Anxieties often start in the mind and fast-forward to the body, resulting in rapid breathing, or hyperventilation. When you hyperventilate, you take in more oxygen than you need. Your ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide gets unbalanced, resulting in increased heart rate, tingling in your extremities, and feeling light-headed. Paradoxically, when you hyperventilate, you can [...]
Susan walked in the door from work, looking forward to nothing more than putting her feet up and petting the dog. No sooner had she hung up her coat than her middle schooler entered the family room with a look of consternation and guilt on his face. What now? she thought, feeling her moment of [...]
I can just hear some of you insisting, “I don’t care what other people think! I do whatever I want!” There is a strong urge in adolescence to declare your independence and say you only care about your own opinion. But be honest -- don’t you care what certain people think? Most kids have a [...]
This is one of the Media's favorite paths to happiness. If you can only find love, true love, you'll find happiness. Of course, Media is also filled with the abject misery that falling in love can bring, as represented in big-screen films, newspaper stories, reality shows, magazine articles, and weekly sitcoms. Love and its promises [...]
Even with so many people engaged in academic pursuit, there is still a sizable segment of the population who foregoes postsecondary education and instead jumps headfirst into the world of work. After that giddy, heady feeling of success and affirmation with the first job offer, comes the stark reality for many that you actually have [...]
One of the mistaken beliefs surrounding anxiety is that everything that happens centers around you. This mistaken belief can take on a life of its own when you are in anxiety overload. You become a raw nerve, jumping at everything that happens around you and at everyone you come into contact with. In such a [...]
In one of the most moving books I’ve read, entitled Letters to an Unborn Child, David Ireland, disabled, confined to a wheelchair and terminally ill, wrote a series of letters to the unborn child he would never meet. While his wife was expecting, Ireland took the time to write letters to be read one day [...]
As you work to create a healthier life, it’s important to look at ways you can strengthen your relationships. Strong relationships should be the main source of comfort and gratification in your life. Yet, at times, you may turn to food to fill a void. Food is nourishment and nutrition; it’s not the answer for [...]
As Mahatma Gandhi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped from his foot and landed on the track. The train was already pulling away from the station, and he was unable to retrieve his shoe. To the astonishment of his traveling companions, Gandhi calmly took off his other shoe and threw [...]
Whether you have a teenage girl or a teenage boy, there's a lot going on physically in that body and brain. As a parent, you can create some simple physical conditions to help support your teen’s maturation process. These conditions are commonsense items you already know about but may not have implemented for your teenager [...]
