calls and had a child of their own who was a similar age (criteria 4). In the course of daily life children get hurt and have bad dreams. As parents they have seen looks of pain and fright on their kids faces. This makes it just that much easier to envision the looks of terror and agony on the face of the child as their parent beat them. Sometimes this visualization gets corrupted and officers suddenly they start to see their child in their mental re-enactment of the trauma, obviously a much more powerful memory. These officers are much more likely to be “traumatized” by the incident and potentially get “stuck.”
Traumatized individuals begin organizing their lives around avoiding the trauma. Avoidance may take many different forms: keeping away from reminders, calling in sick to work, or ingesting drugs or alcohol that numb awareness of distress. The sense of futility, hyperarousal, and other trauma-related changes may permanently change how people deal with stress, alter thier self-concept and interfere with their view of the world as a basically safe and predictable place. In the example above, these people often became even more overprotective of their children, suspicious of others, and had difficulty sleeping, because every time they close their eyes they see the child.
One of the core issues in trauma is the fact that memories of what has happened cannot be integrated into one’s general experience. The lack of people’s ability to make this “fit” into their expectations or the way they think about the world in a way that makes sense keeps the experience stored in the mind on a sensory level. When people encounter smells, sounds or other sensory stimuli that remind them of the event, it may trigger a similar response to what the person originally had: physical sensations (such as panic attacks), visual images (such as flashbacks and nightmares), obsessive ruminations, or behavioral reenactments of elements of the trauma. In the example above, sensory triggers that triggered some of the officers memories were certain cries, hearing or seeing a parent spank their child, returning to the same neighborhood for other calls and, of course, television shows or news reports that involved descriptions of abuse.
The goal of treatment is find a way in which people can acknowledge the reality of what has happened and somehow integrate it into their understanding of the world without having to re-experience the trauma all over again. To be able to tell their story, if you will.
The Symptoms of PTSD
Regardless of the origin of the terror, the brain reacts to overwhelming, threatening, and uncontrollable experiences with conditioned emotional responses. For example, rape victims may respond to conditioned stimuli, such as the approach by an unknown man, as if they were about to be raped again, and experience panic.
Remembrance and intrusion of the trauma is expressed on many different levels, ranging from flashbacks, feelings, physical sensations, nightmares, and interpersonal re-enactments. Interpersonal re-enactments can be especially problematic for the officer leading to over-reaction in situations that remind the officer of previous experiences in which she or he has felt helpless. For example, in the child abuse example above, officers may be much more physically and verbally aggressive toward alleged perpetrators and their reports tend to be much more negative and subjective.
Hyperarousal. While people with PTSD tend to deal with their environment by reducing their range of emotions or numbing, their bodies continue to react to certain physical and emotional stimuli as if there were a continuing threat. This arousal is supposed to alert the person to potential danger, but seems to loose that function in traumatized people. This is sort of like when rookie officers start and a hot call is toned out, they usually have an adrenaline rush. After two or three years, the tones hardly have any impact on them. Since traumatized people are always “keyed up” they often do not pay any attention to that feeling which is supposed to warn them of impending danger.
Numbing of responsiveness. Aware of their difficulties in controlling their emotions, traumatized people seem to spend their energies on avoiding distress. In addition, they lose pleasure in things that previously gave them a sense of satisfaction. They may feel “dead to the world”. This emotional numbing may be expressed as depression, and lack of motivation, or as physical reactions. After being traumatized, many people stop feeling pleasure from involvement in activities, and they feel that they just “go through the motions” of everyday living. Emotional numbness also gets in the way of resolving the trauma in therapy.
Intense emotional reactions and sleep problems. Traumatized people go immediately from incident to reaction without being able to first figure out what makes them so upset. They tend to experience intense fear, anxiety, anger and panic in response to even minor stimuli. This makes them either overreact and intimidate others, or to shut down and freeze. Both adults and children with such hyperarousal will experience sleep problems, because they are unable to settle down enough to go to sleep, and because they are afraid of having nightmares. Many traumatized people report dream-interruption insomnia: they wake themselves up as soon as they start having a dream, for fear that this dream will turn into a trauma-related nightmare. They also are liable to exhibit hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response and restlessness.
Learning difficulties. Being “keyed-up” interferes with the capacity to concentrate and to learn from experience. Traumatized people often have trouble remembering ordinary events. It is helpful to always write things down for them. Often “keyed-up” and having difficulty paying attention, they may display symptoms of attention deficit disorder.
After a trauma, people often regress to earlier modes of coping with stress. In adults, it is expressed in excessive dependence and in a loss of capacity to make thoughtful, independent decisions. In officers, this is often noticed because they suddenly begin making a lot of poor decisions, their reports lose quality and detail and they are unable to focus. In children they may begin wetting their bed, having fears of monsters or having temper tantrums.
Aggression against self and others: Both adults and children who have been traumatized are likely to turn their aggression against others or themselves. Due to their persistent anxiety, traumatized people are almost always “stressed out,” so it does not take much to them set off. This aggression may take many forms ranging from fighting to excessive exercise or obsession about something—anything to keep them from thinking about the trauma.
Psychosomatic reactions. Chronic anxiety and emotional numbing also get in the way of learning to identify and discuss internal states and wishes. May traumatized people report a high frequency of headaches, back and neck aches, gastro-intestinal problems etceteras. Since the stress is being held inside, the body begins to become distressed.
Summary
After a trauma, people realize the limited scope of their safety, power and control in the world, and life can never be exactly the same. The traumatic experience becomes part of a person’s life. Sorting out exactly what happened and sharing one’s reactions with others can make a great deal of difference a person’s recovery. Putting the reactions and thoughts related to the trauma into words is essential in the resolution of post traumatic reactions. This should, however, be done with a professional specializing in PTSD due to the wide range of reactions people have when they start confronting and integrating the memories of the trauma.
Failure to approach trauma related material gradually is likely to make things worse. Often, talking about the trauma is not enough: trauma survivors need to take some action that symbolizes triumph over helplessness and despair. The Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, are good examples of symbols for survivors to mourn the dead and establish the historical and cultural meaning of the traumatic events. There are several events for survivors of traumas that officers can also take part in. These events remind survivors of the fact that there are others who have shared similar experiences. Other symbolic actions may take the form of writing a book, taking political action or helping other victims.
PTSD is real, and can be resolved with time, patience and compassion.
Dawn-Elise Snipes
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-what-is-it-110738.html
How To Maintain Control During An Anxiety Attack
One of the most insidious conditions affecting individuals today is anxiety. It is accompanied by fear, whether justified or not. Anxiety can occur at any time, under any circumstances. Let’s take a look at anxiety and how it can balloon into a full blown panic attack.
Anxiety can be accompanied by a variety of physical symptoms. Most commonly, these symptoms are related to the heart, lungs, and nervous system. You may feel as if you are having a heart attack. What are some of the catalysts that can bring on anxiety? Stress at work; stress from school; stress in a personal relationship; financial stress; stress from an emotional trauma such as the death of a loved one; stress from a serious medical illness; a side effect from a specific medication; drug use; or medical illness.
Any of these symptoms can be categorized as generalized anxiety disorder. An anxiety attack is defined as an unrealistic worry over a period of at least six months associated with three of the following symptoms: restlessness; fatigue; difficulty concentrating; irritability; muscle tension; or sleep disturbances.
Depending upon the situation or event which triggers the anxiety attack, you may treat it at home and without seeking medical intervention. This depends on the duration of each attack. If they are short and limited, you can follow these suggestions: talk with a supportive person; use some form of meditation; occupy your time by watching TV; take a long warm bath; or use deep breathing exercises.
However, it is important to note that when involved in a full blown panic attack, the fear may override any ability to engage in any of the aforesaid suggestions. In fact, when the anxiety attack reaches the stage of panic, nothing will abate the pronounced symptoms; you’ll have to ride it out.
Anxiety attacks were once considered a “nervous condition” 30 years ago and treated with Valium. It is now considered a treatable disease. Medications such as Xanax, Zoloft, Buspar and Prozac are often prescribed. It must be stated, however, that depending upon your tolerance to certain medications, you may have to try different drugs to determine which one not only prevents the attacks, but keeps your mind clear enough to be able to function.
Having an anxiety attack can be scary. You must remember, however, you will not faint; have a heart attack; or experience an impending doom. If you are driving and have an attack, pull over; if you are at home alone, try to call someone to stay with you until it passes. No matter where it happens, the first inclination is to run. Just try to stay calm and take deep breaths. Stop whatever you are doing and remain in one place until the symptoms pass. You will be okay.
Nothing is going to happen to you. Keep repeating these words, “I am safe.” Once the symptoms pass, you will be extremely tired. Take some time to regain your composure. Everything is going to be alright. Count on it.
Jeff Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-to-maintain-control-during-an-anxiety-attack-102897.html
Symptoms of Depression – 3 Things to Look for Before you See your Doctor
Depression has become recognized as a potentially dangerous disease by doctors in the past several years. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been this way. People used to be labeled as hypocondriacs, whiners, lazy, ect. You get the picture.
However, there are now many famous people that have come forward and shared their disability with others. People like former NFL and Hall of Fame Quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, Actress Linda Hamilton, of ” The Terminator” and “Beauty and the Beast” fame, came forward a few years back and stated that she too suffered from depression.
The average person could have depressive symptoms and not be aware that they could have a very real problem. Many people are in denial that they could have anything like that happen to them. Some of us tend to have a “super hero” mentallity, where admitting that we could have a problem such as depression might make us (God forbid!) human.
Here are three signs that you could be suffering from symptoms of depression.
#1. You feel crummy, don’t know why, and it lasts at least two weeks.
I’m talking about lack of energy, sadness, possible crying episodes, ect. You’ve either never, felt this way or at least not for this long. You could be moody, have a lack of enthusiasm, loss of interest in things that you normally like to do, ect. Maybe your wife, kids, co-workers, relatives or friends notice that something is wrong with you. You could also have a loss of sex drive.
#2. You have thoughts of hurting yourself or others.
This is pretty self explanetory. If you feel that you’re a “normal” guy or gal and you are all of the sudden having feelings of harming yourself or others, then it’s time to seek professional help.
This is potentially a symptom of what’s know as Bipolar Disorder or more commonly known as Manic Depression. Many manic depressives will resort to self mutilation as a way of crying for help. Razor cuts on the arms are quite common. I know that this doesn’t paint a pretty picture. As I stated before, depression is a potentially serious disease.
If you or anyone you know suffers from symptoms like this, please seek medical help right away.
#3. You want to isolate yourself from others.
Everyone needs privacy at times, but I’m talking about when you just don’t want to be around others for any length of time. Perhaps you’re having symptoms of anxiety, such as heart racing, chest pains, sweaty palms, rapid breathing, ect.
Anxiety and depression can go hand in hand. There are many individuals taking medication for both symptoms at the same time.
Summary
Depression is nothing that you have to be ashamed of. It’s quite common and there’s a very good chance that your doctor can prescribe some form of medication that can help to curb your depression and/or anxiety symptoms.
So if you’ve been feeling down for more that two weeks, get yourself in to see your doctor and get yourself back on track!
Joe Stewart
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/symptoms-of-depression-3-things-to-look-for-before-you-see-your-doctor-94204.html
How to be Confident With Women: Fundamental Principles to Success With Women
People tend to think that getting women is all about successful “game.” And it is.
But real game doesn’t start on the outside–it starts with INNER game. Because without dealing with yourself properly–having the confidence, the self-esteem, the sense of purpose and direction–your external game just won’t be convincing. And it will NOT work.
Think about it: Why do some guys, who are short, ugly, and fat, have better success with women than the good-looking, tall guys you would expect to “game up” women with ease?
Because they’ve got GREAT inner game. And the guys who fail, just do not.
What do I mean by inner game? I mean thinking like a champion. Believing in yourself. Having a sense of purpose, and overcoming inner doubt and rejection. Even if you are rejected, you bounce back with ease and DON’T LET IT KNOCK YOU DOWN.
Just ask Carlos Xuma. This guy gets women all the time, without being overly handsome or tall. He just thinks like a champion.
Which you can do too. It’s not as difficult as it sounds, and it can be done no matter what your previous track record.
It all starts with your confidence, and confidence comes from having your head right–not previous success. Previous success isn’t what matters when you approach the next girl, the next date, the next relationship. Confidence and resilience, the core elements of inner game: they are what help you succeed time and time again.
Where to start? Well, in case you haven’t heard, Carlos just put out a great little guide called Ultimate Inner Game and Confidence with Women. This is VERY cool stuff. I thought his other books were good, but this knocks it right out of the park.
Carlos explains the top 5 ways guys lose their confidence with women…AND how to fix them.
He also addresses the usual issues that stop guys from having success–and I am NOT talking about how much you earn, how tall you are, how good-looking you may be. Those things ultimately don’t matter when compared with the topics he addresses–and helps you fix:
* Masculinity
* Managing anxiety and fear
* Overcoming shyness and developing social skills
* and, what is in my opinion the most important: HOW TO GET RID OF OLD, SELF-DEFEATING BEHAVIORS. And how to adopt new, winning ones for life.
He also gives an EXCELLENT technique for stopping that negative “loser-boy” voice in your head. This is stuff that not only applies to getting the women you want, but also to overcoming other obstacles, such as career and financial goals. I wish I’d had this years ago!
Go read more about it now – it’s powerful stuff:
Ultimate Inner Game and Confidence with Women
P.S. If what I talked about above are issues you struggle with, do something about it. Part of success is wiling to admit you aren’t where you want to be–and doing what it takes to get where you want to be.
James Brito
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/how-to-be-confident-with-women-fundamental-principles-to-success-with-women-723118.html
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