BRAIN TALK DEPT
Once exercise, there is more evidence that exercise benefits the brain:
"To learn more about how exercise affects the brain, scientists in Ireland recently asked a group of sedentary male college students to take part in a memory test followed by strenuous exercise.
First, the young men watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with the faces and names of strangers. After a break, they tried to recall the names they had just seen as the photos again zipped across a computer screen.
Afterward, half of the students rode a stationary bicycle, at an increasingly strenuous pace, until they were exhausted. The others sat quietly for 30 minutes. Then both groups took the brain-teaser test again.
Notably, the exercised volunteers performed significantly better on the memory test than they had on their first try, while the volunteers who had rested did not improve.
Meanwhile, blood samples taken throughout the experiment offered a biological explanation for the boost in memory among the exercisers. Immediately after the strenuous activity, the cyclists had significantly higher levels of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which is known to promote the health of nerve cells. The men who had sat quietly showed no comparable change in BDNF levels.
For some time, scientists have believed that BDNF helps explain why mental functioning appears to improve with exercise. However, they haven’t fully understood which parts of the brain are affected or how those effects influence thinking. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise may play a particular role in improving memory and recall."
There's more--read the whole thing.
MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS
Meanwhile, some of you may have seen this story already; but I wanted to note it here as well. It seems that a young hero with Moebius Syndrome in the UK, Riley Mills, got to meet Father Chrismas recently. He deserved it:
"CHUGGING along the Avon Valley Railway is always a lovely journey, but the trip was even more magical when a very important guest with a long white beard, rosy cheeks and sack of presents boarded the train.
Santa had made an early trip down from his home in Lapland to give presents to some very special Evening Post readers who have gone through a difficult year and deserved a treat.
There were wide eyes and even wider smiles when Father Christmas welcomed them on the platform at Bitton, and as the train made its way to Oldland Common there were cries of, “where’s Santa, where’s Santa?”...
When Father Christmas stopped by Riley Mills, four, and his brother Lenny, two, he gave them a special key to rub so that he would be sure to stop at their house for Christmas.
The family, with mum Melanie, 27, and dad Ryan, 28, from St George, were invited on the train because Riley suffers from moebius syndrome, which causes problems with his eyes. The little lad, who has just started school, has had three operations this year alone, and has to travel up to Manchester every three months for physiotherapy. Dad Ryan said: “It is a big year for him so we thought it would be a nice treat for him. Lenny has hearing problems as well, so it is nice for us to come out as a family.”
Father Christmas gave Riley a wooden building block set and Lenny a cow teddy. Riley said: “It was fun to meet Father Christmas. I touched his magic key so that he can come to our house on Christmas Eve.”
As Santa handed out the presents there were whoops of delight as youngsters unwrapped juggling balls, toy cars, teddies and games."
"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves
strong. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castaneda
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
FOR MOEBIUS MOMS AND DADS: ON BULLYING
The latest response to bullying? One idea is: give your child the ability to fight back against it. Not everything in here may be suitable for your child. Use your best judgment. But read on--this is good food for thought:
"If you found out that bullies were hassling your kid, what would you do? Help him rehearse comeback lines? Or show him how to open a can of whoop-ass, and knock those jerks into next week?
The latest response to bullying? One idea is: give your child the ability to fight back against it. Not everything in here may be suitable for your child. Use your best judgment. But read on--this is good food for thought:
"If you found out that bullies were hassling your kid, what would you do? Help him rehearse comeback lines? Or show him how to open a can of whoop-ass, and knock those jerks into next week?
Bully-prevention efforts in recent years have focused on identifying the tormenters and enacting zero-tolerance policies. But the new trend in anti-bullying efforts is reaching out to the bullies’ targets, the victims – and teaching them to stand up for themselves.
Scott Thompson, an openly gay Canadian actor and comic best known for his work in “Kids in the Hall,” told PrideSource.com in a recent interview that the bullying he endured as a kid “scarred him terribly.”His answer: fight back. “Here's the thing: The world is not kind to us; it never really will be,” Thompson told the interviewer. “But you have to fight back … Fathers should start teaching the boys how to punch. He does that to you, here’s what you do: You f****** punch him in the face,” Thompson told the interviewer.
Thompson’s advice may be extreme, but bully-proofing classes across the country are taking a more aggressive approach to teaching kids how to avoid being victims.
The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, based in Torrance, Calif., has a Bully-Proof Summer Camp for ages 5 through 14. And Miller’s Martial Arts Academy, in Kirkland, Wash., offers bully-prevention classes.
But hold up: Your youngster won’t learn how to kick the stuffing out of the Mean Kid in these 8-week sessions. At least, not until the last week. Miller believes kids should start with words.
“Learning to set a verbal boundary and getting the kids to set a clear demarcation line is the first line of protection – not whacking someone with a kick or a punch,” said Korbett Miller, owner of the martial arts academy. “I’m giving them the courage – and the permission – to be loud with someone who’s physically threatening them.”
And if that doesn’t work, Miller teaches some “real basic front kicks,” and how to “stun and run,” versus a knockdown, drag-out fight.
“I don’t want to teach kids to be violent – the world is a violent enough place,” he said. “I’m giving the kids pat things they can do, little routines they can practice with their families.”
Of course, it’s possible to take the whole “focus on the victim” approach too far. The London Standard reported recently that students in Essex County were told by teachers to “act less gay” when bullied.
Teens picked on for their appearance, according to the “Anti-Bullying Work” report, were counseled to wear their hair differently. The report was based on evidence compiled from 250 students and teachers in the county, which is less than an hour outside of London.
“That’s just nuts. That’s just sad,” said Michele Borba, an educational psychologist and parenting expert. Borba, who has spoken to countless educators, students and parents about bullying, stressed that children shouldn’t have to change their entire demeanor to avoid persecution.
What kids can do, she said, is learn some basic assertiveness skills that will serve them well with bullies – and in life. In her blog, Borba suggests that parents role-play with their kids, teaching them good comebacks, strong, confident body language and how to stay calm in the face of verbal abuse. (Bullies just want a reaction, she pointed out.)
And if that’s not enough, there’s always a good front kick."
"It is far better to know our own weaknesses and failings
than to point out those of another." -Jawaharlal Nehru
than to point out those of another." -Jawaharlal Nehru
Monday, November 28, 2011
MOEBIUS MUSINGS: A THEORY
Okay, so today let's start out with this---a Moebius musing--or rather, a theory--as to why holidays like Thanksgiving are important to us Moebius folks, and to folks like us.
And I'm convinced they are. If you follow Facebook or other social media, you saw that plenty of those in the Moebius community were posting about how much they were looking forward to the holiday. Well, you might say, but everybody was looking forward to it, whether they had Moebius or not. Yes, yes, of course; but I just think the intensity of feeling seemed to me to be stronger in our community. And I bet you I know why.
My theory is: to us, Thanksgiving or Christmas means being around family and friends again. It means being home, perhaps, or at least around familiar surroundings. It means being around people you're used to. Now of course, that can bring problems of its own. Sometimes families don't get along that well; we all know that. Sometimes family get-togethers don't live up to the image portrayed in holiday movies, TV commercials, and Hallmark Christmas cards. But still--if you have Moebius Syndrome or anything like it, what can be the most scary for you? Simple: venturing out into the unknown. Having to be with people who don't know you and don't know how to react to you. And what do the holidays bring? They bring family time, friends time, being around the familiar and the comfortable. Yes, sometimes the family dynamics aren't perfect. But still, even that is familiar and not always that uncomfortable--at least you can know what to expect. And often times, just being back "home for the holidays" just feels good, no matter what. So look forward to the holiday season, all you people with Moebius Syndrome. Look forward to your chance to be around your loved ones, around the familiar, comfortable, non-scary non-unknowns. :+)
Just don't be afraid to take on the world again once the holidays are over!
Meanwhile, having Moebius or anything like it makes us always interested in the workings of our brain. Which brings us to...
SHAKESPEARE AND THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION
An article today argues that the Great Bard knew something about how your psychological attitude can affect how your body feels and reacts:
"You probably never thought about reading the works of William Shakespeare for medical advice, but it turns out that the Bard had a keen understanding of the mind-body connection, a study in the journal Medical Humanities reports.
Okay, so today let's start out with this---a Moebius musing--or rather, a theory--as to why holidays like Thanksgiving are important to us Moebius folks, and to folks like us.
And I'm convinced they are. If you follow Facebook or other social media, you saw that plenty of those in the Moebius community were posting about how much they were looking forward to the holiday. Well, you might say, but everybody was looking forward to it, whether they had Moebius or not. Yes, yes, of course; but I just think the intensity of feeling seemed to me to be stronger in our community. And I bet you I know why.
My theory is: to us, Thanksgiving or Christmas means being around family and friends again. It means being home, perhaps, or at least around familiar surroundings. It means being around people you're used to. Now of course, that can bring problems of its own. Sometimes families don't get along that well; we all know that. Sometimes family get-togethers don't live up to the image portrayed in holiday movies, TV commercials, and Hallmark Christmas cards. But still--if you have Moebius Syndrome or anything like it, what can be the most scary for you? Simple: venturing out into the unknown. Having to be with people who don't know you and don't know how to react to you. And what do the holidays bring? They bring family time, friends time, being around the familiar and the comfortable. Yes, sometimes the family dynamics aren't perfect. But still, even that is familiar and not always that uncomfortable--at least you can know what to expect. And often times, just being back "home for the holidays" just feels good, no matter what. So look forward to the holiday season, all you people with Moebius Syndrome. Look forward to your chance to be around your loved ones, around the familiar, comfortable, non-scary non-unknowns. :+)
Just don't be afraid to take on the world again once the holidays are over!
Meanwhile, having Moebius or anything like it makes us always interested in the workings of our brain. Which brings us to...
SHAKESPEARE AND THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION
An article today argues that the Great Bard knew something about how your psychological attitude can affect how your body feels and reacts:
"You probably never thought about reading the works of William Shakespeare for medical advice, but it turns out that the Bard had a keen understanding of the mind-body connection, a study in the journal Medical Humanities reports.
Dr. Kenneth Heaton of the department of medicine at the University of Bristol argues that Shakespeare, more than his contemporaries, depicts the relationship between psychological distress and bodily symptoms.
The findings "should encourage doctors to remember that physical symptoms can have psychological causes," Heaton wrote in the study.
Heaton examined the 42 major works of Shakespeare and 46 works by contemporaries, matched according to genre. He found that symptoms that have roots in the psyche, including vertigo, breathlessness, fatigue, faint feelings and cold feelings are all more common in Shakespeare's works.
A famous example of the psychological causes of fatigue is in "Hamlet," where Hamlet says "O God, O God / How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!" and ends with "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue." Hamlet's mother and step-father have asked him to remain in Denmark, and Hamlet, disgusted by their marriage that happened so soon after his biological father's death, contemplates suicide in this speech in Act I Scene II. Heaton also cites passages from "The Merchant of Venice," including Antonio's opening confession o his friends: "In sooth, I know not why I am so sad. / It wearies me, you say it wearies you."
Shakespeare was also convinced that vertigo, marked by unsteadiness or a feeling of loss of control, could be brought on by extreme emotion. These days, that connection isn't commonly seen, but vertigo can be a stress-related symptom. Writers have used it as a metaphor for existential distress, but Shakespeare knew about its bodily effects: "He that is giddy thinks the world turns round," a widow in "Taming of the Shrew" says.
Unlike any of the Bard's contemporaries that Heaton studied, Shakespeare depicted characters losing hearing at times of high emotion. In "King Lear," Gloucester, who is blind and believes there is a cliff edge below him to jump off of, admits to his son Edgar that he does not hear the sea. "Why then, your other senses grow imperfect by your eyes' anguish," Edgar says. It could be all metaphorical, since psychosomatic deafness is not seen in the 21st century, but Heaton posits that perhaps in Shakespeare's time stress did cause symptoms related to ears.
Why so much attention to the mind-body connection? Maybe he wanted to make his characters seem more human or more relatable to the audience, or perhaps he unconsciously emphasized these symptoms because of his own body-consciousness. The examples Heaton could have all been written purely as metaphors, but he argues that the specificity of bodily symptoms and psychological feelings should not be dismissed as such.
"Many doctors are reluctant to attribute physical symptoms to emotional disturbance, and this results in delayed diagnosis, overinvestigation and inappropriate treatment," Heaton writes. "They could learn to be better doctors by studying Shakespeare."
The findings "should encourage doctors to remember that physical symptoms can have psychological causes," Heaton wrote in the study.
Heaton examined the 42 major works of Shakespeare and 46 works by contemporaries, matched according to genre. He found that symptoms that have roots in the psyche, including vertigo, breathlessness, fatigue, faint feelings and cold feelings are all more common in Shakespeare's works.
A famous example of the psychological causes of fatigue is in "Hamlet," where Hamlet says "O God, O God / How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!" and ends with "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue." Hamlet's mother and step-father have asked him to remain in Denmark, and Hamlet, disgusted by their marriage that happened so soon after his biological father's death, contemplates suicide in this speech in Act I Scene II. Heaton also cites passages from "The Merchant of Venice," including Antonio's opening confession o his friends: "In sooth, I know not why I am so sad. / It wearies me, you say it wearies you."
Shakespeare was also convinced that vertigo, marked by unsteadiness or a feeling of loss of control, could be brought on by extreme emotion. These days, that connection isn't commonly seen, but vertigo can be a stress-related symptom. Writers have used it as a metaphor for existential distress, but Shakespeare knew about its bodily effects: "He that is giddy thinks the world turns round," a widow in "Taming of the Shrew" says.
Unlike any of the Bard's contemporaries that Heaton studied, Shakespeare depicted characters losing hearing at times of high emotion. In "King Lear," Gloucester, who is blind and believes there is a cliff edge below him to jump off of, admits to his son Edgar that he does not hear the sea. "Why then, your other senses grow imperfect by your eyes' anguish," Edgar says. It could be all metaphorical, since psychosomatic deafness is not seen in the 21st century, but Heaton posits that perhaps in Shakespeare's time stress did cause symptoms related to ears.
Why so much attention to the mind-body connection? Maybe he wanted to make his characters seem more human or more relatable to the audience, or perhaps he unconsciously emphasized these symptoms because of his own body-consciousness. The examples Heaton could have all been written purely as metaphors, but he argues that the specificity of bodily symptoms and psychological feelings should not be dismissed as such.
"Many doctors are reluctant to attribute physical symptoms to emotional disturbance, and this results in delayed diagnosis, overinvestigation and inappropriate treatment," Heaton writes. "They could learn to be better doctors by studying Shakespeare."
Saturday, November 26, 2011
THANKSGIVING WEEKEND FOOTBALL PICKS!
Gotta get these in before the weekend comes to an end...
Last week I went 11-4! Not bad.
So far this week I'm only 1-2; I correctly had Green Bay covering
against the Lions...but I thought Dallas would beat the spread against the
Dolphins, and San Francisco would cover at Baltimore. No dice. Let's see
how I do the rest of the weekend:No
COLLEGE PICKS
Alabama at Auburn. LINE: Tide by 21. MY PICK: WAR EAGLE. Alabama will win this game. But 21 points is too much in a rivalry game like this, on the road.
Notre Dame at Stanford. LINE: Cardinal by 7. MY PICK: FIGHTING IRISH. Oregon (and others) have exposed that Stanford defense. I expect Andrew Luck to pull this game out late for Stanford...but look for the Irish to at least cover here, if not win outright.
NFL PICKS
Minnesota at Atlanta. LINE: Falcons by 9.5. MY PICK: FALCONS. No Adrian Peterson for the Vikings means relatively easy pickins' for Atlanta.
Carolina at Indianapolis. LINE: Panthers by 3. MY PICK: PANTHERS. There's been no sign that the Colts are anything but still beat-down without Peyton.
Cleveland at Cincinnati. LINE: Bengals by 7. MY PICK: BENGALS. Yes, the Bengals lost the last two weeks, to the Steelers and Ravens. But they played decently and were competitive in both. Meanwhile the Browns have shown little improvement.
Houston at Jacksonville. LINE: Texans by 6.5. MY PICK: TEXANS. Yes, Houston has lost QB Matt Schaub for the season. But Matt Leinart has experience; and most importantly, the Texans' run in the past few weeks was fueled not by their passing game; but by an improved run game and a powerful offensive line. Look for that to continue.
New England at Philadelphia. LINE: Patriots by 3.5. MY PICK: PATRIOTS. Michael Vick's status is questionable for this game, at best; Tom Brady's isn't. The Patriots come into this game healthier and playing better.
Buffalo at NY Jets. LINE: Jets by 9. MY PICK: JETS. Both teams have issues. But Buffalo seems to have completely had its wheels fall off--both figuratively and literally, as now leading rusher Fred Jackson is out. Look for the Jets to feel good for a week.
Chicago at Oakland. LINE: Raiders by 4. MY PICK: RAIDERS. For the Bears, Jay Cutler is out for at least several weeks; they may eventually be OK with Caleb Haney at QB, but this first week...on the road...look for them to struggle, and the Raiders to benefit.
Pittsburgh at Kansas City. LINE: Steelers by 10.5. MY PICK: STEELERS. KC has to make do with a backup QB, too--Tyler Palko. Against the Patriots, Palko's first reviews were not good. It won't get any easier--or better--against Pittsburgh.
Arizona at St. Louis. LINE: Rams by 3. MY PICK: CARDINALS. A battle of the weak. A hard game to pick---just going with my gut. The Cards have a few more explosive weapons...
Denver at San Diego. LINE: Chargers by 6. MY PICK: Hmm. The Chargers have lost 5 straight. Denver, with Tim Tebow, has won 4 of 5. Yet the line on this game began at 7, and only reluctantly has gone down to 6. Still no love in Vegas for Tebow, and still belief in the Chargers despite their poor play. Me? I guess I'm sort of on the Tebow bandwagon; I think his running ability, plus the improved play of the Bronco defense, will at least keep this one close. Go with Denver.
Washington at Seattle. LINE: Seahawks by 3.5. MY PICK: SEAHAWKS. The Seahawks are playing better, with wins in the past two weeks; meanwhile the Redskins played with great emotion in their close loss to the Cowboys last week, but figure to have a letdown this week.
Tampa Bay at Tennessee. LINE; Titans by 3.5. MY PICK: TITANS. The Bucs were very competitive at Green Bay last week. But it was another loss, and now here they are on the road again against a Titans team with a lot to play for. Look for the Bucs' slide to continue.
NY Giants at New Orleans. LINE: Saints by 7. MY PICK: SAINTS. New Orleans at home, on a Monday night, against a Giants team that seems to have lost its mojo when it comes to running the ball, a necessity for the Giants...it all adds up to good tidings for the Saints.
"Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat
your own record each and everyday, and you are a success."
-William Boetcker
Gotta get these in before the weekend comes to an end...
Last week I went 11-4! Not bad.
So far this week I'm only 1-2; I correctly had Green Bay covering
against the Lions...but I thought Dallas would beat the spread against the
Dolphins, and San Francisco would cover at Baltimore. No dice. Let's see
how I do the rest of the weekend:No
COLLEGE PICKS
Alabama at Auburn. LINE: Tide by 21. MY PICK: WAR EAGLE. Alabama will win this game. But 21 points is too much in a rivalry game like this, on the road.
Notre Dame at Stanford. LINE: Cardinal by 7. MY PICK: FIGHTING IRISH. Oregon (and others) have exposed that Stanford defense. I expect Andrew Luck to pull this game out late for Stanford...but look for the Irish to at least cover here, if not win outright.
NFL PICKS
Minnesota at Atlanta. LINE: Falcons by 9.5. MY PICK: FALCONS. No Adrian Peterson for the Vikings means relatively easy pickins' for Atlanta.
Carolina at Indianapolis. LINE: Panthers by 3. MY PICK: PANTHERS. There's been no sign that the Colts are anything but still beat-down without Peyton.
Cleveland at Cincinnati. LINE: Bengals by 7. MY PICK: BENGALS. Yes, the Bengals lost the last two weeks, to the Steelers and Ravens. But they played decently and were competitive in both. Meanwhile the Browns have shown little improvement.
Houston at Jacksonville. LINE: Texans by 6.5. MY PICK: TEXANS. Yes, Houston has lost QB Matt Schaub for the season. But Matt Leinart has experience; and most importantly, the Texans' run in the past few weeks was fueled not by their passing game; but by an improved run game and a powerful offensive line. Look for that to continue.
New England at Philadelphia. LINE: Patriots by 3.5. MY PICK: PATRIOTS. Michael Vick's status is questionable for this game, at best; Tom Brady's isn't. The Patriots come into this game healthier and playing better.
Buffalo at NY Jets. LINE: Jets by 9. MY PICK: JETS. Both teams have issues. But Buffalo seems to have completely had its wheels fall off--both figuratively and literally, as now leading rusher Fred Jackson is out. Look for the Jets to feel good for a week.
Chicago at Oakland. LINE: Raiders by 4. MY PICK: RAIDERS. For the Bears, Jay Cutler is out for at least several weeks; they may eventually be OK with Caleb Haney at QB, but this first week...on the road...look for them to struggle, and the Raiders to benefit.
Pittsburgh at Kansas City. LINE: Steelers by 10.5. MY PICK: STEELERS. KC has to make do with a backup QB, too--Tyler Palko. Against the Patriots, Palko's first reviews were not good. It won't get any easier--or better--against Pittsburgh.
Arizona at St. Louis. LINE: Rams by 3. MY PICK: CARDINALS. A battle of the weak. A hard game to pick---just going with my gut. The Cards have a few more explosive weapons...
Denver at San Diego. LINE: Chargers by 6. MY PICK: Hmm. The Chargers have lost 5 straight. Denver, with Tim Tebow, has won 4 of 5. Yet the line on this game began at 7, and only reluctantly has gone down to 6. Still no love in Vegas for Tebow, and still belief in the Chargers despite their poor play. Me? I guess I'm sort of on the Tebow bandwagon; I think his running ability, plus the improved play of the Bronco defense, will at least keep this one close. Go with Denver.
Washington at Seattle. LINE: Seahawks by 3.5. MY PICK: SEAHAWKS. The Seahawks are playing better, with wins in the past two weeks; meanwhile the Redskins played with great emotion in their close loss to the Cowboys last week, but figure to have a letdown this week.
Tampa Bay at Tennessee. LINE; Titans by 3.5. MY PICK: TITANS. The Bucs were very competitive at Green Bay last week. But it was another loss, and now here they are on the road again against a Titans team with a lot to play for. Look for the Bucs' slide to continue.
NY Giants at New Orleans. LINE: Saints by 7. MY PICK: SAINTS. New Orleans at home, on a Monday night, against a Giants team that seems to have lost its mojo when it comes to running the ball, a necessity for the Giants...it all adds up to good tidings for the Saints.
"Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat
your own record each and everyday, and you are a success."
-William Boetcker
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
HOW TO RAISE A GRATEFUL CHILD
In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought this was interesting--all parents, take note:
"I was 7 years old when I received a tiny Christmas present -- about the size of an eraser -- awkwardly wrapped and covered in tape. My sister's boyfriend, Jeff, was visiting and had considerately brought gifts for his girlfriend's three younger siblings. Mine, though, was by far the smallest. I remember opening it up to reveal a miniature ceramic dog -- a cold, hard nothing that fit in the palm of my hand -- and thinking how unlucky I was. I gave Jeff my best cold shoulder the rest of the day.
And I've felt guilty about it ever since. Partly because, in hindsight, Jeff's gift was very thoughtful: I'd been obsessed with my dollhouse, and he had managed to find one accessory my dream home did not yet have -- a pet. Still, I couldn't look past the size of the gift to be grateful for the amount of care that had gone into choosing it.
In this, experts say, I wasn't an unusual kid: For distractible, still-developing children (and that's pretty much all of them), gratitude can be hard-won. While many can be trained to say "please" and "thank you" beginning at about 18 months, true appreciativeness and generosity take time to seed and blossom.
"There's a difference between encouraging thankfulness in your kids and actually expecting it," says Claire Lerner, a child-development specialist at Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the healthy development of kids and families. "Raising a grateful child is an ongoing process."
Vicki Hoefle, director of Parenting on Track, a parent-education program based in East Middlebury, Vermont (and the mother of five teenagers), concurs: "As nice as it is to think about having a five-year-old who appreciates and shows gratitude for everything, the truth is, parents can feel successful if they raise a thirty-five-year-old who embodies that grateful spirit."
So, to Jeff Galvin I offer a long-overdue "Thank you." To everyone else, here's how to avoid getting derailed by five not-so-thankful-kid moments, both this holiday season and all year long:
Your 9-year-old keeps a running -- and growing -- list of toys he has to have. He's up to number 23 this season.
In-The-Moment Fix "Emphasize that you appreciate there are many things he wants, but let him know it will only be possible to get a few of them," says Robert Brooks, Ph.D., a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and coauthor of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child. That way, you won't make him feel greedy or foolish for compiling a lengthy list, but you will set his expectations.
Another idea: Ask him to make a second list, equal in number to the things he wants to get, of things or actions he is willing to give, suggests Maureen Healy, author of 365 Perfect Things to Say to Your Kids. For example: 1) Clean his room, 2) Help you find a charity that the family can donate to, 3) Pitch in when Dad starts wrapping presents, 4) Make a holiday card. Last, if you're in for belt-tightening this year, let him know.
Be honest, but keep it simple and undramatic so you don't scare him. Instead of saying "Dad might lose his job, so we have to cut back" -- which might make him sure you'll be losing the house next -- say something like "Nothing major is going to change, but we'll have to wait until next year to go on vacation and we have to hold off on getting the new bike you wanted." It's likely your kid will think "Okay, I can live with that," says Lerner.
Long-Term Strategy
Help him understand that gifts are thoughtful gestures, not just a way for him to score materialistic gain, says Lerner. Anytime he receives a present, point out everything the giver put into it. If a classmate makes him a friendship bracelet, for example, say "Oh, wow -- Lucy remembered that you thought these were cool. She picked out colors she knows you like, and it probably took her a whole hour to make. That is so nice." Do this enough times and he'll get the "quality, not quantity" idea before you know it.
Your 5-year-old grimaces at the stuffed Elmo her aunt gives her and says, "But I wanted a Barbie!"
In-The-Moment Fix
"The concept of hiding your own negative feelings to protect someone else's is way too complex for kids five and under," says Lerner. (Older kids get better and better but will still have frequent slipups.) So validate your daughter's feelings without responding critically, says Brooks.
Say "I know you wanted a Barbie, but let's think about all the different ways we can play with Elmo." You can also step in and model the appropriate response -- and defuse the uncomfortable situation -- by exclaiming something like "Wow, that was so thoughtful, wasn't it, Alli? Aunt Karen remembered you needed mittens!" This trick works for all ages: If your older son receives a gift he already owns, for example, say "Oh, cool! That's your favorite game!"
Write a little script for your child to follow when he gets a present, recommends Bette Freedson of the National Association of Social Workers. Come up with a stock line or two together, like "Thank you! I like it a lot!" He can also pick out one thing to specifically compliment ("This blanket feels really soft").
Long-Term StrategyBefore any gift-getting occasion, prepare your child for the possibility that she may not like all her presents, but at the same time, let her know that it's still important to show her appreciation. Remind her that people put effort into trying to find her the best thing. Then devise a special cue between the two of you, suggests Lerner, that reminds her to say thank you. When you see her mouth turning down, you can clap your hands and say "Great present!" to snap her back into good-manners mode.
You can't even take your kid to get socks or lightbulbs without him whining for you to buy him something -- seemingly anything.
In-The-Moment Fix
Before you go on any shopping trip, inform your child that you'll be hitting the mall to, say, buy gifts for his cousins. "Engage him in the process," says Lerner. "Ask him what his cousin Jane likes and which toy you should get her. Get him excited about buying for someone else." At the same time, make it clear that you won't be able to buy anything for him. Then, if your son throws a fit at the store, you can refer back to that conversation, and say something like "I know it's hard to be here when you're not getting anything, but that's the rule. Now, I really need your help finding something for Jane." Let's be honest: That might not be enough to stop his whining. But steel yourself and stay strong. Caving in will only teach him that he will eventually get his way if he complains loud or long enough.
Long-Term Strategy
Your weekends may be errand time, but try to avoid spending all your family moments pushing a shopping cart. That way, your kids won't think acquiring stuff is the leisure-time norm. (Don't get us wrong, though: We know those flattering jeans are sometimes an absolute necessity!) Denver mom Beth Korin says she and her two boys, ages 7 and 9, frequently head to the library, an indoor pool, or a rock-climbing gym instead. "We try to think of things we can do that don't involve hanging out in stores," she says. Prepare kids for these events the same way you would for gifts ("We're going to have a big, delicious meal with all of your favorite foods, and then we're going to play games!"). The idea you want to get across is that having experiences can be just as exciting as accumulating things (if not more).
Your 6-year-old gobbles down the Teddy Grahams that another parent at the playground gives him. But when you prod him to say "Thank you," he won't.
In-The-Moment Fix It's easy to turn this "teachable moment" into a battle of wills -- one where you're repeating "I didn't hear you say thank you!" to your tantrum-ing child while the person he's supposed to thank is backing away in discomfort. But, explains Lerner, the fact that your son doesn't always say the words likely just means they haven't become a habit for him yet. "And getting into power struggles actually impedes the process," she says. So while you should definitely remind your kids to give thanks, it's best not to make a big deal about it if it doesn't happen.
Long-Term Strategy Remind yourself to model grateful behavior. When your cookie-muncher goes silent, go ahead and say the necessary "Thank you so much!" for him. (At least until he gets older and can be counted on to follow your cues.) In your own everyday interactions, always offer warm thank-yous and praise to grocery store clerks, gas-station attendants, waiters, teachers -- anyone who's helpful to you or him. You may think your child isn't paying attention to those small moments, but he actually is.
When you say no to a toy that, according to your daughter, "everyone at school" has, she complains that all her BFFs get cooler stuff than she does.
In-The-Moment FixSympathize with her frustration, but remind your daughter that, actually, many people don't have as much as she does. How? Begin a tradition of charity work and donating. Start simple: As young as age 3, children can be encouraged to go through their belongings and pick out items to donate, says Lerner. Every year after that, they can get more involved. Last year, Gabrielle Melchionda of Yarmouth, ME, and her two sons, ages 5 and 9, volunteered to decorate low-income homes for Christmas. "It was so nice to see all of the kids, mine and those who lived there, on their bellies coloring together," she says. "Later, my kids asked things like 'Was that the whole house?' It sparked conversation for months. It was an experience none of us will forget."
Long-Term Strategy Expose your daughter to people from all walks of life. "We often try to shield our children from those who are less fortunate, but it's important that kids know how lucky they are," says Dale McGowan, a father of three in Atlanta and coauthor of Parenting Beyond Belief. So the next time you see a homeless person, pass a shelter, or read a story in the news about a needy family, he suggests, ask questions -- "Where do you think that man sleeps?" or "Can you imagine what it would be like not to have a home?" -- that get your kids to put themselves in someone else's shoes. (At the same time, assure them that your family will always have a place to call home.) You'll be surprised -- and pleased -- at how often kids are moved to want to help.
Bonus mom advice: Don't diss gifts yourself as long as your little one is around. In fact, make a point of talking about the redeeming qualities of even that hideous necklace from your mother-in-law--how shiny! "You have to model gratitude if you want your child to practice it, too," points out Janette B. Benson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver."
THANKSGIVING: THE POWER OF NOSTALGIA
And also--why Thanksgiving feels so good, and the food tastes so good: because it reminds us of, makes us feel nostalgic for, good family time in the past; and there's nothing wrong with that:
"You've been thinking about it for weeks. Mounds of turkey piled high with buttery mashed potatoes, dripping with gravy.
Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Or sweet potato casserole and pecan pie. Cranberries. Collard greens. Stuffing.
Every year, we spend hours making the traditional Thanksgiving favorites just like our mom used to do, like her mom did before that.
"When you do something repeatedly over the years, it builds up a kind of power," nutritional psychologist Marc David says. "It creates its own momentum. To make the same dish year after year, decade after decade, there's something in that that connects us to the past."
Anything can bring on that special moment -- music, smells, photos. We play the same songs, cook the same recipes, take the same family photo in the same spot next to the same fireplace because we're human, David says. Our biological functions are based on repetitive rhythms. Our brains are hardwired to relax when surrounded by the familiar.
"Emotional eating has gotten a bad name," David says. "We're emotional people. We are emotional beings. We're built for pleasure."
Nostalgic products fill a need to belong and feel socially connected, according to an Arizona State University study published in the Journal of Consumer Research last year.
That's why this time of year, TV and radio ads are filled with smiling families sitting around a large table in holiday sweaters, passing the dinner rolls. Even if you're far away from home, companies want you to believe that buying those same dinner rolls will fill your heart with holiday joy. Turns out, it works.
Dr. Clay Routledge works with other researchers from the University of Southampton's nostalgia project. He recently published an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled "The past makes present meaningful."
Nostalgia, Routledge found, increases a person's self-esteem. Daily activities like going to class or attending meetings are routine, even boring. When we engage in nostalgia, we tend to think of the things that are really important to us. That makes us feel like our life is meaningful.
"What's amazing about autobiographical memory is that bad memories fade faster than positive memories," Routledge says. "One thing that's interesting about nostalgia is that it's not 100% detail accurate -- it's more the highlights."
Nostalgia is largely social. Routledge' s studies found that people who are alone or disconnected feel better after engaging in nostalgia. Yet you're probably dreaming right now about your grandfather's deep-fried turkey, not about him, right?
"Is it really about the food?" Routledge asks. "Or is the food just sort of a trigger or cue for what the holidays are really all about, which is relationships. We don't eat these foods other times of the year because we've segmented them off as special. They go with this occasion. They go with the relationships."
For Taste of Home editor Catherine Cassidy, Thanksgiving means cooking for the ones she loves. She gets satisfaction in putting good food on the table for her family. So many of our best moments from the past, she says, are rooted in our sense of smell.
"We call them food memories. When it comes to the holidays we are always trying to recreate the magic and the specialness we experienced when we were children."
So indulge in a little Thanksgiving daydream. Long for the oyster stuffing. Sniff the air in anticipation of mom's pumpkin pie. Then on the big day, enjoy your holiday feast, and all the benefits that come from the power of nostalgia."
BRAIN TALK DEPT
And of course we always love brain talk---today: how meditating can help:
"When you're under pressure from work and family and the emails don't stop coming, it's hard to stop your mind from jumping all over the place.
In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought this was interesting--all parents, take note:
"I was 7 years old when I received a tiny Christmas present -- about the size of an eraser -- awkwardly wrapped and covered in tape. My sister's boyfriend, Jeff, was visiting and had considerately brought gifts for his girlfriend's three younger siblings. Mine, though, was by far the smallest. I remember opening it up to reveal a miniature ceramic dog -- a cold, hard nothing that fit in the palm of my hand -- and thinking how unlucky I was. I gave Jeff my best cold shoulder the rest of the day.
And I've felt guilty about it ever since. Partly because, in hindsight, Jeff's gift was very thoughtful: I'd been obsessed with my dollhouse, and he had managed to find one accessory my dream home did not yet have -- a pet. Still, I couldn't look past the size of the gift to be grateful for the amount of care that had gone into choosing it.
In this, experts say, I wasn't an unusual kid: For distractible, still-developing children (and that's pretty much all of them), gratitude can be hard-won. While many can be trained to say "please" and "thank you" beginning at about 18 months, true appreciativeness and generosity take time to seed and blossom.
"There's a difference between encouraging thankfulness in your kids and actually expecting it," says Claire Lerner, a child-development specialist at Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the healthy development of kids and families. "Raising a grateful child is an ongoing process."
Vicki Hoefle, director of Parenting on Track, a parent-education program based in East Middlebury, Vermont (and the mother of five teenagers), concurs: "As nice as it is to think about having a five-year-old who appreciates and shows gratitude for everything, the truth is, parents can feel successful if they raise a thirty-five-year-old who embodies that grateful spirit."
So, to Jeff Galvin I offer a long-overdue "Thank you." To everyone else, here's how to avoid getting derailed by five not-so-thankful-kid moments, both this holiday season and all year long:
Your 9-year-old keeps a running -- and growing -- list of toys he has to have. He's up to number 23 this season.
In-The-Moment Fix "Emphasize that you appreciate there are many things he wants, but let him know it will only be possible to get a few of them," says Robert Brooks, Ph.D., a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and coauthor of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child. That way, you won't make him feel greedy or foolish for compiling a lengthy list, but you will set his expectations.
Another idea: Ask him to make a second list, equal in number to the things he wants to get, of things or actions he is willing to give, suggests Maureen Healy, author of 365 Perfect Things to Say to Your Kids. For example: 1) Clean his room, 2) Help you find a charity that the family can donate to, 3) Pitch in when Dad starts wrapping presents, 4) Make a holiday card. Last, if you're in for belt-tightening this year, let him know.
Be honest, but keep it simple and undramatic so you don't scare him. Instead of saying "Dad might lose his job, so we have to cut back" -- which might make him sure you'll be losing the house next -- say something like "Nothing major is going to change, but we'll have to wait until next year to go on vacation and we have to hold off on getting the new bike you wanted." It's likely your kid will think "Okay, I can live with that," says Lerner.
Long-Term Strategy
Help him understand that gifts are thoughtful gestures, not just a way for him to score materialistic gain, says Lerner. Anytime he receives a present, point out everything the giver put into it. If a classmate makes him a friendship bracelet, for example, say "Oh, wow -- Lucy remembered that you thought these were cool. She picked out colors she knows you like, and it probably took her a whole hour to make. That is so nice." Do this enough times and he'll get the "quality, not quantity" idea before you know it.
Your 5-year-old grimaces at the stuffed Elmo her aunt gives her and says, "But I wanted a Barbie!"
In-The-Moment Fix
"The concept of hiding your own negative feelings to protect someone else's is way too complex for kids five and under," says Lerner. (Older kids get better and better but will still have frequent slipups.) So validate your daughter's feelings without responding critically, says Brooks.
Say "I know you wanted a Barbie, but let's think about all the different ways we can play with Elmo." You can also step in and model the appropriate response -- and defuse the uncomfortable situation -- by exclaiming something like "Wow, that was so thoughtful, wasn't it, Alli? Aunt Karen remembered you needed mittens!" This trick works for all ages: If your older son receives a gift he already owns, for example, say "Oh, cool! That's your favorite game!"
Write a little script for your child to follow when he gets a present, recommends Bette Freedson of the National Association of Social Workers. Come up with a stock line or two together, like "Thank you! I like it a lot!" He can also pick out one thing to specifically compliment ("This blanket feels really soft").
Long-Term StrategyBefore any gift-getting occasion, prepare your child for the possibility that she may not like all her presents, but at the same time, let her know that it's still important to show her appreciation. Remind her that people put effort into trying to find her the best thing. Then devise a special cue between the two of you, suggests Lerner, that reminds her to say thank you. When you see her mouth turning down, you can clap your hands and say "Great present!" to snap her back into good-manners mode.
You can't even take your kid to get socks or lightbulbs without him whining for you to buy him something -- seemingly anything.
In-The-Moment Fix
Before you go on any shopping trip, inform your child that you'll be hitting the mall to, say, buy gifts for his cousins. "Engage him in the process," says Lerner. "Ask him what his cousin Jane likes and which toy you should get her. Get him excited about buying for someone else." At the same time, make it clear that you won't be able to buy anything for him. Then, if your son throws a fit at the store, you can refer back to that conversation, and say something like "I know it's hard to be here when you're not getting anything, but that's the rule. Now, I really need your help finding something for Jane." Let's be honest: That might not be enough to stop his whining. But steel yourself and stay strong. Caving in will only teach him that he will eventually get his way if he complains loud or long enough.
Long-Term Strategy
Your weekends may be errand time, but try to avoid spending all your family moments pushing a shopping cart. That way, your kids won't think acquiring stuff is the leisure-time norm. (Don't get us wrong, though: We know those flattering jeans are sometimes an absolute necessity!) Denver mom Beth Korin says she and her two boys, ages 7 and 9, frequently head to the library, an indoor pool, or a rock-climbing gym instead. "We try to think of things we can do that don't involve hanging out in stores," she says. Prepare kids for these events the same way you would for gifts ("We're going to have a big, delicious meal with all of your favorite foods, and then we're going to play games!"). The idea you want to get across is that having experiences can be just as exciting as accumulating things (if not more).
Your 6-year-old gobbles down the Teddy Grahams that another parent at the playground gives him. But when you prod him to say "Thank you," he won't.
In-The-Moment Fix It's easy to turn this "teachable moment" into a battle of wills -- one where you're repeating "I didn't hear you say thank you!" to your tantrum-ing child while the person he's supposed to thank is backing away in discomfort. But, explains Lerner, the fact that your son doesn't always say the words likely just means they haven't become a habit for him yet. "And getting into power struggles actually impedes the process," she says. So while you should definitely remind your kids to give thanks, it's best not to make a big deal about it if it doesn't happen.
Long-Term Strategy Remind yourself to model grateful behavior. When your cookie-muncher goes silent, go ahead and say the necessary "Thank you so much!" for him. (At least until he gets older and can be counted on to follow your cues.) In your own everyday interactions, always offer warm thank-yous and praise to grocery store clerks, gas-station attendants, waiters, teachers -- anyone who's helpful to you or him. You may think your child isn't paying attention to those small moments, but he actually is.
When you say no to a toy that, according to your daughter, "everyone at school" has, she complains that all her BFFs get cooler stuff than she does.
In-The-Moment FixSympathize with her frustration, but remind your daughter that, actually, many people don't have as much as she does. How? Begin a tradition of charity work and donating. Start simple: As young as age 3, children can be encouraged to go through their belongings and pick out items to donate, says Lerner. Every year after that, they can get more involved. Last year, Gabrielle Melchionda of Yarmouth, ME, and her two sons, ages 5 and 9, volunteered to decorate low-income homes for Christmas. "It was so nice to see all of the kids, mine and those who lived there, on their bellies coloring together," she says. "Later, my kids asked things like 'Was that the whole house?' It sparked conversation for months. It was an experience none of us will forget."
Long-Term Strategy Expose your daughter to people from all walks of life. "We often try to shield our children from those who are less fortunate, but it's important that kids know how lucky they are," says Dale McGowan, a father of three in Atlanta and coauthor of Parenting Beyond Belief. So the next time you see a homeless person, pass a shelter, or read a story in the news about a needy family, he suggests, ask questions -- "Where do you think that man sleeps?" or "Can you imagine what it would be like not to have a home?" -- that get your kids to put themselves in someone else's shoes. (At the same time, assure them that your family will always have a place to call home.) You'll be surprised -- and pleased -- at how often kids are moved to want to help.
Bonus mom advice: Don't diss gifts yourself as long as your little one is around. In fact, make a point of talking about the redeeming qualities of even that hideous necklace from your mother-in-law--how shiny! "You have to model gratitude if you want your child to practice it, too," points out Janette B. Benson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver."
THANKSGIVING: THE POWER OF NOSTALGIA
And also--why Thanksgiving feels so good, and the food tastes so good: because it reminds us of, makes us feel nostalgic for, good family time in the past; and there's nothing wrong with that:
"You've been thinking about it for weeks. Mounds of turkey piled high with buttery mashed potatoes, dripping with gravy.
Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Or sweet potato casserole and pecan pie. Cranberries. Collard greens. Stuffing.
Every year, we spend hours making the traditional Thanksgiving favorites just like our mom used to do, like her mom did before that.
"When you do something repeatedly over the years, it builds up a kind of power," nutritional psychologist Marc David says. "It creates its own momentum. To make the same dish year after year, decade after decade, there's something in that that connects us to the past."
Nostalgia comes from the Greek word for homecoming (nostos) and pain (algos). But experts say feeling nostalgic is actually good for your mental health.
"Emotional eating has gotten a bad name," David says. "We're emotional people. We are emotional beings. We're built for pleasure."
Nostalgic products fill a need to belong and feel socially connected, according to an Arizona State University study published in the Journal of Consumer Research last year.
That's why this time of year, TV and radio ads are filled with smiling families sitting around a large table in holiday sweaters, passing the dinner rolls. Even if you're far away from home, companies want you to believe that buying those same dinner rolls will fill your heart with holiday joy. Turns out, it works.
Dr. Clay Routledge works with other researchers from the University of Southampton's nostalgia project. He recently published an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled "The past makes present meaningful."
Nostalgia, Routledge found, increases a person's self-esteem. Daily activities like going to class or attending meetings are routine, even boring. When we engage in nostalgia, we tend to think of the things that are really important to us. That makes us feel like our life is meaningful.
"What's amazing about autobiographical memory is that bad memories fade faster than positive memories," Routledge says. "One thing that's interesting about nostalgia is that it's not 100% detail accurate -- it's more the highlights."
Nostalgia is largely social. Routledge' s studies found that people who are alone or disconnected feel better after engaging in nostalgia. Yet you're probably dreaming right now about your grandfather's deep-fried turkey, not about him, right?
"Is it really about the food?" Routledge asks. "Or is the food just sort of a trigger or cue for what the holidays are really all about, which is relationships. We don't eat these foods other times of the year because we've segmented them off as special. They go with this occasion. They go with the relationships."
For Taste of Home editor Catherine Cassidy, Thanksgiving means cooking for the ones she loves. She gets satisfaction in putting good food on the table for her family. So many of our best moments from the past, she says, are rooted in our sense of smell.
"We call them food memories. When it comes to the holidays we are always trying to recreate the magic and the specialness we experienced when we were children."
So indulge in a little Thanksgiving daydream. Long for the oyster stuffing. Sniff the air in anticipation of mom's pumpkin pie. Then on the big day, enjoy your holiday feast, and all the benefits that come from the power of nostalgia."
BRAIN TALK DEPT
And of course we always love brain talk---today: how meditating can help:
"When you're under pressure from work and family and the emails don't stop coming, it's hard to stop your mind from jumping all over the place.
But scientists are finding that it may be worth it to train your brain to focus on something as simple as your breath, which is part of mindfulness meditation.
A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the latest in a hot emerging field of research examining how meditation relates to the brain. It shows that people who are experienced meditators show less activity in the brain's default mode network, when the brain is not engaged in focused thought.
The default mode network is associated with introspection and mind wandering. Typically, drifting thoughts tend to focus on negative subjects, creating more stress and anxiety. It has also been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers looked at experienced meditators and trained novices. There were 12 in the "experienced" category, with an average of more than 10,000 hours of mindfulness meditation experience (Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at something), and 12 healthy volunteers who were novices in meditation.
Each volunteer was instructed to engage in three types of meditation: concentration (attention to the breath), love-kindness (wishing beings well) and choiceless awareness (focus on whatever comes up). Scientists looked at their brain activity during these meditations with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Across all of these types of meditation, the experienced meditators showed less activity in the default mode network than in the novices. The experienced participants also reported less mind wandering than the novices. Interestingly, experienced meditators also showed increased connectivity between certain brain networks during meditation and non-meditation.
"It doesn't matter what they're doing, they have an altered default mode network," said Dr. Judson Brewer, medical director of the Yale University Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic and lead author of the study. "We were pretty excited about that, because it suggests that these guys are paying attention a lot more."
From this particular study, researchers can't say whether meditating is beneficial to the brain. But, viewed in conjunction with other studies showing the positive effects of mindfulness training for depression, substance abuse, anxiety and pain disorders, it seems to have promise. Also, a 2010 study found that people tend to be more unhappy when they their mind is wandering.
"Putting all those together, we might be able to start get at what the mechanisms of mindfulness are," Brewer said.
But the study does not address the issue of cause: Is meditation changing the brain, or do people who already have these brain patterns get interested in meditation?
"Emerging data from our group and others suggests that some things thought to be result of meditation might be cause of meditation," said Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
If some people are just better at keeping their minds from wandering, that would also be consistent with the Buddhist idea that your capabilities are the result of your Karmic path, so meditation may be better suited to some people than others, Raison said.
Someday, if brain scans become cheap enough, one day there might be a test to see who can benefit most from mindfulness training, Raison said.
In the meantime, scientists should explore these open questions by doing longitudinal studies, Raison said. That would involve assigning some people to meditate and some people to not meditate, and following the groups over time to see whether a change in brain activity patterns is visible.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered
himself is mightier still." -Lao-Tzu
A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the latest in a hot emerging field of research examining how meditation relates to the brain. It shows that people who are experienced meditators show less activity in the brain's default mode network, when the brain is not engaged in focused thought.
The default mode network is associated with introspection and mind wandering. Typically, drifting thoughts tend to focus on negative subjects, creating more stress and anxiety. It has also been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers looked at experienced meditators and trained novices. There were 12 in the "experienced" category, with an average of more than 10,000 hours of mindfulness meditation experience (Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at something), and 12 healthy volunteers who were novices in meditation.
Each volunteer was instructed to engage in three types of meditation: concentration (attention to the breath), love-kindness (wishing beings well) and choiceless awareness (focus on whatever comes up). Scientists looked at their brain activity during these meditations with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Across all of these types of meditation, the experienced meditators showed less activity in the default mode network than in the novices. The experienced participants also reported less mind wandering than the novices. Interestingly, experienced meditators also showed increased connectivity between certain brain networks during meditation and non-meditation.
"It doesn't matter what they're doing, they have an altered default mode network," said Dr. Judson Brewer, medical director of the Yale University Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic and lead author of the study. "We were pretty excited about that, because it suggests that these guys are paying attention a lot more."
From this particular study, researchers can't say whether meditating is beneficial to the brain. But, viewed in conjunction with other studies showing the positive effects of mindfulness training for depression, substance abuse, anxiety and pain disorders, it seems to have promise. Also, a 2010 study found that people tend to be more unhappy when they their mind is wandering.
"Putting all those together, we might be able to start get at what the mechanisms of mindfulness are," Brewer said.
But the study does not address the issue of cause: Is meditation changing the brain, or do people who already have these brain patterns get interested in meditation?
"Emerging data from our group and others suggests that some things thought to be result of meditation might be cause of meditation," said Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
If some people are just better at keeping their minds from wandering, that would also be consistent with the Buddhist idea that your capabilities are the result of your Karmic path, so meditation may be better suited to some people than others, Raison said.
Someday, if brain scans become cheap enough, one day there might be a test to see who can benefit most from mindfulness training, Raison said.
In the meantime, scientists should explore these open questions by doing longitudinal studies, Raison said. That would involve assigning some people to meditate and some people to not meditate, and following the groups over time to see whether a change in brain activity patterns is visible.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered
himself is mightier still." -Lao-Tzu
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
FACEBOOK REALLY IS POWERFUL
In the sense that the "degrees of separation", among users of Facebook, has declined:
"
In the sense that the "degrees of separation", among users of Facebook, has declined:
"
Perhaps the saying should be four degrees of separation, rather than six?
Using data on the linkages between 721 million Facebook users, a team of scientists discovered that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the United States was 4.37, and that the number separating any two people in the world was 4.74. As John Markoff and Somini Sengupta report in today’s New York Times, the findings highlight the growing power of the emerging science of social networks:
Facebook not only gives those with Moebius the opportunity to form a closer community; it gives everyone that opportunity.
"Impossibilities are merely things which we have not yet learned."
-Charles W. Chesnutt
Using data on the linkages between 721 million Facebook users, a team of scientists discovered that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the United States was 4.37, and that the number separating any two people in the world was 4.74. As John Markoff and Somini Sengupta report in today’s New York Times, the findings highlight the growing power of the emerging science of social networks:
The original “six degrees” finding, published in 1967 by the psychologist Stanley Milgram, was drawn from 296 volunteers who were asked to send a message by postcard, through friends and then friends of friends, to a specific person in a Boston suburb.How many people around the world are you connected to through your Facebook account? And how many of your Facebook “friends” are actual friends, or simply “buddies?” To learn more about the research and its implications for social networks, read the full report, “Separating You and Me? 4.74 Degrees,” and then please join the discussion below."
The new research used a slightly bigger cohort: 721 million Facebook users, more than one-tenth of the world’s population. The findings were posted on Facebook’s site Monday night.…
“When considering even the most distant Facebook user in the Siberian tundra or the Peruvian rain forest,” the company wrote on its blog, “a friend of your friend probably knows a friend of their friend.” The caveat there is “Facebook user” — like the Milgram study, the cohort was a self-selected group, in this case people with online access who use a particular Web site.
Facebook not only gives those with Moebius the opportunity to form a closer community; it gives everyone that opportunity.
"Impossibilities are merely things which we have not yet learned."
-Charles W. Chesnutt
Monday, November 21, 2011
WANT TO BE A MORNING PERSON? HERE'S HOW
If any of you are like me, sometimes maybe you feel like this: you hear people talking about getting up real early in the morning, and being ready to go--being productive, getting a lot done, seeing the sunrise, morning being the best part of the day, etc. You (and me, too), however, maybe have tried to get up early, but are exhausted by it, are not at your best at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, if you are up at that hour you feel like you're sleepwalking and tired, etc etc etc. In other words, some people are real early-morning people, but maybe you just aren't. Well---according to the NY Times, there is hope; you can change! Here's how:
"Like most creatures on earth, humans come equipped with a circadian clock, a roughly 24-hour internal timer that keeps our sleep patterns in sync with our planet. At least until genetics, age and our personal habits get in the way. Even though the average adult needs eight hours of sleep per night, there are “shortsleepers,” who need far less, and morning people, who, research shows, often come from families of other morning people. Then there’s the rest of us, who rely on alarm clocks.
For those who fantasize about greeting the dawn, there is hope. Sleep experts say that with a little discipline (well, actually, a lot of discipline), most people can reset their circadian clocks. But it’s not as simple as forcing yourself to go to bed earlier (you can’t make a wide-awake brain sleep). It requires inducing a sort of jet lag without leaving your time zone. And sticking it out until your body clock resets itself. And then not resetting it again.
To start, move up your wake-up time by 20 minutes a day. If you regularly rise at 8 a.m., but really want to get moving at 6 a.m., set the alarm for 7:40 on Monday. The next day, set it for 7:20 and so on. Then, after you wake up, don’t linger in bed. Hit yourself with light. In theory, you’ll gradually get sleepy about 20 minutes earlier each night, and you can facilitate the transition by avoiding extra light exposure from computers or televisions as you near bedtime. (The light from a computer screen or an iPad has roughly the same effect as the sun.) “Light has a very privileged relationship with our brain,” says Dr. Jeffrey M. Ellenbogen, chief of sleep medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. While most sensory information is “processed” by the thalamus before being sent on its way, Ellenbogen says, light goes directly to the circadian system.
But recalibrating your inner clock requires more commitment — in the form of unwatched reruns or lost time with a spouse — than many people care to give. For some, it’s almost impossible. Very early risers and longtime night owls have a hard time ever changing, says David F. Dinges, chief of sleep and chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Night-shift workers also struggle, he says, because they don’t get the environmental and social cues that help adjust the circadian clock. The most important of these cues, called zeitgebers (German for “time givers”) is sunlight. But a zeitgeber could also be a scrambled-egg breakfast or children coming home from school in the afternoon.
Besides computer screens, the biggest saboteur for an aspiring morning person is the weekend. Staying up later on Friday or sleeping in on Saturday sends the brain an entirely new set of scheduling priorities. By Monday, a 6 a.m. alarm will feel like 4 a.m. “If the old phase was entrained for a long time,” Dinges says, “the biology has a kind of memory of this.” In other words, he says, “it takes self-discipline.”
If you click on the link, there's also a quiz you can take that can help determine--just how much of a morning person are you really? Check it out...
"The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life:
mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical." -Julius Erving
If any of you are like me, sometimes maybe you feel like this: you hear people talking about getting up real early in the morning, and being ready to go--being productive, getting a lot done, seeing the sunrise, morning being the best part of the day, etc. You (and me, too), however, maybe have tried to get up early, but are exhausted by it, are not at your best at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, if you are up at that hour you feel like you're sleepwalking and tired, etc etc etc. In other words, some people are real early-morning people, but maybe you just aren't. Well---according to the NY Times, there is hope; you can change! Here's how:
"Like most creatures on earth, humans come equipped with a circadian clock, a roughly 24-hour internal timer that keeps our sleep patterns in sync with our planet. At least until genetics, age and our personal habits get in the way. Even though the average adult needs eight hours of sleep per night, there are “shortsleepers,” who need far less, and morning people, who, research shows, often come from families of other morning people. Then there’s the rest of us, who rely on alarm clocks.
For those who fantasize about greeting the dawn, there is hope. Sleep experts say that with a little discipline (well, actually, a lot of discipline), most people can reset their circadian clocks. But it’s not as simple as forcing yourself to go to bed earlier (you can’t make a wide-awake brain sleep). It requires inducing a sort of jet lag without leaving your time zone. And sticking it out until your body clock resets itself. And then not resetting it again.
To start, move up your wake-up time by 20 minutes a day. If you regularly rise at 8 a.m., but really want to get moving at 6 a.m., set the alarm for 7:40 on Monday. The next day, set it for 7:20 and so on. Then, after you wake up, don’t linger in bed. Hit yourself with light. In theory, you’ll gradually get sleepy about 20 minutes earlier each night, and you can facilitate the transition by avoiding extra light exposure from computers or televisions as you near bedtime. (The light from a computer screen or an iPad has roughly the same effect as the sun.) “Light has a very privileged relationship with our brain,” says Dr. Jeffrey M. Ellenbogen, chief of sleep medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. While most sensory information is “processed” by the thalamus before being sent on its way, Ellenbogen says, light goes directly to the circadian system.
But recalibrating your inner clock requires more commitment — in the form of unwatched reruns or lost time with a spouse — than many people care to give. For some, it’s almost impossible. Very early risers and longtime night owls have a hard time ever changing, says David F. Dinges, chief of sleep and chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Night-shift workers also struggle, he says, because they don’t get the environmental and social cues that help adjust the circadian clock. The most important of these cues, called zeitgebers (German for “time givers”) is sunlight. But a zeitgeber could also be a scrambled-egg breakfast or children coming home from school in the afternoon.
Besides computer screens, the biggest saboteur for an aspiring morning person is the weekend. Staying up later on Friday or sleeping in on Saturday sends the brain an entirely new set of scheduling priorities. By Monday, a 6 a.m. alarm will feel like 4 a.m. “If the old phase was entrained for a long time,” Dinges says, “the biology has a kind of memory of this.” In other words, he says, “it takes self-discipline.”
If you click on the link, there's also a quiz you can take that can help determine--just how much of a morning person are you really? Check it out...
"The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life:
mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical." -Julius Erving
Friday, November 18, 2011
THE HEALING POWER OF FOOD
I often see my friends in the Moebius Syndrome/physical difference community on Facebook talking about their favorite things; and that often includes food. So many of have favorite foods, enjoy cooking, enjoy sitting around a good meal...and so, given that, I bet many of you will enjoy reading--and agree--with this:
"My friend John Egerton told me once that sometimes when people have lost a loved one or are in despair all you can do is take them a bowl of potato salad and tell them you’re sorry.
He went on to say, emphatically, that there is great power in that sort of action. John spoke specifically about Southern foodways at that moment, but there was a universal truth in his message. I know from personal experience on the receiving end that is true and it is even more powerful when that compassion is delivered in numbers.
Tragedy has the ability to suffocate us. Like the song says, “Death don’t have no mercy.” Once the grip of devastation gets a hold of us as individuals or as communities it is almost impossible for one individual to pull themselves out of that grip. It is in those times of human frailty that we realize that tragedy strips us of all nutrition. We become devoid of all things that give fertility to our lives in a physical, emotional, or spiritual sense. These are the times when we truly need our community, but they are also the times when we need to understand how we can contribute to our community.
Community is an interesting thing in the sense that as humans, we depend on it to provide a certain sense of our well-being, yet at the same time we struggle to define or reinvent our place in it. Given the opportunity to look at our place and function in our community, people have the chance to see their value because what a community is really composed of is relationships.
In difficult times and when tragedies befall us, it is most important as individuals to reflect on what our relationship is to our community and to fulfill that role by whatever means we have at our disposal. The culinary community has a unique opportunity at those times to be on the front line of trying to help revive and nourish people in need. Food can very quickly comfort and console people and help give them a little strength to start rebuilding or recovering from what has hurt them.
As a cooks and restaurateurs, my partners and I...have found ourselves in the position to recently reflect on this very topic when tornados devastated our home state of Alabama. You feel an immediate sense of helplessness when you see mass amounts of acquaintances, friends, and neighbors suddenly stripped of everything. If you are lucky, that helplessness gives way to an involuntary reaction where you just try to do what you know in order to help ease the burden if even just a little bit.
Being in the restaurant business our reaction was to start feeding people. We loaded up our rigs and cooked because that’s what we know how to do. We shared plates of food and handed them out to people who knew how to give medical care, or bring order to chaotic situations, to those who were clearing electrical lines, organizing shelters, and so on. Even more importantly, meals were offered to the people who lost everything. It’s what we know how to do, so that’s why we did it.
Did those meals solve people’s long term problems? No. But the meals eaten around makeshift tables provided a place for everyone to come together and established time for some to begin shoring themselves up to move forward.
It was encouraging to see people use their skills to do what they know; the net result is most important to the community and it is what is most impactful in times of hardship and tragedy. As a cook, it might be thoughtful to try and rebuild someone’s home, but it probably wouldn’t be very helpful if you don’t know anything about home building.
This past spring Egerton’s wisdom pointed us in the right direction. We knew we could offer some potato salad to someone who was in need or hurting and let them know we were sorry for their loss. Food is important and powerful, it helps us remember our place or maybe even redefine our place when that’s what we need the most."
And now, on to...
FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS!!
Last week I was only 5-9. Time to do better!
COLLEGE PICKS
Nebraska at Michigan. MY PICK: WOLVERINES. Michigan is developing a defense; their running game is improved; they are at home. They don't yet have a big signature win for the year over a touted opponent; this may be their time.
Penn State at Ohio State. MY PICK: NITTANY LIONS. We all know the storyline you expect to see here; a beleaguered Penn State team, fresh off a loss at home and all the controversy over Coach Paterno, now has to go on the road and play on OSU team that's tough in the Horseshoe. But I dunno...I have a feeling PSU will rally around itself again and find a way to win this one, using its still-tough defense to slow down Buckeye QB Braxton Miller.
NFL PICKS
Tennessee at Atlanta. LINE: Falcons by 6. MY PICK: TITANS. Both teams feature the run. It tends to run clock, limit possessions, and lead to closer games. The Titans seemed to get some mojo back last week. The Falcons had a very tough loss. I wouldn't be surprised if the Falcons eke out a win here; but in a very close game. 6 points is too much.
Buffalo at Miami. LINE: Dolphins by 2. MY PICK: BILLS. Yes, Buffalo has struggled recently. But I'm not ready to jump off the Bills' bandwagon yet. Look for Ryan Fitzpatrick and co. to rally.
Cincinnati at Baltimore. LINE: Ravens by 7. MY PICK: BENGALS. I suspect the Ravens will pull this one out late. But 7 points seems too much to me, given the inconsistency of Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense, and the improved play of the Bengals this season. They lost to Pittsburgh last week, but were right in that game to the end.
Jacksonville at Cleveland. LINE: Browns by 1. MY PICK: BROWNS. But who really knows? It's the battle of the weak; two teams with struggling, inconsistent offenses. But the Browns are at home in the cold weather...
Oakland at Minnesota. LINE: Raiders by 1. MY PICK: RAIDERS. The Vikings come off a bad Monday night loss. Perhaps Carson Palmer is rounding into form for the Raiders, meanwhile...
Carolina at Detroit. LINE: Lions by 7. MY PICK: LIONS. The Lions need a feel-good win badly. I suspect they can get it, with Calvin Johnson doing his thing against a weak Carolina defense.
Tampa Bay at Green Bay. LINE: Packers by 14. MY PICK; PACKERS. How can you not? The odds would seem to be that the Pack and Aaron Rodgers can't just roll over everyone forever. But, when there's no sign of slowing down, and given the problems the Bucs have had, it's silly to pick against the Pack. And don't forget Tampa's historically difficult time winning at Lambeau in cold weather.
Dallas at Washington. LINE: Cowboys by 7.5. MY PICK: COWBOYS. Yes, yes, the Redskins have a good defense and have traditionally played the Cowboys tough. But--this looks like two teams going in opposite directions. The Redskins' offense has mightily struggled. Tony Romo is playing well. Gotta go with the Cowboys.
Arizona at San Francisco. LINE: 49ers by 9.5. MY PICK: NINERS. Yes, here's another example of a possible trap game. But the 49ers have played so solidly that it's impossible to against them, especially at home against a Cardinals' team likely to have to again start John Skelton at QB.
Seattle at St. Louis. LINE: Rams by 3. MY PICK: SEAHAWKS. Peter Carroll's team played very tough last week in their win over the Ravens; I suspect they'll keep the momentum going.
San Diego at Chicago. LINE: Bears by 3.5. MY PICK: BEARS. Again, two teams going in opposite directions; Philip Rivers has played very poorly for the Chargers, while the Bears have won 4 in a row. Yes, traditionally November is when the Chargers get it going. But they've no inclination of doing so, while the Bears are playing very well. Again--hard therefore to go against the Bears.
Philadelphia at NY Giants. LINE: Giants by 5.5. MY PICK: GIANTS. The Eagles' problems are well-documented. Plus, Michael Vick may not play; even if he does, he's banged up. Eli Manning, even in last weeks' loss, has played well. The Giants as a team are just better.
Kansas City at New England. LINE: Patriots by 15. MY PICK: PATRIOTS. 15 is a lot of points. But--Matt Cassel for KC is out. The Pats seemed to be big mojo back last Sunday night against the Jets. With Tom Brady humming again, the New England offense can easily cover this many points.
"Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head
down and plow ahead." -Les Brown
I often see my friends in the Moebius Syndrome/physical difference community on Facebook talking about their favorite things; and that often includes food. So many of have favorite foods, enjoy cooking, enjoy sitting around a good meal...and so, given that, I bet many of you will enjoy reading--and agree--with this:
"My friend John Egerton told me once that sometimes when people have lost a loved one or are in despair all you can do is take them a bowl of potato salad and tell them you’re sorry.
He went on to say, emphatically, that there is great power in that sort of action. John spoke specifically about Southern foodways at that moment, but there was a universal truth in his message. I know from personal experience on the receiving end that is true and it is even more powerful when that compassion is delivered in numbers.
Tragedy has the ability to suffocate us. Like the song says, “Death don’t have no mercy.” Once the grip of devastation gets a hold of us as individuals or as communities it is almost impossible for one individual to pull themselves out of that grip. It is in those times of human frailty that we realize that tragedy strips us of all nutrition. We become devoid of all things that give fertility to our lives in a physical, emotional, or spiritual sense. These are the times when we truly need our community, but they are also the times when we need to understand how we can contribute to our community.
Community is an interesting thing in the sense that as humans, we depend on it to provide a certain sense of our well-being, yet at the same time we struggle to define or reinvent our place in it. Given the opportunity to look at our place and function in our community, people have the chance to see their value because what a community is really composed of is relationships.
In difficult times and when tragedies befall us, it is most important as individuals to reflect on what our relationship is to our community and to fulfill that role by whatever means we have at our disposal. The culinary community has a unique opportunity at those times to be on the front line of trying to help revive and nourish people in need. Food can very quickly comfort and console people and help give them a little strength to start rebuilding or recovering from what has hurt them.
As a cooks and restaurateurs, my partners and I...have found ourselves in the position to recently reflect on this very topic when tornados devastated our home state of Alabama. You feel an immediate sense of helplessness when you see mass amounts of acquaintances, friends, and neighbors suddenly stripped of everything. If you are lucky, that helplessness gives way to an involuntary reaction where you just try to do what you know in order to help ease the burden if even just a little bit.
Being in the restaurant business our reaction was to start feeding people. We loaded up our rigs and cooked because that’s what we know how to do. We shared plates of food and handed them out to people who knew how to give medical care, or bring order to chaotic situations, to those who were clearing electrical lines, organizing shelters, and so on. Even more importantly, meals were offered to the people who lost everything. It’s what we know how to do, so that’s why we did it.
Did those meals solve people’s long term problems? No. But the meals eaten around makeshift tables provided a place for everyone to come together and established time for some to begin shoring themselves up to move forward.
It was encouraging to see people use their skills to do what they know; the net result is most important to the community and it is what is most impactful in times of hardship and tragedy. As a cook, it might be thoughtful to try and rebuild someone’s home, but it probably wouldn’t be very helpful if you don’t know anything about home building.
This past spring Egerton’s wisdom pointed us in the right direction. We knew we could offer some potato salad to someone who was in need or hurting and let them know we were sorry for their loss. Food is important and powerful, it helps us remember our place or maybe even redefine our place when that’s what we need the most."
And now, on to...
FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS!!
Last week I was only 5-9. Time to do better!
COLLEGE PICKS
Nebraska at Michigan. MY PICK: WOLVERINES. Michigan is developing a defense; their running game is improved; they are at home. They don't yet have a big signature win for the year over a touted opponent; this may be their time.
Penn State at Ohio State. MY PICK: NITTANY LIONS. We all know the storyline you expect to see here; a beleaguered Penn State team, fresh off a loss at home and all the controversy over Coach Paterno, now has to go on the road and play on OSU team that's tough in the Horseshoe. But I dunno...I have a feeling PSU will rally around itself again and find a way to win this one, using its still-tough defense to slow down Buckeye QB Braxton Miller.
NFL PICKS
Tennessee at Atlanta. LINE: Falcons by 6. MY PICK: TITANS. Both teams feature the run. It tends to run clock, limit possessions, and lead to closer games. The Titans seemed to get some mojo back last week. The Falcons had a very tough loss. I wouldn't be surprised if the Falcons eke out a win here; but in a very close game. 6 points is too much.
Buffalo at Miami. LINE: Dolphins by 2. MY PICK: BILLS. Yes, Buffalo has struggled recently. But I'm not ready to jump off the Bills' bandwagon yet. Look for Ryan Fitzpatrick and co. to rally.
Cincinnati at Baltimore. LINE: Ravens by 7. MY PICK: BENGALS. I suspect the Ravens will pull this one out late. But 7 points seems too much to me, given the inconsistency of Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense, and the improved play of the Bengals this season. They lost to Pittsburgh last week, but were right in that game to the end.
Jacksonville at Cleveland. LINE: Browns by 1. MY PICK: BROWNS. But who really knows? It's the battle of the weak; two teams with struggling, inconsistent offenses. But the Browns are at home in the cold weather...
Oakland at Minnesota. LINE: Raiders by 1. MY PICK: RAIDERS. The Vikings come off a bad Monday night loss. Perhaps Carson Palmer is rounding into form for the Raiders, meanwhile...
Carolina at Detroit. LINE: Lions by 7. MY PICK: LIONS. The Lions need a feel-good win badly. I suspect they can get it, with Calvin Johnson doing his thing against a weak Carolina defense.
Tampa Bay at Green Bay. LINE: Packers by 14. MY PICK; PACKERS. How can you not? The odds would seem to be that the Pack and Aaron Rodgers can't just roll over everyone forever. But, when there's no sign of slowing down, and given the problems the Bucs have had, it's silly to pick against the Pack. And don't forget Tampa's historically difficult time winning at Lambeau in cold weather.
Dallas at Washington. LINE: Cowboys by 7.5. MY PICK: COWBOYS. Yes, yes, the Redskins have a good defense and have traditionally played the Cowboys tough. But--this looks like two teams going in opposite directions. The Redskins' offense has mightily struggled. Tony Romo is playing well. Gotta go with the Cowboys.
Arizona at San Francisco. LINE: 49ers by 9.5. MY PICK: NINERS. Yes, here's another example of a possible trap game. But the 49ers have played so solidly that it's impossible to against them, especially at home against a Cardinals' team likely to have to again start John Skelton at QB.
Seattle at St. Louis. LINE: Rams by 3. MY PICK: SEAHAWKS. Peter Carroll's team played very tough last week in their win over the Ravens; I suspect they'll keep the momentum going.
San Diego at Chicago. LINE: Bears by 3.5. MY PICK: BEARS. Again, two teams going in opposite directions; Philip Rivers has played very poorly for the Chargers, while the Bears have won 4 in a row. Yes, traditionally November is when the Chargers get it going. But they've no inclination of doing so, while the Bears are playing very well. Again--hard therefore to go against the Bears.
Philadelphia at NY Giants. LINE: Giants by 5.5. MY PICK: GIANTS. The Eagles' problems are well-documented. Plus, Michael Vick may not play; even if he does, he's banged up. Eli Manning, even in last weeks' loss, has played well. The Giants as a team are just better.
Kansas City at New England. LINE: Patriots by 15. MY PICK: PATRIOTS. 15 is a lot of points. But--Matt Cassel for KC is out. The Pats seemed to be big mojo back last Sunday night against the Jets. With Tom Brady humming again, the New England offense can easily cover this many points.
"Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head
down and plow ahead." -Les Brown
Thursday, November 17, 2011
BRAIN TALK DEPT.
Have you ever walked into a room...and then quickly realized you totally forgot why you went in there in the first place? Happens to me, I guarantee you. Well, it turns out that we can identify what happens to your brain which helps cause this; and of course all of us with Moebius are always interested in learning more about how our brain works. Here's the deal:
"Have you ever walked into a room and realized you don’t remember what you’re doing there? Yeah, us too. Well thankfully science finally explains why: It’s the doorway’s fault, a new study finds.
“When you go from room to room, your brain identifies each room as a new event and sets a new memory trace to capture the new event,” says study author Gabriel Radvansky, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Like a chapter marker, doorways end old episodes and begin new ones, as far as your brain is concerned. This makes it difficult to retrieve older memories because they’ve already been filed away, Radvansky says.
Radvansky suggests physically carrying a reminder of what your intent is: “For example, if you want to go from the living room to the kitchen to get a snack, you may forget why you went to the kitchen when you get there because this is a new event, and you may have been distracted. But, it would be easier to remember if you walked into the kitchen with something to remind yourself of what you wanted, such as a bowl.”
Don’t keep bowls in the living room? That’s OK. Form your hand into a bowl shape when you walk to the kitchen. If you’re going from room to room to fetch a pair of scissors, hold your index and middle fingers in a scissor shape to help the memory stay intact."
"Don't go through life, grow through life." -Eric Butterworth
Have you ever walked into a room...and then quickly realized you totally forgot why you went in there in the first place? Happens to me, I guarantee you. Well, it turns out that we can identify what happens to your brain which helps cause this; and of course all of us with Moebius are always interested in learning more about how our brain works. Here's the deal:
"Have you ever walked into a room and realized you don’t remember what you’re doing there? Yeah, us too. Well thankfully science finally explains why: It’s the doorway’s fault, a new study finds.
“When you go from room to room, your brain identifies each room as a new event and sets a new memory trace to capture the new event,” says study author Gabriel Radvansky, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Like a chapter marker, doorways end old episodes and begin new ones, as far as your brain is concerned. This makes it difficult to retrieve older memories because they’ve already been filed away, Radvansky says.
Radvansky suggests physically carrying a reminder of what your intent is: “For example, if you want to go from the living room to the kitchen to get a snack, you may forget why you went to the kitchen when you get there because this is a new event, and you may have been distracted. But, it would be easier to remember if you walked into the kitchen with something to remind yourself of what you wanted, such as a bowl.”
Don’t keep bowls in the living room? That’s OK. Form your hand into a bowl shape when you walk to the kitchen. If you’re going from room to room to fetch a pair of scissors, hold your index and middle fingers in a scissor shape to help the memory stay intact."
"Don't go through life, grow through life." -Eric Butterworth
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
ADVERSITY
Today might be a good day to discuss, here, the topic of adversity. As we all know, Moebius Syndrome and other physical differences can present us with plenty of adversity. We look different. We sound different. Maybe we have trouble getting around. Some of the daily things we have to do in life can become more difficult to do; we can't take them for granted. Other people, who don't understand us and/or lack awareness, have various prejudices against us large and subtle. But the key is: we CAN overcome adversity, and we can learn from it. But what? Here's some good stuff to consider:
"Pain, suffering, stress, and other difficulties are the admission tickets to the game of life. But, at times, we cannot help suspecting that life would be much more pleasant without the hassles. Is that what you think? Before answering, ponder the following. In a world without hurdles, there are no champions; without suffering, there are no saints; without battles, there are no victories; without rain, no rainbows. Doesnt it appear that a world that includes pain is more rewarding than one that doesnt? Isnt heat necessary to produce gold, pressure and polishing necessary to produce diamonds, and adversity necessary to produce character?
Heres how Henry Ford expressed the same sentiment: Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Points to Consider
1. Adversity is unavoidable. So, dont fight it, accept it. Develop the proper attitude, for as Havelock Ellis wrote, Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. We can choose to be strong. It is not misfortune that produces suffering, but an improper reaction to it.
Even under the worst circumstances, we can choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Thomas A. Edison is an example. In 1914, a fire almost destroyed his New Jersey laboratories. Valuable records of his experiments and two million dollars worth of equipment were lost. When surveying the damage, the sixty-seven year old Edison said, There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.
When Hurricane Mitch swept across Central America and parts of the U.S., it left a path of destroyed homes, dashed dreams, and broken hearts. After the storm subsided, birds returned to uprooted trees and began to sing. Isnt it true, as Rose F. Kennedy says, Birds sing after a storm; why shouldnt people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?
2. Realize that misfortune tells what fortune is. We need winter to appreciate spring, rain to appreciate the sunshine, and adversity to be thankful for the calm after the storm.
3. Recognize misfortune for what it is: an opportunity to lift yourself to a higher level. Sailors caught in a storm should prayer not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. Why should they accept the storm? Because a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.
When an eagle believes her eaglets are large enough to learn how to fly, she begins to take apart the nest and push the eaglets out. After this rude awakening, the eaglets discover they have wings! They can fly! The universe is constantly nudging us, pushing us off one cliff after another, in the hope that one day we, too, will discover our wings and soar to new heights.
4. Lessen your suffering by refusing to linger on past difficulties or expecting future ones. Problems of the present are difficult enough to deal with. Dont add to your misery by regretting the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. Mark Twain understood that it was pointless to fret about the future when he said, I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
5. Realize it could be worse. Count your blessings. Keep in mind the Persian proverb: I cried because I had no shoes until I saw someone with no feet.
Regardless of how horrible your circumstances, you are probably not paralyzed and unable to speak. However, Mr. Washington Roebling was. You see, more than 100 years ago, Washingtons father, John, had a dream to build The Brooklyn Bridge. Experts at the time believed it to be impossible, but John finally persuaded the city to support his project. He and his son, Washington, were the lead engineers and the only ones who knew how to build such a bridge. After just a few months into the project, there was an accident that took the life of John and left his son with permanent brain damage. Although unable to speak, write, or walk, Washingtons mind was alert and he could move one finger. Determined to realize his fathers dream, he developed a code, which made it possible to communicate with his wife by tapping on her arm with his finger. Washington tapped on his wifes arm for thirteen years, relaying all the instructions for the engineers. Today, the bridge stands as a testimony of how we can overcome any obstacle, if only we choose to do so."
"All growth depends upon activity. There is no development
physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means
work." -Calvin Coolidge
Today might be a good day to discuss, here, the topic of adversity. As we all know, Moebius Syndrome and other physical differences can present us with plenty of adversity. We look different. We sound different. Maybe we have trouble getting around. Some of the daily things we have to do in life can become more difficult to do; we can't take them for granted. Other people, who don't understand us and/or lack awareness, have various prejudices against us large and subtle. But the key is: we CAN overcome adversity, and we can learn from it. But what? Here's some good stuff to consider:
"Pain, suffering, stress, and other difficulties are the admission tickets to the game of life. But, at times, we cannot help suspecting that life would be much more pleasant without the hassles. Is that what you think? Before answering, ponder the following. In a world without hurdles, there are no champions; without suffering, there are no saints; without battles, there are no victories; without rain, no rainbows. Doesnt it appear that a world that includes pain is more rewarding than one that doesnt? Isnt heat necessary to produce gold, pressure and polishing necessary to produce diamonds, and adversity necessary to produce character?
Heres how Henry Ford expressed the same sentiment: Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Points to Consider
1. Adversity is unavoidable. So, dont fight it, accept it. Develop the proper attitude, for as Havelock Ellis wrote, Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. We can choose to be strong. It is not misfortune that produces suffering, but an improper reaction to it.
Even under the worst circumstances, we can choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Thomas A. Edison is an example. In 1914, a fire almost destroyed his New Jersey laboratories. Valuable records of his experiments and two million dollars worth of equipment were lost. When surveying the damage, the sixty-seven year old Edison said, There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.
When Hurricane Mitch swept across Central America and parts of the U.S., it left a path of destroyed homes, dashed dreams, and broken hearts. After the storm subsided, birds returned to uprooted trees and began to sing. Isnt it true, as Rose F. Kennedy says, Birds sing after a storm; why shouldnt people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?
2. Realize that misfortune tells what fortune is. We need winter to appreciate spring, rain to appreciate the sunshine, and adversity to be thankful for the calm after the storm.
3. Recognize misfortune for what it is: an opportunity to lift yourself to a higher level. Sailors caught in a storm should prayer not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. Why should they accept the storm? Because a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.
When an eagle believes her eaglets are large enough to learn how to fly, she begins to take apart the nest and push the eaglets out. After this rude awakening, the eaglets discover they have wings! They can fly! The universe is constantly nudging us, pushing us off one cliff after another, in the hope that one day we, too, will discover our wings and soar to new heights.
4. Lessen your suffering by refusing to linger on past difficulties or expecting future ones. Problems of the present are difficult enough to deal with. Dont add to your misery by regretting the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. Mark Twain understood that it was pointless to fret about the future when he said, I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
5. Realize it could be worse. Count your blessings. Keep in mind the Persian proverb: I cried because I had no shoes until I saw someone with no feet.
Regardless of how horrible your circumstances, you are probably not paralyzed and unable to speak. However, Mr. Washington Roebling was. You see, more than 100 years ago, Washingtons father, John, had a dream to build The Brooklyn Bridge. Experts at the time believed it to be impossible, but John finally persuaded the city to support his project. He and his son, Washington, were the lead engineers and the only ones who knew how to build such a bridge. After just a few months into the project, there was an accident that took the life of John and left his son with permanent brain damage. Although unable to speak, write, or walk, Washingtons mind was alert and he could move one finger. Determined to realize his fathers dream, he developed a code, which made it possible to communicate with his wife by tapping on her arm with his finger. Washington tapped on his wifes arm for thirteen years, relaying all the instructions for the engineers. Today, the bridge stands as a testimony of how we can overcome any obstacle, if only we choose to do so."
"All growth depends upon activity. There is no development
physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means
work." -Calvin Coolidge
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
GOOD NEWS FOR COFFEE DRINKERS
And I know many in our community like their cup of morning joe--so, good news...it can be good for you:
"Before I sat down to write this column, I zipped into the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through to get a cup of iced black coffee, my favorite fuel.
I’ve been drinking coffee since I was a toddler, when my folks would allow me to add milk and sugar to the dregs in their yellow plastic mugs and sip it down. Drinking coffee in college made me feel sophisticated; pots of strong brew kept me awake through the writing of my master’s thesis and hundreds of other documents.
But much as I love — and apparently need — the stuff, I’ve had to cut back lately because too much of this good thing aggravates my acid reflux. That, along with indigestion in general, turns out to be one of the few negative side effects clearly associated with coffee.
Science has come a long way since a 1981 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found a link between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer risk; that finding has never been replicated and is now discredited. And lately the news about coffee has been good.
Donald Hensrud, chair of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, says, “People have preconceptions about different foods, and the general concept about coffee is that it’s bad for you. But for most people, the benefits outweigh the risks.”
In the Checkup blog that I co-write for The Washington Post, I’ve reported on studies showing that coffee consumption might help protect against heart arrhythmia, stroke and depression in women, and basal cell carcinoma.
Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, agrees that the news about coffee these days is generally good. But he cautions against putting much stock in single studies.
“You can find a paper suggesting that coffee is good for just about anything,” Ascherio says, “but we should be looking for consistent evidence across a broad population.”
Ascherio says that kind of strong evidence exists for coffee’s protective effect against Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. In the former, it appears that it may be something in coffee other than its caffeine that offers protection, as decaffeinated coffee has been found to reduce risk. With regard to Parkinson’s and many other diseases and conditions, caffeine may be the key component.
Ascherio notes that studying coffee’s health effects is tricky because coffee comes in so many forms and strengths. “It’s not the volume” of coffee consumed, “it’s the strength that we have no information on” in most population-based studies. “The amount of caffeine in coffee is extremely variable,” he says.
Beyond that, it’s increasingly clear that compounds in coffee other than caffeine have positive effects on our bodies. “There are hundreds, even thousands of components in coffee” Hensrud says, many of them antioxidants. “Among people who drink coffee, coffee is the main source of antioxidants,” he says.
Some of the potential benefits of drinking coffee, Hensrud say, include improved cognition and alertness, slight decrease in depression risk and potential reduction in risk of liver disease and even suicide risk. Concerns over cardiovascular risks have been largely set aside, he says, though some unfiltered coffee may perhaps raise “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Also, though coffee doesn’t appear to increase blood pressure over the long haul, among people who don’t drink it often, it can cause blood pressure to spike temporarily. “Tolerance seems to develop,” Hensrud explains. People metabolize caffeine differently, which accounts for why some of us can drink coffee after dinner and fall asleep soon after while others of us would lie awake all night if we sipped after supper, Hensrud says. Those differences, based to some degree on genetics, “may explain why some of us are more susceptible to coffee’s side effects and health effects,” he says.
Those side effects include insomnia, indigestion, and heart palpitations. For some, mostly men, urinary tract problems can result from drinking too much java, Hensrud explains. “And caffeine can be mildly addictive, so people who drink it all week at work might suffer weekend headaches if they don’t drink as much coffee” on Saturdays and Sundays.
Of course, if you’re accustomed to adding cream and sugar to your cuppa, or if your idea of “coffee” is a venti (20-ounce) salted caramel mocha from Starbucks, your coffee habit could lead to weight gain. That Starbucks beverage, for instance, has 510 calories, 160 from fat, which statistics probably, er, outweigh any health benefits.
Hard as it is for me to imagine, there are plenty of folks who just don’t like coffee. Should they try to cultivate a taste to take advantage of the health benefits? Probably not, Hensrud says.
“If you don’t like it, it’s not worth it.”
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage.
In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory
next time." -Robert Collier
And I know many in our community like their cup of morning joe--so, good news...it can be good for you:
"Before I sat down to write this column, I zipped into the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through to get a cup of iced black coffee, my favorite fuel.
I’ve been drinking coffee since I was a toddler, when my folks would allow me to add milk and sugar to the dregs in their yellow plastic mugs and sip it down. Drinking coffee in college made me feel sophisticated; pots of strong brew kept me awake through the writing of my master’s thesis and hundreds of other documents.
But much as I love — and apparently need — the stuff, I’ve had to cut back lately because too much of this good thing aggravates my acid reflux. That, along with indigestion in general, turns out to be one of the few negative side effects clearly associated with coffee.
Science has come a long way since a 1981 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found a link between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer risk; that finding has never been replicated and is now discredited. And lately the news about coffee has been good.
Donald Hensrud, chair of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, says, “People have preconceptions about different foods, and the general concept about coffee is that it’s bad for you. But for most people, the benefits outweigh the risks.”
In the Checkup blog that I co-write for The Washington Post, I’ve reported on studies showing that coffee consumption might help protect against heart arrhythmia, stroke and depression in women, and basal cell carcinoma.
Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, agrees that the news about coffee these days is generally good. But he cautions against putting much stock in single studies.
“You can find a paper suggesting that coffee is good for just about anything,” Ascherio says, “but we should be looking for consistent evidence across a broad population.”
Ascherio says that kind of strong evidence exists for coffee’s protective effect against Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. In the former, it appears that it may be something in coffee other than its caffeine that offers protection, as decaffeinated coffee has been found to reduce risk. With regard to Parkinson’s and many other diseases and conditions, caffeine may be the key component.
Ascherio notes that studying coffee’s health effects is tricky because coffee comes in so many forms and strengths. “It’s not the volume” of coffee consumed, “it’s the strength that we have no information on” in most population-based studies. “The amount of caffeine in coffee is extremely variable,” he says.
Beyond that, it’s increasingly clear that compounds in coffee other than caffeine have positive effects on our bodies. “There are hundreds, even thousands of components in coffee” Hensrud says, many of them antioxidants. “Among people who drink coffee, coffee is the main source of antioxidants,” he says.
Some of the potential benefits of drinking coffee, Hensrud say, include improved cognition and alertness, slight decrease in depression risk and potential reduction in risk of liver disease and even suicide risk. Concerns over cardiovascular risks have been largely set aside, he says, though some unfiltered coffee may perhaps raise “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Also, though coffee doesn’t appear to increase blood pressure over the long haul, among people who don’t drink it often, it can cause blood pressure to spike temporarily. “Tolerance seems to develop,” Hensrud explains. People metabolize caffeine differently, which accounts for why some of us can drink coffee after dinner and fall asleep soon after while others of us would lie awake all night if we sipped after supper, Hensrud says. Those differences, based to some degree on genetics, “may explain why some of us are more susceptible to coffee’s side effects and health effects,” he says.
Those side effects include insomnia, indigestion, and heart palpitations. For some, mostly men, urinary tract problems can result from drinking too much java, Hensrud explains. “And caffeine can be mildly addictive, so people who drink it all week at work might suffer weekend headaches if they don’t drink as much coffee” on Saturdays and Sundays.
Of course, if you’re accustomed to adding cream and sugar to your cuppa, or if your idea of “coffee” is a venti (20-ounce) salted caramel mocha from Starbucks, your coffee habit could lead to weight gain. That Starbucks beverage, for instance, has 510 calories, 160 from fat, which statistics probably, er, outweigh any health benefits.
Hard as it is for me to imagine, there are plenty of folks who just don’t like coffee. Should they try to cultivate a taste to take advantage of the health benefits? Probably not, Hensrud says.
“If you don’t like it, it’s not worth it.”
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage.
In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory
next time." -Robert Collier
Monday, November 14, 2011
DO YOU HAVE WORK NIGHTMARES?
If you do, you're not alone. Many have them. Including me. I teach, so my "nightmare" might take the form of: suddenly realizing that I was supposed to have been teaching a certain class at a certain time that semester, but we were two months in and I'd never met the class; or trying to get to a certain class to teach it, but somehow not being able to get there (like you're trying to run but you're stuck in cement). In other words, my dream has to do with the fear of missing deadlines. And that's the thing--many of us have dreams about work---and they can tell us something, if interpreted right. Read on:
"Work dreams come in many forms. There's the exciting "I finally got a promotion" dream, the awkward "I kissed a married co-worker" dream, and the boring "just another Tuesday at the office" dream.
And then, there's the kind of work dream that awakens us from our sleep in a cold sweat. The horrible "I drew a blank during a presentation in front of the CEO" -- type dream, also known as the work nightmare.
As awful as work nightmares can be while we're having them, though, they can actually be very constructive, says Lauri Loewenberg, dream expert and author of the book "Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life."
"Whether [nightmares] are about work or something else, they mean your inner self is on red alert," Loewenberg says. "Nightmares mean something in your waking life has gone on long enough and your inner self has had it. I always liken a nightmare to a slap in the face from the subconscious saying 'Wake up already. This is a problem that needs to be corrected now."
So what could your bad dreams be telling you about your job? To help you figure it out, Loewenberg analyzed the real dreams of four workers, each surrounding a different theme common in nightmares.
1. The nightmare: Missing a deadline
"Years ago I worked for AAA Auto Club South in Tampa. When I was overly stressed, I always had nightmares that I was trying to get the president of our company to the airport to catch a flight but something always went wrong. One time I would forget his luggage. Another time it was his tickets. One time he got stuck in the doors of the elevator. Or there was traffic and I couldn't get to the airport. But when I had these nightmares, I knew my stress level was high."-- Diane Jones, DJ Public Relations, Florida
Loewenberg's explanation
"Missing deadlines is a common dream Diane Sawyer told me she gets. On an outer level, this is common if you have a job where you are always up against deadlines and the dream is trying to make sure you are on your toes and on time. But on a deeper level, you may want to ask you are happy with your job and if not are you feeling like you are running out of time to get the job you truly want or to be in a place in your career where you feel you should be. In what way is your life's clock ticking?"
2. The nightmare: You're in over your head
"I was working at a fast food franchise in Midtown [Manhattan], and had to help the owner get publicity. He hired Geena Davis to help with back office stuff but she kept yelling at him, 'You have no money! This will never work!' Separately, he'd also hired a famous political heiress to work the front counter, but she kept flipping her hair and saying, 'I don't work! This grease is killing my skin!' Both celebrities then quit and walked out the back door, leaving me with a restaurant full of media to deal with. I shoved several raw chickens at them and said, 'Look! Food recall!' and ran away."-- Rosemary Valenta, communications professional, New York City
Loewenberg's explanation:
"As stressful as this dream is, it is giving the dreamer some good advice. It seems like there is some sort of situation in her life she is trying to manage. It may indeed be something with her job, but she also needs to look at her personal life and ask herself 'where in my life am I trying to feed others needs,' hence the restaurant setting. The message is in the people who are unqualified for the job. This is the way her dreaming mind is telling her it's time to get rid of or stop doing what isn't working and perhaps start over, just as it would be better to fire unqualified servers and hire ones who know what to do."
3. The nightmare: Public humiliation
"I have a client who has dreams (or nightmares) about a Facebook page that is created to chronicle all the mistakes he makes at work. It includes comments from his friends and co-workers about his status and, here is the nightmare, he can't log in to make any changes." -- Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University
Loewenberg's explanation:
"Oh dear. This suggests the dreamer may have slipped up at work in some way and is now dealing with a certain level of embarrassment and concern of how others now view him. Interestingly enough, I am noticing a dreaming trend in which Facebook post dreams are beginning to replace the good old naked dream. It used to be that when we did something in waking life that we feel stupid about, we'd get the naked in public dream. Now I'm hearing more and more from embarrassed individuals that are dreaming their mistake was posted on Facebook. I believe the message in this particular person's dream is in the fact that he can't log in to change or delete the posts. His dream is showing him that he can't change what has already been done so take it as a lesson and move on."
4. The nightmare: You've hit a dead end
"After spending all day exploring all of the different hosting possibilities for my soon-to-be-launched website, I dreamt that my CTO called me and said, 'I'm really sorry to say this, but with further research, I've learned that it's just going to be impossible to keep the website up if any visitors come to it.'" -- Liza Kindred, owner, StyleStartups.com
Loewenberg's explanation:
"Whatever is told to you in a dream, no matter who says it, it is really coming from yourself (dreams are a conversation with the self, after all). Through the dream she is telling herself the site will never launch. That is a good indication of the chatter that may be going on in her head during waking hours. Perhaps in real life it is taking far longer than she thought it would to get her site ready. When something takes way longer than anticipated, I think we all say to ourselves, 'Ug. This is never going to happen,' even though, odds are, it will. I believe the message of this dream is that it's time to change up her thinking and be more positive... and patient! As a very successful entrepreneur named Henry Ford once said, 'Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.'"
So, next time you have a bad dream about work, stop to think about a little deeper. It could be sending you a message you really need to hear."
"When we accept tough jobs as a challenge and wade into them
with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen." -Arland Gilbert
If you do, you're not alone. Many have them. Including me. I teach, so my "nightmare" might take the form of: suddenly realizing that I was supposed to have been teaching a certain class at a certain time that semester, but we were two months in and I'd never met the class; or trying to get to a certain class to teach it, but somehow not being able to get there (like you're trying to run but you're stuck in cement). In other words, my dream has to do with the fear of missing deadlines. And that's the thing--many of us have dreams about work---and they can tell us something, if interpreted right. Read on:
"Work dreams come in many forms. There's the exciting "I finally got a promotion" dream, the awkward "I kissed a married co-worker" dream, and the boring "just another Tuesday at the office" dream.
And then, there's the kind of work dream that awakens us from our sleep in a cold sweat. The horrible "I drew a blank during a presentation in front of the CEO" -- type dream, also known as the work nightmare.
As awful as work nightmares can be while we're having them, though, they can actually be very constructive, says Lauri Loewenberg, dream expert and author of the book "Dream On It, Unlock Your Dreams Change Your Life."
"Whether [nightmares] are about work or something else, they mean your inner self is on red alert," Loewenberg says. "Nightmares mean something in your waking life has gone on long enough and your inner self has had it. I always liken a nightmare to a slap in the face from the subconscious saying 'Wake up already. This is a problem that needs to be corrected now."
So what could your bad dreams be telling you about your job? To help you figure it out, Loewenberg analyzed the real dreams of four workers, each surrounding a different theme common in nightmares.
1. The nightmare: Missing a deadline
"Years ago I worked for AAA Auto Club South in Tampa. When I was overly stressed, I always had nightmares that I was trying to get the president of our company to the airport to catch a flight but something always went wrong. One time I would forget his luggage. Another time it was his tickets. One time he got stuck in the doors of the elevator. Or there was traffic and I couldn't get to the airport. But when I had these nightmares, I knew my stress level was high."-- Diane Jones, DJ Public Relations, Florida
Loewenberg's explanation
"Missing deadlines is a common dream Diane Sawyer told me she gets. On an outer level, this is common if you have a job where you are always up against deadlines and the dream is trying to make sure you are on your toes and on time. But on a deeper level, you may want to ask you are happy with your job and if not are you feeling like you are running out of time to get the job you truly want or to be in a place in your career where you feel you should be. In what way is your life's clock ticking?"
2. The nightmare: You're in over your head
"I was working at a fast food franchise in Midtown [Manhattan], and had to help the owner get publicity. He hired Geena Davis to help with back office stuff but she kept yelling at him, 'You have no money! This will never work!' Separately, he'd also hired a famous political heiress to work the front counter, but she kept flipping her hair and saying, 'I don't work! This grease is killing my skin!' Both celebrities then quit and walked out the back door, leaving me with a restaurant full of media to deal with. I shoved several raw chickens at them and said, 'Look! Food recall!' and ran away."-- Rosemary Valenta, communications professional, New York City
Loewenberg's explanation:
"As stressful as this dream is, it is giving the dreamer some good advice. It seems like there is some sort of situation in her life she is trying to manage. It may indeed be something with her job, but she also needs to look at her personal life and ask herself 'where in my life am I trying to feed others needs,' hence the restaurant setting. The message is in the people who are unqualified for the job. This is the way her dreaming mind is telling her it's time to get rid of or stop doing what isn't working and perhaps start over, just as it would be better to fire unqualified servers and hire ones who know what to do."
3. The nightmare: Public humiliation
"I have a client who has dreams (or nightmares) about a Facebook page that is created to chronicle all the mistakes he makes at work. It includes comments from his friends and co-workers about his status and, here is the nightmare, he can't log in to make any changes." -- Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University
Loewenberg's explanation:
"Oh dear. This suggests the dreamer may have slipped up at work in some way and is now dealing with a certain level of embarrassment and concern of how others now view him. Interestingly enough, I am noticing a dreaming trend in which Facebook post dreams are beginning to replace the good old naked dream. It used to be that when we did something in waking life that we feel stupid about, we'd get the naked in public dream. Now I'm hearing more and more from embarrassed individuals that are dreaming their mistake was posted on Facebook. I believe the message in this particular person's dream is in the fact that he can't log in to change or delete the posts. His dream is showing him that he can't change what has already been done so take it as a lesson and move on."
4. The nightmare: You've hit a dead end
"After spending all day exploring all of the different hosting possibilities for my soon-to-be-launched website, I dreamt that my CTO called me and said, 'I'm really sorry to say this, but with further research, I've learned that it's just going to be impossible to keep the website up if any visitors come to it.'" -- Liza Kindred, owner, StyleStartups.com
Loewenberg's explanation:
"Whatever is told to you in a dream, no matter who says it, it is really coming from yourself (dreams are a conversation with the self, after all). Through the dream she is telling herself the site will never launch. That is a good indication of the chatter that may be going on in her head during waking hours. Perhaps in real life it is taking far longer than she thought it would to get her site ready. When something takes way longer than anticipated, I think we all say to ourselves, 'Ug. This is never going to happen,' even though, odds are, it will. I believe the message of this dream is that it's time to change up her thinking and be more positive... and patient! As a very successful entrepreneur named Henry Ford once said, 'Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.'"
So, next time you have a bad dream about work, stop to think about a little deeper. It could be sending you a message you really need to hear."
"When we accept tough jobs as a challenge and wade into them
with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen." -Arland Gilbert
Friday, November 11, 2011
FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS
Last week's record: 9-7. Not bad! Let's keep it going.
We'll just focus this week on...
NFL PICKS
New Orleans at Atlanta. LINE: pick 'em. MY PICK: SAINTS. With last week's win, I suspect the Saints got their mojo back.
Baltimore at Seattle. LINE: Ravens by 6.5. MY PICK: RAVENS. Speaking of getting their mojo back, I think the Ravens did it last Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Tennessee at Carolina. LINE: Panthers by 3.5. MY PICK: PANTHERS. The Titans seem to be in a funk. Chris Johnson is not effective. The Panthers and Cam Newton play pretty well at home.
Detroit at Chicago. LINE: Bears by 3. MY PICK: LIONS. The Bears won a big game last week in Philly. But they now have a short week, while the Lions had a bye. Look for the Lions to be ready to go, and for Calvin Johnson to make more hay against the Bears' secondary.
St. Louis at Cleveland. LINE: Browns by 2.5. MY PICK: BROWNS. Two weak teams. But the Browns are at home.
Buffalo at Dallas. LINE: Cowboys by 5.5. MY PICK: BILLS. Remember how the Eagles gashed he Cowboy run defense a couple of weeks ago? The Bills have a runner named Fred Jackson, and the Cowboys have not been the most consistent team nor a great home team. Look for the Bills at least to cover here.
Houston at Tampa Bay. LINE: Texans by 3. MY PICK: TEXANS. Look for Arian Foster to run well again.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis. LINE: Jaguars by 3. MY PICK: JAGUARS. Again--the Colts appear to be beaten down.
Denver at Kansas City. LINE: Chiefs by 3. MY PICK: CHIEFS. I can't believe the Chiefs will be as bad this week as they were last week. Nor has Tim Tebow suddenly become great.
Washington at Miami. LINE: Dolphins by 4. MY PICK: DOLPHINS. Hey, they're on a roll. And the Redskins, with all their injuries, figure to continue to struggle.
New England at NY Jets. LINE: Jets by 1.5. MY PICK: JETS. The Patriots' offense is struggling. Their defense continues to give up lots of yards. And the Jets appear to be rounding into form.
Arizona at Philadelphia. This one's been taken off the board due to injury uncertainty. In any case, my pick: EAGLES. Even if Kevin Kolb does play, the Eagles with all their talent should emerge on top here, whatever other problems they have.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati. LINE: Steelers by 3. MY PICK: STEELERS. I like the Bengals, and have been impressed by them. But this is a big-time game, and until the Bengals have shown they can win a game like this against a top team, it's better to go with the team who has proven it.
NY Giants at San Francisco. LINE: 49ers by 3. MY PICK: GIANTS. Just a feeling--the Giants can stop the run, and while the Niners' run defense is good, Eli Manning is playing well. And I have the feeling that here too the Giants have more experience in winning big-time games.
Minnesota at Green Bay. LINE: Packers by 13.5. MY PICK: PACKERS. Christian Ponder and the Vikings game the Pack a run for it in Minnesota. But this game isn't in Minnesota; it's in Lambeau Field, where the Packers usually roll.
"My God!", said his wife to legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi as he got into bed one night, "your feet are freezing!" "In bed, dear," Lombardi replied, "you may call me Vincent."
Last week's record: 9-7. Not bad! Let's keep it going.
We'll just focus this week on...
NFL PICKS
New Orleans at Atlanta. LINE: pick 'em. MY PICK: SAINTS. With last week's win, I suspect the Saints got their mojo back.
Baltimore at Seattle. LINE: Ravens by 6.5. MY PICK: RAVENS. Speaking of getting their mojo back, I think the Ravens did it last Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Tennessee at Carolina. LINE: Panthers by 3.5. MY PICK: PANTHERS. The Titans seem to be in a funk. Chris Johnson is not effective. The Panthers and Cam Newton play pretty well at home.
Detroit at Chicago. LINE: Bears by 3. MY PICK: LIONS. The Bears won a big game last week in Philly. But they now have a short week, while the Lions had a bye. Look for the Lions to be ready to go, and for Calvin Johnson to make more hay against the Bears' secondary.
St. Louis at Cleveland. LINE: Browns by 2.5. MY PICK: BROWNS. Two weak teams. But the Browns are at home.
Buffalo at Dallas. LINE: Cowboys by 5.5. MY PICK: BILLS. Remember how the Eagles gashed he Cowboy run defense a couple of weeks ago? The Bills have a runner named Fred Jackson, and the Cowboys have not been the most consistent team nor a great home team. Look for the Bills at least to cover here.
Houston at Tampa Bay. LINE: Texans by 3. MY PICK: TEXANS. Look for Arian Foster to run well again.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis. LINE: Jaguars by 3. MY PICK: JAGUARS. Again--the Colts appear to be beaten down.
Denver at Kansas City. LINE: Chiefs by 3. MY PICK: CHIEFS. I can't believe the Chiefs will be as bad this week as they were last week. Nor has Tim Tebow suddenly become great.
Washington at Miami. LINE: Dolphins by 4. MY PICK: DOLPHINS. Hey, they're on a roll. And the Redskins, with all their injuries, figure to continue to struggle.
New England at NY Jets. LINE: Jets by 1.5. MY PICK: JETS. The Patriots' offense is struggling. Their defense continues to give up lots of yards. And the Jets appear to be rounding into form.
Arizona at Philadelphia. This one's been taken off the board due to injury uncertainty. In any case, my pick: EAGLES. Even if Kevin Kolb does play, the Eagles with all their talent should emerge on top here, whatever other problems they have.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati. LINE: Steelers by 3. MY PICK: STEELERS. I like the Bengals, and have been impressed by them. But this is a big-time game, and until the Bengals have shown they can win a game like this against a top team, it's better to go with the team who has proven it.
NY Giants at San Francisco. LINE: 49ers by 3. MY PICK: GIANTS. Just a feeling--the Giants can stop the run, and while the Niners' run defense is good, Eli Manning is playing well. And I have the feeling that here too the Giants have more experience in winning big-time games.
Minnesota at Green Bay. LINE: Packers by 13.5. MY PICK: PACKERS. Christian Ponder and the Vikings game the Pack a run for it in Minnesota. But this game isn't in Minnesota; it's in Lambeau Field, where the Packers usually roll.
"My God!", said his wife to legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi as he got into bed one night, "your feet are freezing!" "In bed, dear," Lombardi replied, "you may call me Vincent."
Thursday, November 10, 2011
DRINKING LOTS OF WATER DAILY: GOOD FOR YOU?
I thought this was interesting--you hear so much about this:
"The old saw about drinking eight glasses of water a day for overall health is widely considered a myth.
But research over the years has suggested that drinking extra water helps the kidneys clear sodium, urea and toxins from the body. And in the past year, two large studies found a lower risk of long-term kidney problems among people who drink more water and other fluids daily.
In a report published in the journal Nephrology in March, researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia and elsewhere followed more than 2,400 people older than 50. Those who drank the most fluids, about three liters daily, had a “significantly lower risk” of chronic kidney disease than those who drank the least.
And in a study published last month in The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Canadian scientists followed 2,148 healthy men and women, average age 46, for seven years. They looked at markers of kidney function and health and used urine volume to determine how much fluid the subjects drank daily. After controlling for diabetes, smoking, medication and other factors, they found that those who had the highest urine volume — in other words, those who drank the most fluids — were least susceptible to declines in kidney function.
The findings, the authors said, do not support “aggressive fluid loading,” which can cause side effects. But they do provide evidence that moderately increased fluid intake, above two liters daily, “may in fact benefit the kidney.”
“Believe it or not, there now does seem to be some merit and evidence to support the ‘myth’ that eight large glasses of fluid a day is good for your kidneys,” said Dr. William Clark, an author of the study and a nephrologist at the London Health Sciences Center in Ontario.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A moderately increased intake of fluids may protect the kidneys."
The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing
for you if you don't let it get the best of you." -Will Rogers
I thought this was interesting--you hear so much about this:
"The old saw about drinking eight glasses of water a day for overall health is widely considered a myth.
But research over the years has suggested that drinking extra water helps the kidneys clear sodium, urea and toxins from the body. And in the past year, two large studies found a lower risk of long-term kidney problems among people who drink more water and other fluids daily.
In a report published in the journal Nephrology in March, researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia and elsewhere followed more than 2,400 people older than 50. Those who drank the most fluids, about three liters daily, had a “significantly lower risk” of chronic kidney disease than those who drank the least.
And in a study published last month in The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Canadian scientists followed 2,148 healthy men and women, average age 46, for seven years. They looked at markers of kidney function and health and used urine volume to determine how much fluid the subjects drank daily. After controlling for diabetes, smoking, medication and other factors, they found that those who had the highest urine volume — in other words, those who drank the most fluids — were least susceptible to declines in kidney function.
The findings, the authors said, do not support “aggressive fluid loading,” which can cause side effects. But they do provide evidence that moderately increased fluid intake, above two liters daily, “may in fact benefit the kidney.”
“Believe it or not, there now does seem to be some merit and evidence to support the ‘myth’ that eight large glasses of fluid a day is good for your kidneys,” said Dr. William Clark, an author of the study and a nephrologist at the London Health Sciences Center in Ontario.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A moderately increased intake of fluids may protect the kidneys."
The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing
for you if you don't let it get the best of you." -Will Rogers
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF THE DAY
A man born without arms or legs...will seek to climb Moutn Kilimanjaro. Wow:
"In the Human Factor, we profile survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle - injury, illness or other hardship - they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn't know they possessed. This week meet Kyle Maynard. Despite being born without arms or legs, Maynard has played football, wrestled, and he's hoping to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.
Since I opened the doors to No Excuses CrossFit, a small gym in an Atlanta suburb three years ago, I’ve come to learn that fitness instructors are closer in their roles to being a life coach or psychologist than someone solely focused on a workout regimen. The best trainers understand there is a massive amount of motivation required to start, let alone stick to, any plan.
One of the reasons we require so much motivation to start on the path to improving our health is that we build up a huge lie in our minds of how improbable or even impossible reaching our goals will be. We think about how hard it’s going to be to resist dessert or how much time exercising is going to take away from our lives. Then to make matters worse, we say things like “I have to lose 10 pounds in the next month.”
Have you ever thought about the bind that puts your mind in? Let’s say you succeed in that goal and lose the weight, now what do you do? Stop working out and go back to your old habits, eventually putting the weight back on? What happens if you don’t succeed - do you call yourself a failure?
Your goals should serve you, not work against you. They should provide you with a general direction and not be your end all be all.
I’ve coached people who lost several pants sizes, but because they didn’t reach their weight goal by a few pounds, they became so discouraged they quit. And I know of several more who reached their goal, but since they didn’t know where to go after that, a few weeks later they were back where they started.
If I choose to enjoy the ride and concern myself less with a specific outcome or goal, then I cannot fail. If my goal is to enjoy the path I’m on, whether that’s in my health or really any area of my life, then all I have to do is show up.
Several years ago I became very interested in mountaineering and around six months ago I set the goal to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Climbing Kili is a challenging goal for most people, and being a quadruple amputee without anyone to consult on how to pull this off doesn’t make it much easier.
Dating back to 2006, my first pair of hiking shoes were made from a pair of hotel towels that I tied to my arms using a rope I cut off the back of my wheelchair. The towels enabled me to crawl on all four limbs without cutting my arms open on the rock. And after obliterating a pair of blue jeans, I made it up to a peak that was somewhere around 1,500 feet high.
Kilimanjaro’s summit is a little bit higher... right at 19,340 feer. I never said I wasn’t one of the people thinking some of my goals might be improbable or even impossible at times.
Throughout the whole process there have been close to a dozen different attempts at adapting equipment and many of those resulted in painful failures. Each time we failed trying something new, we moved on to try something else. We’ve made small, incremental improvements over time and the whole process has been a rewarding challenge. Now we’re about two months away from our time on the mountain and we’ve finally gotten to a point where the gear is beginning to work.
It’s always going to be the same in your life too. We’ll never be where we want to be until we learn to slow down and enjoy our individual journey. As long as you are doing something to move towards the direction you want to go in your life and your health, you cannot fail.
If you’d like to learn more about my trip, please visit www.missionkilimanjaro.com"
"Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records."
-William A. Ward
A man born without arms or legs...will seek to climb Moutn Kilimanjaro. Wow:
"In the Human Factor, we profile survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle - injury, illness or other hardship - they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn't know they possessed. This week meet Kyle Maynard. Despite being born without arms or legs, Maynard has played football, wrestled, and he's hoping to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.
Since I opened the doors to No Excuses CrossFit, a small gym in an Atlanta suburb three years ago, I’ve come to learn that fitness instructors are closer in their roles to being a life coach or psychologist than someone solely focused on a workout regimen. The best trainers understand there is a massive amount of motivation required to start, let alone stick to, any plan.
One of the reasons we require so much motivation to start on the path to improving our health is that we build up a huge lie in our minds of how improbable or even impossible reaching our goals will be. We think about how hard it’s going to be to resist dessert or how much time exercising is going to take away from our lives. Then to make matters worse, we say things like “I have to lose 10 pounds in the next month.”
Have you ever thought about the bind that puts your mind in? Let’s say you succeed in that goal and lose the weight, now what do you do? Stop working out and go back to your old habits, eventually putting the weight back on? What happens if you don’t succeed - do you call yourself a failure?
Your goals should serve you, not work against you. They should provide you with a general direction and not be your end all be all.
I’ve coached people who lost several pants sizes, but because they didn’t reach their weight goal by a few pounds, they became so discouraged they quit. And I know of several more who reached their goal, but since they didn’t know where to go after that, a few weeks later they were back where they started.
If I choose to enjoy the ride and concern myself less with a specific outcome or goal, then I cannot fail. If my goal is to enjoy the path I’m on, whether that’s in my health or really any area of my life, then all I have to do is show up.
Several years ago I became very interested in mountaineering and around six months ago I set the goal to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Climbing Kili is a challenging goal for most people, and being a quadruple amputee without anyone to consult on how to pull this off doesn’t make it much easier.
Dating back to 2006, my first pair of hiking shoes were made from a pair of hotel towels that I tied to my arms using a rope I cut off the back of my wheelchair. The towels enabled me to crawl on all four limbs without cutting my arms open on the rock. And after obliterating a pair of blue jeans, I made it up to a peak that was somewhere around 1,500 feet high.
Kilimanjaro’s summit is a little bit higher... right at 19,340 feer. I never said I wasn’t one of the people thinking some of my goals might be improbable or even impossible at times.
Throughout the whole process there have been close to a dozen different attempts at adapting equipment and many of those resulted in painful failures. Each time we failed trying something new, we moved on to try something else. We’ve made small, incremental improvements over time and the whole process has been a rewarding challenge. Now we’re about two months away from our time on the mountain and we’ve finally gotten to a point where the gear is beginning to work.
It’s always going to be the same in your life too. We’ll never be where we want to be until we learn to slow down and enjoy our individual journey. As long as you are doing something to move towards the direction you want to go in your life and your health, you cannot fail.
If you’d like to learn more about my trip, please visit www.missionkilimanjaro.com"
"Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records."
-William A. Ward
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WILLPOWER
We all, every day, need to use our willpower--from resisting that big piece of chocolate cake when we're trying to lose weight, to resisting the urge to be lazy when we have lots of work to do, to perhaps--if one has Moebius or anything like it--resisting the urge to avoid social situations or meeting new people because it makes us feel uncomfortable. Your willpower, in such situations, comes in handy. How can we use it better? This piece explains how:
"Witness the role of willpower in your daily life: From the moment the alarm sounds in the morning, it's only by sheer determination that you rouse yourself from the warm sheets into the still-dark morning. You grit your teeth when the barista takes 6 minutes to fill your coffee order--never mind those $200 shoes you talk yourself out of buying or the fries you force yourself to leave on your plate at lunch. It's no wonder that by the time 6 pm rolls around, you're waging World War III on your husband for forgetting to pick up the milk on his way home. Again.
We all, every day, need to use our willpower--from resisting that big piece of chocolate cake when we're trying to lose weight, to resisting the urge to be lazy when we have lots of work to do, to perhaps--if one has Moebius or anything like it--resisting the urge to avoid social situations or meeting new people because it makes us feel uncomfortable. Your willpower, in such situations, comes in handy. How can we use it better? This piece explains how:
"Witness the role of willpower in your daily life: From the moment the alarm sounds in the morning, it's only by sheer determination that you rouse yourself from the warm sheets into the still-dark morning. You grit your teeth when the barista takes 6 minutes to fill your coffee order--never mind those $200 shoes you talk yourself out of buying or the fries you force yourself to leave on your plate at lunch. It's no wonder that by the time 6 pm rolls around, you're waging World War III on your husband for forgetting to pick up the milk on his way home. Again.
Our lives are full of temptations that tax our self-control and drain our willpower, but a new and growing body of research says you can make it through the day without losing your cool --and it isn't as hard as you think.
First, you need to realize that doing anything you don't want to do--suppressing irritation at your mother-in-law, fighting an impulse to do something you shouldn't, completing a task when you want to quit--draws on the same storehouse of willpower. But help is here: According to Roy Baumeister, PhD, director of social psychology at Florida State University, willpower functions like a muscle. It can be fatigued by overuse, but it can also be strengthened to make you more productive, less stressed, and happier. All you need are a few healthy habits to keep your willpower tank on full.
1. Play Offense
When Dr. Baumeister monitored workers in Germany, he was surprised to find that people spent between 3 and 4 hours per day resisting desires, the most common of which were urges to eat, sleep, take a break from work, and have sex. But Dr. Baumeister also found that people with strong self-control spent less time resisting desires than other people did. At first he was puzzled. If self-control is for resisting desires, why are people who have more of it using it less? Soon the explanation emerged: They're better at proactively arranging their lives to avoid problem situations. These are the folks who take the car to the shop before it breaks down, give themselves enough time to finish a project, and steer clear of all-you-can-eat buffets. They play offense instead of defense--which means they set themselves up so they have a realistic chance of succeeding.
2. Use The Calm Before It Storms
You can't control--or even predict--the surprise stresses that come into your life, but you can use peaceful moments to take on the stubborn ones. Quitting smoking, cutting back on drinking, having that talk with your spouse--these are all best done during times of low demand in other parts of your life. So if you're starting a new job, don't quit smoking cold turkey the same month. If your marriage is going through a rough patch, don't try to lose those stubborn 10 pounds. And when you know a stressful spell is upon you--tax season, say, or a big deadline at work--ask yourself: How will I expend my willpower today, this evening, and next week?
3. Don’t Dawdle
3. Don’t Dawdle
Procrastination is an almost universal vice--95% of people admit to doing it at least sometimes (and we have no idea who those other 5% are--or whom they're trying to kid). Psychologists have often blamed procrastination on a compulsion to do things perfectly. That sounds right, but Dr. Baumeister and Dianne Tice, PhD, a psychologist at Florida State University, discovered that impulsiveness is more likely behind it. When procrastinators are anxious or bored, they give in to the urge to improve their moods by doing something else. But they're mostly kidding themselves: Eventually, the bill comes due and procrastinators suffer considerably more willpower-depleting stress (and get sick more) than those who work on a schedule. Moral of the story: Bite the bullet and get to work.
4. Always Remember the Basics
As you work toward a goal, you might be tempted to let other things go--like regular meals and a good night's sleep. But what you save in time, you ultimately pay for: It's hard to keep up the hard work when you're tired and hungry. So the next time you feel your will to power through begin to flag, grab a handful of almonds or an apple, and remember that getting your rest is just as important as nutrition when it comes to willpower.
5. Put It In Writing
Keeping track of your progress is crucial for staying on board with any plan. It offers immediate encouragement, and on days when you falter, you can look back at your log for a mental pick-me-up--instead of writing yourself off as a lost cause. Gaining a couple of pounds this week isn't so discouraging if you have a chart showing a line sloping downward for the past 6 months.
6. Reward Yourself Well and Often
6. Reward Yourself Well and Often
Incentives can work wonders. Journalist Esther Dyson--a disciplined daily swimmer--likes to tell how after years of failing to floss regularly, she was finally struck by the right incentive: If she flossed her teeth, she would permit herself to swim 5 fewer minutes the following day. That was 4 years ago, and she has flossed every night since. "Everybody needs to find their own little thing," she says. What's yours?
Adapted from Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, and New York Times journalist John Tierney. It is out now, from the Penguin Press ($28)"
"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing
something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas,
but there are few who decide to do something about them now.
Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur
is a doer, not a dreamer." -Nolan Bushnell
something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas,
but there are few who decide to do something about them now.
Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur
is a doer, not a dreamer." -Nolan Bushnell
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