Tag Archives: anxiety

Are cigarettes relaxing?

26 Wednesday Dec 2018

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A lot of smokers reach for a cigarette to calm their nerves, but actually, the opposite is happening. And smokers who quit have less anxiety, depression and stress. That’s according to the British Medical Journal. In fact, smokers who quit get a mood boost that’s equivalent to taking antidepressants!

So why do smokers think cigarettes relax them? Because they interpret their withdrawal symptoms as stress. And those symptoms can come on after only a couple hours without a smoke. Then, once they light up again, those withdrawal symptoms go away. But within 6 weeks of quitting, ex-smokers experience a significant improvement in mental health.

If you’re a smoker, maybe it’s time to give up smoking for 2019.

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Here’s a 10-second fix for anxiety.

04 Tuesday Dec 2018

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Clinical psychologist Vaile Wright says try thinking of, or writing down, as many ice cream flavors as you can in 10-seconds. The technique, called “grounding,” takes your mind off your worries, and grounds you in the present. Dr. Wright says it frees your mind from overwhelming and unhealthy thoughts. And by using ice cream, instead of, say, foreign countries, it produces positive feelings of comfort and nostalgia.

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Feeling anxious and scattered?

25 Tuesday Sep 2018

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Try sniffing some fresh, crushed sage – or a cotton ball with a couple drops of sage essential oil. Research in the UK shows the smell of sage reduces anxiety and improves focus for up to 4 hours. That’s because compounds in the herb help prevent the depletion of brain neurotransmitters that impact mood, memory recall, and attention span – and can improve thinking and short-term memory in as little as 60 minutes. In fact, the researchers believe that regularly smelling the fragrance of sage can help fight off age-related mental decline.

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If you’re feeling anxious, swing by a playground and hop on a swing.

11 Tuesday Sep 2018

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Or if you have a porch swing, rocking chair or hammock, that’ll do the trick, too. Then spend 2 minutes swinging, rocking or swaying. The repetitive motion puts the nervous system into a more relaxed state and calms the amygdala… the brain region linked to stress and anxiety. And swinging is so powerful, the University of Miami says it can reduce the output of stress hormones by 25% for 2 hours. Just from 2 minutes of swinging, rocking or swaying.

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Managing our emotions is easy!

07 Friday Sep 2018

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You know how pro athletes visualize themselves sinking a putt – or hitting a home run – and it can help them achieve those results in real life? Well, we can use visualization to manage our emotions, too. Dr. Stephan Kosslyn is a neuroscientist, and he says, imagining yourself doing something strengthens the connection between the body and the brain. So, let’s say every time your boss talks to you it makes you so anxious you can hardly think straight. Try this: Picture an encounter with the boss. Hear her condescending voice, picture how she stands, and the way she looks at you over the rim of her glasses. The point is to trigger your anxious response – and then breathe deeply and slowly and calm yourself down. Practice that trick half a dozen times – and the next time your boss says, “Come to my office I want to have a word with you,” your body and brain will be primed to stay cool, calm and collected.

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What boosts your odds of a car accident?

09 Thursday Aug 2018

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Your MOOD! Driving angry, anxious or teary-eyed makes you 10 TIMES more likely to crash! That’s because your brain is occupied elsewhere, as the emotional part overrides the rational part. Leaving you distracted, even if your eyes are on the road. Which decreases your reaction time and makes you less likely to see a risky situation before it’s too late.

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Ladies, are you feeling blue or anxious?

23 Monday Jul 2018

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You could be suffering from estrogen overload. Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson found that excess estrogen triggers activity in the brain’s anxiety center… which can cause stress, and symptoms of depression. So, try this: Eat some broccoli! It’s packed with plant compounds that speed up the metabolism of estrogen in the liver. Which can smooth out mood swings, boost your mood, and cut your risk of anxiety in half.

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Are you going on a plane soon? Take THIS with you!

12 Thursday Jul 2018

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On your next plane flight, bring some gum! The chewing stimulates saliva – and the extra swallowing helps equalize the pressure between your inner and outer ear. Plus, we tend to hold a lot of tension in our jaw – and chewing gum releases it. It also boosts blood flow to your brain and reduces levels of stress hormones. So if you have any flying anxiety, you’ll feel more relaxed.

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When you’re stressed, go sniff a lemon!

06 Wednesday Jun 2018

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When participants in a recent study spent as little as ten minutes inhaling the fragrance of citrus fruit, they saw a significant increase in their overall mood – which included a DECREASE in their levels of tension, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue and anger.

So, peel an orange, get a whiff of a citrus essential oil, or mix up a batch of lemonade. And be sure to breathe deeply.

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The health risks of ROAD RAGE!

18 Friday May 2018

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When you’re driving, and someone makes a bone-headed move, honks, or cuts you off – do you turn into the Hulk and get road rage?

Well, you might want to practice forgiveness and take deep breaths, instead. Researchers at Australia’s University of The Sunshine Coast put study participants into driving simulators that measured heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety levels – and had them encounter a variety of drivers… from polite and considerate ones, to aggressive and distracted ones.

The result: when participants drove alongside rude, aggressive drivers – who cut them off, tailgated and honked – their blood pressure spiked. They also became more aggressive and distracted, had more near-crashes with other cars and pedestrians.

They were also more likely to miss a turn, and drive off the road.

And research from MIT shows the stress of road rage can last for your entire commute – and beyond. And that kind of chronic stress boosts blood pressure – and raises your risk of heart disease within 6 years. So forgive bad drivers – for your heart’s sake.

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